Dubai Journal 12 - The Gold Souk & Final Night
The posts from here on are going to be non-chronological, given that tonight is my last night in Dubai, and there's still a lot to blog about the time here. On the one hand I'm looking forward to getting home to my cats and friends (and to watching all the DVDs I've bought, lol) - on the other hand there is a certain amount of trepidation at how Jhb is going to feel now that I've discovered how green the grass really is elsewhere.
I'm interested to see how the energy feels after having felt so free and safe for 3 weeks. That's not a long time, granted, but it's been enough for me to grow accustomed to not locking doors and not worrying about what one leaves exposed in cars, and such everyday things that we simply can't take for granted in SA. My good friend Trevor, who left SA a few years back, says the tension in Jhb feels "crushing" every time he comes back for a visit, but he's been away for longer periods - I suspect it will just be a small adjustment for me after so short a time away.
This sense of freedom was further underlined today, when I went out to the old part of Dubai, where all the "souks" (markets) are. Tiny alleyways lined with shops crammed with all manner of goods, in the least savoury part of the city. And yet not once did it occur to me that I could be in any danger of being accosted in any way that could be called threatening - unless you feel that being sidled up to by pimps qualifies, lol :)
Contrast this with Jhb, where we simply DON'T go to certain parts of town - period. It's actually ridiculous that I should feel safer in the really salubrious parts of a foreign country than in the place in which I live! Oh, and it's CLEAN!
Right in the middle of this area (Deira) is the Gold Souk - rows and rows of shops selling gold, gold, and more gold. I'm not a fan of the stuff, but it was amazing to look at. And the incredible thing was that this is essentially a giant gold fleamarket - yet no need for any security whatsoever! Didn't see a single policeman or private security guard in 6 blocks. Not even bars on the windows. These are all small shops, and when the owner goes to the toilet, he just asks his neighbour to look out for any customers and leaves his shop open to the street!!!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing - never seen so much yellow gold in one place in my life - this pic is of one shop window out of easily 70 shops. And this is ALL 22 carat gold!
(Click picture to see the full effect)
Time to get some sleep - booking luggage in at 10am tomorrow so that's done, and the airline will take it to the airport for us - great way to cut down check in time at the airport.
I'm interested to see how the energy feels after having felt so free and safe for 3 weeks. That's not a long time, granted, but it's been enough for me to grow accustomed to not locking doors and not worrying about what one leaves exposed in cars, and such everyday things that we simply can't take for granted in SA. My good friend Trevor, who left SA a few years back, says the tension in Jhb feels "crushing" every time he comes back for a visit, but he's been away for longer periods - I suspect it will just be a small adjustment for me after so short a time away.
This sense of freedom was further underlined today, when I went out to the old part of Dubai, where all the "souks" (markets) are. Tiny alleyways lined with shops crammed with all manner of goods, in the least savoury part of the city. And yet not once did it occur to me that I could be in any danger of being accosted in any way that could be called threatening - unless you feel that being sidled up to by pimps qualifies, lol :)
Contrast this with Jhb, where we simply DON'T go to certain parts of town - period. It's actually ridiculous that I should feel safer in the really salubrious parts of a foreign country than in the place in which I live! Oh, and it's CLEAN!
Right in the middle of this area (Deira) is the Gold Souk - rows and rows of shops selling gold, gold, and more gold. I'm not a fan of the stuff, but it was amazing to look at. And the incredible thing was that this is essentially a giant gold fleamarket - yet no need for any security whatsoever! Didn't see a single policeman or private security guard in 6 blocks. Not even bars on the windows. These are all small shops, and when the owner goes to the toilet, he just asks his neighbour to look out for any customers and leaves his shop open to the street!!!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing - never seen so much yellow gold in one place in my life - this pic is of one shop window out of easily 70 shops. And this is ALL 22 carat gold!
(Click picture to see the full effect)
Time to get some sleep - booking luggage in at 10am tomorrow so that's done, and the airline will take it to the airport for us - great way to cut down check in time at the airport.
posted by Zapruder | 21:35
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