Netherlands & Scandinavia

Today we headed to Sharjah in the morning for a heritage and cultural tour. It was already 40 degrees at 9am, lucky we were in air conditioning for much of the morning.

We visited the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation which was very interested, we got an insight into the Muslim religion and also learnt about the history of Islam in the fields of science, astrology, arts and architecture. Islam has more than 1.4 billion believers which is roughly one fifth of the worlds population and is also the worlds fastest growing religion. The word 'Islam' means 'submission or surrender to the will of Allah'. A Muslims faith rests on 'The Six Pillars of Inman (faith)'. They are the belief in Allah, in his angels, in his released scriptures, in his messengers, the day of judgement and the resurrection and divine predestination, hmmm, sounds very similar to Christianity.

We also visited the Sharjah Heritage Museum and learnt about the history, customs and culture if the people of Sharjah and the UAE. The tour also included some photo stop opportunities at a couple of mosques as well as visited some souks. We enjoyed the tour and in particular gaining further insight into the Muslim religion, I find the history of religions, cultures, civilisations and ideas to be fascinating and just wish people were more tolerant of others and willing to learn from other cultures and religions instead of the prevailing bigotry that some people seem to want to foster.

Anyway, we got back to the hotel a bit after midday and decided to have a few hours sleep given we didn't get a lot last night. It was also extremely hot so we didn't really want to be outside. However later in the afternoon we decided to grab a taxi and head to the Dubai Mall. Whilst I'm not one for shopping malls I did enjoying wandering around this one. Not only due to the air conditioning but the people watching was great and a distinct contrast to the faces we have been seeing in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. I love all the different types of dress here and particularly am intrigued by the women in the burqas. Maybe it's the dress and face covering that accentuates their eyes but these woman generally all have beautiful eyes.

While at the mall we did a bit of shopping and also watched the fountain show in front of the Burj Khalifa which was quite impressive. Looking up at the Burj Khalifa is also something to behold and I can't believe they are planning to build an even taller building. After the show we enjoyed some decadent chocolate dishes at a restaurant next to the ice rink. They were delicious. When we left the mall at 8pm it was already dark outside, this is a bit of a novelty for us given our days for the last month have been so long and we've hardly seen any night time.

The only thing that I don't enjoy in Dubai is the the hot weather, but we'll have to grin and bear it tomorrow as we are spending the day in Abu Dhabi and I'm really looking forward to learning more about this fascinating region. Tomorrow is also our last day on holiday so our epic adventure is coming to an end.Lue lisää