Dubai

Dubai

Who would have thought my trip to Dubai would have turned out the way it did. When planning my year away back in August 2008, I figured I wanted to go to Dubai but only spend a few nights since it was supposedly very expensive. It was. However, one could travel to Dubai and spend less money depending on the restaurants and accommodation chosen. I would say it’s no more expensive than Beirut.
What did I expect? Ahmed asked this question a few times and I really had to think about it. Buildings – tall buildings, desert, camels and large palaces for all the sheiks. Was I far off? Not really. Everything minus the camels – a desert safari trip is needed to see or ride the camels. There were more expensive cars in Dubai than I think I have seen in one city. It even beats out London. Beirut had a lot of nice cars but they were basically limited to Mercedes and BMWs. Dubai went above and beyond BMWs. Aston Martin and Bentley were both brands you would see daily.

I arrived late Saturday evening after almost missing my flight in Beirut. I owe Hamsa a lot for waking me up at noon. The Dubai airport is very nice! Probably one of the nicest airports I have been in. Free WIFI too! I caught a taxi from the airport to my hotel – The Dar Al Sondos Hotel Apartments by Le Méridien. It worked out to about 90CAD per night so I figured I could afford that for my 4 nights in Dubai. The hotel was recommended to me by Ahmed – someone I spoke with on couchsurfing.com. I asked him what areas are good, hotel recommendations. I chose this one since I get Starwood points. I ended up meeting Ahmed the following day. He picked me up in his Cadillac CTS and we went out for some food. We got along really well and decided to spend the following day together since he had the week off work.

We ate out what seemed like every 2 hours…either food, tea or both. I was taken to some amazing restaurants – probably some of the best in Dubai. For example, tea at the Intercontinental, overlooking the city would be enjoyed by everyone. We smoked some shee-shah – which definitely gave me a buzz. Ahmed and I had some really good conversations – I learnt a lot about Islam. Not the Islam you hear about on CNN – you know – how everyone in the Middle East is a terrorist and ready to destroy the West! I was informed of how similar Islam is to Christianity and Judaism for example, which I ignorantly did not know. Once again, we decided to hang out the following day.

I got to see the ‘Largest Mall in the World’ – the Mall of Dubai. It definitely lives up to the name. You honestly could spend the entire day there and still need to go back the next day to finish seeing the entire complex. From an indoor skating rink, to waterfalls, to a ‘movie theatre for kids – the mall has it all. For shops you have high end (LV, Channel, Armani, etc) as well as shops like Aldo, Pull and Bear, Adidas – which I ended up supporting by purchasing 2 pairs of runners. Having one backpack does not allow room to buy shoes and clothing but oh well, first time in Dubai so why not eh!?

It was suggested I sign up for a desert safari which ended up being so much fun. 4x4 through sand dunes, sandboarding (yes...SANDboarding y'all), watching belly dancing, camels, sheesha, food and drink - made for an awesome afternoon.

The departure time for my flight to India was at 21:40 on Wednesday. Ahmed graciously offered (more like insisted) he drive me to the airport. He met me at the hotel in the morning with a Khandora for me to wear all day. If you are not familiar with the word – google it or check out pictures on my blog and facebook. We ate again, met up with Mohammed for some dessert and tea, visited the Palm Island and said our goodbyes.

I’ve really come to realize that the best part of my trip has been the people I have met along the way.