Day 2 of Dubai started with a much bigger effort at the breakfast buffets before once again walking to the metro to find the old market (souk) & take a ride on an Abra. It was about 11 when we got to the old town & it was once again hot! We didn't have much in the way of a good map but we found what was a very basic lane way of undercover souvenir stalls which was the disappointing souk. A quick walk through, with obligatory hassling from vendors & we found the Abra (traditional river crossing boats) station & jumped on. The sides are just open with a row of seats down the middle & thankfully a cover overhead. It chugged across the Dubai Creek (not really a creek as cargo ships were parked along the sides) & we alighted on the other side in search of the spice & gold souks. The sign posting was once again non existent so we weaved through the streets & lanes until we stumbled on the herb market. We were feeling red faced & sweaty at this point so after a quick look & no sign of the gold souk we headed for the closest metro to whisk us in air conditioned comfort back to the hotel. The old part of town really didn't have the same charm as Marrakech or Istanbul so a relax at the hotel & a dip in the pool after our complimentary cocktails & a club sandwich was ideal before our afternoon adventures. At about 3.30 we were picked up in a 4 wheel drive to go careering over some sand dunes about an hour out of Dubai. Sean & I were in the extra seats right at the back which weren't overly comfortable. We stopped at a small shop in the middle of nowhere with souvenirs & drinks where the drivers obviously get a kick back and ran into a family from Warrnambool who were heading to Europe as well- it really is such a small world! Back in the 4 x 4 we were soon lined up with about 10 others cars from the same company ready to tackle the dunes. The drivers really took no mercy & our convoy of cars sped up huge mounds of sand & then bounced down the other side of the steep dunes. The sand stretched as far as the eye could see in golden waves interlaced with small shrubs & the occasional camel. The next part of the tour was to head to a desert oasis compound which turned out to be very touristy. We were simply dropped at the gates along with the tourists from the other 4 x 4's & told we could sit anywhere with no explanation of activities etc. There were low tables with cushions set around a central stage but as it was still hot we settled on a table off to the side with some shade. We had quite a while to kill here, too long in fact, and generally just people watched as others rode camels, tried on burkas & smoked sheesha pipes. They had a small kebab stand which served basic Chicken Shawarmas as a kind of appetiser & as the sun set they had a spinning dancer to entertain the crowds who had a 'skirt' which lit up as he spun around and around. Finally it was time for the BBQ dinner which had an array of middle eastern salads (tabouli, chickpeas, hummus etc) as well as barbequed meats. It was a pretty good meal, pretty much what you would expect from a buffet which served maybe 100 tourists. Over dinner they had a belly dancer perform & the moment she finished it was all over & we were immediately directed out to the cars for the return to Dubai, stopping only to help another 4 wheel drive with a flat tire. We arrived back to the hotel about 10pm happy to get out of the uncomfy car, especially after sitting on cushions on the ground at dinner. We have an early start in the morning so we were soon tucked up after another hot & busy day exploring Dubai & the desert.