My Dubai Adventure

Oct 21, 2016

I had an opportunity to visit Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. I did not have much knowledge about the destination, but it was on my bucket list. I flew Emirate Airlines in Business Class, and this experience alone was incredible. With a good night’s sleep, I arrived in Dubai well rested and ready for my adventure.

Dubai has a very modern airport and an excellent infrastructure. Even with the amount of construction taking place, the country is very clean and extremely safe to travel in. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dubai has a lot to offer the visitor. From the majestic sand dunes of the Arabian Desert to the gleaming towers of its luxury hotels, Dubai has established it’s place as a major cosmopolitan city.

With world class shopping centers, restaurants, theme parks, water sports, electrifying sporting championship events, this city has something to offer everyone. This city is very diverse in culture, cuisine and language. I was pleasantly amazed to see such diversity.

For Dubai City sightseeing, if you are adventurous, I recommend the Hop-On, Hop-Off, open-top double-decker bus. This gives you the freedom to explore the city at your own pace with fantastic views. I took a half-day guided city tour which included a walking tour of Gold & Spice Souk. Here you really get to experience a local market. The gold souks are incredible. I had never seen such an amazing display of gold jewelry.

The stores in the Spice Souk sell a variety of spices used in Arabic and South Asian foods. In addition to spices, textiles, incense, rugs and other artifacts are also sold here. This is where locals come to shop for spices & Gold.

I visited the Sheikh Mohammed Centre For Cultural Understanding. This center offers a range of enrichment activities to help visitors to Dubai understand its heritage and culture. Tours including an Emirati breakfast are also available to book. All questions are welcome here and the motto is “Open Doors, Open Minds.” I enjoyed this tour and recommend it to anyone visiting Saudi Arabia.

My visit to top of the Burj Khalifa Sky Lounge took my breath away: an incredible view of the city and it’s skyline. Another attraction is the Underwater Zoo located inside the Dubai Mall. It’s hard to imagine skiing in Dubai, but yes, they have a ski slope built inside the Dubai Mall. This is a ski area with 5 lifts and visitors can snowboard, ski, enjoy tube slides or simply enjoy the colony of penguins. While I am not a skier, I did enjoy my ride on the ski lift up the slopes! With such attractions in one location, you can easily spend a full day of adventure with your family.

Not far from the city is an area called BOX PARK, which is Dubai’s urban outdoor dining and entertainment area in a hip and modern setting. Here I visited the Dome Box Theatre, where one can take a time machine to explore this 360-degree arc-shaped giant screen and see exciting stories unfold in front of your eyes.

One of my favorite excursions was the Desert Safari. Approximately eight miles from the city you are in the heart of the desert. Prepare for a bumpy ride as the 4 wheelers make their way to the camp. My tour arrived at the base of the desert in plenty of time for us to enjoy the sunset. It was truly a sensational scene. At the camp, I rode a camel, had a henna tattoo on my palms, and enjoyed a traditional Arabic hospitality with buffet dinner while seated around a campfire!

I was fortunate to experience Emirati hospitality, culture, a desert safari, local cusine, shopping and entertainment. For such a unique destination I would recommend six nights, or more if you are planning on visiting neighboring countries.

Dubai is safe, very progressive and a world class destination. Don’t be afraid to explore. You will be glad you did. Let me help arrange and customize your next Arabian adventure to Dubai and beyond.

Contact Sha Dev to begin planning your Dubai and Abu Dhabi vacation today!