We got an extended break (26th - 29th Nov) for Eid al Adha, thanks to the festival falling on a Friday. I decided to spend the whole first day ambling around Dubai. With the weather cooling down from a sweltering summer to a pleasant and breezy winter, it was a perfect day for a stroll about my 'hood in Deira (*flashes east coast gang sign*). After a morning walk and shower, I went back to the creek for an everything-in-it "dynamite sandwich" (I love how Dubai's small cafeterias come up with these names) at the wharf customs gate. The winter landscaping had just been completed, and the fresh flower beds were beautiful.
The weather was wonderful and the city was glittering in the late morning sun.
After a long walk, napped under a tree near the NBD building, headed to Salahuddin street and then walked to Muraqqabat for a lunch of falafel, ful and tabbouleh, followed by a cheesy dessert of nablus and sfouf.
After a couple of hours back at home, I travelled down to the Muteena and Naif communities for an evening stroll. These are areas where a lot of low-wage workers gather on weekends and holidays. Many garment outlets, barbershops and eateries were bustling on Eid's eve. There are also some nice parks in this area, and even an old fort that I did not previously know of [EDIT: "watchtower" would be the more appropriate word].
After some shopping and people-watching, I hopped into a South Indian restaurant for the house special Red Pepper mutton curry. Gosh, that curry was so delicious - and so HOT that I needed an extra vellappam to finish it, and had to follow it up with two scoops of ice cream.
Good I had that day of quiet, because the next two days were spent partying at the Flamingo Beach resort in Umm al Quwain with nearly 40 extended family members.
There was no dearth of ruckus - but for the morning in between, when I got up early for sunrise and coffee.
Ah, the simple pleasures.
Simple pleasures maybe, but so good ! I wish I could have the same winter, I miss the sun and the light and it is already getting cold (3° to 9°) here... The food looks tasty ! Miam !
ReplyDeleteThanks Sohan ! ;-)
how old is that fort? Seems like (assuming its at least 500 or so years old), the medieval muslims liked the stand alone round towers like the famous example, the Golden tower (Torre del Oro) in Seville.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, our hot and humid summers come with the package.
ReplyDeleteIt's a watch tower, known as Burj Nahar, and was built in 1870.
ReplyDelete1870, not old at all. ok. Let's see... 1870 what was happening in that area...?
ReplyDeleteIt's a watch tower, known as Burj Nahar, and was built in 1870. Yeah, "fort" is something of a misnomer. However, there is the nearby Naif Fort.
ReplyDeleteOh, and as one may notice in the first picture, some callous git flung a disposable cup onto the hedges. We need some Singapore-style public littering laws, seriously.
ReplyDeleteNothing worth mention, really.
ReplyDeleteottomans in decline, British in Egypt...
ReplyDeleteIt did become a British protectorate in the 1890s.
ReplyDeleteya, but not yet in 1870
ReplyDeleteMaybe this tower was simply a lighthouse for boats ? Is the sea very far from the tower ? There is no hills in Dubai, is there ? In Brittany, we got lighthouses far in the country too. Even if there is no light, this tower can be a good mark for boats coming from the sea (there is another word for this tower in french but cannot be translated).
ReplyDeleteDude, take pics of the Khalid Bin Waleed (Burjuman) Metro jellyfishes. I heard from the Chief Architect who was in charge of their contruction that each costs SGD$0.5 million.
ReplyDelete