After a couple of days from our Gold Souk visit, we landed with an unplanned visit to the Central Souk and Lagoon located in Sharjah.
As my mother was fasting on that day, we did not intend going out that day and hence the unplanned visit. She decided to have some fresh fruits on way/destination and thus the plan was made. We started from our house around 9 am and reached the Central Souk in about 30 minutes.
Traveling from our house to Central souk was again done in the local transport like in past. We had figured out all the routes the bus goes to and were quite confident now in traveling at ease. The bus passed through King Abdul Aziz street and then we got off near the central park. Within the bus there is a screen which displays the current street address through which the bus passes. This helped us in identifying where to get down and not miss the stop.
After we got down from the bus, we looked around to absorb the surrounding and the location. There was a huge well maintained park right in the middle where children were playing. Exploring the other places, we reached the Central souk around 11:00 am.
The mall was constructed 30 years ago in the traditional Arabic style. During its times, it would have help its ground and the envy of any state owning such a structure offering various shopping outlets. The souk is created in a “#” shape if seen from the top view. The mall is on either side of a road and the connection is through an overhead bridge on the road.
The first floor of entire mall had shops generally for collectibles, souvenirs and alike. One end of the mall had multiple shops lined selling only carpets and rugs. This was an amazing place and the choices on offer are out of the world. You can find a carpet which suits your pocket. There is a high probability that you will like something which is beyond comprehension. The one which we both liked was priced at USD 350,000 which is way out of my pocket at least!
We were starting to feel hungry by this time. It is customary in Sharjah that the shops will remain closed from 2 pm to 4 pm. We came out of the mall to see the lagoon close by. After walking a few meters we were on a cornice road around the lagoon. It was a bright day and the water was sparkling reflecting rays in all directions. We sat in the park around the lagoon which was very well maintained and lush green in outlook.
The city scape in the backdrop was giving the lagoon a nice appeal. People were sitting on the benches placed around and children were enjoying themselves in park. We walked around the lagoon for a distance only to feel more hungry and returning back home.
It was around 3 pm now and we headed to the bus stop to catch the return bus to our house. Right opposite the stop was a pure vegetarian restaurant which was the best thing we could find. We were one of the last person to enter the restaurant due to the timings of afternoon. I ordered for a full meal which was sufficient enough for me to skip the dinner. My mom just had a glass of juice to energize her.
Another exploring day came to an end and we enjoyed it thoroughly. It were these different environments and experiences which were keeping our exploratory instincts on a high all throughout the trip. In the coming few more posts related to my trip to UAE, you will see more instances of this exploratory skills. I still have about 2 more week of time left with me in the city scape of UAE.
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