further – be adamant. Listen for the cries
of hucksters hawking pirated movies. The
municipality seems to look the other way.
r yal o saffron SpiCeS
Map p 210 ( stakia Souq) ba This place is
easy to find, just around the corner from
Majlis Gallery – or follow the wafting smell
of burning bachoor (incense). This tiny
shop is crammed full of fresh spices like
cloves, cardamom and cinnamon, plus fra-
grant oils, dried fruits and nuts, frankin-
cense from Somalia and Oman, henna hair
dye – and quirky salt and pepper sheikh
and sheikhas.
s Wonders liK Sou VenirS
Map p 210 ( heryat Mall, at al-Fahidi St) Located
across from the Dubai Museum, this is just
one of a pick ‘n’ mix selection of stores on
the mall’s ground level that sells inexpen-
sive clothes, shawls, accessories and dust
collectors – including ornaments from In-
dia and Iranian carved boxes. It’s also good
for cheap T-shirts for family back home,
and for sequinned bedspreads and woven
silk-and-wool rugs to blitz your hand lug-
gage allowance.
b naG & olufson e e T lCroniCS
Map p 210 (www.burjuman.com; burJuman
Centre; cnr khalid bin al-Waleed & Sheikh khalifa
bin Zayed rds) State-of-the-art and sophis-
ticated electronics with sleek unobtrusive
designs that work equally well in a mini-
malist New York penthouse as in a full-on
family-sized villa.
2 SportS &
activitiESp araohs’ h club GyM
Map p 214 (%04-324 0000; http://www.wafi.com; Wafi
Mall, Sheikh rashid rd; classes Dh38-62, gym
per day Dh200, pool per day Dh130; h6.30am-
10.15pm Sat-Thu, 9am-9pm Fri; c) This is the
closest you’ll find to an LA-style club, with
some serious weight-lifting equipment
(including 100lb dumb-bells), a superb
climbing wall (the highest in the region at
a dizzy 13.5m) and various fitness classes.
The best amenity is the enormous, free-
form ‘lazy-river’ rooftop swimming pool,
which is available for one-day drop-ins and
is great for kids.f ess iTn firsT GyM
Map p 210 (www.fitnessfirstme.com; burJuman
Centre, cnr khalid bin al-Waleed & Sheikh kha-
lifa bin Zayed rds; day pass Dh100; h6am-11pm)
This huge global chain has eight massive
branches in Dubai with state-of-the-art
cardio equipment, a great line-up of classes
from Body Pump and Spinning to Pilates
and kick-boxing, and a full complement of
free weights. Some also have swimming
pools and gender-segregated sauna and
steam rooms. On-site trainers help you tone
your muscles. Aside from the Bur Juman
Centre, handy branches are at Dubai Fes-
tival City (p61), Dubai International Fi-
nancial Centre (Map p216) and Ibn Battuta
Mall (p106).c icr KeT craZyThe enormous Indian and Pakistani communities in Dubai l-o-v-e cricket� You’ll see
them playing on sandy lots between buildings during their lunch breaks, in parks on
their days off, and late at night in empty car parks� In contrast, you won’t see Emiratis
playing: cricket in Dubai belongs to the subcontinental nationalities� If you want to
get under the skin of the game, talk to taxi drivers – you can be sure most of them
have posters of their favourite players taped to their bedroom walls� But first ask
where your driver is from – there’s disdain between Pakistanis and Indians� Each will
tell you that his country’s team is the best, and then explain at length why� (Some
drivers need a bit of cajoling; show enthusiasm and you’ll get the whole story�) When
Pakistan plays India, the city lights up� Remember: these two nationalities account
for about 45% of Dubai’s population, far outnumbering Emiratis� Because most of
them can’t afford the price of satellite Tv, they meet up outside their local eateries in
Deira or Bur Dubai to watch the match� Throngs of riveted fans swarm the pavements
beneath the crackling neon – it’s a sight to behold� Football is the Emirati’s game (for
more information, see p45)�b
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