*Disclaimer: This is a long post due to the fact that I couldn't narrow down my photos!
We just got back yesterday from an amazing trip...4 days in Dubai, 3 days in Cairo! It was really a once in a lifetime trip that living in Uganda allowed us to do, since traveling to the Middle East from home is so much more expensive. Previously, Dubai was our "we'd love to go but know we never will" vacation destination, so the fact that we were able to go was super exciting and almost surreal! Arriving in Dubai after living in Uganda was the difference between night and day. The city is booming and screams "biggest" and "best" of everything you can imagine! Here's a taste of our visit...
Hotel
We (Paul and I, plus our lovely travel companions Lizabee and Shannon) stayed at the Sheraton Jumeirah, which was in a perfect location right on the beach and within walking distance of shops, restaurants and of course, Starbucks!
Enjoying our red holiday Starbucks cups!
Paul and I were pretty excited when we arrived at the hotel and were upgraded to a sea-view room with a terrace...for free!
Our first activity, before visiting anything else in the city, was beach time for some R&R and a swim in the Arabian Sea.
Bastakiya Quarter
We spent one morning walking around the gold souk in the older part of the city, where little alleys are lined with jewelry shops and all sorts of other little trinkets.
We took a boat across the water which led us to a really interesting part of the city called the Bastakiya Quarter, which (according to one website, and I agree) was very Disneyland-ish. I felt like Aladdin should jump down from the rooftop at any moment!
The Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the world. And it is TALL! Standing at the bottom you can barely see the top, and standing at the top makes everything else (including buildings much taller than the tallest one in Vancouver) seem really small. The elevator ride takes 60 seconds to reach the 124th floor where the observation deck is, and aside from our ears popping we couldn't even feel we were moving!
At the base of the Burj Khalifa is Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world (surprising!) At night, the fountains are accompanied by music and lights in front of the tower every 20 minutes.
Tea at the Burj Al Arab
Lizabee had her 40th birthday on our trip, so to celebrate we went to high tea at the Burj Al Arab - the only 7 star hotel in the world! A restaurant reservation is the only way to get into the hotel without being a guest, and since $12,000/night is a bit out of our price range (bahaha), tea was the perfect way in!
The hotel is ridiculous - bright red and blue in the lobby, along with golden pillars and arches, fountains, chandeliers, and pink Christmas trees. Hello sensory overload!
27 stories up is where our tea took place. Don't be deceived by the word tea. This tea was more like a 7 course dinner, which included...well, tea (only about 50 to choose from)...along with fruit and cream, beef wellington, finger sandwiches of every imaginable kind, cookies, scones, creme brulee, little cakes, chocolates, and coffee. It was amazing, to put it lightly!
Palm Island
The Burj Al Arab on the right, with the Souk Madinat in front.
So to sum it all up, it was an incredible first half of our Christmas getaway. Stay tuned for the next post: Egypt!
And one final photo...indoor ski hill at the Mall of the Emirates. Go big or go home.
Wow. Dubai is gorgeous. And, just for the record, the rest of the Middle East is not like that! :) The architecture (in the old city photos) is familiar, for sure, but where I was it was much much less clean.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible adventure!! Glad that you're taking advantage of being in a different part of the world to do some traveling! Our experience in Dubai lasted six hours and we never left the airport (unexpected lay-over), but seeing your pictures it is inspiring me to suggest that we stop-over on our way back to Canada!
ReplyDelete