Good news - My blogger instructions had switched to Arabic, but I found a link to go back to English. 5 Weeks between blog posts is too long, so I'm going to stop treating this like a work of art, and post pictures for you. I'll include the finer edited posts as they pass inspection...
Visiting the Old Souks Requires Crossing Deira Creek on an Abra!
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| This super-cooling hat from the Columbia outlet was a lifesaver in the heat, but the girls don't think it looks very 'cool.' Tough. |
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| Pulling up to the old Textile Souk |
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| Bob checking e-mails as usual (it wasn't a holiday in the US). My fashion police. |
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| Gorgeous spices in the souk. The whole area smells like sweet curry.
We've had a number of unexpected holidays this fall, which has given everyone time to see a few sights between school and work. We spent a day at the old souk (market) section of town. Visitor guides always rave about the gold souk nearby, but one jewelry store is much like another. I think the spice and textile souks are more interesting.
Bob preferred the abra ride for two reasons: 1. It's a boat. 2. The cost for a ride is one dirham (about 27 cents) per person.
The monetary unit of the UAE is the dirham, which looks like a US quarter. Some people pronounce this word like Durham, NC, which gets shortened to 'dirum.' I like the pronunciation used by many natives of the Indian subcontinent (who make up the majority of the expats in Dubai). They call it a 'deerhem' with a soft roll on the r. I can almost do it, and this annoys my daughters greatly, so I practice it often! For 10 dirhams, you can get a year's supply of most spices in the souk, 3 vanilla beans, or a Tablespoon of saffron. You can also pay more or less, depending on your haggling skills.
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