tour dubai: part 3 - the dhow wharves and souks

There are a few sites that I always take my visitors to see. This post is the third and final in a series that covers those locations. And while my Nikon D5000 provides stunning images of the environs, you really have to see all of the glitz and sand to fully appreciate where we are. So come visit! (Or at least read the blog.)

It has been unusually wet here in Sharjah and Dubai for the last week. It has also been quite chilly, even during the day. I'm not sure what's going on with the weather, but it has put a damper on going places.

Our new hotel has also put a damper on going places. We're on the other side of Sharjah now, closer to Ajman, so it's more expensive to catch a cab to Dubai. This will be the final part of the tour dubai series; however, don't let me mislead you. The transportation is not discouraging more posts; the lack of variety in travel destinations is limiting new ventures. I can only write about walking around a mall so many times.

Onward! Today's tour is something that I find to be an eye opener. We often say how a country is built on the backs of this group or that. Dhow trading is the foundation of Dubai's economy, and it will probably return to being the only real thing going when the dust settles. There's such an immense contrast between the glamour of the shopping centers and hotels and Old Dubai.

To stretch out our travel time, we decided to walk from the old hotel to the Sharjah-Dubai border. We encountered this lot of cars leaving a mosque after the Friday service.

Though not quite a dhow, this wreck is part of the litter in the Sharjah Lagoon. In the far distance, you can see the Sharjah Eye. (NB: London later copied this Ferris wheel.)

The Dhow Wharf in Dubai is packed with boats waiting to pick up cargo. Most carry tires and appliances to countries around the gulf like Iran.

I don't think your hand is going to keep you from getting wet. Tophi and I wandered around an office tower with shops on the ground floor for over an hour waiting for the rain to stop.

This yacht takes "wooden" to a whole new level. 

Dubai's Spice Souk

It's always fun to play the "Name this Spice" game with the souk merchants. After a merchant offers you tea and dates, he tries to convince you that his saffron is the best. I convinced Tophi to play the game with one merchant in German to see if the merchant would follow. That crafty man carried the conversation with no problem.

Well. That's that. No more to see here. Move along... 

No, I'll have more stories and photographs in the coming days. We're almost at the halfway point! In the meantime, check out the some of the pictures that didn't make it to the blog.

Posted in: dhow,dubai,leisure photos,sharjah,tour series