Masr el Gadida

Pronounced (sort of) Moss-ra-Gadeedah, or in English New Cairo, this is an area of Cairo on the north-east of the city beside Heliopolis, situated between the airport and the city centre (or Down Town). One way to get there is via Cairo's remnant and old tramway system which looks like the trams can barely stay upright (and if I believe what I read, is incrediby shabby and bumpy) but is also I understand incredibly cheap. But we go via the Ring Road, or the Round Road (take your pick of what sign you read and Mohamed always calls it the Round Road) and we did that today to go to Royal House (where we got the TV table/cabinet) to look at office furniture.

I took some photos on the way which were all from the moving car with my little point and shoot that has a mark on the lens I can’t get rid of but I will put a few on and you will see that this area is quite different from where we live on the Giza Plateau. Heliopolis was actually a planned development that occurred in the early part of the 20th century and was proposed by a Belgian called Baron Empian (who subsequently lived died and is buried in Cairo) who wanted to build a garden city in the desert to help solving Cairo’s intense demand for housing. Commuters would travel to work in the city each day by tram. Empian’s dream was brought to fruition by British planner Sir Reginald Oakes between 1905n and 1922 and is based on a grid of streets with greenery and open spaces and originally even a racecourse (which is now an amusement park, I’m pretty sure it’s the big one called Cairo Land).

The streets, with well-grown trees, older buildings with sort of Islamic-looking facades or very modern ones, have a variety of apartment complexes and modern shops, fast food restaurants, classy looking cafes and nightclubs, are quite wide and the traffic, at least today, was reasonably under control, although parking is still chaotic and 2-3 deep and hard to find. But often you look down a side street and see a mosque at the end of it, even though this area originally had a large Christian and Jewish population. I think it might still have a reasonable high Christian population as there’s definitely a higher proportion of women without scarves than elsewhere. (From an article I read there are now only about 200 Jews in Cairo, almost all elderly).

We had a meal at Tikka, a fast food chain that serves all sorts of stuff so we can both get something we like even though it’s mostly meat, we shared the salad bar (not quite like a western salad – we had potato salad and coleslaw, sliced cucumber, and green bean and white bean salad with onion and in a sort of sweet sauce (I wish I knew how to make it coz I really like it, they serve it at Pizza HWhile we were eating all the traffic stopped while a “VIP man” came through under police and army escort – Mohamed thinks the Minister of Defence as the Ministry is just around the corner from where we were. We went past it later and there were soldiers and special police everywhere in squads and singles. Several hundred at least I would have thought so I guess the Minister was indeed in residence.

Anyway it was nice outing, good weather and clear skies and we saw some good furniture although dearer than I had hoped but I think that it is what Mohamed would like, it certainly would make the office look good when the Ministry comes to inspect.

As I said I’ve given you some photos but they are not great quality as they were all taken while we were moving over the bumpy road. But they’ll give you an idea of what I saw today.

So it’s goodnight from me, take care

Lots of love

Lyndall




A load of bananas passes us on the Round Road


This one looks not quite finished but certainly occupied


One of the unfinished apartment buildings along the Round Road


One of the apartment buildings along the road where residents have chosen to decorate in different colours


A large mosque under construction in conjunction with a hospital


And only a couple of hundred metres away a large church is also under construction


A mosque at the end of the street and some residual water from yesterday's rain, it looked like they might have had more than we did


Looks like yet another fast food place is opening soon



The tramway but no tram, by the time I saw a tram my battery had gone flat


The shops along one of the main streets



The view from home is still great though

Saturday

Today at the house it was really nice in the early morning – beautiful day and no tradesmen – just Masry and me in the house with all the tiling completed, so it actually feels a bit like a house and you can begin to imagine it with all the furniture etc. It was a pleasure just to walk around and look lots, getting the feeling of ownership. We were there to meet a whole lot of tradesmen, none of whom arrived so after an hour or so we headed back into town.

Yesterday we got the quote for the curtains – LE 42,000 which is a lot of money for curtains. So we’re not sure what we will do, there are a few options: choose something different and simpler, only get some of them done for now, buy the fabric and trims elsewhere if the designer will still make them. Don’t know yet.

And Egypt won the semi final so on Sunday night they play Cameroon in the final. Although my TV had died (it does that when it gets hot) I could tell whenever Egypt scored by the huge roar from people in their houses and gathered around TVs in all the shops – like being in Qld when State of Origin is on. And when they won the street indeed erupted – there were fireworks, a series of 8 sounds that I swear was gunfire, horns blaring, people thronging the streets and shouting and cheering, all of which went on for quite some time. Now there are flag sellers everywhere and the excitement is building for the final on Sunday night at 7.00 pm. We’ll be having an early day on Sunday so that Mohammed can be at home in plenty of time.

Saturday 16th (how time flies)

And the winner is…

Well yes, Egypt won their semi final and I thought there were big street celebrations that night. The following few days there were flag sellers on every street corner (very entrepreneurial, some Egyptians), flags flying from taxis and all sorts of vehicles and a great sense of anticipation everywhere you went. Egypt went on to be the winner of the ANC and then the city went COMPLETELY crazy.

I live in an inner suburb called Mohandaseen, an upmarket suburb, a semi-rich area, some parts of it really quite rich, although don’t go thinking Toorak. There’s a very big major street that runs through it called Gamm’ea el Dowal el Arabia and my street, Jeddah (pronounced Gadda) runs off el Dowal. I only live around 200 metres max from the main street. El Dowal is full of high rise, shops, restaurants, banks etc., and on Cup night every shop of any description, including my tiny hole-in-the-wall supermarket in Jeddah and also my building, had a TV going and a crowd around it. Coffee shops had plastic chairs in the street so as many people as possible could watch together. Imagine grand final night or State of Origin night (and then multiply by “n” Cairo has 17 million people!) The result was 1-0 with Egypt’s goal being scored latish in the second half.

When the whistle sounded the roar that I heard from my place was like being in the MCG or the Gabba. Then there were fireworks, drums, more of what sounded like gunshots, car horns, singing, shouting, screaming – you name it, any possible sort of noise was being made with wave after wave of sound from what was obviously a lot of human voices. Masry told me that he saw it on TV and there must have been almost 500,000 people in El Dowal. I could believe it from the sound, which went on and on. I did finally sleep, but I woke again at 4.00 am and it still sounded the same. Even the next day cars were sounding their horns in a particular pattern that was more than the usual “here I am get out of my way!”

Another week has seen the house move on even further, the painter is in now although he is preparing surfaces and we haven’t chosen any colours yet. The airconditioners (all 7 of them) have arrived and are being installed outside before the windows go in. The welder has completed the strengthening of the pergolas and also installed the grills on the 3 windows accessible from the airshaft that is just down from the roof. The carpenter comes in the morning to begin his work – all the door surrounds, doors etc. including the 3 with special glass inserts) – and the painter will take until the end of the month Masry tells me. Unfortunately the welders broke one of the ornate glass inserts for the bedroom doors and that will take another week or so to have replaced (and 450 pounds as well!) I asked Masry was he going to make the welder pay, but he said: “He only gets maybe 50 pounds for the job, how can I make him pay 500?” So he didn’t tip him as much because he covered the break up and didn’t own up. A fair man is my Mohammad I think.

Only windows (being manufactured offsite along with the awnings) and plumbing to do, lights and curtains to choose and install and then the house will be finished – as soon as the kitchen is installed (also being manufactured offsite). We have chosen some lights, many are once again perhaps more ornate than I would have picked alone but it’s all in keeping with everything else. Not sure what day we’ll choose the big lights – maybe next week or the week after although we have been to a couple of shops to have a look – or to “make a check” as Mohammad says. Also just a few taps to pick out. I don’t think the electrician is in until the painter is almost finished. And Masry says the plumber is last because otherwise the men will use the toilets! So the timeframe remains about 3 weeks Masry says but I reckon another 5 at least. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised however. We still haven’t decided what to do about the curtains – Mohammad says we must settle today or tomorrow however as they may take a month to make.

The first two vehicles (Toyota Coasters) for Masry’s new tour company also arrive next week, he will take the two drivers he has employed up to Alexandria to collect them sometime after Monday. Two Toyota Hiace are next and he just got word that they will be at least another month – it’s already more than a month since they were ordered. Not sure what the holdup is but they are all imported so who knows. But at least the Coasters will be out and on the road in another week maximum (they have to be fitted with luggage racks and sign written), and he will be on the way to fulfilling a long-held dream. It’s actually pretty special seeing someone’s BIG dreams come true.

I am thinking of going to Ethiopia next week (or sometime soon), once the Coasters have arrived, for about a week. Masry really doesn’t want me to go – he tells me he must see me every day - “why do you want to leave me?” And there’s no doubt I would miss him. But there’s a little break in what’s happening with the house and he will be busy enough and I won’t be needed for the house and I would really love to see all the kids for a few days – still I haven’t finally decided, will suss out flights when next I’m on the net and see what’s available and how much it is. If I go I’m going to make it a big surprise – just arrive….

So the last week has been more of the same really – Friday yesterday of course and Masry not at the house to collect me until 2.00 pm after the mosque and prayers. Given that I have nothing to read (am now reading a book for the THIRD time) and the TV keeps losing sound and finally dying as soon as it warms up it’s a long night and day! Thursday was very cold at the house and windy and threatening rain so I came home early. But today is once again magnificent. The BBC forecast said 18 degrees today but sitting here in the car, while I wait for Masry to do some business at what I think I understand is a motor registry and licensing place in 6th October City, it is beautifully warm and we’ve left the pollution of Cairo behind so the sky is blue and the birds are singing – well I’m sure they are if I could hear them over the traffic.

Once we leave here it’s to the house for a while, the painter will be back again today (holiday on Friday so we had the house to ourselves again yesterday for a while) and maybe the carpenter will show up today – said Thursday, then Friday but didn’t show, so maybe today. Went to the net café yesterday but couldn’t get connected well enough to post or to send emails but I did read some so will try and answer everyone soon and will post some photos of the house and also of Mohammad for those ladies who asked. I thought I’d try and find the net somewhere near home on Thursday night but after getting two sets of directions and walking around several blocks completely for almost an hour I gave up. Either I am blind or nobody knew what they were talking about. It would be much simpler if I could find one near home so will try again at some time when I’m home early enough.

I’m not sure why I say early enough – the night seems to only begin at around 10.00 pm in Egypt and I certainly never get to bed before midnight. If I ever do it’s only to read as the noise levels would preclude sleep unless you were absolutely and completely exhausted. And I don’t do enough in my day to be that, even though climbing the stairs to the house is very good for me. There is a lift but it’s not working yet. I think that maybe we will be the first to move into the building and the owners (and doorman) don’t want the lift used by the workmen to carry all the cement and stuff upstairs while they are working on other apartments.

There’s lots of tok toks around here, of course Valentine’s Day has just passed so many are decorated all over the windscreen with fluffy red hearts, dolls, mirrors, all sorts of cuties with glitter and fur and also stickers – some of them have so much on the windscreen that I am unsure how they see where to go. I’d love to get some photos but they are so busy buzzing around that it’s not possible here, maybe some day when I am in Giza. Our doorman owns a tok tok, sometimes it’s parked at the house but it’s not so elaborate. Sometimes he seems to drive it and sometimes he must employ a driver. I’ve just seen a tok tok go past that Lonni would love – every available inch inside covered in teddy bears! And there goes another that I swear is being driven by a 12-year old, maximum! You are supposed to be 18 to get a license…There’s no mandatory schooling age for children as far as I can ascertain, on the estate I certainly see many very young boys working alongside the men, bending metal, using hammers and fetching and carrying. It seems they have already begun their life’s work.

Egyptians have a love of ornate and profuse decoration, the more gold and glitter, flowers, curlicues and arabesques, hearts, Arabic script etc. the better it seems. They love rich colours and rich fabrics. Everywhere – houses, cars, shops, clothing. Sometimes it takes some getting used to.

Some things I see as I sit here that you won’t see in Australia – at least I don’t think so:
- an old red Lada has just reversed across the intersection in front of me being narrowly avoided by trucks, cars, motorbikes, tok toks etc.
- a man cycles nonchalantly across the same intersection whilst deep in conversation on his mobile
- two cars come down the wrong way of a one way street, madly honking to everyone else to get out of the way
- a donkey cart laden with oranges ambles across the intersection; also, this is perhaps the first donkey I’ve seen that’s not being continually whacked with a stick…

The traffic still amazes and confuses me. During the week I took the car and drove around the estate for an hour or so, I need to get used to sitting on the other side – at the moment I still look in all the wrong directions etc. and personally I think I’m dangerous. Anyway Mohammed called and asked me to come back as we had to get some plaster pieces for the ceiling. So I came back and he got me to drive and suddenly we were headed for the main road. I couldn’t believe how nervous I was, my heart was actually pounding and I REALLY didn’t want to do it. I did manage to get us the kilometer or so safely to the other gate and inside, making two u-turns in the process without too much drama. But I didn’t drive back. I’ve never felt like this about driving anywhere before. I’m just afraid, I guess, of having an accident, we certainly see plenty and a number of them fatal – it’s hard to convey just how chaotic it is – you must expect EVERYONE to do the unexpected – change lanes without warning, come at you the wrong way up a one way street, blow their horns at you for EVERYTHING, suddenly speed up, suddenly stop, leave a roundabout from the inside lane, go all the way around in the outside lane, use the white line between lanes simply as something to aim the middle of the car at, go through red traffic lights (we actually saw a red light last night that people stopped at, first time for me, usually they are working and there’s police on the intersections so you ignore the lights and obey the police), or you may suddenly come across a donkey cart in the fast lane that everyone must swerve around. There’s no way I can figure out who is supposed to give way to whom or anything else. Mohammad says can’t I see, you just go. And you do. I’m just having trouble leaving behind all those years of road rules being so important. I suspect that what will happen is that I won’t be able to forget enough so I’ll always be a terrible driver in Egypt and when I go home to Australia I will have forgotten enough so that I’m a terrible driver in Australia as well!!!

I don’t think I have much more news for now – lots of things happen every day but they are small things and sometimes in Egypt even small things are fascinating, but at the moment lots of it is the same old same old.

Hope you enjoy the pictures,

Lots of love to all

Lyndall

Ethiopia the almost indescribable, but completely captivating

Here I am out of Ethiopia, through Dubai and have just finished my first day in Egypt which has been amazing, but more on that later. As you may or may not know I couldn't access the blog from Ethiopia, maybe because communications are difficult or there may be some other reason, most of the time I only had dial-up connection.

Let me catch you up on Ethiopia. Here's some highlights from the first week.

The view from gate- the blue tin is the corner store

How can I describe Ethiopia – in some ways it’s indescribable. It’s certainly a developing country – some large buildings are popping up in the city, one of which is a relatively new Sheraton hotel. It’s one of only 10 places in town where I can access an ATM and then only on my credit card – not my bank account. To get in we had to go through a guarded gate, and my ferangi face allowed us to go through fairly quickly. It also allowed us to get into the post office with limited body frisking – that is, they patted down Konjit but not me, but I had to give my camera to a policeman to be collected when I came out. When I had to go back to the airport to collect my previously missing bag I had to show my passport to the federal police to be allowed in and Ermi had to show his identity card and even then we had trouble getting him in. There are police and guards everywhere. When we were at Kaldi’s coffee shop and I wanted to go to the loo, in a different part of the building, I was allowed through but not Koni. They tell me that to them, after the restrictions of the previous government, this is freedom.

So my ferangi face is a source of curiosity (I don’t see too many others althaough there are so many aid agencies here there are plenty of foreigners in town) and is a sort of passport for us to be allowed to do some things. However, when we went shopping at the Mercato (the biggest market in town in the poorest area) then of course it was a liability. Ermi bargained and paid for another jacket for me and a long-sleeved light jumper. It was quite cold when I first arrived and my one warm jacket was quickly filthy. I had to buy my clothes at a men’s shop – no Ethiopian woman is my size – they are a slender race, I reckon the average size here is 8-10. It had to seem as if he was legitimately buying so Koni and I wandered off. The cost for the two was around 220 birr. There are 9 birr to the US$.

We head into the Mercato

The Mercato was incredible as are many of the streets in Addis. Donkeys, herd of goats (or maybe a man carrying a goat over his shoulder), beggars, unbelievable mud when it rains, the deepest pot holes I’ve ever seen, homeless kids everywhere, people selling ANYTHING that they can to earn some money to eat. Traffic is basically keep to the right and obey the signals or police at bigger intersections, otherwise it’s pretty much do whatever you want and keep blowing your horn. Pedestrians all over the roads, there’s lots of walking done here which is maybe what helps keep them slim, and Lada taxis in the most decrepit condition but still lovingly polished and sometimes decorated. We’ve been in one twice (we’ve hired a car otherwise - $US15 per day, I figure that’s a bargain) – once my seat wasn’t attached to the floor and the seatbelt didn’t work and the other time my door didn’t work nor my seatbelt (we came within a mm of an accident on that drive - that one even made Konjit gasp). There are Toyota High Ace vans and utes with a built in back that pack people in for small amounts of money. I’ve noticed that the Hiaces often leave the door open with a man standing leaning out and touting for additional passengers. Not a job for the faint-hearted.

At least this one's playing it a little safe

And there’s smoke and noise – the music is something like Indian music and they play it loud! But at night it’s as quiet as you could imagine being in the country in Australia.

The 12 girls here, and Yodit and Konjit (Yodi and Koni) treat me like royalty. The girls actually argue to be allowed to fetch things for me and do my washing, and I have to be careful how I dole things out to prevent jealousy. They are incredibly loving and I am constantly hugged and kissed and told how much they love me. The 16 boys in the Love Centre are every bit as loving, although a couple of them are a bit shy. Some of them have totally captured my heart and I’d love to take them home.

What traffic? On the way to Ermi's house. Later in my stay a lot of this road went under construction - absolute chaos!

Found some traffic...

Everything you want to do takes a long time – for example the bookshop, and almost every other shop still handwrites an invoice for you – the roads are so rough and the traffic so heavy that it takes ages to get anywhere. I feel a bit of a burden whenever I want anything as it puts everyone “out” to do things (not that they feel this way), like the mobile phone. You can only buy a 100 birr card (maximum) and that doesn’t even cover the cost of a call to the kids. And then I have to get someone else to load the phone for me as it’s all in Amharic of course. I wish it just worked like it was supposed to!

Anyway - more on my first week a little later

Love to all

Lyndall

The Great Rift Valley

On Saturday night Alfred and I arranged that the next day I'd have a day with Steve (the guide who collected me from the airport) in the Rift Valley, visiting Lake Nakuru and the flamingos. Steve duly collected me on Sunday morning and we set out on our drive of around 160 kms to the northwest of Nairobi, past Lake Naivasha and the other one (the name of which I told Steve I'd never remember) and on to Lake Nakuru.


I have to say that the drive itself is definitely an experience. For those of you who have visited China, just imagine that China with even more chaos and worse roads and less patience! Except for Steve of course, who kept me perfectly safe and seemed to keep his head when all around us everyone was losing theirs... A massive amount of roadworks (a major initiative of the government) - and I mean miles and miles and miles at a stretch - and everything all two way with heaps of trucks, buses and crazy matatus (vans that carry around 12 passengers and are a cross between a taxi and a bus, well known for their crazy and reckless driving) all made it something very different to sit back and enjoy...



Matatus pass a truck on both sides in the thick dust - and yes, the road is two-way! At least the roadworks keep the speed down.


You are out of Nairobi very quickly - Steve tells me that if from the centre you drive in any direction for around 20-25 minutes you will be out of the city - a very concentrated city of an estimated 4 million. The trip down the escarpment gives you a brilliant view of the valley itself and we made a stop part-way down at a viewpoint for me to take some photos. The areas for snapping the view are all filled with small shops and businesses and the walkways built to stand on might not quite meet our idea of building regulations.



The viewing platform...


But the people are friendly and informative and all trying to survive however they can (there's no welfare in Kenya) - it all adds to the experience.



This is Patrick who was selling fruit at the view stop and who told me lots about the area and insisted that we have our photo taken together.


After a long and winding road we arrived at the spectacular Lake Nakuru and its surrounding national park. The sight of the flamingos is just awesome - maybe a million, who could possibly count? And pelicans - the large white pelican, very lovely - gulls, Egyptian geese, cormorants, all sorts of water birds. As you drive down to the lake edge you might pass zebras, buffalo, monkeys - lots of game, quite a bit of which has been introduced but is very much at home here.



The flamingos with buffalo in the background... and without buffalo...



Splish splash I was taking a bath....


After I had my fill of the flamingo experience (the sound and the sight are really very spectacular and it was hard to tear myself away) we went on a game drive and I saw some new species including some white rhino. Then came an exciting radio call to say that a LEOPARD had been spotted so we raced across a fair distance and joined all those who had heard the word. By the time we arrived the TWO leopards had come down from the tree and were in the grass but it was still an amazing thrill to see them and they are truly magnificent. Steve tells me I am a very lucky lady, it is rare to see one leopard and extremely rare to see a mating pair like this as they are not at all social.




A very tasty late lunch at the Sarova lodge in the park and then a sighting of a rare (and endangered) Rothschild's giraffe and we were back over the roadworks and headed for Lake Naivasha on the road home. We were able to take a boat trip there and we spent about an hour out on the water with birds and hippos and watching the animals on the island in the lake (the place where the movie Out of Africa was filmed). Steve only told me after we got back on land that he's "water phobic" so he was very brave to come at my invitation.






I guess that when I asked Steve to come with me on the boat trip and he said "that would be lovely" it was something in the way of the guide being very polite to the client....



The African buffalo and the white rhino...



After the boat trip we headed back up the escarpment and home. It was a wonderful day and only helped by my guide - Steve is one of the most interesting and knowledgeable people I've met anywhere and is excellent company. His company, Kenya Wildlife Tours, are lucky to have him and I'd happily recommend him to anyone who is thinking of visiting Kenya as a guide.

Better go, it's getting late and I've another big day tomorrow



lotsa love to all



Lyndall



PS - I spent Monday getting photographs copied and sorted and bought myself another laptop - the prices are good here and I couldn't get any other sort of storage device so I bit the bullet. I had another wonderful young Kenyan man help me out - thanks Kiprono - and also thanks to Dennis who loaded the software. It's easy to make friends in Africa. I'll tell you more about Tuesday's fascinating day (mostly spent with Steve again) later - tomorrow I head northeast out of the city about 165 km to visit my World Vision child Kathele and his community which will be another day to remember I'm sure.

PPS - I'm going to add two postings that I will update on a regular basis, one about the people that Lonni and I met, and that I meet and enjoy, and another about incidents and images that could only happen in Africa. I'll update them fairly regularly so keep and eye on them...

The big red bus goes round and round... Dubai Day 2

Here it is - the big red bus - and indeed it does go round and round. Your ticket is valid for 48 hours and you can get on and off whenever you like as the "red line" bus makes 12 stops around Deira and some of Dubai's many malls and souks (including the gold souk), and the "blue line" bus does a tour of Jamireh - the new Dubai that's home to "the Palm" and the Burj Al Arab - the world's most luxurious hotel.

We hopped on and off a few times today, including a stop at the Dubai Museum which is quite fascinating (and air-conditioned) and decided that we would go back to the gold souk tonight. Siesta time (when the souk closes) is 2.30 to 4.30 pm, but the shops then remain open until 10.00 pm. We figure it will take us at least that long to see even a tiny fraction of what's on offer. There must be thousands of shops, not hundreds, and each stuffed full of gorgeous golden items. We'll take a hotel car back this evening and maybe get them to collect us - the hour's wait at City Centre for a taxi yesterday almost did it for us with taxis. 18K gold is around 75 dirhams a gram (a shade over $20) and that's before you bargain! Guess the credit card is in for a little work tonight.

Driving round Dubai is a hot and congested experience (the bus guide says that the evening peak hour is from 2.00 - 10.00 pm, and the morning peak hour from 7.00 am to 2.00 pm), but not quite as hot as walking it. We got off at the stop nearest our hotel (Lonni says a klick away but I reckon a bit more than that) and I wouldn't recommend that anyone walk that in 43 degree heat in the middle of the day when they are as unfit as I am! I thought I would expire but Lonni told me she would be traumatised for life if she had to give me mouth-to-mouth so I struggled on until the hotel, but I tell you it was touch and go! Lon reckons it feels like 33 degrees, I reckon it feels like 53 degrees!!

Dubai is building a rail system for the city - 25.5 billion dirhams - which will be the longest continuous driverless system in the world. They are setting a few records in this fast-growing city, where rumour has it that the oil will run out in 2010 (according to the bus driver). Here's a few fast facts:

• just over 4000 sq km
  
  



• 1.4 million people





• 20% only are Emeratis, the rest are ex-pats from over 200 countries





• 75% of the population are men and 25% women





• the crime rate is less than 2% (it feels really safe although we do get male stares a bit) - all the dhows are unloaded onto the walway beside the road and there are no security guards or anything to stop anyone walking away with the goods - they can be left there for days, quite safe
  
  
  

We heard the muezzin call for the first time today - the midday call happened while we were at the museum. There are a lot of mosques as you might expect but not all are as obvious as you might think either. This one is a hidden mosque, set in a courtyard - a Shi'ih mosque beautifully decorated with blue tiles.

More later - after the Gold Souk...

And here she is - gold and diamond girl!

You can't possibly come to Dubai go to the gold souk and then NOT BUY GOLD, diamonds was my little optional extra. Don't fret Micheal I can explain...

The longer I stay and the more I see makes me realise everything in Dubai is like a competition with everything being the (insert adjective here eg. biggest longest fastest) in the world, which is ok except I'm in the wrong career I need to be an engineer or even a brickie! (I think there professions where its ok not to care and over here make bucket loads).

The gold souk was good, the spice souk was overwhelming with smells - not all of them good and some combinations were just plain gross - and the people, I've finally seen a good looking native -I can totally understand why there are only 25% women here!

Suffice to say experience experience experience not all good -mum threatening to die when I was simply having a pleasent stroll in the afternoon sunshine - but not all bad - all service with a smile.

Hope all is well in everyday Australia, missing everyone heaps, say hi to the dog for me xox

Time for bed folks - we've done lots of walking - the souk was BIG and so much to see - really too much for you ever to think you've had a good look at even a fraction of it. We made a few small purchases at bargain prices and had some interesting conversations with shopkeepers. Couldn't wait for a shower however, 8.30 pm and the perspiration is still poring when you're outside. Don't think I'll have time to upload the photos tonight - it's a slow process -but have added one of my favourites from the day.

TOMORROW - more on the buses and a desert safari experience....