Souks, flamingoes and a Blipmeet!

Wednesday
This morning, we took the water taxi down the Creek to the Souk area, first of all the Old Souk on the other side of the Creek, then we took one of the red-roofed abras across to the Spice Souk and Gold Souk. So colourful, and the spice Souk of course so aromatic. Of course, about every 5 yards, one of the merchants is trying to ply you with something, but I resisted! We felt a few extra signs would have been useful - we had to ask several times before we found the gold Souk - we were definitely just window-shopping there! Then, we found our way by metro to the Wafi Mall, where we were meeting up with GadgetKid and G. for lunch at an Indian restaurant. We enjoyed a great lunch and conversation flowed freely. We hadn’t any particular plans for the afternoon, so they suggested taking us to see the flamingoes at Ras al Khor wildlife sanctuary, just a relatively short drive away. There is a bird hide that you can view from, and it’s hard to believe you’re so close to the bustling streets and soaring skyscrapers of the Dubai that most people think of. It was fascinating watching them feeding, and such a wonderful sight when a group of them would come flying in to land. We were so grateful to GK and G for giving us this opportunity that probably many visitors to Dubai are unaware of. From there, they took us to La Mer, a recently opened beachside development, where we enjoyed iced coffees and more conversation, while watching the sun go down. Finally, they took us for a drive down some of the beautifully lit city streets, and around the Burj Khalifa, before ending up at a favourite viewpoint of theirs, the top of a multi storey car park by the Creek! It was a really special afternoon and evening. Thanks so much to GK and G for giving up so much of your time to share some of your city with us. We so enjoyed getting to know you better, and certainly hope we meet again sometime, whether back in Dubai or maybe in a England! Not forgetting another thank you to Blipfoto for bringing us together in the first place!