Dubai

One of my main traveling buddies from work recently moved to Dubai to teach. I actually have two good friends that have moved there both working at different schools in Dubai now. I have always wanted to travel there so I spontaneously booked a ticket for Thanksgiving. My biggest regret………and it is huge………..is that I did not stay longer. I had a jam packed whirlwind experience that I will never forget. Oh yeah…I want to go back.

First, I have to give a shout out to Emirates…airlines. It is by far the classiest airlines I have ever traveled on. Everything from the blankets being thicker and nicer than your typical airlines to the service being more personable. It really was a unique travel experience. I had heard mumblings of the airlines being nice and it is true.

I did a lot of research on proper dressing, laws for the country, etc. Basically you cannot drink in public at all except at hotels and there is no public displays of affection. I wanted to make sure I was dressed respectively enough and did not stand out. I was shocked though when I landed in Dubai and there were Westerners all around me. I was wearing a full long covered outfit and everyone around me was wearing flip flops, shorts etc.

Here are a few highlights from the trip:

Burj Al Arab:

This is known as one of the only seven star hotels in the world. The Burj Al Arab is in the shape of a sailboat. It sits on an artificial island on the Arabian Peninsula. It has 28 floors and we had afternoon tea in the Skyview Bar on the 27th floor. When you look out the windows, you can see two sets of man-made islands. There are the World islands which are in the shape of the world. There are also the Palm islands. We were dined with wine, teas, cakes, high end appetizers and more. When we went to leave, we were given a box of fancy chocolates and a rose. Many celebrities dine here. It was a very high class experience not to be forgotten.

The Dubai Fountains ..Burj Khalifa..tallest building in the world

I stayed with my good friend Julia and she had quite the itenarary planned out. One of our stops was to see the Dubai fountain show. This has set shows throughout the day and evening. We took a taxi from her apartment and headed to the show. The fountain show was breathtaking with the Burj Khalifa in the background. This is the tallest building in the world. It also was right next to the largest mall in the world. I was shocked to see quite a few American restaurants located here. In Milan we rarely see American restaurants. The fountain show is the largest in the world. It is made by the same creators of the fountain show at The Bellagio in Las Vegas.