Our flight arrived in Dubai at 4.30am, and after only a couple of hours' sleep we were a tad weary. Like other overseas airports, this one is enormous, and the beautiful baggage collection area contains some 20 carousels.
We had pre-ordered a 'taxi' to the hotel and were delighted to find it was actually a luxury hybrid Lexus which was so quiet we hardly knew we were on the road. We were too early to check-in at the hotel, so we left our bags in storage and caught a taxi to Dubai Mall. (Taxis are very reasonably priced in Dubai).
At 350,000 sq metres, the 30th largest shopping mall in the world has 1,200 retail outlets including four department stores; 200 restaurants, cafes and takeaway food outlets; ice rink, theatre and other entertainment attractions, and a full-sized aquarium - all under one roof. It wasn't difficult to fill in a few hours and it was easy to get around, so we also lunched and followed this up with coffee at Starbucks.
By comparison, the largest shopping mall on the planet, in Iran, is 1,450,000 sq metres in size but doesn't have as many shops as Dubai.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were very (pleasantly) surprised to see the wine fridge included bottles of Eddystone Point Riesling and Pinot Noir, the only Australian wines besides Penfolds. Alcohol, as we were about to discover, is expensive in Dubai. A bottle of Eddystone Point Riesling retails for $32 in Tasmania; here in Dubai it costs $202. We opted for a glass of the house wine...
The following morning we decided to visit the Bur Dubai Souk, also known as the Grand Souk. Last time we took the Dubai Metro, as it is easy to get around and the carriages are spotlessly clean, but this time our hotel was over a kilometre from the station, and since it was already 32C out, we caught a taxi.
The souk comprises a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, where stall holders jump out and invite you to purchase everything scarves to spices, and plush camels to . Either you haggle with them (which Jim loves to do) or you just walk away (as Penny loves to do) and the price magically reduces.
As you pass a stall they will always ask where you're from. This morning, every time I said 'Australia', they said, 'Kangaroos' except for one progressive seller who said, 'Good cricket team.' At least they know we exist... The souk is spread along the creek front where all sorts of interesting watercraft sail by.
And there are a few restaurants. On our last visit we lunched at the Bayt Al Wakeel, and fortunately were able to locate it again. Great salads and cold drinks - but no alcohol of course.
And after a hard day's walk through the narrow alleys of the ancient bustling market, what a delight to return to our wonderfully cool and modern hotel room to find our PJs neatly folded on the bed!
On our second morning we caught a taxi to The Green Planet. This tropical indoor rainforest sustains over 3,000 plants and animals across multiple levels. We started on the fourth level and wound our way down to the ground via a suspended walkway. Along the way birds flew freely above our heads and the mammals were so tame they sat and slept on the walkways. We could easily have touched them, but of course this isn't allowed. What a beautiful experience!
Bats in an indoor enclosure - they flew around us
Jim admiring a sleeping sloth
Penny speaking to two friendly lemurs
And yes, there is even a Kookaburra.
The newest attraction is the Echidna, but their enclosure was unfortunately closed for maintenance.
Another sleeping sloth...
From the ground, showing the walkways above
Following our exploration of the rainforest, we walked through City Walk, Dubai, yet another shopping mecca. Ladies would know of L'Occitane, the French company that sells upmarket natural beauty products. Well, in Dubai they also have a cafe, and it was here we lunched on grilled chicken caprese salad and peach flavoured iced tea. Delicious.
We fly out of Dubai at 3am tomorrow (yuk) bound for Barcelona - and some cooler weather!
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