Old town snaps

For me, Dubai is a land of skyscrapers. Of glass and steel and marble. It's a place where you can injure yourself from craning your neck skyward and your jaw hitting the ground in wonder. In Dubai, bigger is always better and it's shiny all the way.

So, occasionally, it's nice to step back in time and see what this city was once like. Before oil. Before money. Before bling. There is a little pocket along the creek in Bur Dubai called Bastikiya. A fore-thinking Brit architect helped to save and preserve this area from bulldozers many years ago, and thank goodness for that. It's such a treat and pleasure to see what this once humble town was like.

Yesterday, I took our mums (and our kids) to wander the maze of tiny alleys and explore the heady scent of the spice shops, the colours of the art galleries and the exotic trinket stalls. Then we took in a traditional Emirati lunch and a talk by some Emirati people, sharing their culture and take on the world.

The winter sun had a bite, but the shade of buildings were goosebump cool. The light and shadow was very dramatic, just like the temperatures between the two. It was quiet and peaceful, contrasted by the bustle of the city nearby.

Light and shade.