Awoke at a respectable hour and after showers we ventured into the unknown for breakfast. Arriving late last evening, tired, we wondered if we had made a mistake booking here at “Oasis Court Hotel Apartments”, after a prolonged booking in procedure, a long walk along a busy corridor and eventually into our very spacious 2 bedroom apartment that looked very tired and no free Wi Fi, hmmmm!!!!! Anyway I went to reception and we eventually got free Wi Fi, so things were looking up.
Breakfast surprised us as our expectations were quite low, very nice, glad we had included Breakfast with our booking.
Part of the Courtyard
After breakfast we had a chat with the chap at the tourist desk about what we wanted to do. We then walked to check out the nearest Metro Station for later, visited a Pharmacy and super market, back to the tourist desk where we booked a Safari into the desert and would have booked the Big Bus”, but their credit card machine wasn’t working!!! Then back to the room for coffee and then we split up. I went off to the Dubai Museum and Christine off for a
The Museum Entrance
swim and sunbathe. 15 minutes from the hotel I arrived at the Museum which is housed in an old Castle, the oldest building in Dubai. I knew where it was as I stayed in the hotel opposite it when I went to the Dubai Sevens.
The history of this area can be traced back to 5000 BC though the the fort was built in the 1700s to protect those living each side of
Building a Dhow
the creek. At that time their main source of income was from
Outside the Museum
Pearl Diving, today it is oil , though the Tourist industry is very important! This museum traces their history in a very user friendly way with wax models and tabloid scenes, I think Christine will enjoy it, maybe tomorrow, on our “Big Bus Tour” we can jump off and do a quick tour!!!!!
Transport as it was before Oil!!!
One of the interesting things, before Air Conditioning, was that
A Typical Turn of the Century Home with “AC” Tower
each home had an open tower at the top of their houses and inside this tower there were cloth baffels so that whichever way the wind blew, they could always have a draught to keep the inside of the
From Below, Their Air Conditioning System
dwelling cool during the long hot summers.
Whilst I was away, Christine stared her training routine up; she
Part of the Courtyard
did 10 lengths of the pool, well done.
Returning back to the hotel we enjoyed a cuppa with a Mince Pie before heading out to the “Irish Village” where I had been told it was a lively place to go; we hope so as we need something to liven us up, Abu Dhabi is not a place to live it up unless you have plenty of money.
Tableau of a Beduin Camp
Entrance to Irish Village
A taxi ride to the Irish Village, all of £3, this is the cheapest thing we have found!!! We decided to eat in the Irish Pub, there’s a surprise, and in my case enjoy a pint or two of Guinness. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and after sorting out the bill had a walk about, looking at the various restaurants, enjoying the ambiance and water features. We then returned to the Irish Pub
The Pub in Dubai!!
to enjoy a further pint or two and listen to the music, very relaxing and nice to be out and about and to be somewhere we can do that!!! Eventually we got another Taxi back to the Oasis where we made our way to bed, after-all we have to be up tomorrow to catch the Big Bus
An Unexpected Find in an Muslem Country
This Irish village reminds me of the Dubai Sevens Stadium, it was self contained, guarded, not to check people in but more to ensure no one took alcohol out, it was an oasis.
Inside the Irish Village
Inside the Irish Village