Into the Desert

Mid afternoon, we turned up for our "adventure" early as usual. It bore rewards however, for not only were we assigned seats in the first convoy of vehicles, in car #1 indeed, but we were in the care of Dinar, driver in chief and leader of the pack! There were three convoys of ten vehicles taking different routes but meeting up later for drinks and supper.

We set off down an unassuming motorway, like all areas of Dubai there was some building work going on everywhere we looked. 20km down the road, we took an exit slip road and voila! no road!

First thing to do was to let air out of the tyres - 50%. We all scrambled out to have our first step onto the sand and to marvel at the sights around us.

I could not believe the patterns created by the wind on the soft sand and the shapes and soft curves of the dunes, stretching off as far as the eye could see. This was a magical place.

The fun was just starting however, for no sooner had we set off on the sand, driving surface as slippy as ice, than Dinar gave a little chuckle and whoops! over the dune we shot - WOW!

We slid sideways down some, drove along the side of others at 45 degrees, bounced up and down and giggled like children as we did so. We stopped to look at others in the convoy, watching with amazement as they took the route we had just created, sometimes hovering on the brink of the top of the dune and creating an almightly sand cloud behind them as they slithered down the other side.

We stopped at a camel farm to take pictures but really wanted to play some more - and Dinar was only too happy to oblige!

After another hour (seemed like ten minutes) we met the rest of the convoy for drinks "at the Sunset Bar" - a carpet on the desert - and drank champagne as the sun went down. Absolutely amazing.

But there was one more surprise. Over the dunes, about ten minutes away, a "village" had been set up and as the darkness fell, we left the cars and walked down into a spot lit by oil lamps, with carpets and music playing.

A barbecue had been set up and there was supper on offer, wine to drink and activities to try - camel rides, hubblebubble pipes, dressing up (!) and henna painting.

After supper, the belly dancers came on and put on a fantastic show and surprisingly, unbelievably and thankfully, we didn't get to make fools of ourselves by having to join in!!

Dubai Morning

We didn't really know what to expect from the place, even though we'd attended a lecture earlier in the week and seen slides of some of these amazing buildings which are appearing here. So opening the curtain this morning to find a kind of Emerald City in the mists on the horizon, we looked forward to getting into this amazing city to see what's what.

Arriving in port is always exciting and there was a buzz of anticipation during breakfast time. We'd booked an orientation tour and jumped on a coach with about 30 of our shipmates and set off with Samir, our guide, along what must be the fastest-changing roadside collection of skyscrapers in the world. All the superlatives were here - the fastest built skyscraper, the tallest, the most expensive, the highest number of cranes in the world, alongside banners advertising the sale of apartments in one or other "sold out in 1 hour"!

First stop was the Burj al Arab hotel - 7 stars and not for the likes of us. We simply stopped by the promenade and took photos. Onto a mosque and more photo opportunities - losing one of the bunch along the way. Seems as though this particular elderly gentleman has a habit of wandering off and "has history" - in spite of a lengthy search he was nowhere to be found and we left without him!

Next stop, the Dubai Museum - a really interesting collection of life size sets of shops and scenes from everyday life. Dimly lit, it gave a really good impression of how things were before the transformation into the 21st century city began and we thought it great.

Not everyone felt the same though: "Jim, Jim...it's dark in here, I can't see anything!! I don't like it..." Oh, for heaven's sake!

Final stop was the souks - the spice souk and then the gold souk. Once again, a few souls made unintentional bids for escape by not listening to instructions - I think this was the most tiresome aspect of the morning and once or twice, Mark had to do a little rounding up of little grey haired old ladies who then followed his every step to make sure they didn't get left behind again!

Did we buy? No gold jewellery, that's for sure. But we were pleased to grab a bag of cashews, a box of sandalwood incense, some sweet aniseeds and a pot of sweet curry masala. Oh, and 10g of saffron, too. We prefer the edible gold!

Next adventure - wadi bashing as we head out into the desert this afternoon in a 4WD. We're headed for a bedouin camp and fun is promised...

The Craft Class

On days at sea, a craft class takes place at 3pm and a bunch of assorted all-comers are welcomed into a corner of the restaurant by the very friendly and welcoming tutor M.

The first class I joined was a one-off project - a brooch or fridge magnet made from Crayola Model Magic. We all copied M's design, generally speaking, and as I sat, keeping my own counsel, I found it interesting to meet my classmates. As the hour drew to a close, it was clear that I had made some kind of commitment, for several of them waved me goodbye and looked forward to seeing me tomorrow.

So, I dutifully turned up the next day, to find that this was going to be the start of a longer project - a Kantha quilt. I said nothing which might reveal my background but followed M's instructions and very gratefully accepted free access to her "ragbag" of remnants she'd bought in Singapore. Magpie that I am, this was a real treat!

I quite liked what resulted, enjoyed the therapy of simple stitching and am pleased to have a little stitched souvenir of the trip. I enjoy sitting and chatting to a different group of people and of course, it's always interesting to see what happens when a bunch of stitchers are given the same materials and the same instructions - something totally different always appears!

Life on Board

A trip on board this luxurious ship would confirm every prejudice about cruises and the people who take them! The population is primarily American, mostly elderly and some 400 of the 750 are booked on the full, round the world trip. Some began their journey earlier still - one chap who joined the craft class today had begun the journey in Fort Lauderdale on December 21st and will finish his cruise at the end of April.

Quite how they do it, I have no idea, for luxurious as it is, it isn't home and one could tire of certain aspects. Too much of a good thing, perhaps.

But a certain culture seems to have been created and as an incomer for only a short part of the journey, it's interesting to step back and observe.

Those who are booked to travel the whole journey are endowed with a "World Cruise 2008" name plate for their door. Of this select group, many bear further trophies in the form of name plates from previous World Cruises. In addition, many doors have collections of keepsakes from places along the way.

Regardless of nationality, wealth, age or experience however, we all find ourselves in one particular room. This is the great place to catch up on the gossip, encounter interesting folks with tales to tell and at times, it's the most popular place on the ship.

Dubai here we come

As the sun set, we stood on our balcony with a glass of champagne and watched as the crew became more and more agitated over the late arrival of several passengers. There was a lot of hanging around as everyone waited...

 

and waited....

The band on the quayside exhausted their repertoire and began to repeat Dire Straits numbers as finally, three or four coaches sped around the corner and screeched to a halt by the embarkation ramp. Not so quick, however, was the process of getting everyone on, for several of these latecomers were elderly and infirm and hurry up wasn't an option.

Finally, some 45 mins late, we sailed for Dubai. We have two days and three nights to make up lost time!

We really enjoyed our short time in Mumbai and feel that we're ready for another, longer, trip to India before long.