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Dubai – Day 39

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Today is our first day in Dubai. As with most days since the tour we slept in. Well Rhian does and because I can do nothing else I end up sleeping in too. We managed to get downstairs just before 10am when the breakfast is cut off. The food was nothing fancy and we are both sick of the english breakfast you get everywhere.

After breakfast we crossed the road to the Mall of the Emirates. This is a massive shopping center. It is the one that has the Ski Slope inside. Rhian quickly found the H&M store. She has been able to sniff this place out no matter where we go. Anyway after more than an hour and trying on the entire stores clothes she walked out with only three white tops and two pairs of shorts. We then walked upstairs and had a walk through a few eletrical stores. Again everything here is what you can get at home and the prices are about the same or more. Before leaving we got a quick snack of a buger and a milkshake. Milkshake was ok.

We were booked on a City of Merchants tour at 1430. We walked back across the road to the hotel and dropped Rhians shopping in the room. After double checking the paper work turns out we were not getting picked up until 1445. We waited downstairs in the lobby for the driver to come collect us. Once the driver arrived we took a short ride to a car park in the middle of no where. A number of other cars and busses rocked up. Once everyone arrived we were moved onto a coach which would drive us around the city.

The first half of the tour was a drive around the city telling us about some of the buildings we were passing by. Our first photo stop was at Jumeirah Mosque. I am not sure of the importance of this one but when we arrived a session was about to start so lots of men were filing in through the doors. After the photo stop we got back on the bus and drove for a bit longer passing places like the next leader of the Emrites house. His only 29 years old and has a palace the size of Pepermint Grove. All the signs tell you not to enter or turn around and go back. The second bus stop was at the oldest part of Dubai. It was the first settlement or town of Dubai. We can’t remember the name but the buildings were only 40 years old. After 20 minutes we got back on the bus and drove to our third stop which was the Dubai Museum. This was not a huge musuem but it was interesting.

After the museum we took a short bus ride to the river where we caught a small boat across the river. The boat was like one of the put put boats you get in Hong Kong or Thialand. After the crossing we were at the Spice Markets and Gold Markets. We had around 15 minutes at each market. I got harassed by every Indian for a suit, bags, glasses, watches. Only so many times you can tell someone No Thank You before you just want to punch them in the face. As with all Indians they never wear their own product. It was like being in Bali but people wearing better clothes and speaking good english.

After the markets the group was split into different cars and busses to take us back to our hotel. We were taken in a Holden Statesman rebadged as a Chev. This car had done 117,000 kms but had been kept as though it had just come out of the showroom. For a place which is in the dessert it is amazing how clean 95% of the cars are. Might have something to do with the car cleaners at the shopping mall car park.

After arriving back at the hotel we went for Pizza across the road from the hotel. It is strange over here you can not get a beer anywhere but the hotel bar. Sucks!. With all the foriegn residents (being 70% of them) I don’t understand why it is not more available. After stuffing a whole pizza into my pie hole we came back to the hotel and went to bed.

Day one down.

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Final day in Europe – Day 37

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We had planned to get up early for our final day in London. We sort of did. We slept in for an hour and got up at 0730. Today we were up early enough for breakfast at the hotel. It was nothing special. This time I had no problems with the hotel printing off the boarding passes.

We left the hotel and caught the train to Emirates Stadium which is the home ground for the Arsenal Football (Soccer) Club. We came here because we were looking for something to bring back the house sitter. Rhian said that this was her favorite team. After some research on her facebook page, Arsenal did not feature at all. Turns out her favorite team is Chelsea and Arsenal is her rival. Good work Rhian. So we left Arsenal and caught the train back in search of the Chelsea FC Megastore. An hour later we arrived and found a few things to bring back. Not telling what they are in case you tell Linda.

After getting nothing at the megastore because soccer is as much drama as WWE we caught the train across town to the Science Museum. You could easily spend a whole day here. There was so much. The space section was my favorite. However it got to 2pm and we were hungry. He had an expensive lunch at the cafe upstairs. After lunch we left and caught the train to the M&M megastore.

The train stop was Piccadilly Circus. One of the places mum said to go. Tick, done. The M&M store is awesome. It had M&M’s of course. No dad we didn’t buy you any. But they had everything else you can think of. We bought a couple of shirts, Magnet Stuffed toy and a blanket.

After the M&M megastore we caught the bus to 10 Downing Street. The home of the British Prime Minister. It is heavily guarded by police, two fences and then a road block. Have fun getting through with a tank. I thought you could actually walk the street but you can’t. The media must get special access to get the photos of him getting in and out of his car like they do.

After the photo stop we walked back to Trafalga Square. Another place mum told us to go. It seems little more than a meeting place. Next we walked down to the river to catch the bus to Canary Warf where we were going to meet my friend Carl. The bus came but it was not the normal London bus it was a coach. We had to pay for this as it didn’t take the Oyster card. We eventually reached Canary Warf and after some walking around found Carl.

We meet him at a pub called Cat and Canary. Was right on the board walk around the Warf. We stayed here for one drink then moved onto a mexican styled restruant for dinner. The food and the company was great. I told Rhian she would like Carl. I hope it doesn’t take as long to catch up with him again.

After dinner we said goodbye to Carl and caught the trains back to our hotel. This was our last day in Europe, UK and London. After reaching the hotel Rhian started to pack the suitcases with all our stuff while I as usual wrote blog posts. Tomorrow is an early start. We are getting up at 0315 to get organised for a 0430 transfer to the airport for our flight to Dubai.

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London – Day 36

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Today we had planned on getting up around seven o’clock so we could be out early and see the sites. This failed. We slept in until ten and lost half the day. By the time we got organised went got coffee then returned to get a couple of things it was already midday and half the day was over. We dropped our washing off at a drycleaners just around the corner. Cost us $40 AUD to have two bags of washing done for us. Saved us sitting around doing it.

We decided to go see Abbey Road. The famous crosswalk where the Beatles took the album cover outside of Abbey Road Studios. It was pouring with rain when we got off the train and we got soaked. Taking any photos was near impossible, however we tried. There were three photographers there who all offered to take the photo for us. However they put it on their website and you purchase it from there. I declined the offer and thought to just get our own. I was too chicken to stop traffic on my own so I didn’t get the classic shot of Rhian crossing the road. I did however checkin when we arrived and John Harney jumped on the earthcam website and grabbed a screenshot of me standing on the footpath.

After ten minutes and a good soaking from the rain Rhian and I headed back to the train station where at least it was dry. We caught the train to London Bridge. When we arrived I was confused. London Bridge was not what I thought it was but after walking half way over I could see the bridge I was looking for. It was Tower Bridge I was thinking of. We walked along the river towards Tower Bridge and diverted to a restraunt to have lunch. It was a French styled restruant called “Rouge Cafe” but had a nice Belgium beer. After lunch we continued walking along the river towards Tower Bridge. We skyped mum from just next to the bridge.

After the skype call we walked across the tower bridge but did not go up the tower. Instead we walked to the other side bought tickets to London Tower. This was an old fort that is known death and torture. These days it houses the crown jewels. Your not allowed to take photos of them because it is inside a vault. They are very flashy and covered in jewels. I do not see the royals being able to afford to produce another one. They are more likely to sell the ones they have to pay their bills.

After having a quick look around it was after 5pm so we headed back to the hotel and picked up our washing. Seems they put all the washing in together because everything that had white on it was now pink. Our towels we last used in Greece had not been washed before and I am sure it was them that ran. We did give the washing over in a light and dark bag. Don’t guess they noticed or cared. We changed jackets and left the hotel to walk around the district we were staying. We found a shopping center that had a semi food hall upstairs. We settled on a buffet styled chinese restraunt. The food was ok and they even had Chicken and Sweet corn soup but it was empty so I missed out. After dinner we went to the Bayswater arms pub for a drink. Rhian didn’t drink and my belly was about to explode. I couldn’t put another thing in if I tried.

We came back to the room and I wrote the blogs for the last few days and Rhian made a list of places we would try and visit tomorrow. Until then Bye Bye.

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