One of the 7 Emirates, Dubai is quite a marvel...This Middle Eastern city has risen out of the sand, quite literally. I kept staring at the expansive spaces that were being constructed upon in disbelief. Tons and tons of sand.... Whoever decided to build Dubai up out of a desert must have had supreme vision.
This vision has also resulted in the creation of man-made islands, such as the palm and world islands, constructed right off the coast. Located on the Arabian Peninsula looking out towards the Persian Gulf, Dubai boasts a high standard of living - you can see the money oozing from every street corner; talk about incredible people watching. Chaaaa-ching!
Exploring the City....
One of the greatest perks of traveling alone is that you have absolutely no schedule whatsoever and you are more free to talk to anyone you come across. Thus, I did a lot of walking and talking around Dubai; most likely in a very unconventional manner. No, correction: definitely in an unconventional manner. In one medina (traditional shopping center) I retraced my steps back and forth more than I would like to admit.
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There I met a handful of workers, the majority Filipino, and an American expat living in Bangkok who was visiting Dubai while her husband was at a conference.
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Afterwards, I walked along the street to the beach where I sat down and had some good quality time with The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
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Afterwards, I walked along one of the main boulevards and popped in to a local Middle Eastern cafe where the female count was a whopping zero. Despite all the stares I received as I walked out with my shawarma, I enjoyed every last bit of it (the food in Dubai is spectacular).
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I ended my tour by going to the Dubai Mall to watch the world's largest synchronized water fountain show, which was HUGE.
Dubai also boasts the world's first 7-star hotel [I know, right?! What does that even mean?!] and the world's tallest building (the Burj Khalifa).
The malls have everything you could ever hope for from amusement parks to aquariums to high-end stores. My favorite part of the malls was the people; especially walking past women wearing the traditional head to toe burkas. Although you can only see their eyes, you can see their wealth from their perfectly waxed eyebrows to designer sunglasses and handbags.
Snowboarding in the Mall...
What better place to learn how to snowboard than in a mall in the Middle East? My thoughts exactly. Thanks to a stroke of luck, my group lesson at Ski Dubai turned into just me and the instructor! Score. My instructor was incredibly great and by end (and mannnnnny falls later) I was snowboarding down a small slope. Woooohoooo!
Dubai with Friends...
During my summers at Deloitte, one of my mentors and friends, Payal, and I had a lot of time to get to know each other. And guess where she grew up? You guessed it! Dubai. My favorite part of Dubai was definitely spending time with Payal's parents. They really showed me what it's like to be a local.
One night we had drinks on the rooftop of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which has sweeping views of downtown and the 7-star hotel, the Burj Arab.
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We ate delicious Middle Eastern food and they told me their stories of how they moved from India to Dubai in their 20's. They were a blast; it's always so wonderful to meet someone's parents - all their mannerisms, sayings, and personality can be found in them. I love it.
Another night they took me to a club in the basement of the Fairmont called Cirque du Soleil: Dubai. I've never been to a more hip club in my life. There were jokers swinging from trapeze swings, women in flapper outfits dancing on stilts, performers in full-body ninja suits doing human acrobatics, and so much more. Later on in the night they had a show in the back of the club where they each performed, which included loads of fire, juggling, and sparks: a crowd-winning combo.
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Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Bhatia for being the world's most incredible hosts!
Etc...
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This vision has also resulted in the creation of man-made islands, such as the palm and world islands, constructed right off the coast. Located on the Arabian Peninsula looking out towards the Persian Gulf, Dubai boasts a high standard of living - you can see the money oozing from every street corner; talk about incredible people watching. Chaaaa-ching!
Exploring the City....
One of the greatest perks of traveling alone is that you have absolutely no schedule whatsoever and you are more free to talk to anyone you come across. Thus, I did a lot of walking and talking around Dubai; most likely in a very unconventional manner. No, correction: definitely in an unconventional manner. In one medina (traditional shopping center) I retraced my steps back and forth more than I would like to admit.
-003.jpg)
There I met a handful of workers, the majority Filipino, and an American expat living in Bangkok who was visiting Dubai while her husband was at a conference.
-004.jpg)
Afterwards, I walked along the street to the beach where I sat down and had some good quality time with The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
-005.jpg)
Afterwards, I walked along one of the main boulevards and popped in to a local Middle Eastern cafe where the female count was a whopping zero. Despite all the stares I received as I walked out with my shawarma, I enjoyed every last bit of it (the food in Dubai is spectacular).
.jpg)
I ended my tour by going to the Dubai Mall to watch the world's largest synchronized water fountain show, which was HUGE.
Dubai also boasts the world's first 7-star hotel [I know, right?! What does that even mean?!] and the world's tallest building (the Burj Khalifa).
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| The Burj Khalifa |
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| Inside the Mall of Emirates |
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| Art installation inside the Dubai Mall. |
What better place to learn how to snowboard than in a mall in the Middle East? My thoughts exactly. Thanks to a stroke of luck, my group lesson at Ski Dubai turned into just me and the instructor! Score. My instructor was incredibly great and by end (and mannnnnny falls later) I was snowboarding down a small slope. Woooohoooo!
Dubai with Friends...
During my summers at Deloitte, one of my mentors and friends, Payal, and I had a lot of time to get to know each other. And guess where she grew up? You guessed it! Dubai. My favorite part of Dubai was definitely spending time with Payal's parents. They really showed me what it's like to be a local.
One night we had drinks on the rooftop of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which has sweeping views of downtown and the 7-star hotel, the Burj Arab.
-007.jpg)
We ate delicious Middle Eastern food and they told me their stories of how they moved from India to Dubai in their 20's. They were a blast; it's always so wonderful to meet someone's parents - all their mannerisms, sayings, and personality can be found in them. I love it.
Another night they took me to a club in the basement of the Fairmont called Cirque du Soleil: Dubai. I've never been to a more hip club in my life. There were jokers swinging from trapeze swings, women in flapper outfits dancing on stilts, performers in full-body ninja suits doing human acrobatics, and so much more. Later on in the night they had a show in the back of the club where they each performed, which included loads of fire, juggling, and sparks: a crowd-winning combo.
 |
| With Mrs. Bhatia and Harjeet, Payal's cousin. |
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Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Bhatia for being the world's most incredible hosts!
Etc...
- There is a big nanny culture in the city; there were so many babies being pushed in strollers in the malls by Filipina nannies even when the babies' mothers were accompanying them: cash moneyz.
- At one point, Dubai held in its presence 1/3 of the world's cranes. It's quite astonishing to see such massive pieces of land in the heart of the city being constructed upon. It is quite evident that this city is still in the process of rising to its grandeur.
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- The Call to Prayer is absolutely gorgeous, even when you are inside a mall.
- Heading in to town on the city's metro line was quite an experience. For all I could tell, the backpacker census in all of Dubai was 1: me, myself, and I.
- If you're a young girl traveling alone everyone thinks you're crazy. The hotel staff couldn't believe that I was in Dubai alone. A common question I received was: "aren't you scared?" It was quite adorable really.
Off to Rio de Janeiro!!! :D
