Souk of 'EXTRAVAGANZA': Dubai. Chronicles of My Solo Travel!

I am not new to Solo travel. Most of my travels in the last decade have been all by myself, either my personal or work trips.

This trip was just one of them, however it was a significant solo trip for me. It happened just a week after I closed a chapter of my life and said goodbye to a relationship which was special to me. I wasn't really suffering from a heartache or heat of loss, however this was my own little celebration of coming back to my own individual life and maybe a kind of liberation which i cannot really pen down. So here i was, to unite back with my travel spirit and continue to discover the beautiful world and myself.

Dubai was not really a chosen planned trip. While i was travelling from India to UK in November 2014, I had a weekend to spend, so what can be better than to halt at world's most happening city.

I have wandered around the magnificent Dubai airport on couple of occasions in the past in transit however never stepped into the city so this was my maiden visit.

Glittering Dubai at Night!

As read, seen and experienced in media, Dubai truly lives up to its much hyped 'Glamour Quotient'. Every place on this earth has its own character, its DNA and so has Dubai. If cities had Zodiac signs, to me Dubai would be 'Leo' : Chic, Exuberant and Feline.

'We swear by the Yellow Metal'...Golden Stallions in the driveway entrance to Hotel Al Qasr. 

I had quite a few apprehensions in my mind of travelling alone in a Middle East Nation; I chose to stay in Ibis Hotel, which was a safe bet in a place called 'Deira'. However my two days stay proved me wrong completely as I could cruise with the same ease as anywhere in UK or India, rather it was way safer there with stringent laws and world class infrastructure.

Burj Al Arab Hotel. Clicked from the entrance next to Wadi Adventures.

Dubai is a modern architecture marvel. I was taken aback when i crossed the Sheikh Zayed Road flanked by steely neck straining sky scrapers; they were in all shapes and sizes, some had snouts, some were weirdly curved, some had glassy Gothic domes; the prides of Canary Wharfs, Downtown Cores and Manhattans would surely take a beating here. This road is an arterial connect and the longest road, so you cant miss it.

Sheikh Al Zayeed arterial Road.

I strongly believe that the true spirit and beauty of any city comes alive after dusk. As a traveler I ensure to experience every city or town after dark, maybe not a very safe proposition but certainly worth it. Dubai glitters at night. Its an absolute delight to drive the smooth roads with the lighted towering buildings. 

The Atlantis Palm Hotel at Night. Clicked from a train.

The only structure which i was searching right from the time the aircraft was descending till i actually saw it; Blown and Bowled completely! Honorable Burj Khalifa!!My personal recommendation would be to view Burj Khalifa at night. There are tours operating daily to climb on top of the tower. I saw it from Dubai City Mall at 9pm midst the beautiful musical fountain and an eager jostling swarm of people all around.

Burj Al Khalifa at Night. Clicked from Dubai City Mall next to the Musical Fountains

Opposite to Burj Al Khaifa. Clicked from dubai City Mall

Not to miss in Dubai as its a haven for shopping would be the Dubai City Mall. Brands galore; Glittering shops; Luxury unlimited.

To explore the authentic Dubai i decided to explore the Souks. There are many Souks, Spice Souk, Carpet Souk, Camel Souk, Gold Souk, however with the paucity of time and my own interest i decided to settle with Spice and Gold!

Not far from where i was staying in Deira, a 20 minutes drive took me to The Deira Spice Souk , behind this was the Gold Souk.

From the first look it resembled an Indian bazaar with sacks, encroachments, excited and loud shopkeepers trying to woo the foreign customers. Woo! Sultry weather and not a place to step in, this Souk was bursting with the aromas of Arabic spices(and even sweat). I got my small pack of assorted spices of 'Zatar','Saffron' and 'Ras el Hanout' and many boxes of Arabian Dates.

Shops displaying Spices at The Deira Spice Souk

Spices at Spice Souk

Also in Spice Souk one can find the Moroccon and Turkish lamps, traditional Arabic footwear and dresses.

Adjacent to the Spice Souk is a completely covered Gold Souk which has shops galore, glittering with gold and precious ornaments. 

The Gold Souk

Coming from South India, it wasn't a huge surprise to see ostentatious, rather obnoxiously extravagant gold jewelry, however its a unique experience to visit the Gold Souk for its affordable and abundant choice, however you need quite strong necks, arms, ears to bear their weight.

Gigantic neck pieces displayed at a shop in The Gold Souk. You need a strong neck to bear their weight :-)

Another one, if you can dare!

When gold is in abundance, we find ways to use it, like using as a embellishment on our chappals ~ The Dubaites :-)

Phew! Golden Overhang! I came out of the Gold Souk albeit empty handed, but the gold ornaments were flashing before my eyes for next many days, whether in office or at home, so i did have some takeaways from the visit.

There werent many places to eat and I was quite starved. Only saving grace was some icecream. Well for those who thought, like Me, that Gelato was only Italiano, wake up guys, its very much Arabiano; and you cant beat this one...Camel Milk Gelato!! And that too Worlds' First Ever! This City couldnt stop surprising me enough!

Camel Milk Gelato :O 

It was sunset and time for me to head back to my hotel. Before moving ahead i stood for a while admiring the stretch of Dubai Creek and the view of Mosques and buildings on its banks; so serene; so tranquil amidst the glitz and panache of luxury. A city has so much to give to its people; it becomes our home, our life, it dwells inside us. One of my friend  once said, a City grows on us, and when we leave it, it leaves a void in our heart. As i viewed the lazily setting sun, I thought about the city I too left behind me in India; A city which gave me lot of happiness and finally a sunset!

Pensive thoughts! Some pain! Life in retrospect! And what to do next!

Well not for long, i had a Desert Safari waiting as an evening Bonanza for me at the Magical Dubai.

(My next post on The Desert Safari)

Dubai Creek as viewed from the road opposite the Spice Souk.

***Some pointers if you are a traveler like Me***

Safety : 9/10 : That 1 mark is left as 'it can happen anywhere'. Its a place where everything is organised and under strict control. So yes a safe location if that worries you.

Language : English is a safe bet. Other than your co-passengers (like i was in a group of Germans and Russians who couldnt speak or understand English), you can manage with English.

Stay : Any good 2-3 star hotel for Budget travelers. For luxury seekers, Burj Al Arab is the limit. I stayed in Deira which is a hustling bustling area full of hotels, students and facilities. It has good hotels to fit anyone's pocket. I stayed at Ibis Al Rigga Hotel.

On the move : Unfortunately i couldn't explore too may ways of commuting. I traveled in taxi only as i found them to be cheap. The Dubai taxi meters start from around 3.00 AED. They are all AC sedans and the Drivers I met were utmost courteous and disciplined, I traveled as late as 10:30 PM alone so it was safe too. However there are metros as well that operate almost everywhere across the city.

Currency : Everywhere UAE Dirhams(AED). I didnt step into the high street brand shops, I assume they would accept Euros and Dollars in Cash. However all merchandise on Dubai Airport, display prices in AED and USD and accept all cards, so its quite easy.

Food : Not to miss the Sherbets, Kebabs, Biryanis, the meat curries, Baklava and various other Arabic cuisines. Vegetarians will also find decent options. For those who want to go Budget way, there are the Mc Donalds, Burger Kings, Subways of the world everywhere and also cheap local food outlets serving Doner Kebabs, Biryanis and Maqlooba.

The Lost Chambers, Dubai

Iam sure the mention of the city 'Dubai' would have given you a visual landscape of The Lost Chambers being a steely skyscraper and maybe one of the many architectural wonders of this exuberant city.

Well, I thought the same, till i got these lovely 45 minutes to get lost in the marvelous Lost Chambers. 

'Atlantis' is a lost city which has its earliest mentions by Greek philosopher 'Plato' in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias around 360 BC. Its described as a highly advanced and spectacular land. However today we cannot trace where this city got lost, but its believed to have disappeared into the Ocean owing either a massive earthquake or a gigantic underwater volcanic eruption.

To discover this lost civilization, the Lost Chambers at Atlantis Palm Hotel is a magnificent underwater realm of Chambers, with amazing rare artifacts, marine life, and a whooping 65000 marine inhabitants. 

What amazed me most was the beautiful lighting in each chamber, the carefully chosen placement of the artifacts in the marine habitat, the sheer glass which many times looked like an illusion to the onlookers, the sit-outs at each chamber typically Arabic style for the visitors to sit, relax and be in rhythm with our marine friends.

Few pics which i have clicked at Lost Chambers. All are thru the glass and i dont have a powerful camera yet, so they look little grainy and stretched. However i couldn't resist sharing them and insist all my fellow travelers to reserve 30min to an hour visit to discover the mystery of The Lost Chambers when in Dubai.

The unstoppable festive spirit : Diwali Bazaars of India

The last leg of any year is probably the one that I eagerly look forward to. Festivals and carnivals galore across the world. Being an Indian, it’s the best time of the year and I can never get enough of the festive spirit that soaks every part of this beautiful country. It’s the time to come home to Mom’s wonderful food, to hog on street food stalls, to nudge elbows in crowded festival bazaars, to buy all the bling-y clothes from heavily embellished shops, to haggle for almost everything that’s on sale, to click photos of anything and everything, to let the ‘Chi’ of your habitat be blessed with everything that’s auspicious. 

Nowadays whenever I open my web browser and surf, I find plenty of commercial Ads from tour operators for tour packages for ‘Christmas’ markets in Austria, Denmark, Belgium and many countries of Europe. I stay in England and definitely agree that these markets are worth a visit when on full bloom. A thought crossed my mind this week while I was in India, that Indian festivals are so grand and we shop till we drop for them, then why don't our Festival Bazaars feature in the way like that of our western counterparts. While I was walking through these crowded ‘gallis’ (streets) of a Diwali Bazaar in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India, I thought to put together some quick shots from this Bazaar in my Blog today.

Diwali…One of the largest festivals celebrated by Indians across the world. Popularly known as the festival of lights as people light earthen lamps on a dark No moon Night to celebrate the mythological lesson of victory of good over evil.

As I walked on a very hot afternoon through a Diwali Bazaar, it was not only a delight but an interesting journey to see how every person in the Bazaar, irrespective of the weight of his or her wallet, looks forward to buy a share of this festivity for his or her home and family.

Handmade earthern lamps being sold in the Diwali Baazar.

All around the Bazaar one can see a heap of these Earthen Lamps being sold by girls and ladies who come all the way from their villages to sell them.

A village lady selling Earthern lamps

While, the traditional earthen lamps make their way in every house, we are also bitten by the Chinese bug here. Fluorescent Chinese Lanterns with 'Happy Diwali' written and images of Hindu Gods hanging in the streets.

Chinese Lanterns

The quintessential 'Rangoli' which is traditional Indian art design made by loose dry colored powder or flour or flowers is a must have auspicious accessory of Diwali in every home. Generally drawn at the entrance of the house, this welcomes wealth and prosperity into the house on Diwali. The bazaars galore with colors of Rangoli.

Beautiful heaps of colors of Rangoli

For the more perfect and flawless designs these 'design mesh' are a great buy. Beautiful display of their designs in the Bazaar.

Easy to make, No Nonsense Rangoli patterns drawn with the Sieve or Mesh

Diwali is a lot about decorating your house. I remember as a child cleaning every nook and corner of the house few days ahead of the festival. Chasing cobwebs, wiping every piece of furniture clean and then decorating with the house with flowers, trinkets, dainty traditional hangings. The essence still remains, however its more plastic and Chinese now.

Plastic flower garlands for adorning the house

A seller selling terracotta hangings of bells and idols. 

Well, with all decorations and beautifying the house, aren't we trying to please someone? Oh yes. Its the Gods above whose blessings we seek for all goodness. Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu who is the Goddess worshiped for wealth and prosperity on Diwali. And yes, like everything else the Almighty finds its place as well on the sale window.

Idols of Goddess Lakshmi accompanied by other goddesses in the Bazaar

So when we are talking about pleasing the Gods for prosperity, don't we have to find ways to tickle their taste buds too. Our Gods are a little too inclined towards food that is high on sugar.(Diabetes alert!) Crystallized sugar sweets locally called 'Batasha' is a photographers delight with colorful cubes piled on baskets. Well, before the Gods, its the Bees which seem to be gracing it.

'Batasha'. Colored quirky shapes of crystallized sugar

Exchanging dry fruits is a popular practice among families on Diwali. And there are small, large and some really humongous packs in the Bazaar with very colorful wrappers.

Ready to pick dry fruits packs

If in Central India, how can you not have the local savories for Diwali. Called as 'Namkeen' made of flour, spices and deep fried, these are probably the yummiest food in the streets in the Bazaar for me.

Gram flour fried snacks called 'Namkeen'

Puffed rice baskets make its way in the Bazaar. This is offered as an offering to God in the Pujas on Diwali.

No marketplace in the world is complete if it doesn't cater to its most important customer...The beautiful Women :-)

Diwali is a time when the ladies have a bash at emptying their wallets. Flowing sarees, colorful fabrics, the tinkle of bangles, the dark deep kohl for those longing shopaholic eyes, this Bazaar is another of her playgrounds.

Bright and colorful sarees in a saree shop

Colorful glass and metal Bangles galore in the Bazaar. A common accessory for Indian women

A seller in a Bangle shop

Phew...going around this beautiful marketplace is so delightful. As the sun smiles benevolently, more and more eager shoppers flood the Bazaar haggling, choosing and buying their favourite Diwali items. Smiling faces of the shoppers, contended smiles of the sellers, eager eyes of the kids, the tinkle of the temple bells, this is truly an experience which is more overwhelming that the festival itself which we all eagerly await to welcome

Fire crackers for sale. No Diwali is complete without lighting the sky with these sparkling fireworks.

The Crowning Jewels of Lake Thun, Switzerland

I have grown up in India, visiting grandparents every year in my summer vacations staying in small villages and towns of Himachal. Beautiful highlands cradling in the lap of breathtaking and picturesque Himalayan mountains. For us that was probably the only most beautiful place that existed in the chaotic material world. We used to often hear the more globally aware set of people compare our villages with Switzerland. We had also seen Bollywood movies being shot in beautiful Swiss locales. Probably not as a child but as i grew up i did have a strong affinity and pull towards Switzerland; one reason of course was being victimized by the charms of Indian movie actors wooing their lady love in Swiss(most obvious thoughts point towards DDLJ); and second, hailing from similar postcard towns in Himalayas, the Alps were dear to heart.

My first tryst with the Swiss Alps happened very recently in September 2014 when i got two lovely days to spend in a small village Wilderswil in between two scenic Lakes-Thun and Brienz. Dreamy and fresh, this place was a haven for a super stressed person like me.

Chocolate houses, abundant with spring flowers, narrow roads with a tinkle of cow bell at every corner, this was all a fairytale for me, and i could just stay here forever.

Wilderswil as I admired it from my hotel room's window

Chocolate Houses and the spic and span streets of Wilderswil

Fairytale houses at Wilderswil. A walk around the village is blissful

After spending a lazy evening in Wilderswil and gorging on gastronomical delights of local haunts, we had complete next day to ourselves to explore the beautiful Interlaken.

Interlaken : Touristy delight with a large number of hotels, backpackers accommodations, busy streets with souvenir shops, buses all around. I felt Iam in Kulu Manali or downtown of Shimla. We did have an option to follow the touristy path of expedition to Jungfrau or one of the many hikes from Interlaken, however we decided to walk on the 'road less traveled' path and explore the villages around Lake Thun.

View of Lake Thun in the backdrop of Swiss Alps

The first village we visited on the shores of Lake Thun was Spiez. Few would know that Spiez has an age old Castle built in 933 AD by King Burgundy. Perched on a hill and surrounded by Vineyards, this low profile Castle has housed many high profile personalities which have gone down in the pages of history.

The Medieval Spiez Castle

View of Lake Thun and the Spiez Castle on the shores of the Lake

We hopped onto the train for our next destination. The beautiful city of Thun. Known for its shopping centers, restaurants, bustling with people all over and many like us, in search of the old castles, the sunny weather added an extra fizz to the whole atmosphere.

Town Center of Thun overlooking the river. Flanked by eateries and shops on both sides

After climbing around 50 steps from the City Center we reached the Thun Castle. This 12th century castle sits proudly on a hill and has some of the best preserved halls in Europe with a towering ceiling of 7mts high. Quite sad that it was under renovation, so we got a glimpse of a part of the facade.

Thun Castle

Thun is known to house another beautiful castle popularly called as The pearl of Lake Thun-Schadau Castle. An incomparable location with lush green gardens, this castle looked as if it has just popped out of a Harry Potter series or some other fairy tale book. I wish I could be a Snow White or a Rapunzel to be swept off my feet by my Prince Charming here.

Schadau Castle-The Pearl of Lake Thun

We were quite tired walking almost the whole city of Thun and our last Castle on the list was apparently in another town. While the knees went weak, our spirits were still longing to have more of this beautiful Lake.

We hopped onto a Bus from Thun to Oberhofen which was 30 min away. A quick beautiful drive and there we were standing right in front of a magnificient sight. The eight centuries magic, this was truly a romantic castle. With views of Jungfrau peak and Lake Thun, i guess i have to get married many times in my life to live these fairytale dreams of Swiss castles

Oberhofen Castle

Our day of exploring the historical Castles on Lake Thun was overwhelming. While on a lighter note I say we had an overdose of history, I never anticipated that such picturesque locales exist for real. The area around Lake Thun is heavily German and 'Castle' is called 'Schloss' in German. So all sign boards directing you to these castles would read as 'Schloss'. 

A board directing to Thun Castle. Schloss is the German word for Castle

As people say Swiss countryside looks like a painting or a postcard, i would say Yes they are true in their statements.

While the Alps are a must visit in Switzerland, for those who are looking to explore the real history, life of people and hidden gems of the virgin beauty of Swiss, be an explorer to have a real indelible Swiss experience in your life.

Probably my favourite pic from my Swiss Album. A place which touched my soul

** A note of stay options for readers : I stayed at Hotel Schonbuhl in Wilderswil. You can take a bus ticket from Schonbuhl to Interlaken West. I took a train from Interlaken to Spiez and then from Spiez to Thun and back the same route. There are buses as well on these routes. The train travel is a bit expensive and it costed me around 40 CHF for one person for a to and fro journey.
Interlaken is full of places to eat. However Swiss is wonderfully expensive :-) A decent meal of sanwiches or burgers with a drink will cost you on an average 10-12 CHF so do stuff your wallet pretty well before you start.
To sign off, let me tell you i adore the Swiss Franc notes. They are psychedelically designed and have lovely outstanding look. I still have retained around 20 Francs as souvenir **