Well, I do have some genuine jewels which I mostly wear for work but for the daily life and when I am travelling, I prefer to wear my antique fashion accessories and sometimes my silver ones because they are not too glaring for a bling-bling. I feel safer with them. I am not a mugging statistic waiting to happen out there, nor a Christmas tree out of season.
My chauffeur dropped me at the main street, a block away from the entrance to the Gold Souk, also known as the ‘Dubai City of Gold’. I did not have high expectations because I have already seen many pictures of this bazaar on the net.
My goal for today’s visit is to really just wander around, have a look myself and take a few souvenir pictures.
Dubai City of Gold
Earlier on during the ride, my chauffeur warned me that it’s Ramadan, and that means many shops will be open late or will not be opening. And indeed, when I was there, some of the shops were just opening up while others remained closed.
I wanted to go loose and snap pictures of all the gleaming opulence on display – of which some of the gold jewellery designs were too antiquated and cultural to comprehend, but a number of the shop’s windows have a signage that says ‘no picture taking please’. What a bummer. I hate to become the unwanted tourist, so I behaved and looked for the right window display and timing.
The touts were also not as assertive as I would have expected them to be, so that’s a breath of fresh air there. They were mostly in the waiting mode, although a few would smile and subtly try to approach you.
Can you see the sweat on my face?
Arabic Kaftan Dresses and Shoes
Along the Gold Souk’s covered walk are narrow lanes leading to a huddle of retail fashion shops selling Arabic-style long kaftan dresses (they call them here in the Gulf region, Khaleeji) and psychedelic colourful shoes. I found some of the dresses very elegant and pretty, and the shoes as well were oh so cute! But if I buy them, where will I wear them?
I fancy the torquoise and white kaftan dresses =)
It was also so hot and humid, I was dripping sweat like a pig. So I sat down on the bench to fan and gather myself. I sat there fanning and people watching sans the drink. It’s Ramadan, so no one is allowed to eat or drink anyway during daytime.
Next in my agenda is the Spice Souk. It is supposedly nearby but I may need to ask someone for further directions. I am sure someone here speaks English?
If you love the rich butterscotch look of shellacked cork grips, but are worried about the DIY factor, fear no more. We gave it a shot, and it really is quite easy. Here we go:
Rodney the vintage Roadster came with these original Raleigh black grips. Although they look nice and we like to keep original parts, neither of us can stand the feel of plastic grips. So we decided to experiment with cork. Rivendell makes it seem so simple and fun!
Well, here is a "naked" cork grip. So far so good! The Co-Habitant secured the grips with strong double-sided tape, but most recommend to glue the grips. He rode the bike with the unshellacked grips for a while to see what this felt like. The unfinished grips feel good, but they get dirty very easily and are not protected from the elements. We wouldn't want ratty, filthy grips. Plus the colour needs some spicing up.
Here comes the shellac. Amber. This is from the hardware store, nothing fancy. Generic 1" paintbrush.
Here the first coat of shellac is being applied. This stuff is fast drying, so the work should be done fairly quickly.
Second coat of shellac. As you apply 2-3 thin coats, you will see the colour gradually grow darker, richer, and warmer. Uneven patches on the surface get smoothed out. Three thin coats should be enough, and you can always touch it up if you notice some unevenness later.
