The vacation planner in me, I think is this magical minion who never rests/never sleeps/constantly plans a vacation when already on vacation. So, Dubai was agreed on one of those holidays. We said we'd go, for our anniversary - but the husband played safe jetting off to Europe for work leaving me alone with my chocolate cake for one, on the day, so the plan was postponed but extended and timed well around my birthday.
Weather
If you were to look online or speak to an agent, November to March seems ideal to visit, but friends and family who've been there during this period have told me it gets insanely crowded. On the contrary, the first week of March, I'm told is a bit warm (I should be prepared to come back a bit like a well baked cookie), but less touristy. When we landed there on the 4th March, it was pleasantly cooler than Bangalore - it even rained on the first 2 days, though Dubai rain is more like a two minute shower which dries up instantly. It does get a bit chilly sometimes if you're outdoors at night, so a thin shrug helped. But basically, I didn't regret heading out there when I did. There were lesser crowds everywhere - At Ferrari, at the Desert Safari, at Bollywood Parks.
What you must pack
Bookings
We booked most of our sightseeing pieces of the trip via a tour operator - I've learnt with a bit of research and experience that for places like Dubai, Singapore, Mauritius, etc., its better to do the main touristy things via an agent, because they get the tickets for cheaper (a theory I confirmed at Bollywood Parks where my ticket was AED50 cheaper than the ones they sell online) and they take care of the painful logistics planning of to & fro travel from hotel to the attraction. So, we did what we've done before - Planned about 4 days of tours via the agent and spent the rest of the time ticking off stuff from our list independently. We stayed at this hotel called City Seasons Tower which, as with all the Dubai buildings was a twisted structure of glass and metal, but its greatest merit was its location in Bur Dubai, proximity to Burjuman mall, the Burjuman metro station which is a large interchange station and a whole bunch of eating options literally a stone's throw away.
We booked the flights ourselves (rather than rely on agents) - via Emirates because I managed to use some points and because I love the airline. Bengaluru-Dubai, there are more flight options than Bengaluru-Delhi, I think and we found it easier to book a combination we were more comfortable with.
You need an OK-to-Board if you're traveling from India and your passport says Emigration Check Required. Mine didn't, so yay, one less task to do. But if yours does, then with Emirates its free and there's an easy form to fill in on their website to get done.
The History of Dubai
Now, this is a section I generally skip myself. So I'll try to be extremely succinct but tell you what the guides told me and since it was so many of them saying the same story, I'm going to believe it without Wiki-ing it to confirm. Dubai was a barren dry land in the olden times, where people relied on fishing for survival. During this era, people led modest lives up until the point that they caught an oyster while fishing. On opening the oyster, they discovered the shiny pearl which they then exported to other countries which worked very well for them, because there was a market for pearls which fetched them a lot more than mere fishing could. Slowly, countries like Japan started developing artificial pearls which is when this business went bust. And then as luck would have it, oil was discovered in 1966. India remembers 1947 because that's when they got independence, Dubai perhaps remembers 1966 as a hallmark year of sorts themselves. After this and the formation of the United Arab Emirates with Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras-al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman and Umm al-Qwain coming together in 1971, there was no looking back.
Slowly Dubai transformed from this purely oil-rich powerhouse to this trading and tourism machine thanks to its position as a port in the middle of the world and its no tax policy, all of which the nation largely owes to its ambitious and very populist leader Sheikh Rashid al-Maktoum, . Today, it grows and expands and mind numbing pace, further preparing itself for the World Expo 2020 who's bid it won over several competing nations and continue to build more imaarats (I keep telling myself that is where Emirates comes from). While they reserve citizenship and several land-owning right for their own emiratis, the demographic remains mixed - ~20% of the population is local, with Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos making up bulk (almost all!) of the rest. For an Indian, several parts feel like walking through the streets of Mumbai with no worries about food or language.
While I managed to see three emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah) though Sharjah was a fleeting trip because we spent all of our time at a relative's house, it might be worth trying to see what each of the seveen emirates has on offer as well.
Places to see and my few cents and one too many photos
Marina Cruise
Dubai boasts of several man-made creeks and canals in addition to all the other splendor it has created for itself - smartly carved out from the waters of the ocean nearby, like the Persian gulf in the case of the Dubai Marina which in addition is a rich one lined ever so well with high-rise buildings, hotels, the plush Jumeirah Beach Residences, restaurants and cafes on the banks. Imagine traversing this on a vintage Arabic boat, which also perhaps under a lot of peer pressure is fully lit up on the outside and resembles a floating lamp from afar. Our agent booked us on the Marina cruise and not the Dhow cruise which I've come to understand from reviews is not too great. We were picked up from the hotel at about 7 pm and as is with all group tours, picking up everyone and making it to the point of entry took an hour and a half. Being our first day in Dubai, the drive around town and marveling at the Burj Khalifa made the ordeal less painful. We entered the boat, to be told that the top deck is full and we could probably finish dinner downstairs and head up for the performances and some view later. In terms of quality of food and interiors this cruise was not anything to write home about. However, when we headed upstairs later and stayed there as I amazed myself at the opulence of the lit up buildings, that's what made the cruise worth it. The boat heads quite deep into the bay, at a point giving you a fantastic view of the gate of the Atlantis hotel from a distance. We also crossed the point where diners are hoisted up on a suspended platform and have a meal while of coursing going live and selfie-ing it out to the universe.
Tip: Nice to do if you have time and if its not costing you an arm/leg to let it be in the package. But if you're planning it yourself, probably give it a skip.
Dubai Museum
The Dubai Museum is at max a one-hour pit stop in the middle of the Al Fahidi Fort at Bur Dubai. The fort is small in comparison to the other ones I have seen in India, but the real juice is in the basement where there is a little re-creation of life in the olden times, the real feel of walking through a market street with shops on either side and papier-mache made jewellery, furniture and even people. There's a movie on the history on Dubai airing if you're lucky to catch it or need a bench to catch a break! Otherwise the part you see at the entrance has a few photo ops with the cannon and the large boat outside, but you need to definitely head downstairs for what's actually worthwhile. It is also here I started noticing how all the buildings are the same sand colored and my guide insisted it was because there are sandstorms and this is the one color which doesn't get dirty.
Tip: Aim to spend an hour or less at the museum and if you're on your independently planned trip, avoid the mornings from 10-12 because this is when the tours come in and Dubai museum is the first stop on the city tour for every tour.
Jumeirah Beach
It wasn't exactly on my list because I mentally associate Dubai with a lot of heat and roasting myself on a beach wasn't a pretty picture. But, we made a stop at Jumeirah beach during the city tour and besides driving through the palm to get there, the fact that it has very clean waters and is plum next to the Burj Al Arab made this quite worthwhile. Its perhaps the closest I got to the Burj on this trip (I save my kidneys for the iPhone so they weren't available for the $2,000 per night rooms). Very hot at the time we reached, so wasn't able to really make the most of it and thanks to so much else to see in Dubai, we didn't get the chance to return, but hearsay from relatives and friends about another beach called Kite Beach was ever intriguing only to discover it is the on the same strip as Jumeirah beach and is something we should've tried to make time to see since Kite has water sports and more to do. For you beach bums, Dubai has you covered at these two public beaches.
Dubai Mall
Call this a shopping city. I know a friend who has combed the mall during his visit to Dubai during the shopping festival and saw quite a chunk of it, but for mere mortals, its unlikely you'll see all of it in one visit. It is an ideal destination if you want to shop, because it has almost every brand on display and suits most wallets, but even if shopping is not what you're looking for, Dubai mall is un-missable for everything else it has to offer. It has a huge area dedicated to Underwater - There's an aquarium with a large collection of marine life including some corals to keep the fishes occupied if the photobombing people's selfies gets boring. There's an educative tour of how they keep this place going, what they feed these fish and small boat rides to take, diving activities - Yup, inside a mall!
There's a skating rink and also a waterfall inside which goes across the three floors in case you need another break from the shopping. Oh, there's also a ton of food places (but, of course - come, give us your dirhams). The Cheesecake Factory was successfully ticked off as we whiled away time before we were to get in line for our Burj Khalifa entry which was at 6:30 pm.
Burj Khalifa
This tower inspired by the structure of the spider lily happens to be the tallest tower in the world and was constructed in just a span of 5 years (In contrast, phase 1 of Bangalore metro for a 5 km stretch took 9 years to build). It consists of residences, nine hotels, observation decks and an artificial lake (yup, again, Dubai!). It sits right next to the Dubai mall and the entry for the observatory is only from the Lower Ground floor of the mall. There are two types of tickets to the observatory one which gets you access to the 124th and 125th floor while another which gets you right up to the 148th floor. We took the 148th floor entry and tried to go at a time where we saw a bit of sunset and also the city lights (this happens to be Prime hours which you need to pre-book and pay a bit more for, but I think its worth it). 6:30 pm entry means, you report to the desk by 6 pm, where to our luck it was a fish market - the 5:30 pm guys were still in line, the 6 pm guys were scrambling to enter but were being sent right behind. After much ado and some dates and Irani Chai in a side room when people threatened to create a scene, we were escorted to the elevator that would take us to 124th from where we'd take another one up to the 148th. It takes just about a minute to take us from 0 to 124, while all you feel is at some point your ears pop, but remain occupied by the short one minute video projecting on the lift doors. 124th to 148th is a few seconds and after a macaron and chocolate at entry, voila, we're finally on top of the world - well, almost. The indoor section of 148th was horribly crowded when we entered and it was quite a scramble to find a photo op spot. After giving up and wandering a bit, we found the outdoor section which was a breath of fresh air, literally! It was amazing to watch the lights come up (the sunset was missed while we were in queue at entry!) and see Dubai turn into a string of lights - the silence was palpable. Everyone clicking also seemed plainly amazed and stuck to their own clicking not spoiling anything for the others.
Desert Safari
How can one come to Dubai and not visit a desert! This is one tour which is on every itinerary and plan and the only thing that changes is the quality of the desert camp that you do and the level of awesomeness of the Land Cruiser driver that you get. Let me explain. So, you're picked up from your hotel in this beast of a vehicle - the Toyota Land Cruiser and taken to what seems like the outskirts of the actual outskirts of Dubai (if I remember right, a place called Hatta), where the dunes are and where all the desert camps are located (there are over 20). As you near the dunes, the Cruiser's tyres are deflated, so the vehicle can go absolutely nuts on the little mounds of sand. We had the rockstar Faizal (from Royal Arabian Tours) to our luck who didn't hesitate making the craziest of turns on the dunes while we rattled ourselves inside. A little inside the area, a bit of a photo op spending time watching the sunset, playing on the sand, tourists negotiating with some folks who offer photos with the very well famed and trained falcons - All this as the tyres are inflated again and we're off to the camp. At the camp, you can ride camels or quad bikes, to your liking; watch some belly dancing; get some shisha and get a taste of some desert living as you cozy up on the sands and tuck into some kebabs. The food isn't the greatest here, I've been told by many others who've visited and I attest myself as well - Though the husband loved the meat. Unless you're at a much better camp, then definitely indulge!
Bollywood Parks
Part of Dubai Parks & Resorts which opened last year, Bollywood parks is a must do for any fan. Replete with some fun themed 4D Simulated rides like the Krrish (which I did twice), Ra.one (which was better than the silly movie atleast), Lagaan (pure nostalgia) and a lot of live road shows and performances around the streets in the park. The popular Jaan-e-Jigar show was not showing on the day we were there (Luck :|) but I've heard its definitely worth seeing. What I'd recommend one should do - is buy combined park tickets, so go see Motion Gate and/or LegoLand which are next door and then hop over to Bollywood Parks. It doesn’t have too many rides, so there aren't going to be crazy queues and it’s the one which shuts later than the others. Motion Gate has a lot more rides and more things to do for adults, while if you have kids the water park at Legoland should be on your list. This is the wisdom which kicks in when you have all the time on the bench near Rangmanch (the uber beautiful Taj Mahal like structure with a nice fountain at the steps) to dig into the Bhel puri from a food cart!
Sheikh Zayed mosque (Abu Dhabi)
Named after the late President of the UAE, this mosque is an architectural marvel. Though largely inspired from the Taj Mahal, being more recent & modern, its embellishments are indulgent, rich and extremely well-maintained. Its one of the largest structures ever built using marble mosaic, it houses the world's largest carpet (From Iran), has seven extremely large chandeliers from Swarovski, mother of pearl and gold inlay work in some columns - basically worth visiting from an appreciate-the-art point of view if you're not looking at it for religious reasons.
For women, though it’s a nightmare to prep what they would wear because there is a strict dress code. And strict, means a lot more than just cover yourself up. It means cover your head, wear full sleeves, no see-through material and no skin or hair should show basically. Thanks for letting me keep my eyes open, by the way. I was infuriated with the rules but didn’t want to miss seeing the mosque, though a couple of my tour folk were stopped at the entrance for improper dress code.
Ferrari World (Abu Dhabi)
Unmissable if you like rides, but if you're expecting something on the lines of Universal Studios or Disneyland, this is far from it. Its firstly very far from Dubai and if you book with a tour which will take you to Abu Dhabi mosque and this, you don't really get too much time. Which in retrospect is OK, because the highlights are covered in a jiffy. The main attraction is the Formula Rossa which is this red beast of a ride which lasts about 77 seconds but is a whirlwind with ups and downs and mental turns which justifies why they made me take off my earrings also before I got on. The second one worth doing is the Flying Aces which is popular for having the "world's tallest non-inverting loop". Yup, a bit much for us since we saw the ride from outside while driving into the car-shaped complex of Ferrari world. Besides that, there's some smaller and extremely harmless rides for kids, there's an excellent stunt show, of course a very fancy gift store and a few dining options. If your ticket includes a meal, you get of course limited options and nothing fancy, but if not, there's a few restaurants to try - Mamma Rosella (Italian - Pastas & Pizzas), Il Podio (International cuisine), Expresso Rosso (The café), Officers Food Quarters (Fast food), etc.
Ibn Batuta Mall
This beauty of a mall with a metro station of its own to enter. This is the trend apparently in Dubai, that the builders of these malls/attractions pay to name the station after the place so that there's more visibility and easy recognition. Worked for us, we took the red line from Burjuman towards Jebel Ali and got off at Ibn Batuta Mall. The charge is about 6 AED (8 AED if you buy a red card afresh) per person for 2 zones, which is what we had to cross to get there. The view of the Ibn Batuta gate as you enter is breathtaking, because it gives you less of a commercial feel than what actually lies within. The insides too though, are beautifully designed as well, as they're arranged into pavilions of the regions Ibn Batuta covered during his very popular travels in the 1300s. There's six pavilions in all - Egypt, India, China, Andalusia, Persia, Tunisia. There's a common food court at the mall though the India and China pavilions are popular by themselves with enough options to confuse you if you're tired of shopping and need to grab a bite. There is a centerpiece attraction of every pavilion which particularly in the case of China, India and Persia is truly marvelous. There are huge chandeliers, beautiful ceiling mosaic work, large motifs - the India pavilion has an Elephant and the China one has a huge wooden boat. We didn't spend too much time shopping, more than that we tried to cover as many pavilions as we could in the limited hours we had before we had to get to Bollywood Parks.
Mall of Emirates
So, this wasn't initially on my list at least until my Manager from work told me about an indoor ski park with hills and what not. So, basically having saved a day for shopping on the last day of our stay in Dubai, we made ourselves to the Mall of Emirates from Burjuman station again on the metro. As is with everything in Dubai, the place is huge and its pretty unbelievable how they've set up hills and a ski resort inside this very mall! We roamed a couple (well of course, more than a couple) of stores and did all the shopping we had in mind. We weren't really prepared to ski (given that we'd need lessons and we didn't have enough time), but we wanted to see what was going on - so we did the next best thing. Find a place which has a view of the park. The Cheesecake Factory to the rescue (picking this place was honestly killing two birds with a single stone). To our luck, we got a table with a view of downhill from one of the slopes and also the kiddy slope where people were zorbing around as well. In the desert, in a mall, you've created a ski park and a five-star hotel also offers rooms with a view and if you can't spend enough for the luxury, you can buy a ticket if you want to spend the night camping in the park. Take a bow, Dubai!
Global Village
This is Dubai's massive yearly shopping, dining, entertainment fair - As if all those glitzy malls weren't enough, they set this up. So it’s a huge version of a popup mela which runs from November-April generally and has country pavilions where there is merchandise, food and entertainment from that region. This year's edition which we visited had about 30 pavilions representing 75 countries and its absolutely impossible to see them all in a single visit, if you're not on skates and playing your own version of Amazing Race. We wanted to catch some shows which were recommended by my life-saving cousin - 'Speed', the motor stunt show - short (maybe 20 mins in all) but absolutely worth it. The plotline starts with a news reporter covering a live event that is taken over by a group of thieves who are attempting to rob the town museum. Then police show up and an action scene ensues before the criminals are caught. Then, there's the 'Pasha Dance Theater Show' which is absolutely awesome - like a musical, with a storyline and Russian dancers who are so in sync its almost distracting for a bit, because you're trying to spot if anyone slipped up. In the middle of checking these shows out, we found time to wander and covered Iran, Jordan, China, Thailand, Far-East, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Egypt, Americas, India and Pakistan. I managed to snag a gold-plated silver chain which had my name made with a metal wire. Yeah, useless purchases aplenty sometimes. The food options are immense - the street food area is amazing with a whole set of options from various countries for street food. There are more restaurants with seating as well in specific pavilions. I'd reckon it would be horribly hot to visit just at opening which is in the late noon, but if you plan to stay on late, carry covers because I felt a bit of a chill at 10 pm also, since it is outdoors and very expansive. There are special Dubai transport buses for the event, so staying on late is no issue even if you miss your tour operator cab back. And if you want to be more flexible, call an Uber in this oil-is-cheaper-than-water country.
Miracle Garden
A more recent opening this - has a park basically dedicated to different formations and objects made of flowers. They have an Emirates A-380 decked with flowers, of course have a Burj Khalifa with flowers, a fountain too many, etc. If you're fond of walking around in flowery parks, this is the place for you. Makes for some beautiful photo op moments, but gets repetitive for someone like me. There aren't too many varieties of flowers, just more decoration done with the same kinds. So I was a bit bored, but go nuts if greenery and flowers is what makes you smile!
Deira Souk
If you've seen those photos on the internet or on whatsapp of the world's largest Gold ring or the world's largest Golden dress, here's where you're going to find it. Located in Deira, this souq or market houses a separate market for everything - Gold, spices, clothes, blankets, lights, electronics - You name it, you'll find it in Deira Souk. The gold souk which looks like a wholesale market for something as precious as gold, immediately brought concerns about the authenticity - but I've been told that the Government is very strict about the quality of gold and if someone's caught selling inferior gold, their licenses are withdrawn and they're banned for several years. So, there's enough of a deterrent to sell genuine jewelry. The work is also extremely neat and very fashionable based on whatever you're looking for - Arabic designs, Western, Minimalist, Indian - They have it all.
We also visited the Spice souk which is a treat for the senses - the mounds of Lavender, saffron; the carefully stacked transparent pallets of almonds and pistachios. Even if there's not much you buy, this is a must visit place if you like wandering in markets to see local fare. If you do choose to buy, I can safely say this is the cheapest I've ever snapped up small boxes of absolutely excellent and pure Iranian and Spanish saffron, some camel milk chocolate which look like small pebbles but taste weirdly good, the cheapest but nicest almonds I've ever seen and the nicest mixed tea concoction I've ever bought. For a coffee addict, that's saying something.
Besides the Gold Souq & the Spice Souq, there's a souq for appliances, clothes, blankets, lighting, etc., all self contained in sections of Deira.
Meena Bazaar
Head here if you're looking for imitation Louis Vuitton or Michael Kors bags, apparel or gold. It basically is an Indian market replicated so amazingly in Dubai, you might feel as if you're on Commercial street in Bangalore. We went there to my cousin's family jeweler to buy some gold - I ended up finding a very pretty rose gold chain (Apple should get some royalty for making rose gold so brazenly in vogue for everything, thanks to their iPhones).
Food
Dubai is a food lovers' paradise - even a vegetarian food lovers' paradise. There are options to suit every pocket and ever palate, everywhere. Be it at a mall's food court, be it at a street full of restaurants, be it at the sightseeing places - you'll never run out of options. The mister had his share of delicious shawarmas, while I tucked into icecreams galore. My picks are The Cheesecake Factory (which isn't in India yet, so is a very big deal for me and I chomped on their Godiva cheesecakes for lunch, twice!), Pappa Roti (Thanks to the Mister's cousins for the visit), which one should try for the fancy bun, which is crisp-ish on the outside but melt in mouth soft inside served with toppings like Nutella and chocolate sauce, some street food at Meena Bazaar, Shawarma Rolls and Falafels at almost anywhere.
Be prepared to shell out precious dirhams for water! And otherwise spend AED30-40 per couple for a decent meal at a quick service restaurant or AED100 for two at a mall.
Shopping
Its not funny how many malls this place has - But, do visit Dubai mall for its sheer size and all the attractions I listed above; Mall of Emirates for the Ski park and Ibn Batuta for its amazing indoor decor. Besides that, the popular mid-level brands like H&M, Zara, Aeropostale, Forever 21, etc., are there in almost every mall everywhere. If you want to splurge of course, hit the higher floors of Dubai Mall/Mall of Emirates. We didn't go to Marina mall which is another popular feature on many lists because as the husband has lucked out, I am not a shopaholic.
Besides this, there's enough you'll find in terms of cheaper than usual but good to gift souvenirs at Bollywood or at Day-to-Day which are all over the city.
You'll find clothes, stoles, shoes, phone covers, basically everything at eye-popping prices at Deira Souk (because it is that awesome - For instance, you'll get a lovely soft stole for 10 AED at Deira, which will be 50 AED at a popup stall in a small mall and be ready to shell 100AED in a bigger mall.)
Prepare to pay through your nose if you like to collect those professional photos at observatories or at monuments and if you insist on buying fridge magnets/keychains from the gift store at the exits of these places. Basically, at the official gift stores, its all loot.
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| Airport waiting times |
Weather
If you were to look online or speak to an agent, November to March seems ideal to visit, but friends and family who've been there during this period have told me it gets insanely crowded. On the contrary, the first week of March, I'm told is a bit warm (I should be prepared to come back a bit like a well baked cookie), but less touristy. When we landed there on the 4th March, it was pleasantly cooler than Bangalore - it even rained on the first 2 days, though Dubai rain is more like a two minute shower which dries up instantly. It does get a bit chilly sometimes if you're outdoors at night, so a thin shrug helped. But basically, I didn't regret heading out there when I did. There were lesser crowds everywhere - At Ferrari, at the Desert Safari, at Bollywood Parks.
What you must pack
- Light clothing - its dry and hot, you don't want thick fabric sticking to your body
- A comfortable pair of footwear - there's a ton of walking in most of the attractions, given that Real estate is really no constraint in Dubai
- If you're a lady and intend to visit the mosque - Remember to pack a full sleeved top, long trousers/jeans and a Stole/scarf for the occasion! :|
- Universal Adapter - Dubai uses the plug points that the UK uses - 3 pin in a triangle formation
- Sunscreen - You'll need enough of it!
- A good pair of Glares to get you through the blazing sun, especially at the desert - for which you also need loose and comfortable clothing to prance around on the sands.
- A thin wrap on like a shrug or a wind cheater
Bookings
We booked most of our sightseeing pieces of the trip via a tour operator - I've learnt with a bit of research and experience that for places like Dubai, Singapore, Mauritius, etc., its better to do the main touristy things via an agent, because they get the tickets for cheaper (a theory I confirmed at Bollywood Parks where my ticket was AED50 cheaper than the ones they sell online) and they take care of the painful logistics planning of to & fro travel from hotel to the attraction. So, we did what we've done before - Planned about 4 days of tours via the agent and spent the rest of the time ticking off stuff from our list independently. We stayed at this hotel called City Seasons Tower which, as with all the Dubai buildings was a twisted structure of glass and metal, but its greatest merit was its location in Bur Dubai, proximity to Burjuman mall, the Burjuman metro station which is a large interchange station and a whole bunch of eating options literally a stone's throw away.
We booked the flights ourselves (rather than rely on agents) - via Emirates because I managed to use some points and because I love the airline. Bengaluru-Dubai, there are more flight options than Bengaluru-Delhi, I think and we found it easier to book a combination we were more comfortable with.
You need an OK-to-Board if you're traveling from India and your passport says Emigration Check Required. Mine didn't, so yay, one less task to do. But if yours does, then with Emirates its free and there's an easy form to fill in on their website to get done.
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| Clearing the western coastline of India |
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| Well, Hello Desert! |
The History of Dubai
Now, this is a section I generally skip myself. So I'll try to be extremely succinct but tell you what the guides told me and since it was so many of them saying the same story, I'm going to believe it without Wiki-ing it to confirm. Dubai was a barren dry land in the olden times, where people relied on fishing for survival. During this era, people led modest lives up until the point that they caught an oyster while fishing. On opening the oyster, they discovered the shiny pearl which they then exported to other countries which worked very well for them, because there was a market for pearls which fetched them a lot more than mere fishing could. Slowly, countries like Japan started developing artificial pearls which is when this business went bust. And then as luck would have it, oil was discovered in 1966. India remembers 1947 because that's when they got independence, Dubai perhaps remembers 1966 as a hallmark year of sorts themselves. After this and the formation of the United Arab Emirates with Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras-al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman and Umm al-Qwain coming together in 1971, there was no looking back.
Slowly Dubai transformed from this purely oil-rich powerhouse to this trading and tourism machine thanks to its position as a port in the middle of the world and its no tax policy, all of which the nation largely owes to its ambitious and very populist leader Sheikh Rashid al-Maktoum, . Today, it grows and expands and mind numbing pace, further preparing itself for the World Expo 2020 who's bid it won over several competing nations and continue to build more imaarats (I keep telling myself that is where Emirates comes from). While they reserve citizenship and several land-owning right for their own emiratis, the demographic remains mixed - ~20% of the population is local, with Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos making up bulk (almost all!) of the rest. For an Indian, several parts feel like walking through the streets of Mumbai with no worries about food or language.
While I managed to see three emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah) though Sharjah was a fleeting trip because we spent all of our time at a relative's house, it might be worth trying to see what each of the seveen emirates has on offer as well.
Places to see and my few cents and one too many photos
Marina Cruise
Dubai boasts of several man-made creeks and canals in addition to all the other splendor it has created for itself - smartly carved out from the waters of the ocean nearby, like the Persian gulf in the case of the Dubai Marina which in addition is a rich one lined ever so well with high-rise buildings, hotels, the plush Jumeirah Beach Residences, restaurants and cafes on the banks. Imagine traversing this on a vintage Arabic boat, which also perhaps under a lot of peer pressure is fully lit up on the outside and resembles a floating lamp from afar. Our agent booked us on the Marina cruise and not the Dhow cruise which I've come to understand from reviews is not too great. We were picked up from the hotel at about 7 pm and as is with all group tours, picking up everyone and making it to the point of entry took an hour and a half. Being our first day in Dubai, the drive around town and marveling at the Burj Khalifa made the ordeal less painful. We entered the boat, to be told that the top deck is full and we could probably finish dinner downstairs and head up for the performances and some view later. In terms of quality of food and interiors this cruise was not anything to write home about. However, when we headed upstairs later and stayed there as I amazed myself at the opulence of the lit up buildings, that's what made the cruise worth it. The boat heads quite deep into the bay, at a point giving you a fantastic view of the gate of the Atlantis hotel from a distance. We also crossed the point where diners are hoisted up on a suspended platform and have a meal while of coursing going live and selfie-ing it out to the universe.
Tip: Nice to do if you have time and if its not costing you an arm/leg to let it be in the package. But if you're planning it yourself, probably give it a skip.
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| The traditional Dhow against the backdrop of the ultra modern Dubai Marina |
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| Big City Lights |
Dubai Museum
Tip: Aim to spend an hour or less at the museum and if you're on your independently planned trip, avoid the mornings from 10-12 because this is when the tours come in and Dubai museum is the first stop on the city tour for every tour.
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| Al Fahidi Fort |
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| Papier Mache Old world People |
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| Can I take you home, you cute little thing! |
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| The big ship outside the Dubai Museum |
Jumeirah Beach
It wasn't exactly on my list because I mentally associate Dubai with a lot of heat and roasting myself on a beach wasn't a pretty picture. But, we made a stop at Jumeirah beach during the city tour and besides driving through the palm to get there, the fact that it has very clean waters and is plum next to the Burj Al Arab made this quite worthwhile. Its perhaps the closest I got to the Burj on this trip (I save my kidneys for the iPhone so they weren't available for the $2,000 per night rooms). Very hot at the time we reached, so wasn't able to really make the most of it and thanks to so much else to see in Dubai, we didn't get the chance to return, but hearsay from relatives and friends about another beach called Kite Beach was ever intriguing only to discover it is the on the same strip as Jumeirah beach and is something we should've tried to make time to see since Kite has water sports and more to do. For you beach bums, Dubai has you covered at these two public beaches.
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| Some day, I'm going to be on the other side of this photo! Some day.. #lifegoals |
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| Jumeirah Beach and the Burj al Arab |
Dubai Mall
Call this a shopping city. I know a friend who has combed the mall during his visit to Dubai during the shopping festival and saw quite a chunk of it, but for mere mortals, its unlikely you'll see all of it in one visit. It is an ideal destination if you want to shop, because it has almost every brand on display and suits most wallets, but even if shopping is not what you're looking for, Dubai mall is un-missable for everything else it has to offer. It has a huge area dedicated to Underwater - There's an aquarium with a large collection of marine life including some corals to keep the fishes occupied if the photobombing people's selfies gets boring. There's an educative tour of how they keep this place going, what they feed these fish and small boat rides to take, diving activities - Yup, inside a mall!
There's a skating rink and also a waterfall inside which goes across the three floors in case you need another break from the shopping. Oh, there's also a ton of food places (but, of course - come, give us your dirhams). The Cheesecake Factory was successfully ticked off as we whiled away time before we were to get in line for our Burj Khalifa entry which was at 6:30 pm.
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| Curious case of Vivek Bhatia |
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| Spooky thing, kept worrying me what if the glass shattered.. |
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| Underwater world at the Dubai mall - the lower level with a glass bottom platform |
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| This amazing, amazing waterfall indoors - never have I seen one INSIDE a mall |
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| A skating rink inside Dubai Mall |
Burj Khalifa
This tower inspired by the structure of the spider lily happens to be the tallest tower in the world and was constructed in just a span of 5 years (In contrast, phase 1 of Bangalore metro for a 5 km stretch took 9 years to build). It consists of residences, nine hotels, observation decks and an artificial lake (yup, again, Dubai!). It sits right next to the Dubai mall and the entry for the observatory is only from the Lower Ground floor of the mall. There are two types of tickets to the observatory one which gets you access to the 124th and 125th floor while another which gets you right up to the 148th floor. We took the 148th floor entry and tried to go at a time where we saw a bit of sunset and also the city lights (this happens to be Prime hours which you need to pre-book and pay a bit more for, but I think its worth it). 6:30 pm entry means, you report to the desk by 6 pm, where to our luck it was a fish market - the 5:30 pm guys were still in line, the 6 pm guys were scrambling to enter but were being sent right behind. After much ado and some dates and Irani Chai in a side room when people threatened to create a scene, we were escorted to the elevator that would take us to 124th from where we'd take another one up to the 148th. It takes just about a minute to take us from 0 to 124, while all you feel is at some point your ears pop, but remain occupied by the short one minute video projecting on the lift doors. 124th to 148th is a few seconds and after a macaron and chocolate at entry, voila, we're finally on top of the world - well, almost. The indoor section of 148th was horribly crowded when we entered and it was quite a scramble to find a photo op spot. After giving up and wandering a bit, we found the outdoor section which was a breath of fresh air, literally! It was amazing to watch the lights come up (the sunset was missed while we were in queue at entry!) and see Dubai turn into a string of lights - the silence was palpable. Everyone clicking also seemed plainly amazed and stuck to their own clicking not spoiling anything for the others.
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| The view makes those giraffe sized buildings look like they were made of Lego |
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| As it glitters away into the night |
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| Splurging on the marketing stunt of Photoshopped pictures at the exit! #beingverytouristy |
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| Notice all the traffic lighting up the Expressway |
Desert Safari
How can one come to Dubai and not visit a desert! This is one tour which is on every itinerary and plan and the only thing that changes is the quality of the desert camp that you do and the level of awesomeness of the Land Cruiser driver that you get. Let me explain. So, you're picked up from your hotel in this beast of a vehicle - the Toyota Land Cruiser and taken to what seems like the outskirts of the actual outskirts of Dubai (if I remember right, a place called Hatta), where the dunes are and where all the desert camps are located (there are over 20). As you near the dunes, the Cruiser's tyres are deflated, so the vehicle can go absolutely nuts on the little mounds of sand. We had the rockstar Faizal (from Royal Arabian Tours) to our luck who didn't hesitate making the craziest of turns on the dunes while we rattled ourselves inside. A little inside the area, a bit of a photo op spending time watching the sunset, playing on the sand, tourists negotiating with some folks who offer photos with the very well famed and trained falcons - All this as the tyres are inflated again and we're off to the camp. At the camp, you can ride camels or quad bikes, to your liking; watch some belly dancing; get some shisha and get a taste of some desert living as you cozy up on the sands and tuck into some kebabs. The food isn't the greatest here, I've been told by many others who've visited and I attest myself as well - Though the husband loved the meat. Unless you're at a much better camp, then definitely indulge!
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| Cheap purchases to instagram, while the tyres are being deflated |
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| The Cruisers congregating to have their tyres back inflated |
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| A bit too kicked with my first time in a desert |
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| Tourists Negotiating for a photo with the Falcons |
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| Loving the sandy ripples.. |
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| Camel ride at the Desert Camp.. |
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| Quad biking - Can get boring for the whole hour though! |
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| Belly Dancing - And no, she was not authentic Arabic - Definitely seemed Russian :P |
Bollywood Parks
Part of Dubai Parks & Resorts which opened last year, Bollywood parks is a must do for any fan. Replete with some fun themed 4D Simulated rides like the Krrish (which I did twice), Ra.one (which was better than the silly movie atleast), Lagaan (pure nostalgia) and a lot of live road shows and performances around the streets in the park. The popular Jaan-e-Jigar show was not showing on the day we were there (Luck :|) but I've heard its definitely worth seeing. What I'd recommend one should do - is buy combined park tickets, so go see Motion Gate and/or LegoLand which are next door and then hop over to Bollywood Parks. It doesn’t have too many rides, so there aren't going to be crazy queues and it’s the one which shuts later than the others. Motion Gate has a lot more rides and more things to do for adults, while if you have kids the water park at Legoland should be on your list. This is the wisdom which kicks in when you have all the time on the bench near Rangmanch (the uber beautiful Taj Mahal like structure with a nice fountain at the steps) to dig into the Bhel puri from a food cart!
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| Sun shining, sunscreen forgotten, Lets do this! |
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| Because the heart is always with Bollywood.. |
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| The RajMahal theatre-- As luck would have it, the best show was off the day we visited.. |
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| Gabbar's Ramgarh beckons.. |
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| Dances on a train - Very Chhaiya Chhaiya kinds.. |
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| The Dabangg stunt show |
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| Bollywood Medley dances |
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| More dances..You get the drift, there were a LOT of dances.. |
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| Then there were rides..This one especially awesome, worth doing twice! |
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| RajMahal gets even more beautiful after sunset.. |
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| The only part of the park with the fun rides.. |
Sheikh Zayed mosque (Abu Dhabi)
Named after the late President of the UAE, this mosque is an architectural marvel. Though largely inspired from the Taj Mahal, being more recent & modern, its embellishments are indulgent, rich and extremely well-maintained. Its one of the largest structures ever built using marble mosaic, it houses the world's largest carpet (From Iran), has seven extremely large chandeliers from Swarovski, mother of pearl and gold inlay work in some columns - basically worth visiting from an appreciate-the-art point of view if you're not looking at it for religious reasons.
For women, though it’s a nightmare to prep what they would wear because there is a strict dress code. And strict, means a lot more than just cover yourself up. It means cover your head, wear full sleeves, no see-through material and no skin or hair should show basically. Thanks for letting me keep my eyes open, by the way. I was infuriated with the rules but didn’t want to miss seeing the mosque, though a couple of my tour folk were stopped at the entrance for improper dress code.
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| Prepping to have my look of the day examined by strangers who refuse to let me in otherwise |
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| Pristine, symmetric and beautiful inlay work even on the floors.. |
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| Marble inlay work - Very TajMahal-esque |
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| This super popular Swarovski crystal chandlier |
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| Has this chandelier to keep it company.. All my life's savings & spends total less than one chandelier.. |
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| Gold embellished pillars the perfect couple selfie! :D |
Ferrari World (Abu Dhabi)
Unmissable if you like rides, but if you're expecting something on the lines of Universal Studios or Disneyland, this is far from it. Its firstly very far from Dubai and if you book with a tour which will take you to Abu Dhabi mosque and this, you don't really get too much time. Which in retrospect is OK, because the highlights are covered in a jiffy. The main attraction is the Formula Rossa which is this red beast of a ride which lasts about 77 seconds but is a whirlwind with ups and downs and mental turns which justifies why they made me take off my earrings also before I got on. The second one worth doing is the Flying Aces which is popular for having the "world's tallest non-inverting loop". Yup, a bit much for us since we saw the ride from outside while driving into the car-shaped complex of Ferrari world. Besides that, there's some smaller and extremely harmless rides for kids, there's an excellent stunt show, of course a very fancy gift store and a few dining options. If your ticket includes a meal, you get of course limited options and nothing fancy, but if not, there's a few restaurants to try - Mamma Rosella (Italian - Pastas & Pizzas), Il Podio (International cuisine), Expresso Rosso (The café), Officers Food Quarters (Fast food), etc.
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| The mind numbing ride, the Formula Rossa |
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| A tyre change session - stereotypical Italian fellas nailing the accent and everything.. |
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| The stunt show.. |
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| The stuntsmen and women..I could really take that red beast home.. |
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| Too Late to register, missing out on Karting |
Ibn Batuta Mall
This beauty of a mall with a metro station of its own to enter. This is the trend apparently in Dubai, that the builders of these malls/attractions pay to name the station after the place so that there's more visibility and easy recognition. Worked for us, we took the red line from Burjuman towards Jebel Ali and got off at Ibn Batuta Mall. The charge is about 6 AED (8 AED if you buy a red card afresh) per person for 2 zones, which is what we had to cross to get there. The view of the Ibn Batuta gate as you enter is breathtaking, because it gives you less of a commercial feel than what actually lies within. The insides too though, are beautifully designed as well, as they're arranged into pavilions of the regions Ibn Batuta covered during his very popular travels in the 1300s. There's six pavilions in all - Egypt, India, China, Andalusia, Persia, Tunisia. There's a common food court at the mall though the India and China pavilions are popular by themselves with enough options to confuse you if you're tired of shopping and need to grab a bite. There is a centerpiece attraction of every pavilion which particularly in the case of China, India and Persia is truly marvelous. There are huge chandeliers, beautiful ceiling mosaic work, large motifs - the India pavilion has an Elephant and the China one has a huge wooden boat. We didn't spend too much time shopping, more than that we tried to cover as many pavilions as we could in the limited hours we had before we had to get to Bollywood Parks.
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| Even the Metro ride has this beautiful view.. |
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| How beautiful is this - This is what greets you as you enter! |
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| The beautiful chandeliers |
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| It is a lamp lovers' delight, this mall! |
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| That's a Starbucks all dressed up! |
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| The Indian pavilion |
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| The China pavilion - How on earth does a giant boat fit inside a mall |
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| A wooden Ibn Batuta.. |
Mall of Emirates
So, this wasn't initially on my list at least until my Manager from work told me about an indoor ski park with hills and what not. So, basically having saved a day for shopping on the last day of our stay in Dubai, we made ourselves to the Mall of Emirates from Burjuman station again on the metro. As is with everything in Dubai, the place is huge and its pretty unbelievable how they've set up hills and a ski resort inside this very mall! We roamed a couple (well of course, more than a couple) of stores and did all the shopping we had in mind. We weren't really prepared to ski (given that we'd need lessons and we didn't have enough time), but we wanted to see what was going on - so we did the next best thing. Find a place which has a view of the park. The Cheesecake Factory to the rescue (picking this place was honestly killing two birds with a single stone). To our luck, we got a table with a view of downhill from one of the slopes and also the kiddy slope where people were zorbing around as well. In the desert, in a mall, you've created a ski park and a five-star hotel also offers rooms with a view and if you can't spend enough for the luxury, you can buy a ticket if you want to spend the night camping in the park. Take a bow, Dubai!
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| Yup, inside a mall |
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| A meal with a view.. Even though we didn't get to actually ski.. |
Global Village
This is Dubai's massive yearly shopping, dining, entertainment fair - As if all those glitzy malls weren't enough, they set this up. So it’s a huge version of a popup mela which runs from November-April generally and has country pavilions where there is merchandise, food and entertainment from that region. This year's edition which we visited had about 30 pavilions representing 75 countries and its absolutely impossible to see them all in a single visit, if you're not on skates and playing your own version of Amazing Race. We wanted to catch some shows which were recommended by my life-saving cousin - 'Speed', the motor stunt show - short (maybe 20 mins in all) but absolutely worth it. The plotline starts with a news reporter covering a live event that is taken over by a group of thieves who are attempting to rob the town museum. Then police show up and an action scene ensues before the criminals are caught. Then, there's the 'Pasha Dance Theater Show' which is absolutely awesome - like a musical, with a storyline and Russian dancers who are so in sync its almost distracting for a bit, because you're trying to spot if anyone slipped up. In the middle of checking these shows out, we found time to wander and covered Iran, Jordan, China, Thailand, Far-East, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Egypt, Americas, India and Pakistan. I managed to snag a gold-plated silver chain which had my name made with a metal wire. Yeah, useless purchases aplenty sometimes. The food options are immense - the street food area is amazing with a whole set of options from various countries for street food. There are more restaurants with seating as well in specific pavilions. I'd reckon it would be horribly hot to visit just at opening which is in the late noon, but if you plan to stay on late, carry covers because I felt a bit of a chill at 10 pm also, since it is outdoors and very expansive. There are special Dubai transport buses for the event, so staying on late is no issue even if you miss your tour operator cab back. And if you want to be more flexible, call an Uber in this oil-is-cheaper-than-water country.
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| A panoramic view of the village - Pavilions on either side and some amusement in the center of the village.. |
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| Pasha show starts.. |
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| The most in sync live dance I've ever seen.. |
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| The stunt show.. |
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| Far-East pavilion |
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| When the exit is this beautiful, you would reconsider your decision to leave.. |
Miracle Garden
A more recent opening this - has a park basically dedicated to different formations and objects made of flowers. They have an Emirates A-380 decked with flowers, of course have a Burj Khalifa with flowers, a fountain too many, etc. If you're fond of walking around in flowery parks, this is the place for you. Makes for some beautiful photo op moments, but gets repetitive for someone like me. There aren't too many varieties of flowers, just more decoration done with the same kinds. So I was a bit bored, but go nuts if greenery and flowers is what makes you smile!
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| There it is - the flower decked Emirates 380 |
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| I was bored enough to be praying this balloon actually works and can take me somewhere.. |
Deira Souk
If you've seen those photos on the internet or on whatsapp of the world's largest Gold ring or the world's largest Golden dress, here's where you're going to find it. Located in Deira, this souq or market houses a separate market for everything - Gold, spices, clothes, blankets, lights, electronics - You name it, you'll find it in Deira Souk. The gold souk which looks like a wholesale market for something as precious as gold, immediately brought concerns about the authenticity - but I've been told that the Government is very strict about the quality of gold and if someone's caught selling inferior gold, their licenses are withdrawn and they're banned for several years. So, there's enough of a deterrent to sell genuine jewelry. The work is also extremely neat and very fashionable based on whatever you're looking for - Arabic designs, Western, Minimalist, Indian - They have it all.
We also visited the Spice souk which is a treat for the senses - the mounds of Lavender, saffron; the carefully stacked transparent pallets of almonds and pistachios. Even if there's not much you buy, this is a must visit place if you like wandering in markets to see local fare. If you do choose to buy, I can safely say this is the cheapest I've ever snapped up small boxes of absolutely excellent and pure Iranian and Spanish saffron, some camel milk chocolate which look like small pebbles but taste weirdly good, the cheapest but nicest almonds I've ever seen and the nicest mixed tea concoction I've ever bought. For a coffee addict, that's saying something.
Besides the Gold Souq & the Spice Souq, there's a souq for appliances, clothes, blankets, lighting, etc., all self contained in sections of Deira.
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| Well said, Dubai and a claim you can live up to! |
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| Anyone seen any Gold? |
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| The world's largest Gold necklace..Me reckons a bit more, it could be a dress.. |
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| The loveliest smells.. |
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| The streets of Deira |
Meena Bazaar
Head here if you're looking for imitation Louis Vuitton or Michael Kors bags, apparel or gold. It basically is an Indian market replicated so amazingly in Dubai, you might feel as if you're on Commercial street in Bangalore. We went there to my cousin's family jeweler to buy some gold - I ended up finding a very pretty rose gold chain (Apple should get some royalty for making rose gold so brazenly in vogue for everything, thanks to their iPhones).
Food
Dubai is a food lovers' paradise - even a vegetarian food lovers' paradise. There are options to suit every pocket and ever palate, everywhere. Be it at a mall's food court, be it at a street full of restaurants, be it at the sightseeing places - you'll never run out of options. The mister had his share of delicious shawarmas, while I tucked into icecreams galore. My picks are The Cheesecake Factory (which isn't in India yet, so is a very big deal for me and I chomped on their Godiva cheesecakes for lunch, twice!), Pappa Roti (Thanks to the Mister's cousins for the visit), which one should try for the fancy bun, which is crisp-ish on the outside but melt in mouth soft inside served with toppings like Nutella and chocolate sauce, some street food at Meena Bazaar, Shawarma Rolls and Falafels at almost anywhere.
Be prepared to shell out precious dirhams for water! And otherwise spend AED30-40 per couple for a decent meal at a quick service restaurant or AED100 for two at a mall.
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| Judge me but #bucketlist stuff getting ticked off |
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| Pappa Roti with Chocolate sauce topping - I suggest play safe, pick Nutella.. |
Shopping
Its not funny how many malls this place has - But, do visit Dubai mall for its sheer size and all the attractions I listed above; Mall of Emirates for the Ski park and Ibn Batuta for its amazing indoor decor. Besides that, the popular mid-level brands like H&M, Zara, Aeropostale, Forever 21, etc., are there in almost every mall everywhere. If you want to splurge of course, hit the higher floors of Dubai Mall/Mall of Emirates. We didn't go to Marina mall which is another popular feature on many lists because as the husband has lucked out, I am not a shopaholic.
Besides this, there's enough you'll find in terms of cheaper than usual but good to gift souvenirs at Bollywood or at Day-to-Day which are all over the city.
You'll find clothes, stoles, shoes, phone covers, basically everything at eye-popping prices at Deira Souk (because it is that awesome - For instance, you'll get a lovely soft stole for 10 AED at Deira, which will be 50 AED at a popup stall in a small mall and be ready to shell 100AED in a bigger mall.)
Prepare to pay through your nose if you like to collect those professional photos at observatories or at monuments and if you insist on buying fridge magnets/keychains from the gift store at the exits of these places. Basically, at the official gift stores, its all loot.
Besides this all, we also made fleeting trips to Box Parks, Dubai Canal and City Walk, thanks to my Mommy cousin in Dubai. The list is endless though - Dubai has more than enough to keep you occupied for atleast a week or more more, easily and you still might run out of time to see everything peacefully. Totally worth the time and the effort and I can't wait to make a plan to go back in a few years to do what I missed - The Atlantis, the other parks at Dubai Parks and Resorts, see the newest Tallest building in the world which is under construction, see Jumeirah Beach Residences, spend some time at the beach, find a way to book a nice meal at the Burj Al Arab, book a limousine ride and maybe a helicopter ride as well. The list goes on - but the good news is there's enough to go back for!
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| Chocolate Fondue nights at Box Parks |
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| Box Parks Dubai - An entire street of eateries all in the shape of container boxes |
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| Dubai Canal |
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| City Walk Dubai |
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| City Walk Dubai |
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| Adios, Dubai..I can't wait to be back! |
