Picture the wildest thing you can imagine and it probably already exists in Dubai. Ski slopes in the middle of the dessert? That makes sense. ATMs that spit out bars of solid gold? Totally necessary. A giant “miracle” garden full of flower replicas of the Eiffel tower and other structures? Right at home here. If it doesn’t exist, they will build it, like they have done with the Palm Jumeirah (man-made islands in the shape of a giant palm leaf). There is a frenzy of construction going on at the moment that we haven’t experienced anywhere else. We couldn’t count the number of new modern high-rises going up to add to the already insane amount of big buildings scattered throughout the area. It is home to the world’s tallest building and the world’s largest mall. On top of that, this place has almost every brand of store and restaurant you can think of – from Shake Shack to Tony Roma’s, and everything else in between.
View from the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa
From our short, four nights there over the New Year’s holiday, we got a small taste of what the area has to offer. It kind of felt like someone took Vegas, Miami and New York City, combined them into one and then set it down in the Arabian Desert. This place is unique!
Reunited in the UAE
Dubai Miracle Gardens
As budget travelers, we wouldn’t normally recommend including opulent Dubai on a backpacking itinerary. However, we were lucky enough to be hosted by our friends during our stay, so we jumped at the opportunity to go visit! Christina’s best friend and her husband also made the trip from NYC.
Dubai Marina
Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi
It was a whirlwind trip and we packed in a lot of sights in a short period of time. We took a boat ride and explored Old Dubai, got lost in the stalls of the Gold & Spice Markets, tried our best to blend in with the rich tourists at the famous Atlantis hotel at the Palm, took a day trip to Abu Dhabi and were awestruck at the sight of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and finally took an elevator ride up to the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
One of the amazing chandeliers inside the mosque
Every little detail added to the beauty of the mosque
We planned our trip around the New Year’s celebrations and, as many of you may have seen on the news, there was a massive fire at the Address Hotel in downtown Dubai that night. Thankfully, there were no fatalities and the evacuation of the surrounding area went smoothly. They even went ahead with the fireworks show, although the view was partially obstructed because of the smoke pouring off the burning building nearby. It was a surreal experience to watch the news of the fire unfold on TV and from the block party where we were having dinner. We managed to get a few photos of the Address Hotel from the top of the Burj on January 3rd.
Burj Khalifa light show
The Address Hotel after the fire on New Year’s Eve
In our short visit, it was hard to really get a sense of what life is like in Dubai. We learned that almost 85% of the population is expats and only 15% are Emirati and you could really see the blend of so many cultures. As a result, it was difficult to get a feel for what an authentic Emirati culture is, or what life was like here even 20 years ago. We do know that this is definitely a place we would like to revisit when we’re not on a budget. Next up is our first stop in Southeast Asia: Myanmar (Burma)!
-The Morts
Must be nice to intersperse rugged environments with more posh. So grateful you were not at the Address. Enjoy the elephants!
“It kind of felt like someone took Vegas, Miami and New York City, combined them into one and then set it down in the Arabian Desert.” haha, that’s a hell of description