26: Returning in the early hours of the morning to the Lucky Country

   November 24: Dubai to Brisbane

Well, that wasn't too bad, 19 hours door to door. A definite disadvantage not having the aisle seat. We had a very committed sleeper as our companion in the row and only found the courage to disturb her for two trips to the loo.

Heading home - all smiles

But we did sleep - not soundly - but enough to help pass a few hours. Add to that meals and a few movies while tracking our flight path, the time simply disappeared.

Sort of like my pizza really - my special meals arrive a little early and as it happened I was sleeping and @Mac accepted and consumed without hesitation! He only realised his mistake 20 minutes later when his serve arrived. Snooze you lose - literally.

Arrived in Brisbane, made the mandatory duty-free shop for bar top ups, collected our luggage and joined the taxi queue.

Pulled into the driveway at 12.10 am and were pleased to see that @Aunty Gail and Paul had left a welcoming light on for us. And just to prove we were home, put on the jug and broke out the coffee and the condensed milk. Found we had Nelson ingredients but refrained from trying it out "just yet."

Ah, it is good to be home. Although the next few days will be wound up with household routines and our amazing adventure will quickly be replaced by the frenzy of the Christmas countdown.

Checked for ingredients for The Nelson

Even found ourselves wandering around, in the dark, with a torch, checking on the pineapples.

All appears to be well.

Reflecting on our adventures:

A. Great travelling partners with @LoRi - everything so easy - hope there are more in the future

B. Fabulous itinerary with iconic destinations

C. A cruise is just a taster - you never have enough time

D. As one cruiser said "You get what you pay for." Regent's all inclusive model certainly had advantages

E. Nobody cares about co-vid - just do your best to keep healthy

F. Need to remember to specify NO SMOKING room for any accommodation arranged on our behalf

G. American dollars accepted everywhere

H. Ladies should always carry toilet paper for any shore excursion and small coin change for toilet use is an advantage. Try not to be caught short!

I. Suggestions we would have shared with Regent if we could have made the digital feedback form work on board:

           i. introduce a "spoil the staff" event - where guests can spend a short segment of time with a staff member sitting on their balcony enjoying a cold drink or a coffee/tea to chat and say thank you. Like the block party .... but guests host a team member. Staff were beyond amazing. Thank you.

          ii. create a charity event when there are sea days - offer the guests an opportunity to create something that can be donated to a community (somewhere we visit, or a charity identified by a crew member in their hometown.) Could even be a pre advertised event like bring an unused pair of glasses or an unused electronic device ... a small something that acknowledges our sense of privilege.

     iii. Would love a tour of some of the behind-the-scenes areas of the ship. Small group look-see. Even a guided tour of the magnificent artwork of the ship would have been amazing.

     iv. Have been on ships where the Lecture series includes on deck guided commentary for entry to significant ports e.g. Suez Canal - this option would have been a valued addition

     v. Regent has an audio APP. They need to use it. Was impossible to hear tour guides in many of the popular venues and this was a particular problem when the group size was large

 Looking ahead

We are travelled out for 2022 but are looking to land tours in 2023. Finally, going to do our African Safari and going to spend time in Whistler with you know who.

More adventures ahead and I think I can see another cruise on the horizon in 2024.

#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise

25: Taking your breath away in Abu Dhabi

   November 23: 🚢

 Post Cruise Land Excursion: Abu Dhabi

Do my arms look big in this? Hopefully you can't see them.

No trouble finding Kitchen6 this morning and no trouble being confused as "Mr and Mrs Chang." Can't say it was "leisurely", but it was enjoyable (we only looked at the Donut Wall) and we were actually early for the 8.15 meet up with @Achmed for our day in the adjoining Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

A familiar dusty start and a donut wall!

And reality is setting in because we received a reminder to "check in" for our flight which departs at 2.50 am tomorrow morning. It was definitely going to be another big day as the finale for our Divine Destinations adventure.

Today was another two-hour transit and @Achmed had the microphone warmed up and kept our heads reeling with information as we navigated the predictable traffic of Dubai and then high tailed it towards the collection of islands that is Abu Dhabi via an open freeway. So many details were shared about the history and development of this Emirate and the royal family and their contribution to its growth and importance in the region. We were constantly on the lookout for the hints that we had made the "crossing" to the other side: changed road colour to red, flower shape on the overhead light fittings, the continuous wall and a change in speed limit from 120 max to 140 max in Abu Dhabi. Not that it mattered, the buses were limited to a maximum of 80 kms per hour in both Emirates - so we were plodding along in the right-hand lane with plenty of time to spot the differences.

Front row seats on lookout Duty with @Achmed - look at soccer headquarters

Dubai is all lights and towers, glitter and gold, fast cars and traffic jams and shopping, shopping and shopping. It is busy, busy, busy. Abu Dhabi appears to be much "calmer" - we drove past beaches and circled huge round-abouts dripping with colour and flowers, saw loads of minarets dotting the skyline rather than the wall-to-wall high rise of Dubai.

Having said that, the grand gesture to tourism was no less grand. In fact, the sites we visited today were breath-taking.

The only busy, busy, busy, was our schedule. @Achmed had us all hopping - including the driver. He had to have us back in Dubai by 6.30 because some guests were checking out for the airport at 8 pm.  So there was very little wriggle room. And an hour at each of these destinations was definitely not enough.

Covering up for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Something you couldn't miss!

The visit to the Grand Mosque presented the first challenge of the day. Have no idea how or why I wasn't prepared but there you go. Ladies needed to be covered head to toe - and that included long pants to cover the legs, a scarf to cover the hair and SLEEVES to cover the arms to the wrist. I was caught a little short and had to be creative. Lucky, I had a pair of 3/4 pants in the backpack and with a little bit of creative and collaborative dressing - and very demanding encouragement from the female staff at the entrance gate - the legs of my trousers became my sleeves. And in the hustle and bustle of the visit - who would even know!

The organisation here was incredible. The bus pulled up in the carpark and then a large glass dome was the entrance way - it covered the escalators which takes everyone underground to the "mall" which has loads of shops including those selling appropriate dress if you wanted to buy something head to toe. Crowded with people and everyone heading in the same direction to the people mover which then shuffled the crowds to the entrance of the Grand Mosque.

It is hard to put into words how beautiful this place was - it was definitely a statement!

White marble, mosaic and gold

Indoors equally spectacular

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the world's largest mosques and it features 82 marble white domes, more than 1 000 columns and four soaring minarets, the world's largest hand knotted carpet and gold gilded chandeliers featuring Swarovski crystals. There wasn't a surface here that wasn't a work of art in its own right - walls, floors, carpets, doors, lights, tiles, domes, gardens, fountains, archways, door, handles .... just the sheer scale of everything - incredible. We took hundreds of photos - I am not sure why now - certainly the professional photos online are better than anything we can capture - but it was so compelling, so incredibly over the top, glorious.

Just one corner

Details everywhere AND under floor heating so your forehead is not cold during prayer

Another corner

Massive interiors 

The late Sheikh, the founding father of the UAE was laid to rest here and in his honour, the Quran is read inside his mausoleum 24 hours a day. The mosque accommodates 10 000 in the internal prayer room and a further 31000 in the external areas. We saw it in the day - but spectacularly, the night lighting of the external walls of the Mosque is designed to emulate the phases of moon. There are twenty-two light spires casting different colours on the building in tune with the changing 28-day cycle of the moon.

Lighting towers

A professional night-time shot - snapped from wall display on people mover

I am so grateful I had my pants legs for sleeves - would have been very sad to miss this one. Certainly takes your breath away.

Freedom! Could take my sleeves off

Qasar Al Watan - The Presidential Palace

Just when you thought it couldn't get any bigger - it did! This working palace is the home to the UAE Supreme Council and the Federal Cabinet. It hosts state visits and official events.

Bigger than big

Like the Grand Mosque, the exterior here is a pure white - this time granite and limestone rather than marble and again, the white was chosen to symbolize peace and purity.

Dwarfed at the entrance

Room for everyone - @Loraine also dwarfed

The bus pulled up at the Visitor Centre and then a fleet of smaller minibuses transport you through the grounds and gardens and delivers you to the main concourse. You enter through HUGE doors (@Mac was dwarfed) and head straight into the Great Hall. It is 100 m x 100 m and its main dome is one of the largest in the world with a diameter of 37 meters.

OMG .....

Built on a grand scale

Again, every surface here is a work of art. Gold everywhere, wide expansive open spaces - everything was a shout to "impress." We were able to see the Al Barja Mailis meeting room (seating capacity of 300 in neat blue rows), the House of Knowledge, the Presidential Gifts Gallery, the Banquet Hall and the Library. And in one of the arms just beside the Great Hall was a beautiful gold structure called "The Power of Words." It was an open circular formation that was created by interlacing words from an Arabic quote by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayan that says "Wealth is not money or oil, wealth lies in the people and it is worthless if not dedicated to serve the people."

Everything so large

(As an aside - this would be a perfect time (without ears in the walls) to talk about the wealth and lifestyle of the 1 million Emirates compared with the 9 million non-citizens of the UAE. Two totally different sets of circumstances and choices. There is a definite divide in terms of entitlement and government support.)

We roamed the halls, head tilted back, in absolute awe of the wealth and decadence on display here. This building has no "history" .... yet ... but the thought is that in 1000 years it will still be standing and will be a legacy of the impact of "oil" on the wealth and modernisation of this Emirate.

Interiors

Another venue. Another place that simply takes your breath away.

Find @Mac

This pic courtesy of @Mac to show golden toilet features

Afternoon: lunch and the Louvre

Moved onto lunch in the Conrad Hotel in the Etihad Towers. Again, can't believe the food we are offered at every venue. Row upon row of choices and the grand finale was a chocolate fountain and we enjoyed choices from all 8 aisles and had the pleasure of a glass fronted dining room that overlooked an infinity pool - complete with lifesavers!

Lunch at the Conrad

Last tourist stop was a sprint around the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The UAE and France created a partnership for cultural exchange. It is surrounded by water and features an impressive flat dome - billed as a floating dome of light and shade. It is a complex structure of some 7850 stars that are repeated in various sizes and at different angles. The idea was to create the effect of sitting under a palm tree - as light filters through the perforations in the dome, the "stars" filter the light and create a constant changing dappled pattern on the ground.

Multiple layers of stars in the dome to create this lighting effect

There were actually 12 galleries to explore across 4 wings - we had no chance in our allocated hour. Found ourselves in two main galleries including a special display "Impressionism: Pathways to Modernity" featuring the works of Manet. Degas, Renoir and Cezanne. There were 150 masterpieces displayed alongside etchings, costumes, film and photography. 

Found some favs in two exhibition galleries

Found a few favs before venturing out into Wing 4 to look at some modern installations. Admitting that we were so rushed, we were more concerned with making sure we could find our way out and get back to the meeting point in time rather than taking in the detail of the exhibits. Way too much real estate to cover in 60 minutes.

Making our own art - getting late

Run down to getting home

Once we were on that bus and making our 2-hour way back to Dubai our attention was geared towards the airport and home.

Did arrive back at the JW Marriott at 7 pm through predictable crawling traffic and worked on a shared schedule with @LoRi. They don't leave until tomorrow night - but for us - it is all over red rover. We had an 11.20 pm hotel transport pickup ready for our 2.50 am flight departure. All the plans were geared towards "staying awake" so that we can enjoy some zzzs on the flight home.

Headed back to our room to pack the bags - involved a fair bit of shuffling to get the weight distribution between bags "just right" and then met downstairs in the cafe for a light dinner at 8.15. 

Think the dinner we had of toasted sandwiches, flat bread and a bagel ranks as one of the most expensive meals we have had in a long time - a toasted ham and cheese sanga was just shy of $40 AUD. Don't even think about a wine - it was $46 AUD a glass! Collectively voted that "we didn't care" and just enjoyed our last shared dinner of this trip.

Simple fare for farewell dinner

Rounded out the evening with "a last deep bath" and showers and we reported right on the dot of 11 pm to the foyer - as instructed in our documentation from Regent. There were hundreds of people swinging in and out of those revolving doors - this town literally does not sleep. We saw plenty of drivers collecting all sorts of airline personnel but it got to the stage that we were the only ones with luggage left 11.20 pm in the foyer so @Mac thought it was time to start asking questions. He checked at the Transport Desk, with the Concierge and finally at the Bell Hop Desk. No-one had any answers and we were thinking of jumping a cab and going solo.

At last, a driver did locate us - he had looked at the Regent Seven Seas Desk and called our room without luck. We were fortunate that the staff of the Marriott were on the ball and had pointed him to the only two people with luggage in the foyer.

Only people with luggage in the foyer

All aboard and smooth sailing to the airport where again we were surprised by the volume of people. Think this airport must operate 24/7.

All went well until we reached the Passport check queue and we encountered a stern-faced employee who directed us to a separate area because there was an anomaly with our passports. Apparently, because we had entered through Fujairah we needed an "exit" stamp from that Emirate before we could be given an exit authority from Dubai. We were the fourth couple in the "waiting" lounge and it took about 15 minutes for the anomaly to be sorted and we were then through and looking for our gate to settle in and pass away the 90 minutes till boarding. Guess everyone on Regent will get the same re-direction as they try to depart - so we gave @LoRi the heads up on what to expect.

Only 13 hours and 50 minutes until our direct flight delivers us to Brisbane.  We have the window and the middle seat - hope the person on the aisle loves frequent toilet stops!

Weather: 31 and hot under 4 layers, head to toe, at the Grand Mosque

Steps: 17 832

#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise

24: Flying high in Dubai - morning, noon and night

   November 22: 🚢

Land Excursion: No joke, it's raining AND hailing in Dubai

Reaching new heights in Dubai

Another "wall to wall" day of Dubai and despite my good intentions to put my thoughts down at 4 am tacked onto a loo stop - i just couldn't do it. Managed to check the Ausssie football score (oh dear, money does talk apparently in the $1 billion difference in the player pool) but then succumbed to the call for more sleep. No doubt the lack of time pressure helps - going to have multiple hours starting this evening when we answer the pickup call for the airport at 11 pm.

 Definitely rolled back over and had no trouble picking up slumbering just where I left off. Apparently I slept through the duelling midnight alarms and @Mac did a fancy slap and tap combination to silence them both.

We had crammed so much into the day-that-was though.

Early morning in Dubai - still a fog on the horizon and in the head

The morning - personal exploration at Atlantis

Tuesday morning saw us up at 6.30 to a bitterly cold 18.9 in the room (we really can't work out this touch panel do-hickey) and the fog vista which obscures the horizon and admitting that we are still a little sleep foggy as well. And yes, Dr Google had coughed up some incredible stats for us on the air quality in Dubai - man oh man, it's filthy.

Anyway, on with the show. Headed to Kitchen6 for breakfast (we did get lost cause we headed to level 6 ... silly billies) and after two separate escorts by staff to get us back on track, emerged somehow from Tower B instead of Tower A. As we gave our room number were greeted by the welcoming staff with a cheery "Good morning Mr and Mrs Chang." We could only smile and nod, as we had confused ourselves as well as everyone else. As we settled into our first breakfast selection the cheery welcoming staff member did come and ask for us to "sign in" and clarify our "exact" room number. Seems as if both towers A and B are numbered in the same way and there was a little bit of concern because there were now four "Changs" in Kitchen6 instead of just the real two from Tower B.

Amused us for a little while. And, I am sure we will be better tomorrow monring.

Posing in the limited foyer access of Atlantis - Chang didn't work for us here either

All sorted and ready in the foyer for the @LoRi meetup at 8.15 and we immediately bundled into a taxi for the 40-minute ride out to Atlantis. @Liz had filled us with tales of this magnificent resort which is perched imposingly on the outer ring of the totally man created reclaimed series of canals called the Palm Jumeirah. Certainly a testament to the vision of Dubai - let's just create our own landmass by filling in the ocean in any shape we choose and then fill it with the most extraordinary assortment of residences, shopping malls, beaches and boardwalks. Why not?

Unfortunately, we were not amongst the elite of the elite and despite our best efforts at sneaking in, we were thwarted at every turn and hedge by super vigilant staff.

Tried sneaking in - think the red hat was a red flag

We could only gain access to the shopping precinct (which was closed cause we were so early) and the entrance way to the "largest water park in the world" Couldn't resist hamming it up with the photo ops and the line of the month has to go to @Loraine. As @Mac perched himself in the chair of Atlantis, she quipped with a very cheeky grin AND a wink, "Show us your trident." He had no answer to that one.

Show us your trident

Finally opted for a stroll along the boardwalk in an attempt to reach the beaches. Um, no luck there either - everything was a "private" beach and again, all were manned by vigilant security. 

Posing with the bird's eye view of the Palm Jumeirah

Perched ourselves up in the monorail and took a ride to gain a bird's eye view of the fronds and afforded ourselves better views of the hotels and beaches. Interestingly, there was a British couple on the monorail and they were guests at Atlantis and hearing of our foiled attempts at gaining entry, were only too pleased to take out their phones and share their stay via their pictures. Quite funny really - but we did get to see what we missed.

Monorail views - fog still in evidence

(Just BTW, we have since found out - far too late of course - that we should have got off the train at the Pointe Station - and we would have had stunning views of Atlantis AND had access to the beaches. Bugger. So close.)

Followed the signs to the taxi rank, only the be accosted by a very "un taxi" and because we were very pressed for time in meeting our noon deadline at "the tallest building in the world" decided to "take the risk" and jumped in the unmetered hybrid Tesla and took the ride for a pre-negotiated fare. I mean, with four of us, how much trouble could we possibly be in. 

We were on a deadline to join the queue - took the Tesla

Midday on top of the world with more personal arrangements

No worries as it turned out - and arrived back at the Dubai Mall right on time to collect our tickets, in our designated time slot, for the ascent of the Burj Khalifa. Was almost a 15-minute walk to the entry and then a series of very long and extremely slow-moving queues for another 20 minutes until we were at the head of the elevator for the ascent. Totally bamboozled as to WHY you need a timeslot - there were hundreds of people in the queue.

Fabulous 360 views across the landscape - contrasts of water, expanses of desert sand, low rise white residential homes and the gleam and uniqueness of every tower in downtown Dubai. Only trouble was that the "mist" was still in evidence and some areas were in your imagination rather than in your view.

The building stands at 828 m tall and has been open since 2010 we were viewing from the 125 th floor but it was possible to go even higher for a food and drinks experience at levels 152, 153, and 154. 

Pictures are dimmed by the "mist" - the reality was a little clearer - could distinguish desert and ocean

Had our turn strolling around and snapping from every vantage point and then had to join a queue for exit. Your 30 minutes at the top of the tower needs to tack on almost 90 minutes of queueing and walking. When we booked last night, we opted for the lower level because we really couldn't imagine that we would want MORE food and drink. On reflection, we would definitely choose the higher floors - those guests were VIPs and they totally skipped all the queuing. Benefit of hindsight.

Grabbed a bite to eat (cannot possibly confess that we joined Colonel Sanders) and then we were scurrying to make the return walk to join up with the courtesy bus. As we popped out of the doors, @Loraine commented "It looks like rain." Surely not, not in Dubai.

It poured for about 15 minutes - even hailed

But rain it did. It started as a little patter of "disbelief" on the dry pavement and before we knew it the HAIL was tip tapping and bouncing across the road. The wind whipped up, the thunder roared and with just 5 minutes, things started to overflow in waterfalls. Lasted about 15 minutes in total and then it cleared. We joined the bus and the driver had to negotiate the water covered round abouts and roadways on our journey back to the JW Marriott.

How bizarre.

Afternoon: rejoined tour for Desert Safari

No time to ponder that - it was a quick change of clothing and then into the lobby and sorted into groups of four to load into the 4x4 vehicles in a convoy of 50 vehicles to take the 2 hour journey into the desert. @Rashid was quiet as our driver but was able to answer our questions and keep us entertained with his ever-changing playlist from his phone on the trip along the highway. @Achmed had spent time in the morning telling us of the big brother system of monitoring drivers and the huge fines that were handed out by an automated letter from a speed camera if a driver even thought about touching a mobile phone. @Rashid must have known where the cameras were placed - otherwise he would have accumulated a squillion in fines.

Trying to find the Camel Farm in a sand storm

 Once we turned off though, it was the desert that intrigued. A totally different vista from our previous experience at Fujairah. No mountains here, just flat undulations of white dunes. We followed a path under the powerlines and eventually came to a halt and after conflabs out the window with other drivers - did a U-turn. Apparently, we had misplaced the camel farm rendezvous point. Tried another little trek with the same result and another U-turn. Getting serious now and the 10 drivers in this little sub convoy left their vehicles and had a serious conflab, complete with animated language and waving of hands, until a location signal was received and we followed Google maps to an enclosure housing some camels. Definitely never lost - according to our tour leader @Achmed these drivers know every grain of sand in this desert - it was just that we couldn't find the camel farm.

Dune bashing convoy

It was really only a rendezvous point so that the drivers could deflate the tyres and then it was into the dunes. Must say that @Rashid was definitely gung-ho and this was a wild ride with lots of slipping and sliding and mad spinning of the steering wheel - wasn't quite the gentle "no need to hold on" experience that I had outlined for @LoRi. Again a journey up the sand hills. across the top, down the sides, bumping along and lots of fish tails (is that what they are called) until we finally came to a stop at the base of a sandhill ready to view the setting sun.

Many 

Harder than it looks

Only one cloud in the sky, and despite some determined climbing by many riders to seek the top of the sand dune for a better view, the sun was definitely hidden behind the cloud and the sunset came and went without the eagerly anticipated iconic photo opportunities. Must warn the uninitiated here, going up is more back sliding than you would think, but slow amd steady does it. Coming back down is an entirely different story. One gentleman was out of control- like a twisting ball in the bowling alley - complete with a strike at the base. He only took out one lady, skittles her flat to the ground and landed flat on his face on her back. Very fortunate that nonone was seriously hurt. 

it was safer viewing at the base behind a vehicle

An Arabian Nights evening with the Bedouins

Nothing to do for it other than pump up the tyres and make the return journey to the highway and head for the night time dinner in the Sahara Camp. Think "Outback Spectacular" here. A very similar concept. Outdoor seating for about 500 divided into three zones with three setups of buffets. Tables and chairs OR can sit on cushions in a "tent like" structure (glad we had tables and chairs.)

A night in the desert

There were mock-ups of Bedouin tents and souks and a temple. Photo ops with a falcon (@Mac didn't have enough hands to carry drinks and bags and then snap a pic), camel and Arabian horse rides and of course loads of food and entertainment. Treated to musical introduction (don't know the name of the instrument), belly dancers, fire eaters and the crazy spinning dervish of the Tanoura Dance.

Reloaded into the vehicles and completed the home journey via the highway and can't tell you how glad we were to see the lights of Dubai welcoming us back. 

What a big day. There is so much to see and do in this place but have to confess the combination of traffic and the sheer number of tourists add to the challenge of getting around and getting in to see anything. With a "vison" to transform Dubai into a tourism mecca you would definitely need way more time to "experience" all it has to offer.

Weather: 31 and it rained and hailed!

Steps: 17 698

#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise

23: Land lubbers in Dubai

   November 21: 🚢Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Land Excursion: Cultural Dubai

Reaching new heights in Dubai

Alarm whirred at 6.30 and we were away. A sort of stumbling half stupor to get us up, through the shower and dressed. We did a changed of plan, and after @Mac's final check of every cupboard and shelf and a crawl under both sides of the bed, we decided to lock up and not look back. Found our mojo as we entered La Veranda for the last time, took up our station on the outside deck, unfurled the umbrella and enjoyed one last go at the expansive breakfast bars. No breakfast is complete, without a Coffee Connection stop, and despite the hour of 7.40 am @Mac had one last Nelson (complete with the Bailey's and Frangelico) and true to form no "order" was needed - he was greeted with "THE usual?" 

Need to reset the reset to get a new non-Nelson normal when we are home. 

Time to go 

One last toilet story

Twenty-one days on board and there are still challenges. I forget to take a note of the table number for breakfast and the white auto door handles in the public reat rooms are still posing challenges for some.

@Mac opted to use an accessibility toilet this morning for his final visit pre disembarkation. Thought he had mastered it but after setting himself up in a kingly fashion on the throne, a fellow guest was in a for a surprise as he swung to door open. @Mac had "forgotten" to engage the lock from inside so the green light was inviting a next user. Everyone involved was a little surprised. Guess it could have been worse, he could have been doing his "paperwork."

The land tour awaits

So it was a good thing we were disembarking - and we were dutifully organised and wating at 8 am in the public area right at the jigsaw table and @Loraine was able to put in a few pieces as her farewell. There is already lots of action around the ship preparing her for the new onboarding of 500 + guests who arrive today.

Once "Red2" was called we were off and running - no looking back. The final goodbyes, one last scan off the ship an identification of the luggage and finally were able to clamour on board another coach which will be our transport for the three-day post cruise adventure in Dubai. @Achmed ("white bald guy from Tunisia - I'll be easy to find" - his words not mine) was our guide and he was full of information and stories although there were some limitations on what he was prepared to say because in Dubai, "the walls have ears." (his words no t=mine.).

Coach tours

Perched right up front in the first two rows we started our journey through the early morning "fog" (his words not mine) and funnily enough, the "fog" persisted all day. When @Achmed shared that the population is 10 million and that the number of cars is 33 million, a reason for the "fog" raised its ugly head but was not verbalised because "the walls have ears."

Traffic was at a crawling pace as we made our way from the port through Dubai to the neighbouring Emirate of Sharjah which won the UESCO award for being the "cultural capital of the Arab world." Green everywhere, water and harbour views, multi lane highways and buildings of every shape and size reaching into the sky. 

Bus views

Sharjah is in sharp contrast to Dubai in terms of adherence to Islamic ways and is certainly far more conservative in relation to its acceptance of liberal western views and even dress. But it still appeared all sparking and new and was referred to by Achmed as the "dormitory" city. With lifestyle restrictions in place, including no alcohol or tobacco, for the local "non-citizens" this is a cheaper alternative for accommodation and was evidenced by the proliferation of apartments and the peak hour crawl heading towards Dubai. 

It is hard to comprehend that changes that must have come into play since the 1960s discovery of oil and the 1970s emergence of the UAE. Such a transformation from small, strategically placed Arab countries that relied on fishing, pearling and stamp production to these bustling ports and commercial centres.

Two main stops in our morning adventure:

The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization: now this was a museum! Beautifully presented in a magnificent building which once housed the Souk Al Majarrah, its magnificent dome housed an intricate ceiling mosaic depicting the night sky and the signs of the zodiac. Its expansive hallways, combined with its open vaulted ceilings combined to provide the perfect nooks and crannies to display the interactive and immersive displays that whisked you through a history of Islam and the Arabian civilization. We had an hour but barely had time to make a dent on the incredible 5000 artefacts arranged by theme throughout the seven galleries of the museum including those devoted to faith, art. coins and my favourite, calligraphy.

Museum explorations

We didn't want to leave but it was back on board to then visit the Souk Al Arsa, the oldest souk in the UAE. Not really what we expected, but we have never been to a Souk so not sure how we formed our opinion. But it was a very long undercover series of stores - housed in two large parallel arms - and you traversed from one arm to the next through connecting walkways. Not a "local" market - rather a series of "shops" of the very very small "hole in the wall" type of configuration. One arm and the ground floor were almost totally devoted to "gold and silver" and its second floor was "carpets and rugs." The adjacent arm was more a mixture of fashion and tourist mementos. It was pleasant browsing, but every doorway was actively "manned" and you were encouraged, quietly and politely, to come inside to look and buy. The gold and silver section did have strong numbers of local ladies, complete in head to two dress, shopping for gold.

Souk trading

Had an hour here as well, but without much interest in a purchase for anthing mass produced, and especially anything bearing the label "made in China" we were really marking time.

And with travel time to and fro added in - that was our morning gone and it was time to eat a gain. Headed slowly back to Dubai (still in the "fog") and found ourselves a little lost as the bus driver tried to manoeuvre the oversized bus through narrow streets and endless roadworks to deliver us to the Palazzo Versace hotel for lunch. Oh my. What an eye opener. Every piece of furniture, every element of decor has been created just for this venue. It was dripping opulence and the expanse, variety and the presentation of the food had us salivating. Can't believe we have been treated like royalty for 21 days on board and we can find a new level of enthusiasm for food - but that we did.

Can it get any better?

Another short trip and it was time to line up for check-in at the JW Marriott as 500 ex Regent passengers converged on reception at the same time. Found our suite on the 33rd floor with views over Dubai Creek and up up and up in the skyline to the rocket shaped tallest building in the world Burj Khalifa.

Why not? Tyring the bath in the Marriott

After a quick shower (or bath) we reassembled in the foyer and with the help of Concierge Timothy, we had a booking for tomorrow for Burj Khalifa and were on the courtesy bus for a trip to The Dubai Mall. A mere three kms away (we could have walked) we crawled for 30 minutes through bumper to bumper beeping traffic to finally be dropped at the front doors of this jaw dropping venue.

Can't describe it - it is a must do place to experience when in Dubai. Shopping is floor after floor, wing after wing of brand name stores. Big, bright, shinney, vibrant displays of the best they have to offer teaming with customers all buying! Everyone seems to have shopping bags - we did too, but only because we bought chocolate. I got close on a new handbag!

But we were there to see the "things," The fountain, the aquarium, the ice rink, the waterfall. Bigger than big. We literally walked around mouth agape. It was head shaking incredible. And what were all these people doing here on a Monday night! Everything was well signed - plenty of walkways with loads of "side sights" to keep you busy - snapped #Tiffany for @Mindy, #TagHeur for @Michael and even found a "popup store" (plenty of potential for fidgets here) for @Anthony.

Ticked all the boxes for the "attractions" and got ourselves a second-row possie for the Bellagio inspired dancing fountain - wow, did it draw a crowd.

Found ourselves a restaurant, there were hundreds to pick from! Landed in PF Changs to lap up oversized servings of Asian food that really hit the spot!

Relocated the Courtesy Bus (glad we had arrived early because the doors closed at 9.20 as all seats were taken) and crawled our way back to JW Marriott and set the alarms for 6.30 am so that we can sneak in a little more personal time for our 3.30 pm Regent meetup in the afternoon.

Have to say that we have no idea how it happened - but somehow we managed to set the room alarm for midnight and were stumbling around - way ahead of schedule - thinking our sleep was done. These new-fangled touch control room management systems are a bit fancy - I've managed to permanently display the "Do not disturb" sign and can't turn it off .... that's a problem for the daylight hours of tomorrow.

Weather: 32 with a non clearing "fog" that seems to PEAK at PEAK hour

Steps: 16461

#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise