We attended our second organised visit which started with the fort, the oldest building on Dubai which has now been converted into a museum of the history of Dubai. It all started in the 1960's when oil was discovered, prior to this the tiny population were desperately poor living in shacks with no electricity or running water. The massive building projects took off in the 80's and 90's using the oil revenue, they invested in infrastructure and commerce as they r...

This is a picture of Cathy in the souk. We had managed to resist buying dozens of pashminas!

We rose early on our last day with plans of taking a water taxi along the creek but were out of luck with the taxi timetable, so we took a walk alongside the creek instead which proved a great choice. We ended up in a souk where bartering was the order of the day. Michael bought a T- shirt and being unoriginal I bought an identical one (smaller size) for Alex, just hope it is to his liking. If we return I am going to get a dress made here the materials are just s...

Still in the Dubai shopping mall we thought we should take this photo of Boots for Alex. We did not manage to buy anything in the mall, it was just too overwhelming, too many designer shops and designer prices. However we were amazingly impressed. We were told the mall is a popular place for people to go when the temperature outside is too unbearable during the summer months. It therefore appears that shopping is a huge pre-occupation of Dubai residents.

Still in the Dubai shopping mall with every kind of opulence. We got lost in the labyrinth of gold shops but several were closed or empty, due we assume to the credit crunch! A little local colour with a model camel.