Dubai

This whole exchange has passed by really fast. Just 6 months ago, I was at the same airport, Dubai Terminal 3, waiting for my flight to Rome, but this time round it is homebound. Well, all good things must come to an end sometime and here is where I steer my ship towards home.

Well, I don’t normally blog so promptly but this time, my flight was delayed by 2 hours due to heavy fog. Yea heavy fog in the desert, can you believe it! The flight was grounded for 2 hours and there’s nothing much to do on a plane with movies which im not really interested in. Well, don’t get me wrong, the movie selection is great, but its either I’ve watched it or it doesn’t appeal to me. The wonders of the internet nowadays eh? Can’t really take long naps too, have to try and tahan the journey back with minimal sleep so I can reset my body clock and not suffer too much jet lag back home.

the fog that grounded us for 2 hours

time to start blogging!

Dubai is really a wonderful city. 15 years ago, it consisted of a few buildings in the desert but now, it has been transformed into an oasis of the desert with 17 of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. But somehow, you do not sense the feeling of awe when standing infront of city unlike staring into the skyline of New York or hong kong because there’s just too much space. But Dubai really amplifies the power of money. Many say Dubai is Vegas, just without the Casinos and I think its true! Everything is fancy all round the city, from downtown Dubai where there’s the Burj Kalifa (tallest building in the world), the huge ass Dubai Mall where you can find almost everything and the many posh hotels around the area to the luxurious beach side area called Jumeirah where the world’s only 7 start hotel, the Burj Al Arab (the sail) is located. I’ve also never seen so many luxurious and expansive cars in such a small area my whole life. Driving down the roads or passing by car parks, you’ll  be able to spot many high end American and European cars every few meters!

The view of the Burj Kalifa from where i stayed

The aquarium in Dubai Mall

However, amidst all this glitz and glamor, it’s nice to make your way down to the Satwa and Karama area, the cheaper part of town where you can find where most of the immigrants that helped build up this lavish city. You’ll find the Indians, Pakistani, Indonesians, Filipinos and the other minority races here. But what so special about this place is that after all those posh and expansive stuff downtown, you’ll find this place rather humble and have much to offer, especially the food.

food at Ravis! all for 90 dhm

But, now, let us not forget the past. Bur Dubai offers the rich heritage of Dubai with many markets around the area, known locally as the Souks. Here we find the gold, spice and textile markets. Somehow, it doesn’t intrigue as much as it does to the Europeans but it reminded me of the origin of the similar things we have in Singapore. Kind of touristy, but I recommend a walk through this place to soak in the atmosphere as well as to appreciate the old Moorish/byzantine architecture that surrounds the whole area. Do take the abra (small ferry boat) for 1 AED across the river and visit the architectural center and Dubai museum.

taking the abra across the river

old town

18 Dec was the day I departed Glasgow and it was quite a hectic day. I spent the morning cramming for what turned out as an extremely easy exam (walked out of the examination within 20mins, true story) and spent the rest of the day doing last minute packing and getting emotional about leaving before drinking and talking cock with our flat mates and those who came to send us off. Since I hadn’t got much quality sleep for the past 2 weeks studying for the exams I thought I could get some on the plane. But nuuuu (Scottish ascent), I had to finish an assignment onboard the plane and a baby cry throughout the course of the 7hr+ flight, Leaving me exhausted by the time I arrived at my sister’s place in Dubai. It was a miracle that my baggage did not exceed too! To make things worst, customs at Dubai was highly inefficient that makes you doubt that it’s a city that thrives on foreign business where the population of expatriates outnumbers the locals.

us infront of the Burj Kalifa at the Palace Hotel

So 2 hours after touching down, we finally got our asses out of the airport and by the time I reached my sister’s place, we were all drained. It was good to meet my parents there though, but was too tired to go out in the afternoon thanks to the lack of sleep on the flight. But the day was not lost, had dinner with my parents at Al Messa, a Lebanese restaurant in downtown Dubai before heading out to the mall and watching the new year water fountain show in front of the Burj Kalifa.  Dubai mall is super giantgantic mall. If you thought vivocity was big, this would swallow that as an appetizer. It has every store you can think of, from the posh brands to the normal street brands. It has an ice ring, an indoor sega theme park and even a big aquarium which houses many species of fishes, rays and sharks! The water show was not too bad, but if you do go, remember to go to the view point on the bridge 10-15min earlier to ensure that you get a unrestricted view of the show.

new year fountain show

The next day, we explored the older part of Dubai and searched from some good food. Ravis located at Satwa Road is a must try. I recommend their special biryani, chicken jalfreezi, dahl and ginger mutton curry. To get there, just hail a cab and tell them Ravis at Satwa and they’ll definitely know the place. Oh and, cabs here are pretty cheap. If you’re in a group of 3-4, it makes travelling in a cab even cheaper and more convenient. We practically cabbed everywhere. If you’re looking for more food, you can try Erics restaurant at Karama, ask for recommendations on their menu.

I think catching an Arabian sunset is a must here in the Middle East and what better way to do it is at 360 degree bar. Take a cab to Jumeirah Beach Hotel and walk down towards to beach and to the end of the pier where the bar is located. It offers a great view of the sunset over the palm island in the horizon backed against the Burj Al Arab.  Happy hour deals apply during that time and why not relax on the comfy lounge chairs with a passion fruit mojito, a perfect way to enjoy the sunset in style.

Sunset over the horizon at 360 Bar

 360 Bar

Before leaving the desert city, we had to do 1 last touristy thing. And when I say that, it is really touristy and it is to go on a desert Safari. I opted for an quad bike safari instead of the usual dune bashing with sand trax tours. While researching, I was rather worried that the driver would not turn up based on the trip advisor ratings for many companies but to my pleasant surprise that did not happen and the driver actually texted me before his arrival! It was rather fun, but the camp part was rather touristy with the camel rides, bbq and dance performances. Paid 550 AED for that. Haha but for our journey back, we took the hummer with an impressive 6.1l engine!

out in the desert with our Quad bikes and our guide Ticku

cheap thrills with the camel rides

The setting sun

 Falcon

Traditional Dance performance

But all good things must come to an end yea. Really enjoyed the food here. I think 2-3 days is a comfortable stopover for Dubai, and if I were to come back here, I’ll probably come back for diving.

Cheers