Do buy or die...The Souks/The Creek

Took a trip to the Deira District where the 'Creek' or the water front area of Dubai lies. Here the gold and spice souks or business outlets are carried out with all kinds of spices from all over the world. This is said to Dubai's original market scene in the older days and the old wooden boats that were used back in time are still parked along the quay loaded with their cargoes from the bigger ships that are anchored at the harbour not too far from where they are.

Naz, Eli and her friend from Scotland and myself took a ride on one of the smaller ferry boats along the creek which gave us a great view of the cityline and its tall structures. It was and incredible sight to behold of the buildings along the creek as they were all almost new and their designs well thought out instead of the regular triangular shapeless structures of most buildings found in the cities all over the world.

Evertyhting offcourse was overly expensive and i felt sorry for my son who had to bear the cost of the whole trip including a lunch at a not too cheap restaurtant on the water front. However I know that he is out to give his dad the best after fifteen years of not seeing him and if I were in his shoes I would do no less, like father like son when it comes to spending it seems we know no bounds so long as everyone was happy and satisfied. My son throws a BBQ party once every week at his apartment, inviting his fellow Emerates Pilots and crew members to get together and and again het foots the bill like there is no end to it. I only hope that his charitable heart does not go unreciprocated and that he will always have close and caring friends for in his times of need.

THE SOUQ
Deira's souq, the town's public market, was lined with narrow, covered passageways. With 350 shops of commodities from around the world, it was the largest market in the region.
‘Many of the craftsman in the suq had no shop, but worked on a vacant piece of ground as close as possible to their clients. They were known by name, and the cry would go round the suq, "Where is Hassan the mattress-maker?" until it reached him and he was able to make contact with the potential client. A mattress-maker's creation was vulnerable to visits from passers-by, who might stop to pray on it or simply to rest and chat.’1

It is sad to notice that most of these stalls are owned or run by Indians and Pakistanis and rarely do you find any Emerati or real Arab to deal with. Most of these guys are not any different than the ones I find back in Malaysia, they have an attitude problem when it comes to dealing with those who look like them and would salivate over any European or Caucasian women. But them are the breaks when a country has to depend on foreign workers to get its job done. It is like the story of the camel and its master on a cold night in the desert. First the master allowed the camel to lay its head in the tent then its neck and then slowly but surely its body and out came the master being kicked out of his own tent. It is happening in Malaysia and no doubt here too. As it is most taxis are driven by Pakistanis or Indians here and over time there is no way that this is ever going to change and so the locals as well as those who come as visitors will have to bear the demands that they will make in the future.