Once upon a time I told you how shopping in the US and Rwanda were very different. Now I’m here to tell you how shopping in Rwanda and Dubai are very similar. There are great little shops and markets (souks) all throughout Dubai where you are expected to bargain for a good price. You can get anything from spices to electronics to Pashminas to gold at really good prices. You just have to have some bargaining skills. Anna has those. If you ever want to bargain for a good deal, I’d suggest bringing Anna along.
Another similarity in these shopping experiences is the people who come out of the woodwork to offer you their goods. In Rwanda you never have a clue what’s coming… a wallet, some rope, apples, maps, pots, sunglasses… In Dubai, you know exactly what’s coming. Pashmina, handbags, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, watches, sunglasses… I did get a Pashmina and a “Chanel” watch, but typically my response to these guys was the same as my response to the Rwandan peddlers (only in English rather than Kinyarwanda).
While shopping in the streets of Dubai is practically the same as shopping in the streets of Rwanda, the shopping malls that Dubai are known for are COMPLETELY different. Instead of the fake handbags, watches, and sunglasses, they have the real deal. You walk through the mall and see Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Chanel, along with hundreds of other stores I’ve never heard of. There are literally 14 shopping malls, the largest of which has something like 1200 stores. One has an indoor ski slope. One has an aquarium (where you can pay to scuba dive). All of them have more stores and restaurants than you can shake a stick at. I could afford only GAP, H&M, Forever21, and the sales racks at that…and McDonald’s. You could spend days perusing the malls and still miss ¾ of the stores. It is quite an experience and one that you can’t miss if you go to Dubai.
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