The morning began a little later than normal, I'm suffering from earache and I was up quite a bit last night.
We decided to visit the Hindu Temple on the other side of the river. I had been told that it was Diwali Festival.
The temple caters to the large Hindu community in the UAE and is the only Hindu temple in the country.
Our hotel faces the Dubai Creek and we walked a short distance past Dhows being loaded by Indian workers.
The Dhows are often painted Turquoise and rust and there is evidence that the men spend most of their lives in the small building atop the decks.
We caught a water taxi to the other side of the river and of course sitting quietly on the ferry we were privy to a whole different way of life than the rush of cars and business in Dubai. Ferries shuttled back and forth like the gondolas of Venice.
As we pulled up to the pier.... we became aware that we would be unable to get to the temple because of the crowds... but it was interesting to just view the spectacle.
The Temple is down a very narrow lane, and in fact is up a flight of stairs in an ordinary building so we just decided to walk the lanes with the crowd and leave the temple to the devotees on their special day.
The Security guards pushed the crowds forward and people dashed into small shops that were linked to the lane....barely wider than 2 people.
Orange flowers, lights, garlands and the smell of incense blended with the sound of the crowd which eventually flowed on into the old part of Dubai and into the Textile Souks.
The narrow lanes were overflowing with fabrics of all kinds....
The shop attendants do everything to get you into the shop... once you are in... the bargaining begins...
I bought silk shawls because I wear them a lot... I hadn't seen silk ones like this before and they are just gorgeous.
The souks are fascinating and well worth a visit. The Museum nearby was full to overflowing with visitors so i didn't enjoy that quite as much.
We decided to dine by the river and it was absolutely delightful. Coconut fish soup, lemon and mint drink and my favourite Turkish coffee...
It was relaxing and refreshing with the sea breeze.
I added another hat to my collection an Antique embroidered Afghani hat... and I will treasure it as a wonderful memory of the day.
I loved the buttons she added to this piece, the embroidery and the beading is amazing.
Now thats not all for the day, we're off to dinner on a Dhow.... NO, I didn't want to see belly dancing, just feed me and let me look at the scenery.
A day of Textile heaven and I know we only gathered a small amount around us today.
More tomorrow.
We decided to visit the Hindu Temple on the other side of the river. I had been told that it was Diwali Festival.
The temple caters to the large Hindu community in the UAE and is the only Hindu temple in the country.
Our hotel faces the Dubai Creek and we walked a short distance past Dhows being loaded by Indian workers.
The Dhows are often painted Turquoise and rust and there is evidence that the men spend most of their lives in the small building atop the decks.
We caught a water taxi to the other side of the river and of course sitting quietly on the ferry we were privy to a whole different way of life than the rush of cars and business in Dubai. Ferries shuttled back and forth like the gondolas of Venice.
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| Offerings |
As we pulled up to the pier.... we became aware that we would be unable to get to the temple because of the crowds... but it was interesting to just view the spectacle.
 |
| There were 100's of pairs of shoes on the pavement. |
The Temple is down a very narrow lane, and in fact is up a flight of stairs in an ordinary building so we just decided to walk the lanes with the crowd and leave the temple to the devotees on their special day.
The Security guards pushed the crowds forward and people dashed into small shops that were linked to the lane....barely wider than 2 people.
The narrow lanes were overflowing with fabrics of all kinds....
The shop attendants do everything to get you into the shop... once you are in... the bargaining begins...
I bought silk shawls because I wear them a lot... I hadn't seen silk ones like this before and they are just gorgeous.
The souks are fascinating and well worth a visit. The Museum nearby was full to overflowing with visitors so i didn't enjoy that quite as much.
We decided to dine by the river and it was absolutely delightful. Coconut fish soup, lemon and mint drink and my favourite Turkish coffee...
It was relaxing and refreshing with the sea breeze.
I added another hat to my collection an Antique embroidered Afghani hat... and I will treasure it as a wonderful memory of the day.
I loved the buttons she added to this piece, the embroidery and the beading is amazing.
Now thats not all for the day, we're off to dinner on a Dhow.... NO, I didn't want to see belly dancing, just feed me and let me look at the scenery.
A day of Textile heaven and I know we only gathered a small amount around us today.
More tomorrow.
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