An early start is what we planned and an early start is what we got. We were dressed and out walking the doggoes at 7.30. Well, Johnny was walking Molly, beginning at a brisk pace and with a nice spring in her step, until half way around, when her little tank was showing empty. Britt had control of Eddie as his hunting instincts could get the better of him if a cat came into view. I carried Bella for about a hundred metres and then she began to wriggle and demand a walk. The trick with her was to keep a tension on the lead and even without sight and hearing, it guided her forward. We walked the archaeological precinct and a bit more. By the end Bella was running. I thought this was a good thing, but apparently it was a sign of panic and I had to slow her down. It was lovely to see her on the move again.
It was a surprise to see Wil when we got back as we thought he had gone to work early. He had taken a car out to a spot for a run. Britt and Wil were soon off to work and we were left to our own devices. We had a call with Ginny at 10 so I filled in the time by watching a Korean romantic movie on Netflix. Johnny was far more productive, paying bills and sending work emails. OK, we did do a little dance in front of the security camera, just to test if Britt was watching.
We had grand plans.. A Kareem (Like Uber) to the Al Ghubaiba Marine Transport Station for a long cruise along the creek and around the Palms, and down to Dubai Marina area. We found the ticket office but there were no cruises today because of adverse wind condition. "But it's as flat as anything "I protested pointing to the water that could not be more benign. Nope, the powers that be said "too rough" and that was an end to it. The trick to having a good holiday is flexibility and so we set off for a walk along the creek past the various pavilions that constituted the new Old Dubai Life museum. Yes it was open, no it didn't look all that interesting so we just took in the sights and stopped off for a big glass of freshly squeezed cane juice. Wonderful taste!
We pivoted again and made our way around the harbour to the abra station. A one dirham trip got us over to the souks. Despite the really busy traffic on the creek, the water was incredibly clean and clear. We could see through the water to some sizable fish and on the legs of the wharf there was some incredible, colourful coral growing.
Of course everyone had heard of the spice and gold souks, but we took the path less trodden and saw the kitchen utensil and mattress souks. One stall boasted the "biggest pot in all Dubai". There was one colander that was big enough for Charlie and his Zak to have a bath in! Last time we were here it was all "Mr John, Mr John", Today it was all "Mumma" and "Pappa". The stall holders were just as persistent as in the past but our strategy of keeping a brisk pace and avoiding eye contact gave the strong message that we were not buying.
We wandered out of the souks into the back streets, where there seemed to be an informal shoe souk. Yes we became a bit disorientated but eventually we found our way back to the creek. It was back to the abras via an underpass built to keep the street traffic flowing and a short trip back to the other side and our favourite river front restaurant. During Covid, it has had a massive renovation. It was so much slicker and there were glass panels in the floor so that you could see the creek flowing below. It was the same attentive service and good food that we remembered. Johnny and I both had a rice dish and a very welcome beer. As we ate, abras criss-crossed the creek, speedboats cruised by and even a huge roll on roll off ferry passed by. The "wind conditions" were obviously not affecting them.
We caught a Careem (Dubai Uber) back home. Curiously it cost twice as much as it had cost to get to the Al Ghubaiba Marine Transport Station. It was well after four when we got back and there was time to rest before a dip in the pool.
Dinner out was organized by Britt and she asked if we wanted somewhere close or a bit of an adventure. Of course adventure won. . It was dinner for three as Wil had a work dinner to attend. What a great meal. The fishermen from Bu Qtair down at the beach catch the fish then cook and sell it at their beachside restaurant. We had a huge plate of fried prawns, a tasty leaf salad and a rice dish. A really creamy curry sauce came with the prawns. It was quite frankly fantastic. The fishermen and Bu Qtair restaurant have appeared in a CNN article and people come from far and wide for the food and the experience. Of course we left room for ice cream which we had walking along the beach front in the last of the day's heat.
This is normally a two person house so doubling the number of residents had depleted the supplies. On the way home from the beach, we swung by a nearby supermarket to stock up. Off to bed now as we did such a good job with doggoe walking that we have been invited back for a return performance at 7.30 tomorrow morning.
