Dubai means Business

This is my beloved city... perhaps this view makes you realise why despite everything (the legal system, the heat, the 101 different nationalities, the MALLS), I still love living in Dubai!! So much life and diversity. This is of course the Creek... view looking towards the (ahem) Persian Gulf Arabian Gulf.

After a day at home getting lots done (including booking flights for July), we ventured out to the Gold Souk which I really wanted to blip today. Have to go back tomorrow - so that's sorted, except I have a meeting in the office where I am doing the photo project and they are on the 29th floor and that's always a super place to take photos. Oh, I don't know - I'll have to be super decisive!

The sharp eyed among you will note that I lugged my big camera today... 55Daisies says the D800 is no problem (REALLY??) at all to carry and aprecious has started taking her new D5200 with large zoom lens down to the river and friend rachelwhynot regularly goes up to London for the day with her D90 around her neck! I can't really moan about mine under those circumstances!! Thanks ladies!

If you are all still reading, I should just explain one or two things about this scene:

1. The Creek is tidal and flows in from the Persian Gulf.
2. You see the bend there - it was prone to silting, and in the 1950s/60s - it was so bad, during extremely low tide you could walk from one side to the other.
3. One of the first things that Sheikh Rashid (founder of modern Dubai - father of the present ruler) did when he became ruler was to have the Creek dredged thereby greatly increasing the number of dhows (wooden ships you see in the foreground) that could come in, which in turn boosted trade.
4. Despite having 2 of the largest container ports in the world, a lot of trading is still done on the Creek on these dhows. You can see the cargo waiting on the docks.
5. Dubai was first settled back in the 1700s - Bedouin from the desert came to the sea in the summer months as it was cooler. Early pictures of the City show how it spread outwards from the Creek.
6. Commuters can get across on the small boats called abras for 10p a ride. Not bad eh? It was 5p for the longest time but they had to adjust it for inflation. In fact, it may have even gone up to 20p in the last 18 months. There you go - things never go up incrementally here - they just double!

These are all fact. True story! :)

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. It's been great.