Wednesday – February 7, 2018
We had free time this morning to explore Dubai on our own. Gerry, Anne, and I wanted to see Dubai from the sea so we took a taxi to Al Ghubaiba Marine Station and bought tickets for the 11:00 AM ferry.
Our plan was to ride the ferry from Dubai Creek all the way to Dubai Marina and see the city skyline from the water. We boarded the ferry and were surprised by how modern and new the catamaran was. There was comfortable seating for 100 passengers in a large air conditioned cabin with video screens. There were a dozen first class seats near the bow and an outdoor standing area.
The ride in the Arabian Sea was smooth and pleasant, but unfortunately the sky was hazy with poor visibility. We wondered about air pollution. Our first stop was the Dubai Canal near Jumeirah Beach. One of the crew members said that many tourists get off there and take another ferry along the canal through the city and back to Dubai Creek.
We continued to the next and last stop on the ferry, which was Dubai Marina. This is another new section of Dubai which is developing rapidly. Like all the other desert cities, there was construction everywhere!
This was like another city with many clustered high-rise buildings some distance from Downtown Dubai. There was a large ferris wheel at the entrance to the harbor.
The ferry continued into the narrow inlet to the dock and we got off.
We had to return to the Hyatt by in time for the afternoon’s activities. We walked to the metro station to take the mono-rail which runs between Dubai Marina and the Creek near our hotel.
Dubai has an excellent public transportation system which services a large part of the city. The mono-rail portion is above ground and then it connects to an underground part near Dubai Creek. It was clean, quiet, safe, and fun to ride!
The entertainment for the evening was riding over the desert in 4X4 vehicles. It was a lot of fun! And we held on as the driver negotiated the car over tall sand dunes. We passed this man on a camel waving his cell phone:
The 4X4 #3 Team:
We passed several herds of Arabian Oryxes and tried to take photos of them:
After 40 minutes of twisting, turning, skidding, and climbing up and down sand dunes, we arrived at a desert oasis set up for us complete with champaign and strawberries. I’m sure nomadic life was never this good!
Linda and I posed for desert photos:
We watched the sun go down over the dunes and then we all drove to the base camp for dinner and entertainment.
The camp was set up with camel rides, apple hookahs, henna painting, an open bar, desert souvenirs, and a buffet Middle-Eastern dinner. Music played while we sat on cushions at low tables:
The evening’s entertainment was a “Whirling Dervish” and a Belly Dancer. Both were excellent and we all had a fun time!!
