In spite of the fact that the UAE is an Islamic country, you can find Christmas decor in many locations. With so many Expats living here, it really shouldn't be a surprise. But somehow (at least to me) it is a pleasant surprise everytime I run into Christmas decor. (Not literally run into, which is a good thing ...)
Saturday the 8th I was determined to finish my Christmas shopping. Ever since I arrived here, I knew that I wanted to find gifts from the UAE for our families. And since I'm on a plane to California on the 14th, this was my last weekend day to get that done.
But I also wanted mellow time as well.
So in the morning I headed down to the Corniche. Parked in a lot along the Corniche road, at 32nd street. (Friday and holiday parking is free, as Friday is a holy day here in the UAE; but even if you pay the meter as I did on Saturday, it is only 2 dirhams an hour ... that's just over 50 cents an hour. Cool.)
I had driven by the beaches, but had not gone on them yet. There are family beaches, where solo men are not allowed. (As a male, on the family beaches you have to be with your kids or with a woman, such as wife or sister or girlfriend, etc.) There are beaches that men can go to if they are solo.
I made my way across the Corniche roadway, and to one of the family beaches. It's 10 dirhams ($2.72 USD) to gain access to the beach. There is a ticket seller and security guard. The security guard business here is HUGE. If you want, you can use a lounge chair, large umbrella and small side table for 25 dirhams ($6.80 USD); you pay an employee after you pick out your chair, and he opens up the umbrella and situates the chair depending on if you want sun or shade. I opted for shade.
The beach has beautiful sand, and lies along a protected waterway. Swimming occurs within the buoys. Outside the buoys, a common site is water skiing and jet skiing. The water was a bit cooler than the last beach I visited (I'll refer you to the blog post where we took Grover to a beach). I enjoyed a blissful couple of hours, reading a book on my tablet. (I have a mix of serious and brain candy books going, as always. For today at the beach, opted for brain candy.)
I'll have to find another beach and water area where I can take photos; not allowed on this particular beach. (Photography is a bit more restrictive here; lots of government owned property, and, a sensitivity to privacy ... at least that is my understanding.)
Then I was ready for some Christmas gift shopping. I have been wanting to find gifts that are made here in the UAE. There are many stores that carry goods from India, Turkey, and some other countries, with lovely items for sale. But I really wanted something from here. I had done some research, and learned of the Khalifa Fund, which helps women earn an income through their hand crafted goods. I read that some of those goods were sold at the Central Souk ... so I went looking. I finally came upon this small canopy, akin to kiosks we find in malls, but smaller and more organic so to speak, and it was the place selling these hand crafted goods. The women receive the money for the sale of what they have made, and there are beautiful woven items, some with camel leather as part of the design. Success in my shopping ... finding some beautiful and unique items, and supporting this wonderful government initiative that empowers the women who make the items. The items even have tags that list the name of the person who made them, which is a lovely personal touch.
All in all, a nice way to spend the day.
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