United Arab Emirates. Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah.
United Arab Emirates.
Chapter 1. Search for a tour.
Returning from Egypt, celebrating the New Year and waiting for the first working day, Ira, one of my friends, and I, as agreed, again ran to the travel agency. This time the plan was to visit the United Arab Emirates!
- Well, how did you rest in Egypt? - asked the employee of the travel agency Vadim, - Did you like everything? Did you go to the casino? I have already prepared information about the Emirates for you here. The situation is as follows - a beach "four-five" (4 and 5 star hotel) in Dubai on the first line (by the sea) is very expensive. We do not consider a hotel not on the beach, right? I would recommend this to you - take a four in the neighboring emirate of Sharjah. Private beach and first line. And most importantly - there are places in the hotel and there are places on the plane! Now is the peak season and there are problems with this. By the way, the same hotel when departing from Moscow will cost you 30% cheaper!
- No problem! – I answered, – So even more interesting!
- Well, that's good! - Vadim continued, - So, I am booking a tour for you and buying plane tickets to Moscow and back. The company will be "S7" there, and from there to the Emirates "Transaero", and the tour operator will be "Russian Express". Your favorite “Pegasus” doesn’t take tourists there yet, ” Vadim smiled.
- And what about Transaero and S7 aircraft? I suddenly asked, remembering that I have certain preferences in this matter.
– Don't worry, they mostly have Boeings and Airbuses like you always order, and Transaero even has a few 747s! Now about time. Since you are flying to Moscow yourself, in case of delay, the plane to the Emirates will not wait for you. Therefore, I am making you an arrival at Domodedovo on the last flight at 12 at night. And from there you have a flight at 12 noon. You can spend the night at the airport or in an air hotel, or rent something nearby. I do not advise you to make a break in flights less than 6-8 hours! Now, regarding the visa. I have already sent your scans of passports to Moscow, and the answer will come tomorrow. But I think everything will be fine. By age, Irina is suitable, you do not have Israeli stamps. Wait for my call tomorrow, but you can already start packing!
Vadim called the next day. He said that visas are open to us, and we will receive them at the tour operator's desk before boarding. We had a flight to Moscow in 2 days! And the first night I devoted to the study of local rules. The country is still Muslim (I mean theocratic state). And Sharjah, where we will live, is generally the most conservative emirate. And I began to write down on a piece of paper what not to do in the Emirates.
“Two tourists went to jail for having intimate relationships on the beach. The couple were arrested after kissing in a restaurant. Drunken tourist went to jail. Another got there for drinking alcohol on the street. Two airline employees arrested for intimate texting. ”
Well, that's pretty clear. One of the worst crimes is relationships outside of marriage! And it's good that we're not going on a Muslim holiday. At this time, tourists there, on top of everything else, are also forbidden to eat, drink and smoke on the street during the daytime along with the locals. As for the rest, what are we afraid of? We honor the laws of the country in which we arrived. Ira is a verified person. That which is impossible and will not do various stupid things. Yes, to be honest, I would never go to this country with an unverified person. Why do I need problems there and, God forbid, deportation?
After I found out everything, the collection of the suitcase began. Here it was necessary to pay special attention to the first aid kit, since, for example, codeine is illegal in the Emirates.
- Medicines collected, and what else? Clothing, swimming trunks, flip flops… check your luggage – discs and literature that may be “for adults” – remove. Otherwise they can pick you up at the airport. Everything? Like there are no more bans?!
Chapter 2. To Moscow.
The next day, late in the evening, Ira picked me up in a taxi, and in 15 minutes we were at the airport! After checking in and checking in our luggage, we sat down in the waiting room and began to leaf through a small guide to the country.
– Artificial palm island, skyscrapers, Persian Gulf. But the tallest building, opened 8 days ago, is not here yet! By the way, let's read the recommendations regarding behavior on the street!
- You can not photograph local women, laugh at them, pursue and, of course, touch them. Yeah. Yes, somehow no one was going to!
We were invited to board. It was quite cold on the bus that was taking us to the plane. But not because the bus was bad, but because in a frost of minus 20 degrees we were wearing light autumn raincoats, under which there were summer clothes, and shoes and sandals on our feet. And where to drag a heavy jacket, boots and a fur coat with you ? ! On the plane, which was of the Airbus company, we quickly warmed up after a portion of delicious food and coffee. I even called the flight attendant and thanked him for the delicious dinner.
- It's only in Krasnodar that they cook like that! - he said, - In other cities they would not have done so tasty!
- That's it! Interestingly, is it only for “S7” that they prepare it this way? In general, I liked the airline. And not expensive. Well, off-season, of course!
About an hour later, the plane began to land. Below is the former snow-covered Moscow! The radio reported that the temperature outside was minus 31 degrees. That's great! And we are dressed for summer!
Leaving the plane, I expected that now the terrible frosty air would attack us, in one second shackling the limbs and all uncovered parts of the body... but no. It wasn't cold.
- Er, are you cold? I asked.
- Nope! And in Krasnodar it was, - she answered.
- Well, of course! It's all about the humidity! Here the air is dry and therefore not so cold. It is much colder here at minus 20 than here at minus 30!
The bus took us to the airport. For the first time in my life I flew on an Airbus and for the first time in my life I am in Domodedovo!
After picking up our luggage, we headed to the exit and from here called the phone number of a private hotel where we had booked a room to spend the night. I definitely did not want to sit at the airport all night!
After 15 minutes we were met by a car and we rushed to the hotel. Hmm, I certainly understand that the frost is severe and the roads on the Moscow Ring Road have been cleaned, but to fly to the 99th at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour... the asphalt is still not dry! Other than that, we arrived safely. The hotel was located a few kilometers from the airport in a holiday village. We were greeted by a very nice lady and shown to our room. Having ordered a transfer back to the airport at 8 am and having dinner, we went to bed! Tomorrow we had a difficult but interesting day!
We arrived back at the airport almost on time. Slightly delayed in Moscow traffic jams, but in time! After finding the “Russian Express” counter, we received our visas, which were a printed sheet of A4 format with our photographs. After that, we went through check-in, then control and ended up in a huge part of the airport, where there were waiting rooms for international airlines. The building was very warm and many tourists walked around in shorts and T-shirts. I did the same. Why not?
We have an exit through the “gate pipe”, 20 seconds and on the plane! I hid my outerwear in my hand luggage and went for a walk around the waiting room in a T-shirt and light pants.
Everything you want was here! Many cafes, vending machines with coffee and food, vending machines with the Internet and four "tuxedo rooms". Therefore, our expectation of a few extra hours, due to a flight delay, flew by unnoticed. And what a view it was! Standing planes were perfectly visible from the window of the second floor, and for the first time in my life I saw a Boeing 747! Double-decker plane with the inscription "Transaero". The world's largest passenger liner before the invention of the Airbus A-380. Oh, it would be great to fly on it! I wonder what kind of aircraft we will have?
Chapter 3. In Dubai!
Our flight was announced on the radio. We listened to the information from which we understood that a bus would take us to the plane. Exit through the pipe is canceled! Great! You'll have to be patient a little. I did not want to take out warm clothes. After freezing for a few minutes on the bus, we got out and saw our plane! Yeaaaa! It was a Boeing 747-300! One of my "dreams" came true! Huge and has four turbines, making it one of the safest aircraft in the world - even if two engines fail, it will be possible to fly on the remaining two!
We went inside. The salon was divided into three parts. For the most part, instead of the usual six rows of seats, there were ten! Three and three at the windows, and four in the middle of the cabin. I immediately noticed that if you get tired of sitting, you can wind circles along these two aisles between the chairs! It also turned out that here, at the end of each section, there is a rather large space where you can easily get together with a company of six or eight people and chat while standing!
The compartments for hand luggage were also very large. Each could easily fit several medium-sized travel bags. In short, I was delighted with the plane! I wonder what the business class on the second floor looks like? Well, I hope I find out someday!
When everyone, namely about 450 people, sat down, the take-off was announced on the radio. We buckled up, the plane taxied to the runway and stopped. I was looking forward to takeoff! Turbines whined, the plane vibrated with tension... and rushed off! We got stuck in chairs and soon the ground began to move away. We flew to the United Arab Emirates!
After an hour and a half of the flight, the navigator showed the Krasnodar Territory. We flew, approximately, in the Tuapse region. Below was the winter sea. And clouds.
And the flight attendants carried movie CDs around the cabin. On the plane, in each seat, the neighbor had a monitor, and a remote control from it was at hand. But of course it didn't work. And, as they said, you can’t use video cameras and laptops here. Well, that is, you can’t until you rent discs with films from the stewardess for 600 rubles, and after that do whatever you want! True, after a three-hour flight, people still turned on their computers, as it was simply boring.
We were fed once. The portion was not very large and, in my opinion, this is not enough for an almost six-hour flight. In other matters, here you could ask for an additive, if there was one. For example, we are lucky!
The radio announced the descent and everyone fastened their seat belts. The plane was landing in Dubai! Before we landed, five meeting buses drove in our direction. Service on top! When we got off the plane, we were engulfed in humid and hot air! From frost to summer! How I love that feeling!
It was getting dark outside when we entered the airport building. The very first test here was an eye test. There was a queue to the counters, where two Arabs were sitting, who were dressed in all white. They had a retinal scanner on their desks. This was done so that if a tourist was once deported from the country, but really wanted to go back, changed his passport, surname, place of residence and underwent plastic surgery to change his sex, he still would not pass an eye scan! We stood in this line for about an hour. Then everyone stood in line number two - passport control, where they stood for another half an hour. And only after that we, having received our luggage and having passed its scanning, went out into the hall. Here we quickly found a man holding a sign with the name of our hotel, who led us outside. While all the tourists were smoking greedily in the designated area, our guide met the rest. When everyone was assembled, we followed him into a small bus and our journey around the country began!
Everyone went to Sharjah to four hotels standing side by side. It was already dark, we were tired, so we looked at everything around with one eye. Cars, lights, skyscrapers… Ferris wheel. The guide told us that this wheel is already on the territory of our emirate, and Dubai has already ended. And I thought there would be something like a checkpoint between the emirates. It turned out not. The person who came here for the first time will not notice the difference!
We were lucky again with hotels! We were brought in last and we managed to see the rest. Although ours was the first on the line, it was necessary to turn around and drop off other tourists just along the way. There were four hotels here, as I said: Beach Hotel Sharjah 3 stars, Golden Beach Motel 3 stars, Sharjah Grand 4 stars and our Sharjah Carlton, also 4 stars.
As it turned out, our hotel is not new. Far from new. He was almost 40 years old! But repairs, of course, were made here, and we were not very upset. In a place like the Emirates, the hotel was not very important to us now. If you want chic - the Dubai Five is on the first line to help! And so, in the hotel we will only sleep!
Friendly Arab employees gave us the key to the room, which here was just a key, not a card. The room was on the fourth floor. After taking the old-fashioned elevator, as shown in the films, we entered our dwelling. Ordinary hotel room. Two beds, bathroom, refrigerator, air conditioning, a table showing the direction of Mecca and a balcony! Yeees! Large balcony and sea view! More precisely, the Persian Gulf! Finally! Other than that, we didn't expect anything else. After all, this time it was “Sia-View” that was ordered, since when ordering a tour there was a choice! Having dined with products that we had prudently bought back in Krasnodar, and, noting the arrival, we fell asleep! By the way, it was possible to import alcohol into the territory of the Emirates. It was also sold in special shops in Dubai, where non-Muslim tourists could buy it. But you could only drink alcohol in a hotel or in special establishments. But not in Sharjah! There was dry law. Alcohol was not sold at all and it was impossible to transport a bottle from emirate to emirate! And if they brought it out of ignorance, you need to hide it! Otherwise, if the maid sees, there may be problems. But, despite the conservatism of this place, they settled an unmarried couple in one room without any problems!
We woke up early in the morning. The hot winter sun was already shining in the room with might and main! We went out to the balcony. Downstairs, a hotel employee was cleaning the beach area, but not sand, but water!
- Well! - I said to Ira, - Let's start our Arab holiday!
We started it with breakfast included in our tour (type “BB”). The restaurant in the hotel was quite pleasant, but the food, as we found out the next day, was the same. That is, nothing new was invented at all. But for breakfast it was tolerable.
Then we went to the beach. It was as pure as the water! Despite the fact that small waves lifted and twisted the sand from the bottom, the Persian Gulf remained perfectly transparent. Not trash, not grass! Of course, there was also a pool with sun loungers! The air temperature was plus 27 degrees in the shade!
Calling home and boasting twenty-seven degrees of heat against the Krasnodar twenty frost, we sunbathed, swam, and then decided to rent jet skis, which were rented here for all four hotels at once. Pleased with the price! The rental cost a penny! Still would! Black gold in abundance! This is where we finally broke away to the fullest! At first they rode together, passing the steering wheel to each other, but at the same time they hung a rope with a key on the back of the seated one, since he is more prone to flying. Then they rode separately. There was only one restriction here - not to go beyond the fences, which, on the borders of the hotel beach, went out into the sea for about fifty meters. This was done so that the locals would not peep what was happening here. Still, tourists in bathing suits sunbathe! And hotel beaches, by the way, were the only place where you could behave like that. It was forbidden to undress on a public beach, otherwise they could be arrested! Only locals rested there, and women sunbathed and swam in a special veil, which passes the sun well and practically does not get wet!
We had lunch in the room with food supplies, after which we gathered in Dubai! Ira put on clothes that were allowed for tourists in Sharjah - the skirt is not above the knees, the shoulders are not bare. By the way, regarding the shoulders, it also concerned men. But, as we found out later, this is if you go for a walk in the center. And if you go to Dubai, then you can dress shorter. But in moderation, of course!
A bus pulled up to the hotel, which took tourists from our hotels in Dubai and back for free every few hours! The transport was quite pleasant, given that it was free, with air conditioning, of course, and off we went!
Here is the Ferris wheel, so somewhere here Sharjah ends. And now we are in Dubai. Many skyscrapers, many of which are residential buildings. I immediately noticed that there were practically no standing cars around the houses. As we found out later, already in the evening, when the lights were on in the houses, the first 5-6 floors of almost every building are occupied by a huge parking lot! That's great!
Around us, for the most part, large SUVs and expensive sports cars drove by. Many of which, by the way, were completely tinted.
Yeah, so it's allowed here! I thought.
The end of the delight from the vehicles was a car dealership, in which we managed to notice a standing golden Rolls-Royce Phantom! The bus then turned into a narrow street and soon pulled up to a shopping and entertainment center, where almost all the passengers got off. And we stayed because we wanted to get to the bus terminus so that we know in the future how far it goes.
The end of the route was Nasa Skwea. There was a huge beautiful building nearby, and at the very top there was an inscription - "Rolex"!
Before we got off the bus, several people ran up to us offering fur coats.
- Well, let's go and see, - I said, seeing how Ira was inflamed with the desire to see.
Leather and fur shops here, of course, were huge, but I was a little embarrassed that the sellers were almost all of our compatriots. Since the time of Turkey, I, to put it mildly, do not really trust them in terms of price, and the attitude here was somehow non-border - that's how we have it in the clothing market.
Look, that's enough! Move on! We walked through the shopping malls of the area, got acquainted with the assortment offered, and everything that could be imagined was sold here, and then went out to the road.
“Tax, ” I said thoughtfully, “Now we need to catch a taxi! ” Now let's try!
True, I was a little embarrassed by the fact that the first two passing cars with checkers were brand new Toyota Corollas. Maybe it's an expensive VIP taxi? But when a dozen more of the same drove by, it became clear that they are all like that here! I extended my hand and a car pulled up right next to us. An Indian was driving.
– Dubai City! - I said to him, and he showed signs - get in, like, why aren't you in the car yet?
When we sat down, I understood everything. It is not customary to negotiate a price in advance. As soon as we were in the cabin, the taxi driver pressed a button on the computer installed in the car. And the counter ran on the screen. And, in different ways. If we are driving, it “ticks” at the same speed, if we are in a traffic jam, it slows down a lot. Everything is thought out!
We arrived at the Dubai City shopping center, which was a complex similar to ours, only larger, in 7-10 minutes. The meter showed the fare in local dirhams, but dollars were also accepted. As in a taxi, and in all outlets! And while we were driving, we noticed a very interesting thing: the new, just under construction buildings were completely covered with curtains, as it were, that did not let in dust and noise! In order not to interfere and not to dust, both day and night! From the huge covered parking, which was located on the territory of the center, we went inside and started walking! On the ground floor there were shops, an exchange office and access to a taxi stand. Taking coffee from the machine, we went out to smoke and at the same time see how to catch cars here. It turned out that everything is thought out to the smallest detail! Customers leave the shops and stand in a small queue of several people. Every 30 seconds, taxis drive up to the site from both sides - all Toyota Camrys or Corollas. Everything happens very quickly and, most importantly, conveniently!
The first place in the mall we went to was a hypermarket. But here we have a problem. We could not uncouple the carts in any way and, unfortunately, none of the visitors at that time took them. For about three minutes we, like two idiots, tried to tear one from the other! Then, seeing our suffering, a guard came up to us and showed that we should put a coin in one dirham here. After I showed him a 100 dollar bill and said that there is no less yet, the kind guard put the coin himself! But, for the future, we took this fact into account! Apparently, this was a payment for the subsequent collection of carts, since it was possible to walk with them throughout the shopping center, including the escalators that were adapted for this!
Everything was sold in the hypermarket! First, we looked at the hall with electronics, where the prices were extremely pleasing. A huge flat-screen TV cost only 8.000 rubles, if translated into our money. But how to shove it into the plane during a passenger flight? Then we proceeded to the toy department. Helicopters flew around, soft toys walked around and... a car drove along the wall! Then I could not stand it and, having fallen into childhood, I put it in a cart. I'll take it! I will play! I have repeatedly seen the cars that walk with us, but those that drive along the wall - no! Then we went to the grocery department, including ready-made ones. Here we bought all sorts of tasty snacks, grilled chicken, chips, bread and so on.
“This is where we’ll go for food! ” - I said, - Our bus is free and spending your free time in this way is only a joy! Speaking of food, Ir, do you want to eat? Now let's finish and go look for a cafe!
Another pleasant surprise awaited us at the checkout. Dollars were also officially accepted here! It happened like this: the seller, having finished counting our purchases, simply pressed the button and the amount in dirhams was immediately converted into dollars at a constant rate of about 3.66 dirhams for one US dollar! But the change was given only in local currency. Well, let! Come in handy!
On the second floor of the shopping center there was a chain of "Fast Foods", where we went. It was impossible to drive here with a cart, but the guard at the entrance assured us with gestures that we could safely leave it here, no one would touch anything! Choosing a diner that didn't have a line, we ordered a sausage in a bun and a coke.
- Thank you for your purchase! Bon appetit and we are waiting for you again! - quickly with a smile, the Indian girl said in English!
This is how you communicate with clients! I said to Ira, with which she fully agreed.
We sat down at the empty seats at the table and I took a bite of a bun. I have never eaten such delicious food! After all, it was an ordinary sausage (albeit Arabic). But her taste… mmm. I immediately ran and ordered more!
- Liked? the salesperson asked.
- Yes! Vis from super sauce! - I said.
The saleswoman, laughing, made me another one of the same kind, and I returned to the table, where I finally started the meal! Even now, I sometimes remember that delicious sausage in a bun in Dubai City! It was already time for us to return to the parking lot, since the last bus to Sharjah left in 30 minutes. After walking around the mall, we decided to look somewhere. The toilets here were amazing! Everything is clean, smells good, every booth has an extra hose with a faucet sticking out of the wall (I think it's clear what it's for), and there were even shower rooms! And in the women's, as Ira said, there are also free necessary things for women!
- Hehe, these freebies would be taken away from us in a moment, and they would be taken in batches! I thought.
While waiting for the bus, we began to share our impressions of the mall with each other. Walking on it was a little unusual, but only on the first day. And it’s unusual because here, basically, all the people were black and white. That is, a woman is walking, she is dressed in a veil. All you hear is the sound of her hairpins on the floor. But the veil is different. A teenage girl in a headscarf. The elderly woman has only her nose closed. And the rest, basically, only the eyes are visible. Moreover, some of them are completely visible, some have only slits, and there are those who wear a veil without slits at all! But they can see everything from the other side! And so, you go, and around you are eyes, only eyes! Which, by the way, look at you all the time, and you think, what is there, under the veil? But, of course I know. Some of my friends lived and worked in the Emirates, and the woman said that in the locker room, for example, they take off the veil. And there... skirts, t-shirts, tops... and gold! Lots of gold! Because if the husband kicks him out of the house, he kicks him out in what he has!
Here comes the Arab family. Ahead, the Sheikh is all in white, on the head of a keffiyeh (arafatka in our opinion), which is supported by ikal (rings). Next to him is one wife all in black, usually the most beloved - young or with a small child. And there are two more in the back. And there are a lot of kids running around! Each wife, of course, has her own separate house and household. If you can feed everyone - get married! You can have 4 wives at the same time, and in a lifetime, 9 (according to the guide). This is in the event of a divorce or death of a spouse. The husband, as I said, is obliged to provide for all wives. They do not have to work, although they have the right if they wish. And so - family, home, children! Taking a walk before marriage (in the sense of just being unmarried) will not work out very well, since in some Arab countries you can get married from the moment of puberty, that is, roughly speaking, from the age of 12. But most importantly, they love it. They can't imagine another life. And this is good! To each his own! I have heard a story about how a man who knows Arabic well heard a conversation between two women in a cafe.
- Imagine! - said one to the other, - In other countries, women work! Horror!
In other words, many women in other countries think so too!
While we were thinking, our bus pulled up to the bus stop. There were a lot of people here, but everyone got in! Back at the hotel, we had dinner with grilled chicken, played with the car, which, as it turned out, could drive not only on the walls, but also on the ceiling, and went to bed. The first day in the Emirates came to an end and the warm Arabian night came! But before falling asleep, I ran to the balcony a couple of times to smoke and noticed that here every 2 minutes a plane flies over the Persian Gulf! This is such a huge flow of tourists during the season!
The warm Arabian night passed well and the hot Arabian day came! Today, according to the plan, we had a visit to the world-famous gold bazaar! After breakfast, we did not sunbathe on the beach that day, but immediately went on a morning flight to Dubai. Having gone out on the “Nasa Skvea” already familiar to us and ignored the fur coat barkers, we caught a taxi and in about five minutes we were on the spot.
“Gold Souk”, as the “Golden Bazaar” was called, was just huge. From the guide's stories, after a few days, we learned that about 750 tons of gold are sold here a year and there are about a thousand shops! But we didn't just come here. We had a goal - to buy me a ring. Why exactly here? Once in Krasnodar, I went to a familiar jeweler to find out how much it would cost to make a product, and he suddenly asked - “Are you going to Dubai by any chance? ”.
- Going to!
So I advise you to buy there. The choice is huge, the sample is higher, the price is lower!
We walked here until we went around everything! It took almost 2 days! The stores were in abundance! Basically, it was 18 carat gold (750th test), 21.22 and 24 carats - pure gold, in our opinion it is 999 test. True, it was very soft and the price, respectively, is higher than that of products of the 750th sample. Therefore, we considered only 18 carat items, the price of which was lower here than ours for items of the 585th test. In Arab countries, gold usually starts from 18 carats and therefore it is more yellow than ours. White gold was also in abundance here.
We walked through the market. Everything was yellow on all sides! There were many different products hanging from the windows, both for locals and tourists! By the way, the products for local residents were generally fabulous. And a wicker bracelet worn on half of the hand, and huge chains around the neck, and even gold chain mail for a woman, almost like a blouse, only made of woven gold! Blimey! There were also shops with diamonds. In the middle of the shop was a huge table with boxes on it. And in the boxes there are thousands of different stones, from tiny to huge!
We struggled with the choice for a long time, but on the second day we still chose the product. The ring was a mixture of yellow and white gold and was called "Rolex" in the local manner. Because the part that was worn on the finger was made with gold weaving like an iron watch strap. And above was the mouth of a lion. The product was a little too big for me, but here each store had its own workshop - “Size but problems! ”. They'll do anything! And if they do, then... ! And we ran to the diamond store. There we bought a small stone, which we asked to be inserted into the lion's mouth.
“But trouble, sir! ” - said the seller of gold, - Here's coffee for you, you can sit with us for half an hour.
But we decided to sit outside on a bench. While we were waiting, we bought a bottle of water from a vending machine that cost only 1 dirham, and after 10 minutes we saw a drink dealer who had the same one for 5 dirhams.
At the same time, we decided to check out the range of goods of the Arabs, all the time shouting "Verta Ferrari"! It turned out that there were a bunch of shops a block away, littered with various counterfeits of watches and mobile phones of well-known brands. “Vertu” is understandable here, but their “Ferrari” is a telephone with a typewriter on the back of it. A very good gift for a child!
We returned to the bench. After 5 minutes, we were called by the seller, who handed us a finished product that exactly matched our order. When buying, he wrote us a receipt with the parameters of the ring and said that at any time, even after a year, we can return it at the same price or exchange it for another product! That's the service! By the way, we did not offend Ira either. They bought her cubic zirconias and small diamonds, from which she decided to make a custom-made product at home, melting down some of her old jewelry.
Phew, we're done with Gold Souk! And it’s good, otherwise, out of habit, on the second day, gold was already a little nauseated! We went out onto the road, where the policeman stared intently at what we had in our hands, in the sense of a bottle of water, caught a taxi and drove to Dubai City, where we walked until the evening. At the same time, we replenished the account of our new SIM card of the “DU” operator, which we purchased at the hotel, since it was definitely cheaper to call home from it. We replenished it, by the way, very interesting. Half paid in dollars, half in dirhams. It's good that the seller quickly realized what kind of fraud we offer him!
We returned to the hotel, as usual, on the last bus. By the way, I bought myself another white keffiyeh. I already had a checkered one from Palestine, but I don’t have this one yet!
At dinner, we washed the purchase, and I suddenly felt a little sad. And that's why. Taking a break between walking around the "Golden Bazaar", we came across an eatery. They serve pretty good cheeseburgers here. Sets - a bun with a cutlet, french fries and cola cost about one and a half dollars. After ordering a double portion, we chatted a little, and soon the food was brought to us. But suddenly I noticed that eyes were looking at me. But not local slits. At the next table sat a Hindu family - a mother and four daughters. Dad must have been at work. The oldest of the girls looked to be about fifteen years old, and she smiled at me, but the other three sadly looked with hungry eyes at our order. And my mother, with a chandra in her forehead (period), at that time, with a preoccupied look, leafed through and leafed through the menu, and could not choose anything. Because one and a half dollars for a roll is very, very expensive for hard workers and their families. I found out about this a little later.
Well, what to do? I immediately remembered the cartoon “Aladdin”, where he stole a bun, but could not eat it, because there were hungry children around, and he distributed it to them. HM. Give them money? Or just order a set for each, like we do?
- Oh, better not! - advised Ira, - The country is strictly Muslim, God forbid, your gesture will offend them or misunderstand. There may be problems that we do not need here!
In short, we took the food with us and left. They didn't eat there. That's why I was a little sad. Well, what was I to do? Ira, in this case, was right. Another thing, if they or the waiter spoke Russian, it would be possible to explain in case of anything! Eh. . .
The next day, right in the morning, we booked an excursion to the recently opened tallest building in the world, Burj Dubai! True, somehow we did not get along with this from the very beginning. Firstly, we signed up for daylight hours, and the hotel guide, of course, a Russian woman, signed us up specifically for an evening trip, since she had a big shortage there, you see. But, having accidentally figured out her cunning plan (we saw how a large bus drove up to the hotel and decided to ask the receptionist where he was going), we still ended up on the day. Galloping in 10 minutes, we had to change clothes, take cameras and a video camera. We did. Further - more interesting. The bus was full, and when we drove about three hundred meters from the hotel, our guide, a woman, also Russian, announced that now we would go to see the Muslim bazaar in Sharjah, then we would go somewhere else, and more, and in the evening already to the tower!
Yes, what is it! They asked in Russian - we need a day trip to the building! Dneevnaaaaaaa! I wonder why the rest are silent?
“Of course, I’m very sorry, ” I began loudly for the whole bus, “But we have an excursion to the Burj Dubai during daylight hours! ” Other places can be visited later!
The people in the bus instantly came to life and immediately divided into two camps: those who shouted “We want during the day” and those who shouted “We want at night”. Six people abstained. Having estimated the numerical superiority of “ours”, I continued from the barricades:
- From such a height it is interesting to see everything during the day! At night, only the lights will be visible! We were promised a day tour! Hooray comrades!!!
The driver grabbed his head and did not understand what was happening to the Russian tourists, and the guide began to call somewhere.
“They want during the day… yes, yes, but they don’t want anywhere else! ” they said to someone on the phone.
- Come on, don't lie! - this time the whole bus yelled, - We want everywhere!
“But we want to go to the tower during the day, ” I added calmly. And “ours” won! We skipped Sharjah and went straight to Burj Dubai!
"Dubai Mall", the name of the largest shopping center in the world with an area of more than a million square meters, was located in an area called "Dubai's Duntown". The bus dropped us off right at the entrance and we all, including the opponents of the tower's day view, went inside. Words simply cannot describe this beauty! Not far from the entrance was a wall of glass, and fish swam behind it! It was a huge aquarium inside the center! The biggest in the world! All sorts of marine life like sharks and rays! Only about 30 thousand inhabitants! And that was just one wall. For a small additional fee, we went to the so-called “Aquatunnel” under the aquarium, where we admired the local inhabitants both in the walls and in the ceiling! There were fish here that I had never seen even in pictures - not sharks, but the size of an adult! We saw there and several divers serving the aquarium. People laughed when they were photographed as a landmark, and they, in turn, willingly posed! Immediately at the exit from the tunnel, the zoo began, which was also inside the entertainment center.
Then we proceeded through the entire hall to the point with the metal detector. Here began the entrance to the Burj Dubai tower itself, renamed at the opening of the Burj Khalifa in honor of the President of the Emirates. We walked down the corridor and onto the moving walkway. The light around went out, and a hologram appeared on the right. Nice music played. On one side, parts of the plots under construction were shown in the projection, and on the other, parts already built. Beauties! Five minutes later, our group went to the elevators. Inside them, too, was very unusual! When the doors closed, the lights went out, the TVs turned on with a presentation about the tower, and the Arab who serviced the elevator pressed a button. The movement of the cockpit could be felt only by laying the ears. Otherwise, it seemed that the elevator was standing still! After about a minute, maybe a little less, the doors opened. Everything? And where can we go during this time?
