Discovering Dubai

There are some places I will forever love going back to (Paris, Montana, anywhere in the Southwest, Rome), but it is exploring somewhere new that truly makes my heart skip a beat.  When I booked my itinerary for Asia, I realized that the most logical stop on the way home from India happened to be Dubai.  Prior to this trip, I'd only been in the airport (quite impressive I might add), but that doesn't really count.  Since I had to stop somewhere (no direct flights from HYD > JFK), I decided I'd make a weekend out of it in Dubai.

I have to start by admitting that I had many pre-conceived notions that Dubai wasn't really my kind of place.  Massive shopping malls, posh nightclubs and an extra "0" at the end of every bill didn't really call to me.  And, it is worth noting, that I can now confirm that those are main components of the the city.  However, I was intrigued by the recent (1971) formation of the United Arab Emirates, the opportunity to visit another Muslim country (Jordan is the only other I've been to), seeing this man-made desert oasis and just getting a glimpse of the opulence I'd heard so much about.  Plus, I'm a total temple junkie, and a trip to Dubai meant I was close enough for a jaunt to Abu Dhabi to see the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque.  

With only 2 nights to cover, I decided to splurge a bit and stay at The Raffles Hotel.  I picked this one based on the great reviews of their concierge service, sprawling bedrooms with views of the city, and a number of solo female travelers who noted in their reviews the safety of the hotel grounds and the thoughtful and considerate staff.

Dubai Wardrobe

It was only a short 4 hour flight from Hyderabad to Dubai, so I arrived (relatively) fresh and awake -- admiring amazing desert views during our landing.

My hotel had offered to pick me up in a Maserati (for an exorbitant fee) however, due to some good advice from my much more reasonable sister, I opted for alternative means of transport.  Happy I did, as I got to experience the "Ladies Taxi" - a separate waiting area, a pink mini-van, and a female driver (clad in a matching pink Hijab).  I love to support local female-owned businesses and I like to arrive safely, so this was a win-win.

Raffles Hotel

Pyramid shaped with design & style elements that gave you the feeling you were in a rich Egyptian Pharaoh's home, the hotel didn't disappoint.  I was greeted by name (how did they know it was me?) on arrival and whisked to my room (ready early) to find a space about 5 times that of my apartment and complete with a private patio overlooking the lovely pool and with a view of the stellar Dubai skyline.

View into my room from the private balcony

Pool View

My amazing tub

First order of business? Bathing suit, cocktail
and some good old fashioned lounging.

I arrived around 1on Friday.  Prayer services are held from 1-4pm on Friday afternoons - closing about every shop & restaurant in the old town - so this offered me some time to relax before setting off to explore.  Just after 4 I hopped in a cab (the city is very spread out - not walkable from neighborhood to neighborhood) for the old town area of to see the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk.

Gold Souk

Spice Souk

While these were fun to see - they were definitely touristic areas.  The Gold Souk in particular was filled with foreigners with cameras.  The Spice market was at least more interesting - and full of the delicious aromas from the hundreds of spices being sold.

From there, I crossed the Dubai Creek via Abra - a water taxi station.  The other side of the creek bustled with local families shopping and having dinner at one of the many creekside restaurants.

I stopped for dinner at the Blue Barjeel along the water and enjoyed some kebabs and hummus.  YUM!   After dinner I strolled along the river - I was in good company: seemed like the place to be for locals and their families to enjoy the warm, lovely evenings.

I stumbled on a local (permanent) exhibit about local culture and history.  It talked about the formation of Dubai, desert culture, history of diving (a very big local history), arts, and of course camels.

Making friends everywhere I go is my jam.

twinkling lights lined the small alleys

From there I headed back to my hotel for an early night (in bed by 9!) and it felt so good.  I mean, when you have a hotel room this nice, it's nice to actually be in it sometimes.

After a good nights' sleep, my 7:30 wake up call didn't seem so bad.  I had a lovely breakfast in the botanical garden at the hotel (yes, I'm serious), before meeting my driver and heading to the UAE capital city, Abu Dhabi to see the Grand Mosque.  It is about a 1.25 hr drive in each direction, but it ended up being the highlight of my trip.

view from the car of the Burj Khalifa at sunrise

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was initiated by the late president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure which unites the cultural diversity of Islamic world, the historical and modern values of architecture and art.  The mosque was constructed from 1996 to 2007.  It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth largest mosque in the world. The mosque site is equivalent to the size of approximately five football fields and can accommodate more than 40,000 worshipers.

It is a gorgeous, gleaming white and can be spotted from miles away on the road to Abu Dhabi.

Me in a chador with the amazing marble
 inlay work - similar to that of the Taj Mahal

I was required to done a chador to tour the grounds.  Here is a very interesting overview of each of the types of headscarves or cloaks worn by women.  It was an interesting experience to be covered head to toe in black, with no one able to see much of me at all.

I took about a thousand photos of this amazing mosque, here are a few of my favorites:

dreaming of lovely tiles in my future home

Incredible marble bath

After enjoying a lovely morning in Abu Dhabi, I headed back to Dubai for lunch.  I opted to "stay local" and enjoyed a delicious sushi meal at Tomo in the Raffles Hotel.  

Yum!

After a little disco nap and some sun on my patio, I headed out to Dubai Mall - one of the world's largest shopping malls.  It has over 1200 stores, an ice rink, an aquarium, zoo, 2 museums, and about 50 restaurants.  It was crowded with a mix of locals, expats and tourists and was fun to just stroll around.  I arrived by regular old cab, most people however, had a much snazzier ride.

The mall itself was a huge and beautiful structure - and all of the stores were bright and fancy.  Even the ceiling had pretty decorations.

I love anything "under the sea" -- so the highlight for me was the aquarium.  It had an "underwater tunnel" you could walk through with sharks overhead, tons of rays and even the open to cage dive with the sharks.  I opted to stay drive and watch through the glass.

walking on water

After enjoying the aquarium (I was pretty much the only person over 10 without kids) I stopped for dinner at a really tasty Emirati place called Milas.  In Emirati culture, Milas represents the place where the guests are received with all generosity and spirit of giving characteristic of Arabia.

After dinner I headed out into the warm evening to check out the incredible Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (with 163 floors).  It was quite a sight.  And as most people warned in advance, it was quite tall.  I wasn't able to get a reservation to go to the top, so I did the second best, and went to the tower across the lake to view the Burj from the 60th floor and see the light/fountain show.

After my overpriced drink - but excellent view - I headed down so I could look up.

pricking my finger

Then it was back to my hotel to pack and sleep before my flight home the next morning.

The cool kids are upstairs

#businessclassorbust

sky bar

goodbye Dubai!

I took so many photos on this trip - see ADVENTURES IN ASIA: MARCH 2014 for the full album.

Literary Inspiration: Dubai: I selected the book The Sand Fish by Maha Gargash.  A novel about Dubai, it is set in the 1950s in what is now the United Arab Emirates and tells the story of a rebellious young woman trapped in a repressive society.  It was pretty good, though semi-predictable in plot.  A quick and easy read that brought to life a glimpse of Middle Eastern culture.

Note: It was during my 48 hours in Dubai that Malaysian Flight 370 went missing.  There is always risk with flying, however, it is statistically so much less than getting hit by a cab in NYC or falling onto the subway tracks.  Needless to say, it has really shaken me up.  Where is it?  Why haven't they found it?  Was there foul play?  How could this happen on a quality airline (I had been on a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur only 3 days earlier)?  I boarded my Emirates flight with trepidation.  And despite the luxury of business class, I was nervous, especially when we hit a 10min pocket of extreme turbulence.  We arrived safely and I feel unbelievably grateful for my luck through all of my travels.  My thoughts & prayers go out to the families of those on Flight 370.