Cela roams around: Dubai behind green eyes

For the first couple of days I did not see anything in Dubai except airport where I've arrived, my hotel, office and road between all mentioned. It does not mean that I did not want to. I just did not have time to. And if I'd have time later in the evening I was too tired to go anywhere, especially that I wanted to do my sports. Obvious.
So the first thing that I saw outside, was 360 bar, which is located on a long, curved pier and gives magical view over Burj ar-Arab, unfortunately I gig not have my camera with me there. I also did not take my id with me which was kinda problem but in the end after a lot of smiles from me and Diti (Indian colleague who seems like soul mate in respect to parties) and telling him what year I was born and how old I am, bouncer let me finally in.
When we were entering there I've spotted swimming pool. 25 meters swimming pool in Dubai is rather uncommon thing. So I was amazed and decided that I've got to get in there and do my swimming there, as in Grand Millennium there is only 14 meters. On my first day off I've tried to go swimming there. But forget it. Entrance costs 250 Dh. And I've tried to enter it from three different entrances with three different people watching gates. There was not way to sneak in. I was soooo disappointed, that I went back home and went running with my colleagues. At least that was something that made my mood better, as I did not expect that there are such a nice places to run. Of course there are no parks (don't forget that Dubai is an artificial city on the desert), but there are some closed districts with nice pavements, not too many cars and some artificial lakes and some grass, so it's ok to do your training. The only problem was heat. After about 8 km and half a liter of water that I drunk during the run I had to stop cause I got dizzy. And it's winter. How it's gonna be during the summer? I bet that it'll even be too hot during the night to do anything outside, sit even, not mentioning any activities involving movement.
Yesterday we went to have food in the "old city". So we took a subway, which in fact is rather like a sky train, than we walked to see Deira Gold Souq and Deira Spice Souq where I had to talk to some shop assistants. I just love it to talk to random people who try to sell you something. He explained me what is what and for example showed me different kinds of cinnamon and dried sun flower petals. And to my surprise he said that they eat it with bread. I did not have time to ask if they prepare it somehow as guys were waiting for me and I was constantly slowing down the whole trip taking photos and entering stores.
Next we took abra - traditional wooden water taxi to cross Dubai Creek and finally we went to have food. That one was delicious in one of the Indian restaurants - Mumtaz Mahal. Name of thew restaurant comes from a name of a third wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who build Taj Mahal in memory of her and it's a symbol of eternal love.
Food was amazing, I had lamb with spinach spiced with cardamon and mint. It was called gosth something. I can guess that gosth means lamb in Hindu. Maybe Saagwala gohst? Just delicious. My mouth waters, when I write about it now, when I've long forgotten about that pseudo dinner that I had today.
Last part of the evening was to empty some bottles that me and Diti had. How strange it is that girls have them and guys did not have any?
Did I already mentioned that world is small and that there are people who you meet over and over in different places and situations? I guess I did. But now I should repeat it. There was a girl who sold me her flat about 3 years ago. We were in touch sometimes. When she was still in Warsaw I was at her hen's night and maybe even there was something at the back of my head that she moved out to Emirates, but that was such a long time ago that I was not expecting her to still be here. At least not in Dubai. But she was and she still is. In fact first she was living with her husband in Abu Dhabi, but in June they moved into Dubai. And accidentally she saw status on my gtalk, where I've written down my Dubai mobile number. She wrote to me and we met today. She was my private tour guide in Dubai, as she went here for the first time on order to write a guide book for Pascal about Emirates and Oman. We've spent really cool afternoon constantly talking (somehow from the first time when I met her we were always talking and talking and talking) and she's showed me most of the "must sees" in Dubai, which is not too difficult during one afternoon,as there is not much to be seen in here. But now comes the best: she studied Spanish philology and my idea was........ "So maybe you would like to give me Spanish classes two times a week?". So soon I'll have to find unoccupied 2 or 3 hours (bearing in mind time to commute even more) which will be a challenge, as I even have problems to find time for doing my sports, but Spanish is my biggest dream and I'm gonna start making it true again after I had to quit my classes in Sin Fronteras. At least there will be something to wait for (except sport) what I'll do after work in this city which I must honestly say don't like and work which is not short hours at all.

Grand Millennium seen from the Belgian Beer Bar

Belgian Beer Bar in Grand Millennium Hotel

View from 18th floor of a hotel. This is the view when you swim in a hotel, 14 m long swimming pool. In the end I've manage to do some laps there. It was more turning there and back, but there was a little bit of swimming too.