Visiting The United Arab Emirates: Old Dubai

"Sometimes one day in a different place gives you more than ten years of life at home."

~Anatole France

After a good night’s sleep in our luxurious hotel in Dubai, we had one full free day before we began our back-to-back business visits. We fought through jet leg by taking a tour of the city of Dubai, seeing both the old and new.

Dubai was well known as a fishing and pearl-diving community until the late 1920s when the invention of artificial pearls and the Great Depression led to the collapse of the international pearl market. They focused on alternative sources of money by leveraging their port to re-export goods from Indian and Iranian traders. 

We visited the Dubai Museum, which showcased what life was like during the fishing and pearl-diving era. Fishermen and divers left home early in the morning, came back at noon, and then went out again after afternoon prayers. A replica of one of the pearl-diving boats has a prominent place just outside the museum, which is housed in the original Al Fahidi Fort built in 1787, the oldest existing building in Dubai.

Continuing on our tour of Old Dubai, we crossed over “The Creek” in traditional boats to the Gold Souk.

From the dock, we walked over to the Gold Souk, (souk or suq means market in Arabic). What we found was an array of gold merchants for which the souk was named. Interestingly, the Emirati government has taken great care in maintaining standardization of the price of gold and requires vendors to adhere to these regulations so the market remains viable. The price of gold that day is always posted and all vendors stick to it.

Also at the souk were spice merchants, home décor and textile merchants, and all other goods, smells, and chaos you might imagine in a crowded market. Only a few shops (mostly the gold shops) were air conditioned and big enough to walk around without sharing personal space with an eager salesperson. But mostly, I just walked around taking in all the sights and smells that you might expect to find in a traditional Middle Eastern market.

Walking through the Gold Souk felt a little like walking through an obstacle course or the gauntlet. Merchants were constantly trying to get you to stop in their store. I walked out of there with nothing because 1) I didn't see anything immediately that I wanted and 2) I was so turned off by the constant in-your-face salesmanship that I didn't stick around long enough to see if I DID want anything they had to offer. Even so, I loved the experience.

Capstone: UAE and India

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad."

~Jane Austen

After spending ten days in The United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and India (Mumbai) with 65 of my closest friends (truly), I'm excited to share some highlights with you. 

From the Burj Khalifa in Dubai to the Gateway of India in Mumbai, with my birthday in between, this was the capstone course for my Executive MBA program at The University of Utah, which I have been doing for the last two years (one of the reasons very little was posted on this blog in the last two years). We visited and toured many businesses in both countries and got to see a few of the sites too. So get ready for some pictures.

Jordan and Israel: Day One of a new adventure

"The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move,

to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the circumstances of

your life, to be a stranger, to make a friend, to experience an exotic landscape,

to risk the unknown."

~Paul Theroux

Sunrise on the Saturday morning of my departure in Salt Lake City

Several months ago, I received an email from my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Mike asking if I would be interested and able to join them and Mike's sister, Pat, on a trip to Jordan and Israel. Jordan and Israel?! I'll admit that while neither of these countries was on my radar recently for potential international trips, I was immediately intrigued. Wanderlust started immediately brewing inside me.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Nancy

How could I pass up this opportunity? The unrest in the Middle East seems to be growing and frankly, maybe someday we won't be able to go. So, after checking my work schedule and vacation bank, my bank account, and the fall weather in the Middle East (I just don't do touring trips like this if it's really hot... no, thank you), and a little hemming and hawing, I finally responded YES!

Uncle Mike with his sister, Pat

In the months leading up to my departure, when I would tell people where I was going on vacation, about 70% of the time they would ask me if it was safe or why would I want to go there right now. My canned response was something like, "Yes, it's safe. I wouldn't be going if it weren't, and who wouldn't want to go there?" Visiting Jordan and Israel at this time makes a point: there are good people everywhere, don't avoid an entire region based simply on what's happening in a few countries.

However, in the couple weeks prior to the trip, the news coming out of Jerusalem was filled with stories of increased violence and tension. Every morning when I'd wake up and take a look at my news updates on my phone, inevitably a news story about the increased unrest in Jerusalem topped the list. Scary? Sure. But honestly, I knew I would be safe. Even the U.S. State Department website reassured me that I would be fine, despite its warnings (emphasis added, by me):

The security environment remains complex in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, and U.S. citizens need to be aware of the continuing risks of travel to these areas, particularly to areas described in this Travel Warning where there are heightened tensions and security risks. The security situation can change day to day, depending on the political situation, recent events, and geographic area. A rise in political tensions and violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank has resulted in injuries to and deaths of U.S. citizens. In view of the ongoing security situation, the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority make considerable efforts to police major tourist attractions and ensure security in areas where foreigners frequently travel. Although threat mitigation efforts by authorities are not 100 percent effective, hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens safely visit Israel and the West Bank each year for study, tourism, and business. 

And so, off I went. SLC>CDG>AMM

All set

The Paris flight was a red-eye, which was nice so that I could sleep. Delta Economy Comfort was really worth every extra penny on the long haul from Salt Lake City to Paris. After watching "Inside Out" and having my dinner meal, with the help of KDJ's BOSE noise-cancelling headphones, my trusty neck pillow, my homey blue scarf, my travel blanket, my fabulous eye mask (really, if you travel a lot, you have to get one), and a little Advil PM (doctor-approved), I got a very decent night of sleep before arriving in Paris.

And of course, arriving in Paris happened on Sunday. So read on to Day Two...

Sidenote:
Since getting a FitBit, I've had a good time tracking my daily steps, distance, and flights of stairs, and challenging myself to do a little more. So for my right-brained reference, I'll be including those stats at the end of every post.

Saturday, October 24th, day one:
Steps: 4,539
Miles: 2.07
Stairs: 3 floors

On to Riquewihr, France.

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away."

~Eudora Welty

From Colmar, we drove north to Riquewihr, where we found yet another charming old town. Vineyards seemed to surround the city, blanketing the countryside. They were rather mesmerizing to me.

Riquewihr was largely untouched during World War II and is surrounded by medieval fortifications. Although the city looks, more or less, the same as it did in the 16th century I was told, we did see several things that probably would not have made an appearance back then.

Confetti lined the cobblestone sidewalks hinting at the joyful celebration which must have welcomed in the new year just two days before.

Just inside on the main street, we found a sad sight. We learned that the lights on a Christmas tree (or maybe candles in the house burning until late in the night, I can't remember) ignited one of the historic homes on fire and the older woman who lived there was not able to escape. She had died before the fire, which consumed 90% of her home and spilled into the adjacent home, was finally extinguished. A tragic loss of life, as well as a piece of history.

The demolished house stood between the bright blue one and the yellowish one to its left. You can see how the roof of the blue one was damaged.

Despite the tragedy and the solemn mood we felt in town, we were still able to see the quaintness of the community, which entices visitors all throughout the year.

And of course we couldn't leave without macaroons. Yum. Orange flavored, regular almond, and chocolate. And yes, the picture below tells the tale of our impatience... we each had one before we even got back into the car! They were SO good.

On our way home to Germany from Riquewihr while still in France, we stopped at a chocolate shop, Chocolaterie du Vignoble - Daniel STOFFEL.

Photo found here.

Photo found here.

Seriously, so much chocolate. Not that I'm complaining...

The overcast day was really beautiful to me because the clouds still had shape and the views were just spectacular.

Fred and Linda surprised us with a different (than their normal) route home, which included a ferry ride across the Rhine. Yes, we were driving. That meant that we drove our car onto the ferry, which only held three cars at a time and floated across the Rhine as the final snippets of daylight could be seen.

What a beautiful day and a beautiful night sky to end our day.

Tomorrow, is Rothenburg. Beautiful, quaint Rothenburg.
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