Walking around in Dubai had its drawbacks. It was always hot and as some of the areas I wandered into were filled almost entirely with males, being a lone female foreigner, I was (perhaps unduly) ill at ease.
I did not however face any difficulty with people or with getting about anywhere.
My first foray was to the Al Fahidi historical area. For this I took an Uber. Not only did it take a long time to pick me up, the driver had never heard of the Coffee Museum I was looking for. To be fair to the chap, I do tend to look for obscure things because no one else I knew in Dubai knew that a coffee museum existed!
After paying a silly amount to go to a place that was closed by the time I got there, I decided to walk in future.
I have a dear dear friend whom I tease often for his dependence on Google Maps while in our hometown but when abroad, I recommend it highly. I saved money by finding my way back on my own and I was able to visit other places en route.
However, trekking about in the blazing sun for long distances is a recipe for disaster. For such journeys I relied on the Metro or Uber. There are buses and taxis as well.
People at places I dined at or made purchases from were friendly and spoke enough English to get by. I was inordinately pleased to be greeted with a subha udasanak ('Good morning' in Sinhala, my mother tongue) at the Arabic Tea House Cafe on my second visit by the waiter who had asked me where I was from on my first visit. The fact that my visits had been two days apart made his effort impressive.
On the streets though, people are not friendly. Being stared at and studied doesn't bother me but it is noticeable.
There are places to eat everywhere. There were fast food outlets like KFC and dozens of Indian food outlets and Lebanese and Pakistani ones. I enjoyed trying a few things though they tasted familiar as similar food is readily available in Sri Lanka.
I did love that insane amounts of hummus are dished out with practically everything you buy along with a garlicky dip that I quite fancied as well.
I did not however face any difficulty with people or with getting about anywhere.
My first foray was to the Al Fahidi historical area. For this I took an Uber. Not only did it take a long time to pick me up, the driver had never heard of the Coffee Museum I was looking for. To be fair to the chap, I do tend to look for obscure things because no one else I knew in Dubai knew that a coffee museum existed!
After paying a silly amount to go to a place that was closed by the time I got there, I decided to walk in future.
I have a dear dear friend whom I tease often for his dependence on Google Maps while in our hometown but when abroad, I recommend it highly. I saved money by finding my way back on my own and I was able to visit other places en route.
However, trekking about in the blazing sun for long distances is a recipe for disaster. For such journeys I relied on the Metro or Uber. There are buses and taxis as well.
People at places I dined at or made purchases from were friendly and spoke enough English to get by. I was inordinately pleased to be greeted with a subha udasanak ('Good morning' in Sinhala, my mother tongue) at the Arabic Tea House Cafe on my second visit by the waiter who had asked me where I was from on my first visit. The fact that my visits had been two days apart made his effort impressive.
On the streets though, people are not friendly. Being stared at and studied doesn't bother me but it is noticeable.
There are places to eat everywhere. There were fast food outlets like KFC and dozens of Indian food outlets and Lebanese and Pakistani ones. I enjoyed trying a few things though they tasted familiar as similar food is readily available in Sri Lanka.
I did love that insane amounts of hummus are dished out with practically everything you buy along with a garlicky dip that I quite fancied as well.
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