It may be because of the "shopping" part in the itinerary but I am sure it is also because of my natural love for history - this day was devoted to see the old Dubai before those skyscrapers rose in this progressive city afterall.
We started early as usual and we were surprised to see hazy skies.
We are not sure if it is because of the cold weather we were experiencing that day or there was a sand storm brewing from somewhere.
Whatever.
We would not let it dampen our day.
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| Ready for Day Two! |
We were a little pissed with the assigned driver for the day.
It turns out, he knew nothing around Dubai. There even was a time when we had to direct him the way.
Tinawanan na lang namin ng bongga kaysa ma-bad trip pa. Hehe.
First stop was Dubai Museum.
I first saw and heard about this Museum from no less than John Lloyd Cruz himself courtesy of their film "Dubai" starring Aga Muhlach, Claudine Barreto and himself.
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| So in honor of that movie, here's my boy posing ala JLC in the exact spot where he (JLC) stood. Showbiz! |
The Museum was very interesting to say the least.
For the admission price we paid, it was definitely bang for our buck!
I would have stayed longer if it weren't for the long list of places in our itinerary.
After the museum, which was in the Bur Dubai side of Old Dubai, we passed by the Textile Souk
(souk = market) and part of Bastakiya and proceeded to the port to get to the Deira side of Old Dubai.
To get there, we need to ride an Abra (same as the picture above only bigger).
It is really designed to ferry people form Bur Dubai to Deira and vice versa.
And for Tourists, it is an authentic way to feel Dubai for only 1 Dirham (or thirteen pesos in peso).
Cheap and lots of character. Me likey!
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| O, sakay sakay! Isa na lang lalakad na! |
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| It was such a lovely experience and Mommy Cecille and Mommy Toning could not agree more! |
We were in Deira after a few minutes.
And because it is still very early, we caught the rawness of the place.
People rushing to work, shops gearing up for their opening... It was silently humming the real feel of Dubai in every angle.
Nice!
We headed to the Spice Souk first just to see the place and take some pictures.
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| I love the colors! |
Along the way, we were distracted by the many stalls selling Souvenirs.
And, without any hesitation, we gave in!
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| As Arabian as it could get. |
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| One stop shop for Tourists like us! |
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| Even my little boy got his share of loot too! |
After the shopping frenzy, we walked to the Gold Souk to entice ourselves with all the golds Dubai is known for.
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| Sadly, we could only afford a picture. |
We met up with the driver in Bur Dubai once again after another Abra ride.
We had to make a quick visit to the hospital where Mommy would have dialysis the next day.
After that, we drove all the way to Deira City Center (a huge shopping Mall) to have a fine dining experience in Cocos Restaurant.
It was, afterall, Anna's birthday. Hooray!
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| Happy Birthday Mare! |
After our very late lunch, we met with the Tour Agency we contracted to bring us to the Desert Safari Camp where we would all have a "dune bashing" experience.
Everyone was already excited!
We arrived at the camp after at least an hour of driving through deserts.
The place was busy with activities and there were many tourists.
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| Sir, gusto mo DVD? Say ni Koya. Hehehe |
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| I was almost enticed to buy. Buti na lang I remembered: Pwede naman akong kumuha nyan all over. Napakalawak naman ng desert. Hehehe. |
While waiting, we had time to roam around the place first.
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| Hindi na binitawan ang Camel na yan the whole time we were in Dubai. |
This is it. Bahala na si Batman!
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| Smile kunwari pero aminadong kabado yang mga yan. |
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| Even my little boy resorted to holding the railings for fear. |
What happened next were one for the books.
The videos and the pictures we took could not do justice for the real thing.
We somersaulted aboard the 4X4 in vast mounds of desert sand.
The more we shouted in fear, the driver would be so pumped to give us higher leaps.
CRAZY!
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| Parang ang peaceful sa photo but NO. We were screaming at the top of our lungs the whole time. |
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| Magsasawa ka sa kakasigaw pero hindi matatapos ang kakatalon ng 4X4. Gusto ko na ngang pumara pero paano naman ako makakabalik? Hayy! |
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| This has got to be the craziest thing I ever did in my life! |
After what seemed like an eternity, we stopped at a plateau and was allowed to go down the vehicle to take pictures.
Kahit nangangatog pa ang mga tuhod namin, seize the moment na lang ang drama namin.
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| Ang mag-ama sa disyerto. |
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| At first, he was hesitant to sit on the sand... |
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| Aba nung malaon, ayaw nang umalis at gusto pa yatang magpaiwan! |
The sun was about to set when the driver announced that we had to go back to the camp.
Giro and his Daddy Glenn also tried the ATV ride after.
Ang tindi yo!
Caught an awesome view of the Sunset just before we leave for the next destination.
A few minutes ride through the desert once again brought us to another campsite where we would all have a taste of an Arabian Night.
It has gone really cold!
While there, we were treated to a show that featured several Arabian performers.
And of course, the much awaited Bellydancing performance that made all the boys in our party really happy.
Sorry the picture I took was not clear enough.
Through all of these, my little boy was already cranky.
He obviously did not like the show at all.
Afterwards, dinner was served.
Did we enjoy the food?
Hmmm.
Let us just say we had more palatable dinners in the past. Hehe.
Nonetheless, we all had an awesome day and we will not have it any other way.
Hey, you still up for Day Three?
Sana naman. :)
Thanks for reading.
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