Tag: rubbish

Transport in and round Dubai.

DSC06357rMetro station entrance – note the lack of graffiti, litter and rubbish, nor did we see anyone constantly cleaning so the locals must have been well educated with regard to litter etc.

DSC06358rMetro platform, well designed and marked out to let passengers off the train before new passengers enter the coach.

DSC06359rTrain about to leave

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Believe me, this is an air-conditioned bus stop. One is hardly uncomfortable in the heat at 41 c , while moving from cold shopping centres to cool metro station, and comfortable trains, even when crowded.

DSC06361rThe old way to transport people and goods.

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Local river boat, the fee to cross the creek is about $0.30 so the boat leaves when it is full.

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Floating restaurant getting in position for the evening trade

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When I first visited Dubai in the early 60’s the creek was quite wide.
The dhows ran aground on the creek bank or tied alongside small wooden piers.
Over the years the creek bank has been pushed closer to each bank to create a river rather than a creek.
I just wonder what would happen with heavy rain up river, would the Creek over flow its banks as did the River Seven after that river banks were ‘squashed’ closer to each other.

DSC06380rAnother ‘water taxi’ which we hired for an hour to check out the views of Dubai from the river. The cost was about AUD $24 per person and we had the boat to ourselves.

DSC06381rTaxi area that reminded me of Venice.

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Many more restaurants boats from dhow shapes to Chinese junk shapes.

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Not sure if this is a private or public boat.

We passed the home of the Sultan, which was hidden behind a high wall and protected by signs that photographing any part of the wall was forbidden. The area of the home was very large and took up a great length of the ‘river’ front. Obviously I didn’t take any pictures because I’d heard of 28 days lock up for small offences, before one can see a solicitor.
I wasn’t sure that the people on the roof that I could see, on some of the buildings, were guards or just staff relaxing – I wasn’t going to take the chance of being wrong by taking any pictures.

Muscat, Oman

We arrived off Muscat, Oman around 7.00 am on the 29th April – Maureen’s birthday.

I’d not seen Muscat for about fifty years, and my memory of the city was of ‘yesterday’, so when we arrived the only piece of Muscat I remembered was the cliffs, the old fort and a few houses along the shore line.

DSC06127rThe old fort overlooking the town of Muscat.

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  The old town, with a piece of yesterday floating in the harbour.

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Harbour side road, and the one thing that jumped out at me was the lack of rubbish.

DSC06136rThe road leading from the harbour area, which was spotless.

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The dhow in the harbour is similar to the dhows that were used fifty years to carry cargo from the ship, in which I sailed, to the shore.
The vessel behind is the Sultan’s yacht – thanks to oil.

DSC06145rFind the rubbish . . .

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Even under the freeways the pace was litter free – very impressive.

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Opera House

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Center of a roundabout – water flowed past the bows of the dhow.

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Part of the parliament area. . . . more like advisers to the Sultan, than a parliament as we know in the UK, Australia etc. I had a feeling of a benevolent dictator.

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Location, location – the Sultan’s home.

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A weekender. . . .

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Muscat Souq.

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We were told that if you are asked to buy anything and you refused the approach they would not keep pestering you.
They were correct – each time we refused to buy, the seller backed off, unlike the sellers in Bombay and Cochin.

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As a rough guide AUD $4 = one rial, many items were not as cheap as they first appeared, but we did buy a few items.
We did buy a stuffed camel for our grandson – it was made in China of course!

DSC06229rWe sailed for Dubai in the evening.

 

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