On Sunday, I foolishly mentioned that though it was hot here, it wasn't particularly humid. Yesterday evening, when we went out for an extra little walk, we found that had all changed. It was not only hot, but sticky as...

This morning, too, the weather was brutally hot and humid. Which definitely affected the day.

We took the underpass to the other side of the river, where the very attractive Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood is found. This is a bit of old Dubai that was rescued from demolition in the 1980s, and was the focus of a major restoration effort in the mid-2000s.

It's very photogenic, and we would have definitely spent much longer there, had it not been for this overwhelming heat (pronounced "dangerous" by a number of sources).






After a brief stroll, we scuttled to the first available coffee shop, cooled off for a while, and then took an abra (one ride costs just one dirham each) back to the other side:





And then, through the souks to the Museum of the Poet Al Oqaili:


Born in 1875 in the Al-Ahsa region of what is now Saudi Arabia, Al Oqaili, after several spells in Ottoman prisons on account of false accusations, settled in Dubai in 1906. In 1923, he built a house in Al-Ras, Deira (the one that is now the museum). It became a meeting place for those interested in philosophy, science, and literature. Al Oqaili died here in 1954, at the age of 81.

His life and work are interesting:






But perhaps even more fascinating is the house itself, now beautifully restored, and full of nooks and crannies:







Finally, back through the hot streets to our cool, cool hotel...



So, a slightly truncated day. But what we did manage to do was enjoyable, and made a good contrast with yesterday.