BLUE SOUK IN SHARJAH, UAE

Last weekend John and I drove to the Blue Souk in Sharjah, UAE.  Located about 45 minutes north of Dubai, Sharjah is the third largest emirate.  The Blue Souk (or Central Market) houses about 600 charming shops and is the main shopping hub of Sharjah.

The souk consists of two long buildings that are joined together with several walkways.

First of all, the buildings are air-conditioned which makes roaming through them quite enjoyable.  (Note to self: Place to visit when temps reach 120 and above!)  And they are beautiful examples of Islamic design.

The store fronts are intriguing, to say the least.

One building consists of shops selling gold jewelry, gems and rugs.....

I've always loved the rugs!  They are beautiful pieces of artwork, however, unfortunately not my style.  But I did find one that almost tempted me as it was in my favorite color!!

The other building had shops selling gifts, electronics, antiques and traditional handicrafts and clothing...

The shops and the shopkeepers where absolutely delightful....

There were tailors in the souk if you needed to have something made or repaired...

a mosque in the souk if you needed to pray...

 and, needless to say, you felt safe, very, very safe!
 

 
It was a wonderful experience and one that we will repeat someday soon!  We grabbed a bite to eat (ugh -- not so good!  We battled our food with a swarm of flies and we were eating inside!!)  and enjoyed the buildings and skyline of Sharjah on a relaxing drive back to Dubai! 
 

Blue Souk, Sharjah, UAE -- highly recommended!!

STOP TEASING ME, PLEASE!

Our building taken two days ago.

And then they disappeared AGAIN!!  Stop teasing me, PLEASE!

HEALTH UPDATE!

Hi folks, Teddy here!  Just wanted to give you a health update -- on me, of course!  Let's see, my doc assures me that my heart is sounding (and pounding) really good these days.  That had better be the case, as I am taking four pills in the morning and two pills before I hit the rack.  Geeze, I'm way too young to be popping so many pills!

But lately I've been sneezing and coughing and itching like a mad dog.  I'm beginning to think I'm allergic to Dubai!  I'm actually probably allergic to the sand that is EVERYWHERE.  And you know, living in a huge kitty litter box could prove to be problematic if indeed, I'm allergic to sand!

After several visits to the doc (thank goodness I like that place!) and two steroid shots, you are never gonna believe what the vet prescribed next.......

......would you believe he said I needed to get shaved!  You know, "buzzed" like in "skin head"!   I already survived being mortified beyond words the last (and only) time I got a haircut....oh no, no, pleeeeeeese don't post pictures of......

.....oh geeze, thanks for reminding me of one of the most embarrassing times of my life.  Anyway, a couple of days ago I was literally dragged into a grooming shop that was "highly recommended" by my new friend LuLu. And this, folks, was the result.  So, what do you think?

Yea, I'm thinkin I look pretty "hot" myself!  And I sure hope LuLu thinks so too!  Not that it's helped my itching one single bit!

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED!

I did something new the other day.....

Can you guess what it was?  Let's see, it involved buying this....

And then going here.....

You are sooooo right!  I actually picked out material from a fabric store ($11.00 US dollars for the material AND for the lining) and then took it to a tailor shop.  The tailor is charging me $48.00 US dollars to make a fully lined dress.  I took the dress I purchased recently from Ibn Battuta Mall and he is going to copy it.

OMG, if this turns out it will be soooooo much fun.  I've never had anything handmade like this before. 

Keep your fingers crossed it does turn out!  I know I am!

I HEART IBN BATTUTA MALL!

WELCOME TO IBN BATTUTA MALL!

"Ibn Battuta Mall is the world’s largest themed shopping mall. Uniquely designed to celebrate the travels of the famous Arabic explorer Ibn Battuta, the exciting mix of over 275 retailers, 50 restaurants and food outlets, 21 cinema screens including the UAE’s only IMAX theatre and a continual array of events and promotions have helped evolve and develop one of the city’s fastest growing areas." 

Lucky for us, we are living inside that growing area!   So this is what we have at our fingertips.....
 

 
Yes, I heart Ibn Battuta Mall.  And I actually found a dress there last week!  WOOHOO!!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!  WE MISS YOU ALL VERY MUCH.  ENJOY THE TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.  LOVE,  JOHN & DEEDS