Well, here we are, 67 days after we started and packing for the trip home tomorrow. Dubai has been interesting – make of that comment what you will. Our hotel, the Qamardeen situated in the old town, has been very comfortable and we have enjoyed the lovely warm swimming pool and the friendliness of the staff. The old town is actually very new (only a few months old), but it is close to the Burj Al Khalifa – the highest building in Dubai, if not the world, where the musical fountains in the lake surrounding the area even outdo those at the Bellagio in Las Vegas (see pic). We have done things that locals don’t do – we have walked! We visited the Souk Al Bahar (also very new) as well as the Dubai Mall, which has an ice rink and an aquarium inside. However, we did not visit the Emirates Mall, which has a ski slope inside. Sue and John Brown’s daughter, Nicola (Nooze to those that know her), gave us a lovely tour around Dubai, showing us the real old town of Dubai built around the creek (see pic) and then she took us to the new Dubai, out to the Palm development and the Atlantis hotel. It is amazing what can be built given the resources (people and money), but Dubai still largely resembles a building site - a large part of which is on standstill due to the need to focus on the main projects (Metro) and the continuing impact of the financial recession.
Today has been our most hectic day. We began by teeing off on the Ernie Els golf course (see pic) in Sports City, just before 8 o’clock. We were due to tee off at 7.30, but our taxi driver could not find the golf course, it is so new. The golf course reminded us of Alicante- anyone who was on the Brian Slocombe trip to Spain a few years back will know what we mean (think building sites and half completed houses surrounding the fairways). I played well and I am looking forward to helping the Club beat the Seniors (again) this coming Saturday.
From the outskirts of Dubai, we returned to the DIFC (Financial City which reminded us of a very large and opulent Canary Wharf) for lunch with a former colleague at Barclays, Khurram Jaffree. It was good to see him again, but, it was not long before we returned to the pool at our hotel for last minute tanning opportunities.
We have just returned from a lovely meal with Nooze and her husband, Mark (see pic) at Madinat in Jumeirah. Madinat is a combination of Souk, hotels and restaurants by a waterway where tourists can be conveyed by Abra (small ferries, similar to those on the creek). Such a wonderful evening. We ate Persian food and chatted under starlit skies. When may we do this in England? Maybe it will be a barbecue summer this year!
This is our last blog for this journey. It’s been a fabulous trip with many highs, many bonuses and only a few lows, mainly weather related. We would like to thank all of our faithful followers and all of you who checked in once in a while to see how we were doing. We look forward to catching up with you all very soon to share our stories and maybe even bore you with some of our pictures that didn’t make any of the blogs.
So, this is David and Linda signing off. We are due to arrive in the UK on Thursday 25th, British Airways willing.
Today has been our most hectic day. We began by teeing off on the Ernie Els golf course (see pic) in Sports City, just before 8 o’clock. We were due to tee off at 7.30, but our taxi driver could not find the golf course, it is so new. The golf course reminded us of Alicante- anyone who was on the Brian Slocombe trip to Spain a few years back will know what we mean (think building sites and half completed houses surrounding the fairways). I played well and I am looking forward to helping the Club beat the Seniors (again) this coming Saturday.
From the outskirts of Dubai, we returned to the DIFC (Financial City which reminded us of a very large and opulent Canary Wharf) for lunch with a former colleague at Barclays, Khurram Jaffree. It was good to see him again, but, it was not long before we returned to the pool at our hotel for last minute tanning opportunities.
We have just returned from a lovely meal with Nooze and her husband, Mark (see pic) at Madinat in Jumeirah. Madinat is a combination of Souk, hotels and restaurants by a waterway where tourists can be conveyed by Abra (small ferries, similar to those on the creek). Such a wonderful evening. We ate Persian food and chatted under starlit skies. When may we do this in England? Maybe it will be a barbecue summer this year!
This is our last blog for this journey. It’s been a fabulous trip with many highs, many bonuses and only a few lows, mainly weather related. We would like to thank all of our faithful followers and all of you who checked in once in a while to see how we were doing. We look forward to catching up with you all very soon to share our stories and maybe even bore you with some of our pictures that didn’t make any of the blogs.
So, this is David and Linda signing off. We are due to arrive in the UK on Thursday 25th, British Airways willing.
I am no longer envious, but rather excited for you coming home. We know you guys have had the most amazing adventures, but it is really nice knowing that two of our favourite people are almost back. Looking forward to seeing some of those "boring" bits that did not make it into the blog.
ReplyDeleteLove.
H&E