Dubai: 1 City 3 trips - Part 1

For this edition of #WanderlustWednesday, I’m talking about Dubai.  I visited this city three times while living in Bahrain.  The first was during my 5 year wedding anniversary and two other times with visiting family.  

So, I’m going to break this post up into two parts.  This first post will focus on enjoying Dubai with visiting family and, in honor of our upcoming 10 year anniversary, Part Two will focus on our 5 year anniversary trip to Dubai back in 2015. 

There’s something magical about this region and this city specifically.  It’s mesmerizing, lush, and alluring. It’s like an oasis in the middle of the desert.  At times you wonder if you’re hallucinating and entranced by a mirage with all the opulence, the foods, experiences and scents. But not so. It’s every part real, regal and rich.  

If Abu Dhabi is the United Arab Emirate’s chill, older, mature sibling, Dubai, pronounced Du-bay by Arabs in the region, is that life of the party, turnt-up cousin or younger sibling. 

Unapologetically flashy and full of unending things to do, Dubai offers more than you can imagine.  My first impression of Dubai reminded me of Vegas without the gambling, New York without the grit and gristle (except for the sand), and I could detect hints of the British influence from decades of British Era oil development and imperialism. I was truly grateful for the great driving and paved roads as well as the air conditioned bus stops.

ADVENTURES WITH AUNT JANIS

Our first family visit took place in June 2015 when Chris’s Aunt Janis came to the region for a work trip.  Because we had just gone in May and Chris was busy at work, he couldn’t take additional time off. But, I wasn’t working and a round trip flight to Dubai was dirt cheap (probably $100).

So I gladly took the hour long flight from Bahrain to Dubai to spend a few days to catch up and explore Dubai with Aunt Janis.

WHERE TO STAY

During her visit, I had the fortune of staying with Aunt Janis at the Shangri-la hotel downtown. It was phenomenal with incredible views of the Burj Khalifa and the uniquely shaped buildings from the bedroom and poolside. 

Shangri-La in the heart of Dubai provided hourly shuttle service to and from the world's largest and most impressive mall. It’s a few blocks shy of the metro rail that ran to and from the airport. And we enjoyed a posh poolside view of, you guessed it, the Burj Khalifa. 

WHAT TO DO

Since Aunt Janis had to work most days, I struck out on my own.  

I took advantage of the mall shuttle 

Having been to the Dubai Mall one other time, I decided to switch up my second visit by visiting every store or at least walking around and window shopping at every store in the mall. 

Ask me how that went?

I was so overwhelmed in the first 5 minutes of stepping inside the mall. It’s so huge and teeming with shoppers and activity.  That was probably the first time I was legit overstimulated.  

So I went to a few spots, even found my way to fashion row and saw my first pair of Christian Louboutins, grabbed a bite to eat, found my way back out, admired the fancy car parked out front and looked for a tour bus. 

Redbus Hop on Hop off tour

I paid for two tours. The first included the general excursion that allowed for different routes across separate parts of the city and free headphones with audio guide. 

The second, the Dubai at Night tour, featured a chance to enjoy the flashing lights of the city at night along with a live guided tour.

Enjoy the Souq

Aunt Janis had one free day off during her trip, so we toured the town together. We enjoyed breakfast at a nearby French cafe within walking distance then hopped on the metro towards the old-town area to explore the souq. 

We boarded a little boat that crossed the creek to the other side of the bay where the souq lay in wait. Most of the shops were closed for the afternoon break, but we were lucky enough to visit a few open spots selling trinkets, shoes, scarves, etc.

At one point, I remember a few people calling out different phrases we hear in the U.S. Someone called out “Getting Jiggy with It,” while another person said, “Hey ladies, Hey. Hakuna Matata.” And one person also called out “America, America!”

That was the first time I realized that people could tell that we were from the U.S. without having met us or hearing us speak.  I remember asking Aunt Janis, “how can they tell we’re from the U.S.?  We could be Nigerian or South African for all they know. What makes them automatically think we’re from the U.S. given our complexion?” 

I felt my cover was blown because, up until that point, with the exception of living in Germany and visiting London as a kid, I blended in to the only other countries I had visited. Dominican Republic, Lesotho, and South Africa are part of the African Diaspora and I could easily be mistaken for citizenship in most of those places if I didn’t open my mouth, or so I thought. I didn’t think people would automatically assume I was “American.” 

But sure enough, they did. And Aunt Janis, who is well traveled and runs circles on us for all the places she visited, said, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s how we carry ourselves. American Women probably walk a certain way or carry ourselves differently.”  BINGO!

I have since heard that Americans stand out in different cultures and countries wherever we go. Though, in all our travels Chris and I are always asked where we’re from and we still get shocked responses when we tell people we’re from the U.S. So maybe it depends on the country and person.

We shopped around for a few things including birthday gifts for the family.  The most bizarre thing happened when I bought a set of gold plated playing cards for my dad.  

We turned a corner in the section of the souq and out of nowhere, vendors started encircling us, like a swarm of bees,  shoving and showing us their wares for purchase all at once. I don’t know where these men came from. I didn’t see them descending but they appeared and I was totally thrown off guard.

We quickly exited and found our way through a little network of shops that were opening in the souq labyrinth.  I was looking for a spice or a tea and we popped into a shop that looked like it might have had what I was looking for. 

Since it was hot out and we had had a lot in one afternoon, we decided to return to the hotel to read and relax at the pool before calling it a day. 

CHRISTMAS WITH THE IN-LAWS

My third and final visit to Dubai while living in the Middle East took place Christmas 2015.  My mother and father-in-law came to spend the holiday with us in Bahrain and wanted to visit Dubai, so they treated us to a Christmas trip and we went (I’m still very grateful!). That was our first time flying Emirates Airline and let me say, despite being a 1-hour flight, it was still nice and fancy.  One day, I’ll ride in that premium class with the private “rooms” and velvet rope access.

Not only did I enjoy the beautiful weather (we went to the beach) but it was my first Christmas in the Middle East and I was astonished at how decked out the country and malls were for Christmas. 

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown with easy access to the metro. 

WHAT TO DO

These are a few things we did in the 36 hours we had to explore:

During our first night in town, we visited the Dubai Mall where we took an evening tour of the Burj Khalifa. I didn’t realize it was the swanky tour until we were directed to a fast track line towards a separate entrance and guided into a quiet, intimate lounge with few people. 

While there, we were offered Arab coffee and dates until it was our turn to ascend to the highest observation deck.  

It was slightly too dark for good quality photos on my basic camera BUT the water show from above and again once we got back down and walked afoot was spectacular with all the lights, the music. It was a treat. 

The Beach at Burj al Arab

This spot was pretty relaxing and open to the public when we went. We didn’t go into the Burj Al Arab hotel, but chilled on the beach until the rain came through and we quickly packed up to head on to the next adventure. 

Madinat Jumeriah 

We explored the Madniat Jumeriah resort which boasts a few restaurants, a gold ATM machine, shopping area and a waterway for boat rides. 

In fact, given the time of the year, Santa was busy taking pictures with kids and riding down the neighborhood in his Dhow boat. How about that for a twist.

We also spent time at the Mall of the Emirates, which was bustling with shoppers in and out of shops on Christmas Eve. While there, we walked around and observed the indoor ski slopes acknowledging the fact that it was probably extremely cold and something we wouldn’t be up for.

WHERE TO EAT

The Dubai Mall has a full on food court with more options than one could imagine. 

At the Madinat Jumeriah Resort, we enjoyed Persian cuisine at Anar restaurant while seated outside.

GETTING AROUND

To get around, we hopped on the metro train for the first time.  There are women and children cars as well as premium paying cars and general (the affordable and co-ed option) cars. 

So pay attention to the platform and the car colors or you’ll get fined for stepping into the wrong car. 

Next week I’ll talk about my first time in Dubai with Chris and all the adventures we had in “The City of Gold”