after a leisurely breakfast courtesy of the 24hour Carrefour minimart across the road we set off to meet Angharad's friend Linda. unfortunately our taxi driver didn't know where we were going and it was only after a few phone calls that we met up by a metro station. we drove to the start point for the big bus tour of the old city which took us around the old city. it was quite a surprise to see a few narrow streets after all the dual carriageways. our first stop was the old fort (17th cent) which had a fascinating recreation of the city in the early 1950's underground. next was a heritage village wher we had lunch by the side of Dubai creek. then a visit to a former sheik's house which had an interesting collection of coins and stamps used over the last 200 years; first from the east India company,then British India,followed by India until their own in the 1960's. the bus then took us under the creek to Deira,one of the original 3 settlements on the creek. it's very much a working port and dhows were being loaded up with washing machines and fridges for export across to Iran,India,Pakistan,Bangladesh and round to the East African coast. trade routes in use for hundreds of years. here we took a cruise up the creek with great views of the river traffic and the skyscrapers on the horizon.