After a few days of relaxation, catching up on emails, bills, blogs, etc.  we are refreshed and ready to enjoy the blast furnace once more. So today we ride........the metro once again (The men give their seats to the women without hesitation in this country, I started doing it too!).  This time our destination is the ski hill.  Yes we are going to Ski Dubai.  Snow in the desert, Emirates style.  When you have oil in abundance, you can do anything.  Clearly, that is true here, it is 42 degrees outside and snowing inside.  The place is busy too.  The ski hill is situated in the Mall of the Emirates, surrounded by restaurants and designer shops. It is like Whistler without the Mountain.  Still a unique adventure.  We looked, took a few pictures and bailed.  Really just a toboggan run and we don't need Johanne to break a foot again! 

The hill above.  Probably the best fun is rolling down the mountain in the balls you see, near the middle of the photo.  Just climb in and try to hang on.

After all that Apres-Skiing, we needed a coffee.  Big surprise, Tim Horton's, in Dubai!

The coffee and donuts taste the same.  We did a mall tour and called it done.  The next thing on the list, was a visit to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.   That's it below with Johanne standing in the shadow below.

The tower was finished in 2009 and measures 2722 ft with 163 floors.  Yes it is huge.  The development is 9 hectares in total.  It will have 30,000 homes, 9 hotels 3 hectares of parks, 19 residential towers and a 30 acre man made lake.  The plan is to diversify away from oil into tourism.  Impressive.  We stopped for a bite just outside the tower at the Dubai Mall.  Shopping nirvana for those who are so inclined.  Did I mention that the United Arab Emirates is a tax free zone.  The mall has an ice rink, inside waterfalls with divers sculptures and a spectacular water fountain that puts on a show several times an hour.

We finished our meal on the patio and watched the lights of the city come into view.

For our last night in town, we met up with a candian couple living there for the last 8 years.  We were introduced to them through mutual friends, Debbie and Lane, in West Van.  Kyle and Corinne suggested we go to the Madinat Jumeriah Hotel.  This place is impressive.  A little bit of Venice in the desert, with gondola like boats, to whisk you to restaurants throughout the waterways surrounding the hotel.  We had a nice meal at Meat Co., a South African chain, then toured the hotel.

 From the water you can also see the famous 7 star Jumeriah Burj Al Arab.  To get on the gondola boat rides, you are expected to have a room at one of the many hotels surrounding the canals.  Not a problem for our group.  We know how to roll, just hop aboard like we own own the place and command service.

Of course, one must have knowledge of the surroundings to manage the confidence required to pull this off.  This is where our hosts come in.  Kyle struts up to the dock and requests a ride to a restaurant, giving the boat's pilot the name.  All aboard!  About half way there Kyle suggests we go to the hotel first, quick change of directions. Shortly thereafter, we arrive.  Kyle, looks at the three of us, and says, "Sorry for the change in direction, I realized we would have been busted if we made it to the restaurant dock.  They greet you at the dock requesting your name and reservation time."  Of which we had neither.  This would be a problem as we would have had to walk back to the car park, which was quite a distance, especially given his lovely wife, Corinne is 7 months pregnant with twins.  Quick thinking!

A beautiful night to be out, we enjoyed getting to know our new friends and wished them well with the two new additions to the family.  Overall, Dubai is a modern, clean, prosperous and friendly city. But it lacks soul....it's a bit like Vegas without the casinos and the partying! Tomorrow we bid farewell to the desert and say hello to the United Kingdom.

Be well

Cheers

After Tunisia, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates is quite a change.  The airport gives us an example of what to expect. Modern and spotless.  Bags in hand we arrive at the taxi queue.  A line up of six or seven queues each of them filled with ten or twelve people.  A sea of taxi vans approach, no hybrids here......the traffic monitor waves. Half the people leave, an equal number from each queue, the cabs load up ans leave.  Then it happens again.  Within 5 minutes we are on our way.  The Greens is our destination. Vancouver friends have offered us their condo for our stay.  How lucky is that?  30 minutes later we are there.  Along the way we marvel at the skyline, one skyscraper after another looking shinny and bright, their silhouette lit like a badge of honor. This is the view from our fabulous condo.

 We arrived late, 2.30am our time,  so we were a little slow getting going the next day.  Around noon we dragged ourselves down the street to the local market for some provisions.  As soon as we walked through the lobby door, we were hit by a heat wave. Welcome to Dubai.  Like Emeril says "BAM".  Thankfully, the market was only a short walk, we loaded up and headed back to get ready to see the city in a very unique way.  Our new found friends at "Flybike" are going to show us the town.

We were greeted by Anna at their offices, behind the Mall of the Emirates.  After a short introduction and description of our tour Anna introduced us to our drivers.   Outside two sparkling Honda Goldwings, one two wheeler and a three wheeler, were there for our cruising pleasure. It was about 5pm, the air was warm and comfortable. Music track chosen, our route for the day planned, we are off.  It is really hard to describe the feeling of freedom one has when riding a big bike. If you ride, you know. Honestly, if you are in Dubai, this is the absolute best way to see the city. The only disappointment is that it ended.  I REALLY want one of these now. Check this link out, there is short video of our ride.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rwp1xt5ixxjd6uj/Some%20-are%20COOL%20with%20FlyBike%21%21.mp4

 Parked in front of the Atlantis Hotel on the Palms.  It is a man made island in the shape of a palm tree.

 A view back toward the Dubai skyline.

 A great end to our day in Dubai.  The next day was pretty sweet too.  Johanne and I played golf at the Emirates Golf Club (a special gift for my birthday)  "Home of the Dubai Desert Classic".  Nice course, it felt like playing in Palm Springs. 80 for me and 108 for Johanne.  Funny, Johanne's score matched the temperature. We drank at least four litres of water. No bathroom breaks required.

 We had a beer in the lounge after the game.  Good thing because you can't buy alcohol anywhere else unless you have a resident card.  Hotels can serve it, but not restaurants.

The next day we took the Metro to the old part of Dubai.  It was a Friday, which is a big deal here apparently. Who knew!  Nothing is open, until 1pm, unless you want to go to a mosque. They are all open, it is a rock concert of sounds.  Each mosque proudly sharing their best prayer voice over the loudspeaker.  We, having walked to the Metro, are completely oblivious to the fact that Friday is the holy day. Nothing is open until 1, so we just waited.  One hour later, we are in business. Except for one small thing......  The 1 pm train was the first train of the day, we are not it's first stop.  By the time it gets to our stop called "Internet city" it is full.  I don't mean a little crowded.  I mean full.  Our platform is about six deep at each door.  The train comes to a stop, the signs describe the acceptable behavior: Let those off the train before getting on. Civilized.  The door opens right in front of us. I am about to follow the rules when, like the front line of the Superbowl champion Seattle Seahawks,  the people on the platform just rush forward. There just doesn't seem like there is room. There is no stopping that crowd!  DARN! we're determined to get on!  It doesn't matter that another train is only 6 minutes away. Push! We get caught up in the throng. We push too. "Doors closing". Push! Finally, I squeeze my leg in, Johanne is somewhere in front. We shuffle ahead and find a small spot. Six stops later, we arrive at our destination.  Upon arrival,  we visited the Gold souk, reputed to be the one of the best places to buy gold.  Took the public ferry across the Dubai Creek and followed the road along the beach.  Some of the homes in this area looked like hotels. Massive homes, on huge gated parcels of land right on the gulf. Gives wealth a whole new meaning.

Metro entrance.

The gold souk, many stores have not opened yet.

This was interesting. Shipping docks right on the street in the middle of the city.  Everything from fridges to car tires, just sitting on the street.  No security, no locks.  The ships in the background are the cargo ships.  They must be bringing the goods from other ports along the gulf.  No one would be crazy enough to take these broken down vessels in the open ocean!  

The public ferry.

A great first few days in the desert oasis of Dubai.  We are going to relax for a few days, enjoy the pool and catch our breath. It's been a busy few weeks

Be well.

Cheers

We slept like logs.  The trip has been a cornucopia of sounds, flavours and textures.  We have seen rivers, valleys, deserts, ruins, mosques, tattoos, heads on sticks, bugs, blue buildings, white buildings, sand buildings, blue water. We rode trains, trucks, camels. We climbed stairs, mountains, sand dunes. We didn't miss much.  Almost 1700 kms behind us we have one more day to take in the wonders of this country.

As we roll along the busy streets of Sfax, en route to El Jem, the only sound is city around us, the crew inside the truck is silent.  My mind is filing through the adventure we have just experienced, I think it will take some time to truly reflect on the power of the places we visited.  I do know this, I am mentally burnt out, I need some time to process the details....that will come later.

El Jem's amphitheatre is by far the largest in North Africa.  With seating for 35,000 it is the third largest in the world, behind Rome's and Capua.  Built in the 2nd century, it is believed that it was used mainly for Gladiator shows and chariot races.  It remained relatively unchanged until the 17th century, at which time stones were removed for building in other areas, including the Great Mosque of Kairouan.  In 1978 is was declared a UNESCO heritage site.  It is an impressive site.

The father of independence, Habib Bourguiba was born in Monastir, which is our next stop.  Bourguiba has an impressive resume.  The first President of the Republic of Tunisia from 1957 to 1978.  Among his accomplishments is the abolishment of polygamy and the introduction of education for everyone including woman.  He fought gender inequality his entire life.  The development of industry and a neural foreign policy.  Many of his views put him squarely against the Arab leadership in the region.  We visited his mausoleum.

Having left our traveling companions at their hotel (same one we spent the week at before this safari, The Ryad in Sousse), Ali delivered us to Hammamet.  We have come full circle, tomorrow we leave for Dubai.  Final thoughts regarding Tunisia.  It is a country rich in history, gentle in nature, easy to like.  It is a place we will return to, it takes more then one visit to come close to understanding its complexities.

We are almost six months into our extraordinary adventure.  A quick read through the blog today makes me realize just how much we have accomplished.  We have been blessed to be able to experience this journey.  We truly hope you are enjoying the reading of our escapades.  It continues to be a joy to be able to share them with you.  Thanks to all for your messages of encouragement. Keep them coming, so we know you are listening.

Some random photos just because.....

Be Well

Cheers  

The day starts early, it's 7.30 and we are on the road.  Tataouine is just over 100k from the border, we are headed North West in the opposite direction.  Fine with me, Lybia has some issues and we really aren't keen to see them.  Today we will visit with Tunisia's most photographed woman in Tunisia! She lives in the the Berber mountain village of Chenini.  Dating back to the 12th century, this former fortified granary or ksar is built high up on a mountain peak.  Today most of the village is in ruin, some caves are still used for storage and a few inhabitants.  Most of the Berber villagers have moved down the valley to more modern homes.

 The most photographed woman in Tunisia..... and the Berber woman who wanted a picture with her. LOL.  Seriously, this Berber woman is 83 and still lives in the caves.  She appears on most of the Tunisian tourist brochures promoting the area.  She liked having her picture taken, smiling all the time, her beautiful tooth catching the sun.  I mean it when I say one tooth.  Funny, she knew exactly when to hid it, I could not find one picture of her with the lonely piece of enamel showing.   Look closely at the photo, she has a tattoo extending from her lower lip to the bottom of her chin.  In Berber society, this was the wedding ring, marking the woman as married.  The tattoo often outlasting the marriage. Today, this practise is no longer done....the woman are a lot stronger now so it is to hard to hold them down to keep the lines straight. Kidding!

She earns a living by weaving and modelling of course.

The kitchen. A hard life to be sure.  Back on the road.  About 1 hour later,  Ali stops the truck indicating he want to show us something.  We get out and watch him flip rocks,  one, two, three this continues for a few minutes.  With each overturned piece we hear a phrase in Arabic, Sadok is now doing it too.  OK, so maybe this is some Tunisian Sun God tradition, offering thanks for a successful trip.  Just as we are about to follow their lead, Ali grunts, waves and points for us to come.  Here is what the search revealed.

A Scorpion.  We found a few of them.  Enough excitement.  150k to go.  The Spice market at Gabes.

Arriving in Sfax, the rural life is over.  This is a bustling city.  Manufacturing of phosphate, the main industry, with old olive production and fishing rounding out the economy.  Sfax is old, founded in 849 AD.  We are being dropped off at the entrance to the 11th century Medina,  for a walk through the market,  to get to our hotel.  This is the real deal, not a tourist spot, a bit on the dingy side, but full of life. If you can't find it here, it doesn't exist.  Sadok, our intrepid guide is a bit anxious, he is speeding along while we stop to check things out.  It would be easy to get lost in this maze of tunnel like streets, he knows it...... we are oblivious, enjoying the unfamiliar gyrations of the market.

On to the 5 star Golden Yasmine Led Olivier's Hotel, the last hotel of our trip.  This one is truly exceptional.  It feels like a Fairmount Hotel.  We have dinner in the private dining room. Service is excellent and not traditional. YES!!!

Tomorrow, we are visiting El Jem and on of the finest Roman coliseums on earth.

Be well

Salaam