Dubai is still a lot of fun! The driving is a little crazy, but the people are kind, the city is extremely clean and safe, and there are UAE flags everywhere. Last week my aunt and I went to The Creek where the spice souq is located. Before we got to the souq though we had breakfast by the water, and this is the best French Toast I’ve ever had.
After breakfast, we took a water taxi across the creek. The little taxis had no railings to obstruct your view, and only cost 1.50 dirhams, which is the currency here. (Less than a dollar Canadian.)
The spice souq was very interesting. Every shop I passed there was somebody calling out trying to sell something, and they are very friendly. So far I’ve continued to meet really nice Afghani merchants. Here’s a picture inside one of the shops, and what you see in the picture is really as wide as the shop got.
As for coffee, for coffee must be discussed, I’ve been impressed by the UAE. Nowhere have I asked for a latte and had someone push a button to make it. Every place so far has had a real espresso machine, which brings me back to my happy place at Brewed Awakenings. The coffee shop I’ve gone to the most here in Motor City is called Caffé Nero. The staff are extremely friendly, move quickly (always a good trait in a coffee shop employee), and knew my order after 2 visits. The music is great too! When I went in to read the other day Joni Mitchell was playing, and it was nice to hear some Canadian music all the way in Dubai.
This is me, Zoë, and Suanne out for dessert.
Most recently, the three of us ventured down to the Dubai Marina, which is a beautiful part of Dubai on the water. We had dinner at one of the best Arabic restaurants in the city – Reem al Bawadi.
These are some pictures taken as we walked around the marina.
I think winter was a good time to come here, because the weather is perfect every day. I started reading Les Misérables because I thought it would keep me occupied for a few months, but I’m halfway through it (I love it) so it’s starting to look like I’ll be looking into many bookstores on my travels.
This was the sunrise this morning; it seems that the beauty of Dubai isn’t exclusively man made.
This pic of you, Zo, and Suanne makes my heart happy 😊
I’m a strong believer in posting pictures of the food you encounter for folks back home – thanks for that! The French Toast looks amazing.
Ruth
Owen! Sorry I’v been away so long. Your blog is utterly fantastic. You are such an articulate writer that I feel I’ve been traveling right along with you, smelling all the same things and hearing all the same sounds. OMG you would have had to drag me out of the spice souq – my passion is finding unique spices to experiment with and add to my kitchen – they are so hard to find in Ottawa. Loving your coffee experiences too. Yay to no push button lattes.
You definitely would have loved the spice souq! They had everything, and it smelled great.
Hey Owen, just catching up on your travels now:) Glad you’re enjoying it, your pictures are amazing, so many beautiful sights. That French Toast made me drool, but was it real Maple Syrup?! Glad you’re getting good coffee too, that IS important! It’s so nice that you have family to stay with especially to get started. Can’t wait to see more, happy travels.
I haven’t yet found maple syrup anywhere. That was pomegranate syrup on the French toast! It was really good. If you ever feel like trying something new, maybe see what happens if you throw some pomegranate seeds in when you’re making syrup!