A Nice Time to See the Persian Gulf
Yep. That’s me in the abaya and shela!
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Janice in an abaya and shela.
Hi! I’m back on the road blogging again. It’s been about a year and a half since I last shared my experiences in Papua New Guinea and Sulawesi, Indonesia. Not to say I sat still during that time: 2019 took me on fun adventures to the Kenai Peninsula and France. But here I am - thanks to EIL and Kathi! - posting from United Arab Emirates!
First, a comment on places I travel and how I choose them: I’m kinda beginning to wonder if I’m a jinx. You may remember there was tribal unrest in PNG serious enough to warrant the tour company altering my itinerary saying, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to insure my safety. (There had also been a major earthquake and the torching of a plane belonging to the national government.) Then, before the Indonesian segment, I received a State Department alert warning of religious conflict on the island I would be visiting. (ALWAYS register your foreign travels with the State Department! Please.)
Now here I am in Dubai...just about 175 miles across the Persian Gulf from Iran. And yes. I have, as of Thursday night, received two security alerts from the State Department. Believe me. It wasn’t like this when I booked the trip! More on this concern later.
After these few days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (just ‘cause they were sorta on the way. And hey: Why not?), it will be on to Ethiopia for about three weeks. A good St. Simons friend and her husband did this same trip a year ago. When I saw her photos, and after hearing the trip was a combination of culture, scenic beauty, and history, it sounded right up my alley.
Thank you all for reading and traveling along with me. I am truly grateful for your support and encouragement on these journeys. My head gets filled with so much information, my senses overwhelmed with unfamiliar sights and smells and sounds. I try to synthesize the jumble of impressions and experiences and share the bits that I hope you’ll enjoy, that might make you laugh or maybe just scratch your head! So first: why am I dressed like that? We’ll get to that part...
Dubai and Abu Dhabi (about an hour apart) are cities and two of the seven emirates (kinda like states) that make up United Arab Emirates. ....pause...Okay. I am typing this in my hotel room at night. Just heard a bang. Don’t think much. Another BIG bang. Car backfire? Then ALOT more. Bombs? I look up and ...
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Pop-up fireworks celebrating the month-long Dubai Shopping Festival.
Yes. Fireworks. On Thursday night? Some holiday?? Google...Of course: just part of the pop-up fun throughout the city celebrating the month-long Dubai Shopping Festival. Only in Dubai! My strongest first impressions of Dubai are, of course, incredibly beautiful and unique architecture...
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Dubai architecture
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Dubai architecture
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Dubai architecture
The second was how safe I felt even though I never once saw a policeman.
And last is how clean it is. I have never ever been anywhere where every street or highway or waterfront was absolutely 100 percent litter free. Absolutely nothing. It seems impossible. Explanations from a cabbie my first night began my understanding of this country.
There are cameras EVERYWHERE. There is a database of all visa, passports, ID cards, car registrations that instantly scans and matches facial data and license plates on anyone who litters, who robs, who spits and lots and lots of other violations. Throwing even tiny paper out your car is a $250 fine and “Black Points.” Same for spitting. Throwing gum is about $125. On a shuttle bus ride to Abu Dhabi, the guide said “put on your seat belt. Remember I told you. If a policeman gets in the van and sees you not wearing your seat belt, he will want to know if I told you. If I didn’t, I get fined. If I did, you will get fined.” Another guide claimed you are alerted of a fine on your cell phone. The other explanation for the lawfulness is severe penalties beyond fines. I didn’t ask details, but twice when I commented on the lack of police, I was told the punishments are very serious.
Beyond the glitz and glamour of Dubai...
—and there is glamour! The Burj Al Arab hotel at $1000-$2000/night, the Dubai Mall - the world’s largest complete with ice skating rink, the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa (which was an amazing place to have afternoon tea on the 124th floor, about 40 floors from the top. Note: $25 up charge for window seat!), a music and light water fountain show that is 20% bigger than the one at the Bellagio—
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The Burj Khalifa
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View from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building
...is Old Dubai.The city, right on the Persian Gulf, has been a trading center for centuries, originally specializing in pearl diving. It was the advent of cultured pearls that made the city look for another resource. Oil. The sector called Bastakiya was settled by Iranian merchants in the 1800s and today is quiet, shaded narrow lanes that hold small shops and galleries.
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Old Dubai
The Iranian influence continues today. As you take a small abra ride across Dubai Creek (essentially a 5 minute water taxi for 25 cents), you see large worn dhows filled with a jumble of boxes, bags...much from Iran, as well as India, Pakistan and Somalia.
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Dhows in Dubai Creek
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Dhows in Dubai Creek
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Abras in Dubai Creek
With US sanctions, UAE is an important trading alternative for Iran. To fast forward to this past week, it is also one reason given for why Iran would not want to damage Dubai or its relationship with UAE. That said, my guide—after saying she’d had bookings canceled by Americans (Hey! I’m here!) this week who curtailed their travel—said “Iran would not hit Abu Dhabi. (Note: there are a couple thousand Americans stationed at an airbase in Abu Dhabi.) It is too spread out and they couldn’t do much damage. But Dubai. It is all glass buildings very close together. But the Sheik wants to protect our economy and all the tourism and all that has been built. He will make sure nothing happens.”
Of course, this old area of Dubai is famous for its souks, particularly spice (many from Iran) and gold, although there are souks for everything!
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Dubai Souks - gold
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Dubai Souks - sign
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Dubai Souks - spice
The spice market smelled amazing and I was happily surprised to buy saffron so cheaply, after I was educated in how to distinguish genuine saffron from fake. The 1 pound canister of saffron here would cost $2000; in the U.S., probably $5000+.
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Dubai souks - saffron
I was also treated to camel milk chocolate candies! Yummy...like chocolate. I also had camel meat with much lunch in Abu Dhabi. Kinda the texture of pot roast. No strong flavor. Just fine. A recco for Dave?
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Camel milk chocolates
My guide this day is actually Indian. Roughly 80% of UAE residents are not citizens. They may have been born here or hold visas, but they are not citizens and therefore do not benefit from all the vast government programs such a free healthcare, free education, financial support when a child is born, when buying a first home, no income tax. Only people born to Emirati parents (family was here in 1925) can be citizens. It’s slightly more complicated, but not much.
Also interesting, she took me past a Hindu temple. It is the ONLY Hindu temple in the entire country, despite an Indian population of nearly 8 million. Of course, there are mosques everywhere.
Speaking of mosques: my day trip to Abu Dhabi (the capital of UAE) was to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the third largest in the world (30,000 can worship here at one time) and the only one that allows tourists inside. Even women visitors are expected to be covered to the wrists and ankles and the head, hence my photo. My abaya was provided by the tour group, but they can be rented. As a place of worship, appropriate behavior is expected. No loud talking. No suggestive poses. (Try googling the mosque and Rihana.)
The mosque - completed in 2007 - is stunningly gorgeous.
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Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
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Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The chandeliers are huge, made from Swarovski crystal. One is supposedly the third largest in the world.
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Abu Dhabi - Chandelier in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The decorations on pillars are inlaid semi-precious stones.
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Abu Dhabi - semi-precious stone inlays in pillars Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
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Abu Dhabi - semi-precious stone inlays in pillars Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
The courtyard is all individual small marble stones and is supposedly the largest marble mosaic in the world.
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Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque courtyard - largest marble mosaic in the world
The carpet is said the largest in the world, made in Iran, and weighs 35 tons.
A little bit about Muslims which may be new:
Yes, the men can have 4 wives but few of the younger generation do because: 1. You have to pay a dowry (bride price elsewhere) for each wife. Expensive. 2. You have to be sure to treat each wife the same....same amount of gifts, of time, etc. 3. You have to be sure all the wives’ siblings meet each other regularly to insure harmony. Basically: a big headache.
The women with veils over their face. I never thought: how do they eat in restaurants? I saw them discreetly and gently lift the veil a bit to make room for a fork. I saw one young woman, when finished dining, slightly lift the veil and put on lipstick. And why do men wear white robes and have different headdresses? Why do women wear black? Today: no reason at all except tradition. They can wear any color. The UAE men, historically, wore white headdresses and the Saudis wore red/white checkered. Today, again, it doesn’t matter.
And for popular culture fans: two Abu Dhabi buildings were in the film Fast and Furious 7. Remember the scene where the car accelerates out the window of one building and into the second? I hadn’t. But look on YouTube. Pretty cool. Well, here are the two rooftops.
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Abu Dhabi - rooftops used in car chase scene in Fast & Furious 7
I wouldn’t have chosen UAE as a travel destination, but it is fascinating, beautiful, certainly complicated. More here than I could grasp in a few days.
And now to Ethiopia. And what a huge huge huge dissettle-ing contrast. From one of the world’s wealthiest countries to one of the poorest.
