Up on cripple creek

3. Deira Dubai
8:55 p.m.

"The creek divides Dubai into two parts - Deira Dubai and Bur Dubai. The creek is 14 Kms long. It now has eight wharfages each capable of catering to 31 ships of capacity of up to 800 tonnes. Around 720,000 tonnes of cargo pass through the creek each year. Only wooden ships are allowed to enter the creek to keep its traditional feature.

An imaginative way of seeing Dubai is to take a tour of the creek by traditional wooden dhow or cabin cruiser. Most of the major landmarks can be seen from the waterway. Daytime or evening cruises are available with food and beverages on board." [Datadubai, the Dubai guide resource]

I'm not quite sure that seeing Dubai from the Creek is "an imaginative way" of experiencing the city, although you can tell yourself that if it makes you feel "adventurous". Nonetheless, one evening, post work and spice-souk bargaining, I found myself fully suited and seated on a surprisingly sturdy dhow. I had (embarrassingly) thought that toting my $800 Longchamp bag (courtsey of Cousin Wendy, Longchamp employee) to Dubai would be appropriate for this town, momentarily ignoring my own style (or lackthereof) and the fact that I am not a $800 bag kind of girl. My packing errors made themselves known when I climbed aboard the dhow in my heels and designer (fine, Macy's) suit. I sat down on the wooden seat next to an Indian man, probably my age, playing pool on his cell phone. The rest of the dhow was filled with workers who probably make $800 combined in one year. The ride was pleasant, pool games were won, the city looked beautiful, fellow boaters looked exhausted, and then a cockroach fell in my longchamp bag. I pretended this was completely normal. Then I paid my ten cents fare (mas or menos), alighted (british) the dhow and got in a mercedes taxi for my return journey to the novotel.

The guilt and confusion of these mis-matched worlds is with me all of the time and I don't know how to reconcile them.

Epilogue: I think the cockroach (Feivel) realized longchamp was not his style either; although I liked the idea (just the idea) that Feivel could experience the Novotel