March 2020

One never forgets their first international trip, I believe. A scope to see what the world outside your world looks and functions like. Dubai was a realization of fantasies, of images transforming to actual 3D! When the opportunity to visit Dubai arose as part of my work, I jumped at the chance. I waited with bated breath for the day to arrive when I would fly over international waters (not literally in this case).

Godspeed

Arrival-Fancy Lodgings

I arrived in Dubai late on a Sunday evening along with a colleague (my boss to be precise). It is just over 3 hours from Mumbai to DXB airport. We flew Emirates which, in my opinion, is the best airlines ever. Visa procedure is quite simple for UAE; in my case it had been arranged by my company.

Tip: Single females need to get a permission slip signed by their guardian for travel to UAE. However, the rule may have changed in the last 5 years, please check the same.

We stayed at The Sheraton Hotel, Deira. Deira is the erstwhile commercial center of Dubai. It is an area which caters to tourists with its many hotels and restaurants. Since the booking was done by my company, I did no research for this part. I can say though, this was a superb hotel with an amazing breakfast spread!! For me, that was the standout. Location wise it was great as well, since it was surrounded on all sides with restaurants and shops within walking distance. The main tourist attractions were also close by – a 20-minute cab ride away.

All That Glitters

First look-Teaser

My first impression was that Dubai was so shiny! Everything gleamed and twinkled as we made our way from the airport to the hotel. The roads were wonderful, there was no traffic to speak of, and all around me glass and chrome buildings sparkled. I couldn’t wait to go out and explore this magnificent city.

In the backdrop of all this was the heat. Even in the month of September, it was crazy hot in Dubai (and I’m from India!). In the daytime, the “loo” wind was like a sharp slap to the face – oppressively hot. It is only then you are reminded of the fact that Dubai is in fact a desert. Other than that, the opulence of the city, the brilliant greenery (which is missing in Mumbai even) can make one easily forget that the Emirates are supposed to be a desert.

All Work and No Play

Work-but yummy food

The first 3 days in Dubai were spent in work – 9 to 7 – meetings, work, work and some more work. Those first 3 days, most I saw of Dubai were the streets, inside of cabs and the hotel room. I did get some chance to go out for dinners to the nearby restaurants in Deira and try out Arabic and middle-eastern cuisine. It was lip-smackingly delicious – kababs, breads and hummus!

We did go for some shopping in local supermarkets and gift shops. There was nothing to write home about in those shops but buying even normal stuff in a foreign country feels so thrilling!!

Tip: For foreign currency, in my experience, the best way is to use your credit card for payment rather than forex cards because in the end the card payment comes cheaper after exchange rates and GST.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

Dubai Mall-Burj Khalifa-the Souks

Finally, though, the day arrived when I could play tourist. On the penultimate day in Dubai, we got off work early. So, we set off to explore Dubai. We headed to the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa.

Dubai Mall      

Dubai Mall is the second largest shopping mall in the world and hosts top brands of any imaginable category. It is so huge that simply walking from one end to the other would take hours! We took quite a bit of stops in between at various shops especially the candy shop. So many varieties of candy – it is very tempting to even grownups let alone children.

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The mall houses the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, which apparently has 300 species of marine life. I unfortunately did not enter the actual zoo due to lack of time, but I did see the aquarium. I stood gawping at the beautiful and varied collection of fishes for ages. Do visit this place from the inside when you are there.

It also has a beautiful wall of waterfall that is a piece of artwork. In addition, the mall has direct access to the Burj Khalifa, which is located right beside it. The “At the Top” entrance to the Burj Khalifa is actually inside the mall itself. You can purchase tickets to the top view decks from inside the mall.

Tip: Tickets for top deck view were for $95 – 4 years ago. If you book in advance online, they are much cheaper.

There is also an air-conditioned footbridge which connects the Mall metro station to the mall directly. With so much going on, the Dubai Mall is a must-visit on a trip to Dubai if only to be amazed by its sheer size!

Burj Khalifa

The iconic landmark of Dubai, Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It stands tall at more than 2700 ft. while its spire is another ~2700 ft. The Burj Khalifa is 165 stories high and includes commercial, corporate and residential floors. At the top, it has viewing decks open for tourists which gives a panoramic view of the entire city of Dubai.

I, however, did not get the time to go upto the view decks. I did go to the front of the building and oh my! Let me tell you it is a sight to behold! Calling it huge is an understatement but craning your neck up to look at the lit-up façade is an amazing feeling.

Tip: You aren’t allowed to stop in front of the structure for only viewing purposes, so the best photo-taking opportunity is to enter nearby streets and stop for a while.

The Souks

The last day in Dubai, we had just an evening free before our flight back to India. We decided to visit the famous Dubai “Souks” i.e. markets. There are three main bazaars – Gold Souk, Spice Souk and Perfume Souk. What amazing sights we got to see!!

If I’d thought Dubai glittering before, it was nothing compared to the souks. Dazzling with colors of all kinds, it was a place to get lost in wonder. The blindingly bright gold souk with series of gold shops on both sides of the long canopied street, beckoned me. Even though I was sorely tempted, I resisted and did not buy anything.

Tip: Even though the 24k gold is cheaper than elsewhere, the making charges are actually higher than in India. Do keep that in mind while gold shopping. Also, customs only allows Rs. 50,000 worth of stuff to be imported into India.

The spice souk is an assault on the senses – colors and smells of varying kinds. Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and the most famous of all – saffron. Saffron is of the highest quality here and at very reasonable prices.

Lastly, my favorite one – the perfume souk! The shops here were so attractive! There were rows and rows of perfumes in fancy bottles lined up on the shelves. We chose a shop at random and entered. I had such a gala time there exploring the innumerable perfumes. Sweet, spicy, sharp, subtle – you name it they had it. I bought 4 types of perfumes which they packed for me in these cute tiny bottles. To this day, they are one of the best fragrances I have ever used.

Apart from these main ones, there were the usual touristy shops and I did buy a few mementos – magnets, postcards, keyrings and the like.

Tip: Be ready to haggle and choose wisely.

Alvida

The time in Dubai seemed to be over so quickly. All too soon, it was time to return home. Before that, one last memory of Dubai was its airport. Dubai Airport is enormous and is a mall in itself. Roaming the shops was quite a good time and I did some duty free shopping of chocolates, make-up and more perfume (eek!). An apt way to say good-bye to this city.