A Few Days in Dubai

It always begins this way . . . Bob had to go to Dubai on business and I had the privilege of tagging along!  I have wanted to visit Dubai ever since seeing an educational program that featured the engineering accomplishments of this small country:  Palm Islands, Burj Khalifa, etc.  It seemed to be such an unimaginable glamorous place which grew out of nothing but desert sand and tons of oil.  So, on November 5, 2017, Bob and I flew to the United Arab Emirates.  While so close, we also decided to add on a visit to Jordan, where we had some friends from Korea currently living.  Our Middle East adventures will be featured in the next several posts.

We stayed at the lovely Crowne Plaza at Festival City.  It was a bit removed from the city, but is connected to a big mall and surrounded by water.  The area seems to have big growth plans.  They are actually in the process of building the new tallest building in the world just across the bay, which will extend beyond the height of the Burj Khalifa (which I will feature later).  Fireworks were displayed some evenings out of our window.  At night, they do a very impressive multi-media water fountain and light show which exceeded the one at the Burj Khalifa in length and drama!  I met an adorable boy who enjoyed watching the show with me.  Though we could not speak to one another in words, our hearts connected immediately!

Bob and I booked a city tour for the following day.  This gave us a chance to become acclimated to the area before his meetings began.  For the most part, Dubai is like most big cities, with it's glitzy new town, and it's quaint historical old town. After taking a look at the water taxi system in Dubai, Al Fahidi Historical District, commonly referred to as Al Bastakiya was our first stop.  This picturesque heritage site was established at the end of the 19th century by well-to-do textile and pearl traders from Bastak, Iran.

Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1787 is the oldest existing building in Dubai and is now a museum.

We took a water taxi across the river to go see the spice and gold souks (markets).  At the spice market I got suckered in to purchasing one of the world's most expensive commodities - saffron! I also bought some menthol and they gave me a sample of frankincense and myrrh.  The price of gold was not as shocking as the price of saffron - and they sure had lots of it for sale!  We found the world's largest gold ring.

Getting into the Arab vib, I decided I needed a traditional scarf, though perhaps a gold accented dress would have been a better look for me . . .

 We caught a glimpse of Dubai city skyline and the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, on our way to Jumeirah beach and the equally famous sailboat shaped hotel, Burj Al Arab.

 We were given a few minutes to wander through the upscale Jumeirah shopping center and get a glimpse of all the souvenirs Dubai had to offer.

 

 We boarded the bus and headed out to Palm Island and the gorgeous Atlantis Resort Hotel which opened in 2008.

Our final stop was at the Dubai Mall, where we were able to see the Burj Khalifa in full night glory.  We grabbed a seat and ate a late dinner outside the mall as we watched the mini-"Bellagio" fountain show.

The following day while Bob was working, I took a tour to visit Abu Dhabi.  That will be covered in the next post. On the 8th, I just explored Festival City Mall. While most of the shops were typical, the grocery store was the most interesting to me. I loved all the beautiful displays of spices, grains, dates, dried fruits, confectioneries, beans and unique flavors of honey .

On November 9th, Bob and I returned to explore the souks of old town Dubai.  I did manage to find a silver charm, though there was no such thing as a mask for Bob.  We happened upon a beautiful mosaic mosque before riding the water taxi back across the river.

That evening, his company hosted a very lovely dinner for their customers in the region. The event was held outdoors at a golf club where they returned the following evening for a round of golf in the dark.  Bob said that was an interesting experience, and he found the darkness had a negative affect on his depth perception.

    I regret that I didn't take more photos, but the night view of Dubai was magnificent!