Dubai Diaries: The Souks



The Abra Ride

We left for the local souks by the metro and got down at Al Ghubaiba station to experience the ride of Abra (small wooden boat). You can either get down at Palm Deira, which is the nearest station to Souks. The souks are a different world altogether. This place is very different from the commercial Dubai. The souks still have a raw, colourful & traditional market feel to them which is what makes them a must visit place. The market is full of small souvenir shops selling magnets, glass lanterns, chandeliers and porcelain artwork to decorate your home. I bought some cute magnets & a salt & pepper set (which btw am using as a show piece). The Spice Souk as the name suggests is the hub of various spices all over the world. We bought some saffron &Methi Dana (useful to treat diabetes) for our parents from here. Also this place was a treat for my husband as he finally got to capture some colours in his DSLR!

Spices @The Spice Souk
Souvenirs at Local Souk
I bought these cute fridge magnets :)
Home Decor Stuff at Souk
Magnets Anyone?


Next to the Spice souk at a walking distance are gates of heaven for the Indians- the Gold Souk (I swear my mom would not have come back from here). I would suggest you to just go & get a feel of it even if you don’t plan on buying anything. It is very fascinating to see the big gold finger rings & necklaces displayed at these shops. The prices of the gold here are slightly less than India but not that relevant as before. I had my Sex & the City moment here where a local guy took me to hidden dark streets that appeared as if would end in a small hole but actually ended in a big A.C. shop with the first copies of Rado Watches & Prada Handbags! Also even though these bags & watches appear cheap, there is always a scope to negotiate further.

Gold Anyone ?

@Gold Souk

After having Lebanese Shawarma at Gold Souk we took a cab to Meena Bazaar. This is another place for shopaholics to buy some Pakistani Dresses and International perfumes at one fourth the market price (Amogh took full advantage of this & bought 6 perfumes for himself !). Sheeba is a reliable shop for perfumes in case you are a fan like my husband!






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