Dashing Through Dubai

One weekend in Dubai was not long enough. We found this relatively new city was clean, orderly, service orientated, glitzy and grandiose, friendly, and a welcomed breath of fresh air. Canadians now need a visa to enter the UAE and because we are 'residents' of a Gulf country, we were able to pick it up at the Dubai International Airport. We were fingerprinted, received our eye scan and four line-ups later we were through! The metro is a couple of years old and took us right from the airport to our hotel area.



tv swivelled (to watch it  in the tub) and mini fridge underneath it

 The Al Manzil Hotel was beyond our expectations. Classy, clean, contemporary, a five minute walk to the Dubai Mall, delicious buffet breakfast, comfy bed and they offered us service with a capital letter 'S'!  We had two letters and one phone call during our short stay to ensure everything was satisfactory. The bell hop asked us if we needed anything. He brought us toothpaste, shaving cream, a special plug for the laptop and extra towels (within minutes of our arrival).

chandelier and skylight in the Dubai Mall



The Gold Souk - ahhhh




check out the little moving stars on the ceiling (Dubai Mall)




base of Burj Khalifa tower - dancing fountain in the fore ground




Burj Khalifa tower "At the Top"




Jemeirah Emirates Towers




lots of green in Dubai




very large Egyptian sculptures




world trade center



metro stations look futuristic



lost city of Atlantis - ceiling in one section at the Atlantis on the Palm Resort




this hotel is called The Palace (we walked through it several times to get to the Dubai Mall)




orderly - everyone drives in his/her own lane



We travelled on the Big Bus, a double decker British style bus and saw many amazing sights while listening to a running commentary of the city’s history. The Big Bus allowed us to jump off, see a site and then catch the next bus to take us further along the route. The red route was the ‘old city and shopping area’ and the blue route took us to the beaches and the famous Atlantis on the Palm Hotel and residential area.

While the retail opportunities are a shopper’s paradise, we focused on seeing the world famous architecture. We did make a few purchases; one was a birthday present for me. I am now learning how to run my new DLSR camera.

The Dubai Mall had lots to offer every shopper, and if one gets tired of shopping, other adventures are varied and plentiful. We went to the Dubai Mall aquarium and while the sea life was not new to us, we were reminded why we love to be near the water.We watched the amazing dancing fountain several times.The shooting water sways, explodes, swirls and is choreographed to different pieces of music. It was so stunning and beautiful to watch.



one of the many wonderful decorations!! (referring to the handsome and adventurous hubby)

 Another attraction inside the Dubai Mall is “At the Top”. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building (828 m) in the Middle East and it can be seen from 95 miles away. The elevator moves fast - 64 km per hour and is so smooth!  I think they told us it covers 10 stories per second. The public observation deck is on floor 124 with more floors beyond the public observatory. The view is of course stunning and when looking around, it makes the 60 story buildings look like baby lego buildings! This building and others were build to diversify the economy in UAE. One of the reasons it was built was to boost the tourist  traffic and attractions in Dubai.



View from 'At the Top' - Elaborate dancing fountain equipment in the pool, a part of the Dubai Mall on the far left, The Old Souke in the middle (connected by a bridge across the water), The Palace on the right. Behind the palace you can see a large pool with a 'cross' in it. We walked on the middle sidewalk of this pool to get to our hotel. The Inuksuk is there.



Canadian inuksuk in the middle of the 'cross pool' and Burj Khalifa in the background 

Watching folks skate on the indoor rink brought back ‘hockey day’ memories. Of course the mall had amazing restaurants, movie theatres, stores of every kind, and beautiful decorations too.



mama on the ice rink in the Dubai Mall



While Dubai is a bustling cosmopolitan city today, it started as a humble fishing village. The men dove for pearls and they fed their families from the Gulf. These old metal bowls were in the Dubai Museum and measured the size of the pearls. The pearl industry died off once cultivate pearls became popular and easy to produce in the Far East.





While our time in Dubai was short, our dashing and depositing dirhams everywhere we went let us see and experience many architecturally amazing sites. Dubai is definitely worth a second visit and although it was very hot and humid, it was a breath of fresh air from our 'home base' in Saudi Arabia.