feet of .. uh .. sand

I've had a wonderfully busy April what with visits from both my Mom and then my Dad, and then a little mini holiday in Spain to visit my Brother and his family (and that gorgeous nephew of mine). It's lots of fun having visitors, especially people who have never been to Dubai before. Mom and I had a grand old time exploring the city, shopping, having lunch and generally catching up on all the chats and laughs we haven't had for over a year together. One of the things I did here for the first time was the Big Bus Tour. I actually learnt quite a bit, although the commentary is horribly out of date in some places, and still refers to projects that have definitely been shelved. However it's a great way to spend a couple of hours and see the city, especially the older parts of Deira and Bur Dubai where parking is a nightmare most of the time.

[lovely traffic circle in Bastakiya]

"white gold of the desert"

When you drive through the English countryside you are most likely to see sheep, cows and even the odd horse in the pastures and fields you pass. I can guarantee this is not the case when you leave the city of Dubai. But you will see farms, and on these farms you most definitely see camels. I always thought that they were bred predominantly for speed (camel racing) and then learnt they are also bred for beauty - camel beauty pageants are big business here. Once we had actually lived here for a bit I further discovered that they are bred for milk and meat (camel biltong is yummy and camel burgers supposedly very tasty too). The milk is rich in vitamins and minerals, and also lactose free. Stu was brave enough to try some once but I haven't yet worked up the courage. Anyway the logical conclusion to all this milk production, although I would hate to have to do the milking myself, is that there would be some milk-based products available. And yes, it seems they do make camel chocolate. I wonder about cheese but I haven't found any (not that I have really looked).

[source: The National website]