...Of Bars and Bargains

The next day was the day of several great battles, all fought nobly by Friedmans on one side and arabic shopowners on the other; all ended with smiles and handshakes, and each team probably covertly high-fived each other afterwards. What matters is that everybody thinks they won - on one hand, we paid a great deal less than expected on certified and authentic products, and concurrently, the shopowners made their profit, else they wouldn't have closed the deal.

Ahh, the lovely smell of commerce in the morning!

So we nabbed our hookah, we snatched our carpets, and we just may have found each other some birthday and first anniversary presents in the Gold Souq. We also consigned a shipping company to fly much of our luggage (mostly carpets and Kilimanjaro equipment) to the MSP airport, so now our two bags (and our backs) are breathing easily. For a short while, at least, we'll be traveling light and luxuriously.

So, time for a relaxing drink in Dubai, right? Wrong.

We've learned that Dubai is much more of a "smoke 'em if you got 'em" city than a "round of beers for my friends" city. People sit at "bars" and drink teas and fruit juices, while sucking down Marlboro Reds. The only place to get a bucket-o-suds is at a hotel bar or at the airport's duty free shops.

We hear Cairo has some distinctive local beers and wine, so until then, it's relaxing by the pool with a plastic bottle of the cleanest, quaffable, tap water we've seen in over a month.

Sold. Wrap it up - we'll take it.

A Dubai-ous Day of Commerce

Dubai doesn't quite fit the profile of the cities we've visited thus far - it has a very modern infrastructure (read: drinkable tap water), its oldest standing structure was erected after 1800, it's very safe, and the main attractions are modern architecture and commerce rather than ancient culture and prehistory.

After disembarking, we traversed the "old town," an 1800's-1900's quadrant of Dubai that still clings to its Arabic culture. Old town is known woldwide for its inexpensive gold, silk Persian rugs, and hookah pipes. We quickly resolved to shop for all three.

We decided to use Thursday as our "see every product available in Dubai" day, Friday as our "lets think about what we want to purchase at the beach" day (most shops are closed for holy Firdays), and Saturday as our "hemmorhage money (UAE Dirhams) to the Arabs" day.

We spent the majority of Thursday refining our taste and expertise in Persian carpets. Here's an abridged lesson for you - actually, imagine we're explaining it to you in the middle of a crowded arabic parketplace with bright textiles and chickens on spit-roasts...

----

Us: So, you have to consider the carpet material - silk or silk substitute such as acryllic, wool, or some blend thereof. Silk is more expensive, but the color is sharper and it lends an interesting shine, making the colors shift subtly from different angles.

You: Ooh, let's go with silk.

(A man interrupts: "My friend, you want copy watch? Copy Rolex? Copy Omega?")

Us: Excuse us - thanks. Next, you have to consider whether you want your silk carpet hand-made or machine-made. Hand-made can be ten times more expensive, but wow - some of the richness and color gradients really can't be produced by a machine. The hand-made pieces really exemplifiy the Iranian attention to detail.

You: Well, I'd rather not expel somebody from my home for dirtying my floor covering, and I like to maintain a healthy blood pressure - so let's look at the machine-made pieces.

(Another man approaches and leans in: "Copy handbags? My friend, you want copy handbags?")

Us: Ahem. Very well, so now you just have to consider thread length and silk origin, which determines the texture. Then just consider size and design - and happy shopping!

----

Oh yeah, we forgot to mention - there's lots of people selling knock-off products.

Shopping for gold in the Gold Souq (gold market) was equally exhausting. There's a great deal of modestly-priced, generic-looking gold jewelry (and watches) available in the dozens (maybe hundreds) of accredited, camera-survaillanced shops; however, the more traditional Persian pieces were much more distinctive and interesting. Many were so ornate that they look like fake stage jewelry, so it's a cautious endeavor.

We wrapped up the day with an hour-long search for a restaurant - gold and thread everywhere, but not a crumb to eat! - and we settled for some delicious burgers and a relaxing hour at a hookah bar.

Today, at the Arabian Sea beach in Dubai, we're discussing what we saw and learned and asking ourselves the incessant consumerism question:

Do-buy or not do-buy?

Oh, man - that's too funny. Let's just leave it at that.