Category Archives: vacation

If it’s Wednesday, it must be time to shop. And Ursula loves shopping for precious stones and gold. We hit souks (marketplaces) in Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, and now it was time to hit Dubai’s Gold Souk. Continuing north from Burj Khalifa Metro Station, exit the light rail at Al Ras Metro Station. From there it’s about a seven-minute walk.

Prepare to be amazed when you arrive. The shops selling gold, expensive watches, and other luxury items seem to stretch forever:

And don’t worry about the Sun. You’ll be walking beneath shade. The temperatures may be warm, but the shops run air conditioning.

Gold sold here comes in basically four flavors — 24K, 22K, 21K, and 18K. Gold for bracelets, rings, and other pieces subject to dings, squishing, and other abuse generally come in the 18-to-21K range. Here’s a 21K bangle that I finally managed to talk Ursula into letting me acquire for her after I insisted we return (twice) to the store selling it:

Gold pieces intended for more formal wear or slated to become family heirlooms tend toward 22K and 24K, such as:

But I have trouble distinguishing anything 21K and above. This 21K piece is an example as to why:

Friday ends this series of articles that began way back on 8 July with a transatlantic cruise Spain and continued onwards with flights to Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. I hope you enjoyed the journey. But let’s continue for now with more shopping at Dubai’s Gold Souk:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)