Just can’t wait for the shopping day.
After a so-so buffet in the hotel, we headed to the museum and market for shopping. Before that, we paid a quick visit to Al Bastakiya, which is a historic district in Dubai.
According to the local tourist guide, no one lived there anymore. It has grabbed tourists’ attention for picturesque sight and one of a kind design which is made of sand. Because it was left empty, the whole place brought me a state of peaceful mind. It just started to get noisier when other foreign visitors came. I read that the history of Al Bastakiya dates back in 1890s, so, the design was heavily influenced by traditional Islamic architecture. There were elegant houses, hanging oil lamps, small lattice, and sophisticated windows… I really appreciate effort of Dubai Municipality to bring back historic buildings back to life.
Then we took a short walk to Dubai Museum which displays history of Dubai to public. It was so hot that I couldn’t even enjoy this place, plus, it was full of people. I felt better when we came inside of the museum. It was cool but dark, which freaked me out a little. Imagine in the dark there was a man whose face was unseen cutting a piece of wood. He was moving. The vision was unclear. Everything was dark. I almost shouted my lung out when just seeing. Even though it was just a video, it just chilled me to the bones, which made me want to get out of it ASAP.
The part I enjoyed the most was the souvenir corner where I bought some stuff for friends and me. Back home, I had a small decorative bowl which was a gift from my beloved Hong Kong teacher. I thought she/he would need a partner, so, I bought another one to be his/her partner. LOL. Look at them.
(On my way to Golden Souk and Spicy Souk)
We did a couple of shopping tasks around Golden Souk (Golden market- a market specializing in selling golden jewelries, necklaces, rings, and even clothes) and Spicy Souk (Spice market). We even passed by a store which displays the world’s largest ring. There was a store putting golden dress and related accessories on display.
Then, it came to my acknowledgement that in high class family, it was a custom that grooms have to purchase that valuable dress for their wives-to-be. It was so nice and elegantly made but I wonder if it was heavy to put that dress on. It didn’t look really light. Then, we went around the market to buy some souvenir. I even got a “I love Dubai” T-shirt. Really cool!
We had lunch at Thailand restaurant. It was so much better than Shanghai one. Thailand curry and noodles were my cup of cake, so, I did enjoy my meals. The dessert was good as well. Sweet soups tasted so good. I hoped my mother who loved sweet stuff had been there.
Then, we got back to the hotel to take a 15 minute break before the next destination- Desert Safari. We were divided into two groups: one group would go straight to the desert and another would take Land Cruiser for a dune drive to the desert. It was shameful that the first choice was recommended for pregnant women and the elderly. But me and Cheese chose it. I am not a big fan of extreme games so, being on a crazy car driving ups and downs is a huge off to me, which eventually led to our decision to go straight to the camp safety on a wide and flat lane.
(Sights along the road)
(Imagine how scary it would be to be lost in a big desert)
It came as no surprise that we were the first group to come (of course, other people were busy surfing the desert). We were offered free soft drink and food (at that time, food was still unprepared and raw). Here came camels. It was my first time seeing that type of animal, thus, I felt awkward, especially at their heights which exceed horses’ ones. This is an 11- year-old camel. He was gentle, harmless and cute. I didn’t get why they locked camels’ mouths. Later I learned that it was used to prevent sand from entering their noses (it’s not good for them) and camels from being sunburnt. The camel owner urged me to ride on him and promised to take me nice pictures. But I couldn’t dare do it and ended up sitting on the back of him. Oh, I love him so much, my little camie.
We came back to the camp where I tried Shisha which is a water-pipe smoking tool. It allows us to smoke flavored tobacco which is not as heavy as ordinary tobacco. As a normal girl with two exceptional abilities which are transforming oxygen into carbon oxygen and getting under my boss’ skin, I failed to smoke shisha miserably. So, I quickly moved out of that zone and went to paint Hena which is an artistic painting technique. I had an Indian girl paint a beautiful flower running from my waist to the top of my finger.
The sunburnt hands- i used to hold- Autumn leaves
Sunset in the desert
Before we had dinner, there was a special performance, which was pretty impressive. But at that time, I was so hungry that I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the show. Much to my disappointment, food tasted really odd that I gave up eating soon. In the campaign, there was available food, and soft drink, everything was at your fingertips, but it was just No- No. Then my beloved tour partners gave me a couple of sandwiches, cheese and fruits, which helped me survive that night.
It was until we got back to the hotel that I got really sick in my stomach, to the point of vomiting any times. It was relatively shock on the way driving back home and I was playing Cheese’s Ipad. That’s why. That’s what I got.
*Pictures of the day:
