Dubai

 June 15, 2014

Our time in Dubai was amazing!  And short lived, which was for the best as it wasn’t the cheapest city.  The city itself was sleek and modern, diverse and fun.  Turns out this is the safest country in the world (clear to see just walking around) and the number one country for women’s rights (surprising).  People were friendly and helpful, the buildings clean and beautiful, and there was tons to do!

For our 4 nights in Dubai - we decided to find a room through AirBnB - and what luck!  We stayed with two fabulous expats (as 80% of Dubai is) right in the center of town in a fabulous Arabic villa.   (Note the world’s tallest building in the skyline behind our villa.)

The Dubai Mall could really double as a museum when there are REAL dinosaur bones, set up in the 5 story mall with over 1,200 stores.  No wonder it attracts 75,000 visitors a year! 

Dubai Aquairum or the Dubai Mall????  Why the mall of course - sharks and shopping, like white and rice. 

 

Outside the mall, there are Vegas style lights and fountains.  You just can’t venture out till dark when the heat subsides!

Omar and I did a cultural trip to the Jumeirah Mosque, through the “Emirati Culture Open Doors, Open Minds" program to learn about Islam and the bedouin culture here. 

The inside of the mosque was stunning and learning about the religion, their prayers, and the new electronic prayer clocks used to help them pray 5 times a day was very interesting!

 

Omar was picked to be a volunteer and squeeze next to another man in prayers.  He was then asked how easy would it be to focus on prayers if a young, hottie was squeezed in next to him.  And that’s why men and women don’t pray together.

 

Date camel milk milkshake. . . . when in Rome . . .

 

We spent a day hiding from the heat in the Dubai Museum to learn about the city and its history. It’s amazing how much development there has been since the discovey of oil!!!  And really, who doesn’t like cross bows?

 

We went to a traditional breakfast one morning with a local to learn more about customs and traditions here and to ask any questions we wanted.

We were even allowed to try on traditional clothes . . . here I am in stealth mode. 

 

Just 1 hour outside of downtown Dubai the scenery changes drastically.  This was taken from the window of a Land Rover while dune bashing!

 

What would a trip to the desert be without a chance to ride on a camel?

 

I can’t lie - wearing this garb just makes sense in the heat.