Dirt Cheap Ideas for Weekend's

With a global recession playing full house and a depression that might be around the corner, money spend should be some money well spend. To all the millionaires and luxury freaks snubbed by the insignificance of the amounts mentioned, it will be a great idea to spend less money for a change. Everyone is looking at optimizing, leveraging and cost cutting in professional lives and we are not far from implementing this in our personal lives too. Like one of my great friend says "Maximum Enjoyment with Minimum Investment", so without further ado

1. Spend a day at the dubai library (not advisable to anyone who gets a migraine when near a book) spotted at various locations but never bothered to enter, free reading, cheap Internet browsing (only AED 3/Hour). You can go through all those expensive magazines like Fortune, Forbes, Newsweek, National Geographic etc. for free. Another surprise is that a five year membership with unlimited Internet access only costs 215 dhs and borrowing charges are free till 14 days (it can't get cheaper than this).

2. Watch a movie at the Plaza in Bur Dubai, the last place to watch a movie forOnly 20 Dhs, no they dont play old movies and yes they do have wide cushioned seats. The best thing about this place is its location, set between the bustling crowd of Meena Bazar on one side and the Creek abra riding commuters on the other, crowded but very interesting.

3. Take the abra ( a small wooden boat charting people from one side of the creek to other) from Sabka to Burdubai, costs only 1 Dhs per ride lasting10-12 Min's per ride. There is a great eatery galley (a small street) which serves hot samosas, kachories and spicy chilly fries (5 Dhs, Full Stomach), gulp it down with a fresh lemon juice (3 Dhs) and take a stroll on the walkways along the abra. This is a short term course on Dubai history, this is where it all started, the tallest tower, the biggest island what and what not. Ride an abra back or walk through the secluded Shindagha walk way under the creek.

4. Walk into the historical Iranian Market in Al Ras and bargain with (you don't have to buy) the smart and cunning traders out there, it is a great learning experience and a beginners exercise on the basics of negotiation. Don't be mistaken by the size of their shops or the state of their clothes, most of these shops ship a container or two in a day (see it to believe it). There is a secluded juice shop on the creek side near the gold souq abra which serves great refreshments at really cheap prices. Try out the Iranian falooda (very different and tasty) (only AED 5) and the most mind boggling Lassi (only AED 3) for quenching your thirst.

5. Park your car (for a Change) and Walk into Ghubaiba or Gold Souq Bus Station and board a random bus and travel to its last stop (try out the new fancy double Decker bus or the trailer Bus). Make it more interesting by buying some snacks and drinks for the journey, when you are travelling without any time constraints and deadly deadline's it can be very enjoyable. The round trip, parking charges, refreshments will cost you nothing more than 15 dhs for spending a minimum of 3 hrs. This idea might sound really absurd and silly but believe me you will feel really relaxed and revived after a journey like this, travelling without knowing the destination and unaffected by time constraints.

I know there are lot of you who don't agree with any of these, whose idea of a weekend is galaxies away, but it can be a great experience to live as a simpleton for a day or two. There might be some very interesting ideas out there, please let me know about them.