I have to be honest it literally started with a little bit of anxiety… I did not know what to expect.
Everything that I heard about the Middle East before the trip made me a little bit nervous… But I went to a place that was everything that I did not expect.
We left on April 1… April Fools' Day: that in itself added to the anxiety. Was I getting punked?
We bought our excursion through Groupon; it was a package deal through a agency called Gate1Travel. I did a lot of research about the agency online, and ended up meeting people that knew people that had purchased the same package and had gone on the trip last year. And they were all back to the US safe and sound. So all of that ease my concerns, and I was ready to go!
We bought our excursion through Groupon; it was a package deal through a agency called Gate1Travel. I did a lot of research about the agency online, and ended up meeting people that knew people that had purchased the same package and had gone on the trip last year. And they were all back to the US safe and sound. So all of that ease my concerns, and I was ready to go!
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The trip was perfect!!! And I'm happy to share some of the highlights with you....
We left on April 1st and arrive in Dubai on April 2nd in the middle of the night and there was a guy waiting for us with a Gate1Travel sign. It was comforting to see someone from the agency right away when we landed. 6 other people arrived around the same time, and we were all taken to our hotel in a minibus. It was at the middle of the night and we were super exhausted after having traveled 24 hours to get there (13 hour flight... ouch) ... But right away we started to notice how different Dubai was about to be from anything we had ever seen...
Check out the waiting area outside of the departure gate... Men's Waiting Area. We did not see a Woman's waiting area anywhere... plus there was virtually no women out there. The ones that were out there, sat at a different area - an unmarked set of benches.
We stayed at the Traders Hotel in Dubai - an excellent 4 star hotel!! Their accommodations were great and very spacious. The service was impeccable - people were polite, nice and very attentive. The food was great - large selection during breakfast (which was included in our package - it was nice to have that included, as we spent the days out and about, it was important to have a big breakfast to hold us over.) The hotel also had a lounge and a bar, which we took full advantage of every night - especially since you cannot buy alcohol anywhere in Dubai except in hotels. Check out this article the British Embassy in Dubai issued with a list of 'Dos and Don'ts' for tourists or expats working in the Arab Emirate after a number of high-profile cases have seen Britons jailed.
We forced ourselves to go sleep once we've arrived in the hotel at almost 2am so that we could beat the jet lag and wake up bright and early the next day for our full day tour of one of the most diverse cities in the world.
The tour took us to both sides of Dubai Creek, where we experienced both the old world scenery and the stunning modern skyline.
We had the opportunity to go up to the 124th floor of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world with 163 floors. It was breathtaking!
We ended the first day, ecstatic and exhausted!!
The next day, after having rested like a baby, we woke up to a free morning; so we decided to visit the famous Miracle Garden, the biggest natural flower garden in the world, containing more than 45 million flowers. It is amazing to see such beauty and life, in the middle of the desert.
That same day, in the afternoon, we went on a safari into the vast desert that surrounds modern Dubai... and once again.... Just beautiful!! We rode around the desert on a SUV, stopped at many different spots to admire the view, and take pictures. And then later ended the day at a campsite, where traditional dinner was served, we watched a belly dancing show and got to visit with some really peaceful camels.
The 5th day was also open... which was nice. We decided to explore Dubai on our own using their metro system. Their metro is astonishing clean, organized and very structured. Our first attempt to take the metro didn't go so well... The first car of the metro is reserved for women only, and of course, that was the car that me, Travis, my mom and dad walked into. A lady in the metro let us know right away that men were not allowed in that car, and we panicked and ran out. We could have just switched cars, but it was so unexpected and quick that we didn't even have time to think.
Check out the waiting area outside of the departure gate... Men's Waiting Area. We did not see a Woman's waiting area anywhere... plus there was virtually no women out there. The ones that were out there, sat at a different area - an unmarked set of benches.
We stayed at the Traders Hotel in Dubai - an excellent 4 star hotel!! Their accommodations were great and very spacious. The service was impeccable - people were polite, nice and very attentive. The food was great - large selection during breakfast (which was included in our package - it was nice to have that included, as we spent the days out and about, it was important to have a big breakfast to hold us over.) The hotel also had a lounge and a bar, which we took full advantage of every night - especially since you cannot buy alcohol anywhere in Dubai except in hotels. Check out this article the British Embassy in Dubai issued with a list of 'Dos and Don'ts' for tourists or expats working in the Arab Emirate after a number of high-profile cases have seen Britons jailed.
We forced ourselves to go sleep once we've arrived in the hotel at almost 2am so that we could beat the jet lag and wake up bright and early the next day for our full day tour of one of the most diverse cities in the world.
The tour took us to both sides of Dubai Creek, where we experienced both the old world scenery and the stunning modern skyline.
We had the opportunity to go up to the 124th floor of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world with 163 floors. It was breathtaking!
We ended the first day, ecstatic and exhausted!!
The next day, after having rested like a baby, we woke up to a free morning; so we decided to visit the famous Miracle Garden, the biggest natural flower garden in the world, containing more than 45 million flowers. It is amazing to see such beauty and life, in the middle of the desert.
That same day, in the afternoon, we went on a safari into the vast desert that surrounds modern Dubai... and once again.... Just beautiful!! We rode around the desert on a SUV, stopped at many different spots to admire the view, and take pictures. And then later ended the day at a campsite, where traditional dinner was served, we watched a belly dancing show and got to visit with some really peaceful camels.
The 5th day was also open... which was nice. We decided to explore Dubai on our own using their metro system. Their metro is astonishing clean, organized and very structured. Our first attempt to take the metro didn't go so well... The first car of the metro is reserved for women only, and of course, that was the car that me, Travis, my mom and dad walked into. A lady in the metro let us know right away that men were not allowed in that car, and we panicked and ran out. We could have just switched cars, but it was so unexpected and quick that we didn't even have time to think.
After the day adventure in the metro... we closed the night with a visit to the Dubai Mall, to watch the water fountain show, prior to embarking on the Dhow cruise for dinner. It was the perfect way to spend the last night in Dubai.
The next day, we departed to Abu Dhabi, but first visited Al Ain the Garden City of the UAE and one of its oldest settlements.
We visited Shiekh Zayed Palace Museum, the resident of Sheikh Zayed and his family between 1937 and 1966. It was there where I had the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful and overwhelming sounds of my life....
That night we arrived in Abu Dhabi... we checked in at the Holiday in and went to bed. We had to be rested for our last day in the UAE.
The last day... We spent the morning touring Abu Dabhi. I have never seen so much wealth in a single city. The Emirate Palace Hotel is insane big! It is hard to even explain how enormous the place is. We only got to see it from the outside, as this is a very exclusive and expensive hotel.
The highlight of the last day for me was the visit to the Grand Mosque, built in 2007, which is the eighth largest mosque in the world. Guys had to make sure to wear pants, and all the women has to be covered top to bottom - you could only show your hands, face, and feet. It was an interesting experience.
Before saying goodbye to Abu Dhabi, we pay a quick visit to Ferrari World.... it completed the day with a bit of adventure and adrenaline!!
I rode one of their roller coasters, the one that reaches speeds of 95km/hr. The other one - the fastest coaster in the world I had to skip... you feel the acceleration of 240km/h in under 5 seconds and discover what 4.8Gs really feels like - check out the video...
And that was our trip... We returned to the US on the 8th day. The journey back was about the same in length, but because of the time change and the fact that we were returning to our reality, the trip back seemed 100x longer.
If you haven't visited the United Arabic Emirates (UAE) yet, I recommend you do so. It was an amazing trip for us! I was impressed by Dubai's modern buildings and diverse population (84% of the people in Dubai are foreigners). I was mesmerized by the natural beauty in the desert, and the sophistication of the country's infrastructure. I definitely want to go back, and as a matter of fact, I want to go back in 2020 for the World Expo - I'm going to succeed because I'm crazy enough to think I can...
I hope you enjoyed the reading and the pictures...
We visited Shiekh Zayed Palace Museum, the resident of Sheikh Zayed and his family between 1937 and 1966. It was there where I had the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful and overwhelming sounds of my life....
That night we arrived in Abu Dhabi... we checked in at the Holiday in and went to bed. We had to be rested for our last day in the UAE.
The last day... We spent the morning touring Abu Dabhi. I have never seen so much wealth in a single city. The Emirate Palace Hotel is insane big! It is hard to even explain how enormous the place is. We only got to see it from the outside, as this is a very exclusive and expensive hotel.
The highlight of the last day for me was the visit to the Grand Mosque, built in 2007, which is the eighth largest mosque in the world. Guys had to make sure to wear pants, and all the women has to be covered top to bottom - you could only show your hands, face, and feet. It was an interesting experience.
Before saying goodbye to Abu Dhabi, we pay a quick visit to Ferrari World.... it completed the day with a bit of adventure and adrenaline!!
I rode one of their roller coasters, the one that reaches speeds of 95km/hr. The other one - the fastest coaster in the world I had to skip... you feel the acceleration of 240km/h in under 5 seconds and discover what 4.8Gs really feels like - check out the video...
And that was our trip... We returned to the US on the 8th day. The journey back was about the same in length, but because of the time change and the fact that we were returning to our reality, the trip back seemed 100x longer.
If you haven't visited the United Arabic Emirates (UAE) yet, I recommend you do so. It was an amazing trip for us! I was impressed by Dubai's modern buildings and diverse population (84% of the people in Dubai are foreigners). I was mesmerized by the natural beauty in the desert, and the sophistication of the country's infrastructure. I definitely want to go back, and as a matter of fact, I want to go back in 2020 for the World Expo - I'm going to succeed because I'm crazy enough to think I can...
I hope you enjoyed the reading and the pictures...
