Tuesday is our last full day in Dubai, with a 5am rise and
arrival at the airport at 7 on Wednesday. Britt will take us there then shoot straight off
to the Aust Embassy to renew her Aussie passport.
With all the extra time Britt has been putting in, she was
able to take Tuesday off to be with us. Though technically off the grid, barely
half an hour passes before text messages or emails from work come flying in,
but Britt just responds and off we go again.
Britt and Wil took the dogs out early today. Eddie
particularly needed to be tired out as he was having his first visit to WOOF to
be assessed as to whether he has the temperament to be boarded there. It was
just like the first day that kids are delivered to crèche. Britt was armed with all the vaccinations etc
and was very reassuring to him. We watched through one way glass as he was
asked to play with the minder and interact with the other doggies. I thought
he did really well and it turns out the staff did too as he was given the green
light. Meanwhile Molly had her nails cut. Bella had developed an upset tummy
overnight so she stayed at home.
After delivering the doggies home, we set out for lunch at
George’s restaurant in the city centre. Britt took us on a driving tour of the
city and we even went down to the design district where she worksand caught a
glimpse of her office. The whole area is very new with lots of eateries at
ground level in the shady lanes between the buildings.
Georges was absolutely packed but we still scored a table.
Lunch was delish and healthy. It was so popular with so many different people. We
caught sight of George deep into a business discussion with someone, but when
he finished he came over to say hello to all of us and have a chat. To our
utter surprise and delight he settled the bill for us before he left for his
flight to India. What a nice guy.
From here we went to the fancy shmantzy open air mall called
City Walk. Every amazing designer name was there and not a take away in sight.
This was real high end shopping precinct and gratefully for Britt it’s the closest
mall to their home. The open areas are all air-conditioned with columns blowing
air at shoppers as they drift through the perfumed walkways. This place even has designer graffitti with some notable artist being flown in to give the place a bit of an edgy look. The knit bombed palm trees were a bit of a laugh. The lights above
pick up the passing traffic and respond. It really was incredibly beautiful and
at night, the whole place becomes a mecca for shopping, eating, drinking or
just promenading. Opposite this beautiful plaza, myriad luxury flats have been built on land that was only a short time earlier, covered in very traditional and rudimentary dwellings. There is also a huge bio-dome with all manner of plant and animal life on display.
Britt particularly wanted to walk through Marais, a local
branch of her favourite Parisian department store. It was fantastic and after
an hour of wandering through all the different departments, she left happily clutching
a beautiful pot plant holder. It seemed to me that it would be the perfect
place to shop for something very special, and the staff were both helpful and
yet kept a discrete distance when not needed. They already had the Christmas deccos
on display, but the highlight was the young Asian shop assistant who entertained himself by singing Christmas
songs to himself.
From here we drove on to the Union Co-Op. This was the
enormous no frills supermarket where the locals shop. They have the best prices
and range. We felt a little conspicuous as clearly modest traditional dress was
expected and both Britt and I has bare arms, but no one said anything so that
was good. Britt did some top-up shopping of essentials and we headed off home.
This was the perfect time for Johnny to give the Jag a spin and he looked quite
the part behind the wheel. By the time we got home, Wil had already arrived
home. Sometimes there are punishingly long days. Other days you can slope off a
mite early. Its all swings and roundabouts.
Tonight I think we are having a final Dubai dinner for the trip at an Indian restaurant. We walked through the Indian quarter to a place that Britt and Wil know to do a modern take on Indian food. We started off with some fruity mocktails. I tried Britt's which had some chilli in it too, but it was too hot for me. We has a fish and a prawn curry, followed by a mango and pistachio and a chocolate dessert which we shared. It was a lovely meal. By the time we left, the huge park opposite was thronging with young indian people. Some were walking and chatting, while others had set up an impromptu badminton competition. It was lovely to see so many people just peacefully interacting.
