Dubai, U.A.E. October 5, 2015

My first stop today was back at the Iranian consulate where my passport was waiting for me with my Iranian visa inside!  I'M GOING TO IRAN!!!!!

Believe it or not, Tim is everywhere!

Supermarkets are very interesting because the label not only states what the fruit is and how much it costs, but also where it's from.  The tamarillos on the left are from Thailand and cost $24/kg.  The pythaya are from Columbia and are $33.89/kg.  Just about all the produce, except dates, is imported-

Jumeirah Mosque was built in 1976 in the Fatimid style.  The towers are called minarets and the number is determined by the size of the mosque.  Before technology, the Imam (minister) would climb to the top and sing to call the Muslims to prayer.  Today, a recorded version of the call is blasted throughout the city at prayer times.  Men are expected to go to the mosque but to prevent unnecessary hardship, women are allowed to stay home and pray with their children-

Daily tours are offered as part of the program "Open doors, open minds". Islam is a religion and it means peace.  Muslims follow Islam.  Muhammad is the last messenger of Allah (God).  Muslims believe in all prophets who came before Muhammad including Jesus.  They also believe in all documents that were sent from God including the Bible, as well as in a final judgement and in angels.

Muslims must be clean before they enter the mosque so they do a thorough job of washing, called ablution.  They also remove their shoes.

Women's heads, shoulders and legs to the knees must be covered-

The dome in the ceiling is used to amplify the voice of the Imam-

Muslims are called to prayer by the Imam 5 times/day - before dawn, at noon, as shadows begin to fall, when the sun goes down and at dark when the first stars appear-

This gentleman showed us the positions during prayer-

The people face towards Mecca, Saudi Arabia.  Mosques have an arch where the Imam sits, showing the direction.  Hotels here even have arrows in the ceiling showing the correct direction-

Mecca is important because it's the first spot where Abraham prayed.  The black cubicle is called the Kaaba and is the most sacred site in Islam-

All Muslims are encouraged to visit Mecca once in their lifetime to remember the prophet Abraham, (peace be upon him).  Huge crowds gather during Hajj, the last month of the year, three months after Ramadam.  Close to 3 million visit annually and this September 24, over 1100 worshipers were killed when two waves of pilgrims converged on a narrow road-

Islam is built on 5 pillars.  The first pillar is their beliefs.  The second is prayer.  The third is charity and Muslims are asked to give 2.5%/year of their savings to people who are struggling financially.  The fourth pillar is fasting.  This occurs during Ramadan which is the ninth month of the lunar calendar.  They must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sun up to sun down.  Expectant and nursing mothers, as well as the ill and those travelling are exempt.  It is meant to teach discipline, patience and compassion for those who do without.  The fifth pillar is the pilgrimmage to Mecca.  The tour was an excellent way to gain some understanding of this popular faith.

The Deira Old Souq is a market of narrow lanes with many shops selling everything imaginable from dates and figs-

to walnuts, cashews, pistachios and other nuts-

as well as saffron-

The Gold Souq has over 300 vendors-

So many, many shops-

and lots and lots of gold which is sold by weight at (or above, depending on your bartering skills) market price-

The narrow laned Utensil Souq-

 sells a variety of kitchen items-

The Spice Souk sells chilis, tumeric, cardamon, garlic, pepper and much more-

I rode an abra, a small motorized water taxi, to cross the creek. It cost 33 cents-

Lunch was along the creek with a fairly cool breeze - thanks be to Allah!  The falafel and pita bread were excellent-

Dessert was a batter covered, deep fried banana - not my favorite-

Modern Dubai exists in part thanks to oil which was discovered in 1966.  It truly is a place of opposites - rich and poor, new and old.  The metro is very new, fast, clean and efficient.  For safety reasons, the train tracks are not accessible, so once the train arrives behind the wall, the doors open to allow passengers to enter-

Women and children have specific cars.  People line up in an orderly fashion to enter-

I like the fact that women have their own cars.  During peak periods, who needs some man pressing his package up against your back?

Because the metro was built after a lot of the city, much of the track is above ground so views are excellent-

Supper was Indian and of course, it was fantastic.  Ellen and I met up with a former travel friend who is here for a conference.  I started the evening with a Gentleman Jack in the Box (Gentleman Jack bourbon, Antica Formula, Benedictine and Licorice tea)  $25 and yes I had to drink out of the wooden box and yes I stole it.  You'll have to come over to see it once I get home!

I have no idea what exactly this is (fish, lamb, chicken, shrimp) but it was very good-

Dessert was chocolate devotion $17.  I love the presentation-

Ellen and I enjoyed an espresso martini.  Each cost $36-

One person in our dinner party ordered an old fashioned ($27.00).  It arrived under glass-

The waiter lifted the lid and voila!

My Irish coffee cost $16-

Thanks be to Allah I wasn't paying for this!  There were 8 of us and the final bill was 5131.50 AED which translates to $1828 = $228/person!

The Mint Leaf is on the 15th floor so the views are excellent-

Looking forward to Abu Dhabi tomorrow!

Dubai, U.A.E. October 4, 2015

Due to the time change of 10 hours ahead of home, I wasn't able to sleep much last night.  The heat isn't helping much either -

Not much wonder the city is hazy-

My first stop this morning was to the Consulate General of Iran.  Duh!  I wore shorts and a t-shirt but had been smart enough to throw in a scarf.  Well, that wasn't good enough.  I had to cover my legs and my head but I only had one scarf so the nice gentleman at security told me where to find a clothing store, about a 20 minute walk away.  However, across the street from the consulate was a Padi dive shop so I stopped in and borrowed a towel, a damp one at that!  Here is my acceptable ?? costume-

When I paid for my visa - $90, the girl collecting the money exclaimed,  " A towel!!" as she pissed herself laughing, "I'm sorry but I can't help it!  That's the best!"

City buses are great in this heat because not only are they air conditionned, but the front part is reserved for special people!

I love this-

My next stop was the Dubai Mall which opened in November 2008.  It's the world's largest shopping , leisure and entertainment centre based on total area (1,124,000 square meters) but only the fourth largest by gross leasable area.  It's part of the 20 billion dollar Downtown Burj Khalifa development and has 1200 shops including America's Bloomingdale's, Galeries Lafayette from France, Hanley's Toy Shop as well as the world's biggest candy store.  There's a fashion catwalk, a 22 screen cinema, a SEGA Republic in a 7060 square meter complex with 14 attractions and more than 170 simulators, games and virtual experiences and one whole area dedicated to shoes-

Hats at Ed Hardy start at $100-

The Souk is supposedly where one can have a 'traditionnal shopping experience".  It still seemed pretty modern to me -

The ice rink is Olympic size and can hold 2000 skaters when converted to its maximum size.  Skate rental is free-

The Village, retractible roof and all, is Dubai's only indoor-outdoor streetscape-

It's also where I found my favorite store-

Kidzone is a huge Ruckers-

Lunch was tabouleh : an Arabian salad traditionally made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, bulgur wheat and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt as well as a chicken shawarma which is a sandwich or wrap filled with meat that has been grilled on a vertical, rotating spit.  It's also known as a gyros in Greek and a doner kebab in Turkey-

I'm saving this for later-

It tasted just like extra sweet strawberry cow's milk, nothing exotic about it at all except it did give me heartburn, or at least something did.

Supper was Middle Eastern Fatayer or appetizers.  From the top left - selek (spinach), safiha (lamb), cheese closed, rakakat cheese and in the middle - kebbeh- 

Hummus and pita bread completed our meal-

Tomorrow I'm off to the Jumeirah Mosque, then back to the Iranian Consulate to retrieve my passport, then to the Creek area to visit some souks.  Hope it's a little cooler but that's not likely!

Dubai, U.A.E. October 3, 2015

I left Saskatoon for Calgary Thursday, October 1 at 9 pm and had a great sleep at the Four Seasons Sheraton.  My good friend Maxine came in from Didsbury Friday morning and we had an excellent visit, as per usual.  I flew out at 12:30, bound for Montreal but not before "the last supper" -

Who knows when I'm going to have french fries and fine wine again?

3h45 minutes later, I was in a different world.  French of course was everywhere but so were other languages and cultures, all waiting for their flights.  Kids in turbans, women wearing hijabs or nijabs or chadors.

Of course a visit to La Belle Province wouldn't be complete without poutine, topped with braised bison-

At Archibald's, they also have some great crafted beer including Wit, a white Belgium style beer similar to Blue Moon, orange slice included-

Flying Qatar Air was a pleasure.  Each passenger had a pillow, blanket and gift envelope on their seat.  The envelope contained a toothbrush with toothpaste, a sleeping mask, ear plugs and sox-

We were served two full meals and all the alcohol one could drink! :)  I love the costume of the flight attendants too-

After 10,422 km and 11 hours and 44 minutes - 

we arrived in Doha, Qatar,  a very ultra modern and super clean airport-

I had forgotten about the hand held bidets in the toilet stalls and that I've got one waiting at home to be installed. They are the best-

The short flight to Dubai was uneventful but it was fantastic to see Ellen again.  She should be a tour guide because she has all kinds of brochures, maps, metro cards, an unlocked cell phone, ideas of what to see, as well as a fully stocked kitchen especially for me!  She has just returned from a visit to Ethiopia and brought back some coffee, remembering I live for that!

I'm going to have a great time here!