Bus Stop (24/06/11)

Today we slept in then wandered downstairs at our leisure to a large hotel buffet breakfast - sadly none of the Greek yoghurt that we have grown so fond of. Then we walked down to the Dubai Mall - only a ten minute walk, which was fortunate, given how hot it was. The mall occupies an area of a million square metres - thats a km x km - and has four storeys of shops together with an ice rink and the world's largest indoor aquarium. We had a look around it last trip, so after a bit of a wander and the chance to get some local currency we went outside again and signed up for the Big Bus Tour. This is a double decker bus that operates on a hop on / hop off basis on a set route around the local sights. We have avoided them in the past as we have preferred to do our own thing ; but in an unfamiliar city and searing heat we figured it was the best way to go. There is commentary along the way, and after taking in some of the sights we hopped off at the Dubai museum and spent an hour there. It was very interesting, giving a good insight not only of the history of the area but also the culture and lifestyle of the inhabitants and desert wildlife. It is built largely underground, again to avoid the heat. The we hopped back on and went to the Gold Souk, where I haggled over a necklace for Carmel before leaving it...... maybe tomorrow ..... For dinner we had a dinner cruise on a dhow on Dubai Creek, which gave a different view of the city. There was a generous buffet meal of Indian/Asian/Arabic dishes with salds and dahls, which was all tasty. Veteran blog followers may recall Carmel being collared for bellydancing last time we visited Dubai ; tonight it was my turn and I ended up being an assistant to a magician that performed near the end of the cruise. We must look either gullible or easygoing. Transport back to the hotel saw the end of a lazy day ; tomorrow is the last day of the trip and then we face the long flight home.