Its high time I get back into blogging, on request of many friends and travel buddies. With quite a bit of travel on my bucket let me pen down all the adventures and experiences around each country. Thinking of which country to start with, Dubai had been one of my personal favorites which I wanted to do since childhood. I have been seeing a lot of movies featuring this beautiful country and Discovery, National Geographic channels showing stuff around middle east. It had just been a dream until I finally decided to nail it on my return back home from South Africa.
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| Beautiful sunset in Dubai, always a treat to watch |
I had started planning on my itinerary one month prior and with some good deals on Burj, Desert safari, hotels, cruise etc., it just made it more exciting. Got almost 50% off on most bookings and with few friends staying in Dubai got all the places which I can visit. Visa was also easy to obtain which came in 2 days. Me and my buddy were all set to explore the land of Middle East.
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| Dubai skyline view, most majestic buildings all over |
Day1:
After bidding adeau to Africa which had almost been my second home, stepped into UAE soil. Immigration done, took some forex and checked into hotel Ramada which we booked close to Dubai metro. Best part of this hotel was commutation, step outside and there is metro connecting to all parts of Dubai. Metro was so organised and quite easy to follow. Cheap and best mode of transport, avoiding all the city heat and traffic. Take a train to any place you wish to connect in Dubai, which indicates how developed the country is.
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| Desert Safari pic taken during car ride along sand dune |
First day we decided to do desert safari. A full day outing with belly dances and Arab dinner at night, I was so excited since I had never been to a desert. My imaginations went bizarre wanting to do camel ride, try out arab costume, try middle east food, rolling on the sand dunes and do whatever desert had to offer. We had light lunch in one of the malls close to our pickup point and waited for car to pick us. It was a long ride from the heart of the city to outskirts of Dubai. First time saw heat wave on roads as temperature soared up to 45 degrees mid afternoon. We had a small halt on the way, and to my luck got arab costume in a shop which I wanted to wear it all day long till desert safari ended. When I wore it, almost got transformed to a Arab guy hahaha.
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| With Arab costume, another dream fulfilled :D |
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| With my travel buddy Johnie :) |
Car ride along the desert was kinda rollercoaster going along a lot of sand dunes, which was so cool. The driver was such a pro, giving us the feel of desert and at the same time racing the dunes out. After 30mins of drive, finally we stopped in the mid of desert. Got down for some adventures. Sat on camel for first time, carried eagle on my hand, tried quad biking on the desert, ran up a sand dune and rolled down. Day got better and better as new adventures rolled by. After 2 hour long stop, we moved next for belly dances and traditional dinner. The sunset was breathtaking along the desert. Evening dances were awesome with nice hookah, welcome drinks, falaffal, wraps and lipsmacking Arab food.
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| My first ever Quad biking adventure |
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| Camel ride, it was fun riding along the desert |
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| Climbed all the way to the top and rolled over :P |
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| Beautiful belly dances to cheer the evening |
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| Breathtaking dance performances with amazing food |
Day2:
After an exciting day in desert, we decided to conquer Worlds tallest building, Burj Khalifa. 830m (2722ft) tall. It always takes your breath away, such a majestic empire. Waiting in long queue to get onto top was equally exciting, imagining how the world looks from top. Cant imagine how much engineering and perfection it would have taken to build this skyscraper. And it turned out to be a wonderful evening with musical fountains entertaining people down. We booked Burj top at night, since its really beautiful watching Dubai under lights. It was one of the best days in my travel diary, where I can say I ve conquered the tallest beast of this World. Earlier part of the day we roamed Dubai mall till evening. Such a big mall, shopaholics can spend days and months here. Did quite a bit of shopping, getting souvenirs, tshirts, magnets and things for friends and family back home.
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| Another tall wonder conquered |
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| 124th Floor of Burj Khalifa.. Dubai aerial view |
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| At the top of the world |
Day3 & 4:
With the main itinerary covered, we decided to roam around the city and outskirts. Palm Atlantis, set on the iconic Palm Jumeirah island with views of the Arabian Gulf this luxurious resort is a must visit. Next we visited the distinctive sail-shaped silhouette of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah which is more than just a stunning hotel and a symbol of modern Dubai. Now to relax a bit, went to Dubai Dolphinarium and Aquarium to catch up seal, dolphin stunts for few hours. Dubai Aquarium is one of its kind, having wide variety of sea creatures. Next up for some shopping in Mall of Emirates and Ibn Battuta to feast on nice Arab food and shopping.
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| Majestic Palm Atlantis |
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| In front of Burj Al Arab. |
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| Dubai Aquarium had some of vibrant fishes |
With lot of beautiful memories to take from Dubai and middle east, im signing off with lot more travel blogs to follow :)
