There's life in the water...

We went out to Al Muna Restaurant in Mina al Salam Hotel at the Madinat Jumeirah last night for a drink...after a verrrrrry long and tiring day.



The original plan was to go this nice little bar/lounge deck area to just relax, however, came to find out that there was a dress code, which none of us were following - no shorts, caps or slippers (aka. flip-flops). So, we happily and quietly left - aside from mentioning to the waitress on our way out that there were a number of other guests that happen to be sitting at the bar in shorts and slippers, just an FYI...ahem...

It ended up being a blessing in disguise as we made our way over to another eatery (Al Muna) along the water-way...where we were seated immediately, outside, along side the water, facing the color-changing Burj Al Arab...all to find out that there was a magnificent buffet going on inside, to which we took full advantage of. There was sushi, Lebanese, Indian, American, dates and sweets and desserts galore, fresh fruit and crackers, and the boys were able to have a cold beer as we sat, relaxing and chatting away for 4 hours.

Part of our discussion was based around the experience of 'water' in Dubai...Dubai locals, as well as tourists, really love water, and since Dubai was built from the desert, all of the water features, besides the Arabian Gulf, are little man-made water-ways, pools and canals that run through many of the developments and hotels around the city...with water taxis (abras) carting people from one cafe to the next.

Ultimately, Wayde was mentioning how disheartening and slightly disturbing it was for him to be surrounded by water, and yet within the water, there was no water-life...fish, seaweeds, nothing. If you look close enough, and simply take it for was it is, you are essentially watching boats in very large in-ground pools. Strange, and surreal, if you ask me.

However, to our pleasant surprise, as we grabbed our bags and walked back around the canal to leave, there in the water we spotted hundreds of small fish, and a dozen sea turtles, with some babies! It was awesome, and reassuring for Wayde, I am sure, that we were not in fact, just sitting by a large in-ground pool, but there was actual life existing in this shallow man-made body of water.

If you are like myself (or Wayde, who also grew up by the ocean (Maine) although I can't speak for him), it does feel slightly fake and disengaging to be part of a city where you are not sure if the salty smell from these canals is real salt water, or just chemicals. And I think last night gave us the glimpse of hope that, although still very surreal and nothing like the Atlantic coastal smells and sounds, Dubai is doing its' best to be as authentic in its' creations as possible.





Bye...d:)