CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND A DANCING FOUNTAIN IN DUBAI

Yesterday was a very long day involving arriving in Dubai, getting to sleep at about 2.30 am,  sleeping till about 10.  We were up to meet Tim and Joanne for fruit and a cuppa before heading off to the Dubai Mall to explore.

The Dubai Mall is extraordinary . It contains a huge aquarium (3 storeys high)

Sorry for reflections. You might be able to make out the glass submarine top left of picture which is taking people on special viewing tours.   You can also dive in there, or go in a shark cage.

 and a man made waterfall with sculptured divers suspended in it, as well as hundreds and hundreds of shops. They even have a blue brontodiplodocus (dinosaur) skeleton in a whole souk area and more gold jewelry for sale than I have seen in one place before. The stall holders are really extra attentive and try to be helpful , but it is a bit overwhelming for me and I just want to run away and hide when they do that.

When you stand directly in front of the divers they appear to be falling down the waterfall 

Oh-I forgot about the full size  ice skating rink on one of the floors. !!!!!

So many expensive brands and expensive people in one place. 

After a few hours of stunned people-watching and shop browsing, and a very relaxing swim on a hot day , we headed off in the cooler evening balminess to the creek area where we boarded a dinner cruise and spent 3 hours with good food and wine,  cruising along and watching the water traffic and the buildings along the creekside. Another late night well worth it as totally enjoyable. 

Today we were allowed a bit of a sleep in till about 9.15 before getting up and heading off in a cab to the older part of town where we visited the sheik Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.  Here we shared brunch with some local Muslims and other travellers, and had a chance to hear why they live as they do, and what they believe,  and to ask questions of a young lady and man. The brunch was delicious, I discovered that I don't mind Arabian coffee, (but Trevor didn't like it) and we learnt quite a bit .

We then continued on to the museum,  seeing what old Dubai was like, before heading home.

Later it was back to the mall for lunch and a little more shopping, a short rest and then dinner before we stepped outside to what appears to be a huge kidney shaped pool (maybe 300m long and 120 wide). Here, on the half hour from 6 pm there is an amazing water and light display and a fountain spouts beautiful  jets of water, lit from below, which move to the music like ballet dancers-amazingly beautiful and graceful. Quite moving. We liked it so much that we went and found icecream and came back to watch again. 

We walked back to the hotel admiring the tallest building in the world on display in a darkened sky with the  lit palm trees of the mall far below 

in time to send Tim and Joanne on their way to the airport. Tomorrow we will follow suit and fly home to Adelaide,  so this will be our last sleep in Dubai

They have been excellent travelling companions, and the mix of time together and apart has been about right.  It is really great to share a holiday with like minded friends and we count ourselves very fortunate to have been able to do it with them.