Dubai

From the tallest scrapper in the world, to the only 7 stars hotel, Dubai has it all.

You can ski anytime during the year at Dubai ski, ice skate at the ice ring inside the Dubai Mall, even cage snorkeling inside Dubai Aquarium, a huge establishment  inside the Dubai mall. However, given the time of Ramadan and the restrictions of the culture, it is hard to enjoy it all. During this time you can not eat or drink in public, not even water, not even a drop of water, it is actually prohibited by law to do so and in extreme cases can get you fined and land you in jail. Also, during the time of July, temperatures can reach 50 degree Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).  Keeping in mind that it is illegal to show affection or even kiss your partner in public.

However, Dubai has its charms and it is trying to set records for tallest buildings, best service hotels, even trying to build the biggest airport in the world. Everywhere you go, you will see constructions, huge sites where you can tell it will be big building condos or offices. We have to say that Dubai has a great metro system and very easy to use and somewhat rather cheap. It can get you from one side of the city to the airport in under 30 minutes. Be also aware that drinking, eating or even chewing gum can land you 100 UAE Dirham fine! Taxis are easy to get and affordable for short trips. It is, nevertheless, not a city where you
can walk around. You will somehow always need to get a cab or the metro to go somewhere.

Dubai is also a great place where to shop. You will find many international brands in big malls such the Emirates Mall or Dubai Mall. The latter one is just next to the highest tower in the world which you can access from inside the mall. The experience in the Burj Khalifa was great, going 124 floors up in under 60 second! The view of the skyline of Dubai is beautiful as one imagined.
Tickets are easy to purchase and get at the ticket counter through this website: http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/

You have also some nice beaches including the Jameriah beach with blue clear water and the view of the Burj Al Aarab next to it. It helps to make the experience a little more enjoyable even though it is 45 degrees (113 Fahrenheit) outside. Once in the water, it feels like a jacuzzi, not very refreshing but still feels nice. After 25 minutes, we had enough of the heat so we went back to the hotel, and even though it was short, still managed to get some sunburn..!

That afternoon, we also decided to take a desert safari which is only an experience you can enjoy in the Middle East, a 4×4 SUV going through big sand dunes very fast, making it feel almost like a roller coaster. After driving through it for one hour, you find yourself in the middle of the desert and even though it’s not the ocean, the charming red sand is beautiful. The driver later takes you to a site to have a nice buffet dinner after Iftar time. Furthermore, while waiting you can enjoy a nice camel ride or go sand boarding.

We booked our tour via the website: http://www.bookdubaitrip.com/ The service is good and simple. An agent will confirm you the tour by email and the payment is made by cash or credit card on spot.

Dubai is for us a must see once in a lifetime, an interesting destination which is hard to follow. Dubai grows fast, showing to the planet that everything is possible. But at what cost ? Are all these records for tallest and biggest architectures necessary ? Why not to invest in sustainable constructions and means of better transportation?

With our questions and some doubts, we leave now to go visit the Taj Mahal and South India

A bientôt ! 🙂