Eric Demay

A few cues if you’re planning a stroll through Dubai’s older neighborhood. Lonely Planet’s tip to “improvise and get lost” is a good one too.

• Take every back street alley you can. Dubai is as safe as it gets, don’t be afraid to explore: the narrower and less inviting the alley is, the better the outcome. I promise. Most of the neighborhood life is hidden in these alleys, you won’t regret the catching bakers making the pita breads, the domino game.
• Walk thought the souks. If you’re in for shopping and haggling, you’ll get you’re money’s worth. But with gold, perfume and spice souks, you’ll have more than enough to gaze and smell at.
• Walk in to the most localest of local restaurant (in an alley is best) and eat whatever the locals are eating. I got a platter of chicken biryani which I ate with my hands like everyone else. Accompanied by a sweet pudding-like dessert, it was all so deliciously authentic.
• Drink tea on the street an evening long. We had lamb kadai with oversized naan bread, then simply kept on chatting for hours on end, supplied by cups of dark milk-sweet tea. While latté will hit you at 18 dirhams (5$) at the mall, these are goodness and satisfaction for a dirham (30¢).
• Cool off with an abra (taxi boats) ride across the creek. Sun setting, fresh breeze in your hair, 1 dirham ride, joy. (Don’t worry, I’ll cover these photographically in a future post)