Room 417, Savoy Hotel Apartments
*Yawn*The days seem to get less tiring, but tiring all the same. :P
Tuesday started off wth us waking up at 6.45 a.m. although we'd been told to wake up at 6. As usual we were the last up for breakfast on the rooftop. I decided the food was okay but it's only so many times you can have omelette and pancakes/waffles for breakfast.
Then it was back to the bus again. A short trip round the Creek later, we pulled up in front of a tall building - where the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing was located.
We were promptly broken into two groups and mine was the first to enter the building for our briefing.
The briefing was held in the boardroom, with one of those loooooooong tables running down the middle and bordered by high-backed, dark red leather swivel chairs.
We ended surprisingly early and headed back to the Creek, where a floating ship was waiting for us. As the other group left for their briefing, we climbed to the upper deck but didn't set sail, and basically just lounged about, enjoying the sun. (The last picture is the reflection of the Creek in a building's reflective exterior.)
When the second group returned, we boarded the bus again.
Since we were still early, we were allowed an hour or so in a shopping mall nearby. There wasn't a lot to see, but I managed to get two shirts and wander around till it was time to leave again.
Then it was back to business, with a trip to the Jebel Ali Logistic City, where I once again dozed off in an endless talk about supply chains and other stuff I don't understand. Not that it was completely my fault, since the speaker didn't use a microphone so I couldn't hear most of what she was saying...as did just about everyone else.
After we left the building I thought it was time for shopping, but first we had to actually visit the warehouses. It was very quiet and clean for an industrial area, but then again there was tight security - we weren't even allowed to take photos.
We had a short briefing by an SP graduate working there, then were led to the warehouse itself to see the operations. Quite fascinating really, watching the huge machines lift heavy pallets who-knows how high up.
Then it was really time to shop. The sun was setting as we drew up outside the bright lights of the souk area. As the main souk area, it comprised spice, gold and textile souks...well, obviously it was very large.
It took some time to organise ourselves into groups, but finally we set off into the maze of side alleys.
A failed attempt at negotiating the price of some sand souvenirs later, we stopped outside a shawl-and-beaded-slipper shop.
It seemed like we would never get out of the place, as everyone went through the dazzling array of low-priced items. I, for one, walked off with three colourful shawls in dark pink, dark purple, and green.
We made short stops at other textile shops, then completely crowded out a small gift shop. I wanted an Aladdin-like lamp but none took my fancy, so I ended up with a brightly-designed small brass pot (I figured it was easier to transport than bulky plates or breakable perfume bottles).
When we finally left the gift shop, night had fallen and it was getting cold even in the dusty alleys. It was also time to meet at the drop-off point, and there was some confusion as everyone scrambled on board with their heavy bulging bags.
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