Day Two - Double Decker Bus Tour

Today we took a double decker bus tour around the entire city. It was great because not only was it air conditioned there were over 30 stops that where you could get off the bus and tour around. The buses run every 30 minutes so you only had to wait a few minutes in the sweltering heat for the next bus to come around. Did I mention it's hot here? About 101 today.

We got off at the Wafi mall because I was starving. That was a disappointment, just a standard mall that you'd see anywhere. But next we stopped at the Dubai Old Souk which is a traditional market.

My friends would have been very disappointed, because all I bought was a magnet with a camel on it. They had a ton of fabric, and tunics and shoes like these, nothing that screamed out at me to spend money. But it was cool to see a more tradional market.

The bus tour had headsets with a tour guide that told us all about the history of the region and facts about what we were seeing along the way. I know it sounds super cheesy and touristy, but this city is so spread out, it would be impossible to have seen so much or learned as much on our own. This is most definitely not a walkable city. The amount of construction is insane. Every block is building or tearing something down.

We passed by the Dubai Creek and I was suprised to learn that in this modern city they still pack goods onto these traditional boats and ship them to surrounding countries.

Our second to last stop was the Palm, which is a manmade set of islands shapped to look like a palm tree. Measuring 5 kilometers across it's a pretty amazing sight. Can't wait to see the aerial view from the Burj Dubai tomorrow! Best get off to bed, play time is over, tomorrow is a work day.