This our second day in Dubai and fourth day on our ambitious 21,000 mile travel adventure to visit four countries. Our plan? Go back in time and take an Abra to cross Dubai’s creek and explore the glorious Gold Souk.
Out of anything we’ve published to date, this video most closely shows how Wendy and I travel, random exploration around specific area.
More about Old Dubai
Along with Bur Dubai, Karama and Satwa, Deira is part of an area that’s locally known as ‘Old Dubai’. These areas are some of the most historic quarters of the city and home to countless iconic structures, from centuries-old gold and spice souqs to ancient forts and fortresses.
Deira is one of the oldest and most established areas of Dubai, its origins date back to the mid-1700s, where it developed along the canal called Dubai Creek. This saltwater canal separates Deira from Bur Dubai, and it allowed the area to develop in through sea trade, which is still operational today!
If a visitor needs to make their way to Old Dubai, the only way to cross should be using an Abra.
Coming from the Arabic verb ‘abara’ which means ‘to cross’, Abra’s, or more specifically the Dubai Abra is the city’s most traditional mode of transport. For centuries, it has remained one of Dubai’s most frequented modes of transport, making it the symbol of the city’s history and heritage.
Behind the scenes (possible spoilers)
If this is your first time reading a ‘closer look’ at one of our YouTube videos, watch the video before reading any further. There may be possible spoilers!
As mentioned in other posts, this trip was the first travel adventure we knew would make it onto YouTube. While there aren’t as many moments of speaking to the camera as a modern travel Vlog, even one would’ve been more than seen in any prior trips. And yes, we do plan on publishing past travel adventures, low resolutions and all!
Wendy and I were initially wary of both how we dressed (more so Wendy) and where our cameras were pointed. By Day Two and the time seen in this video, that caution was starting to slip away. This is not only seen in Wendy wearing her shorts, going against the general travel advice given to women on how they should dress while in Dubai, but also in the incredible street photography and video we captured wandering around old Dubai.
In the very beginning of the video Laurence asks why Wendy omitted to say she was wearing shorts. This refers to footage recorded earlier telling viewers what was planned for the day. We were, and quite frankly still are getting used to speaking to the camera. Sometimes it flows and works well, but this footage just didn’t fit into the cinematic flow of this video and wasn’t included.
Wendy and I had so many wonderful conversations with local residents of old Dubai, none of which was captured on camera. Sure, the salespeople staffing the shops and stalls in the various souks would bark at us as we walked past, but more often than not a friendly face would step in and help when needed, or just start a conversation. Aside from the water station, the closest this is seen in the video is the scene of Wendy photographing the cat in the Gold Souk. Two gentlemen behind the bench told us all about the cat, we talked about ours at home and had a wonderful chat for a good twenty minutes.
Finally, no amount of video can capture the intense energy on the outside streets surrounding the Gold Souk. It was electric! It was a sea of hand carts and deliveries creating an amazing energy to as we explored the different streets.
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Thank you for taking the time to join us on this travel adventure and we look forward to having you along on the next one!
