Luxury in the desert or 5 days in the UAE
Looking at modern Dubai, the first thing that comes to mind is the idea of human power. And not even power as such, but about high technologies in the modern world. Just think about it! For some 43 years, to create an oasis of such incredible beauty in the desert with the latest fashion, taking into account high technologies and new developments. To give an opportunity to people, who a few decades ago roamed with camels in the endless desert, to move in expensive cars on perfectly flat road surfaces, live in huge skyscrapers and buy goods of world brands in sparkling shopping centers. And this is only a small part of what will make a tourist who is not tempted by luxury and wealth in other countries utter an exclamation of surprise.
And there is something to be surprised in the UAE. Let's start with the pride of the UAE - the indigenous people.
Well, if someone was lucky enough to be born here and wear the proud title of "local" - believe me, they will wear it with undisguised dignity and a sense of superiority over others. Our tourist feels it already at the airport, when he goes through passport control. With such slowness, stiffness and slight contempt, these gentlemen in white robes meet. And further, if you meet such a gentleman in the city, he will only slip a fleeting glance and “show importantly” about his business, without deigning a single second of attention. The reason for this behavior is very simple - immense pride in their country. In tourist Dubai, of course, tourists are welcome. Here they will serve quickly, and will be polite and tactful - tourism brings the emirate a large share of the profits. So on the first day of free time, feel free to go on a city tour around the city, of course, if the purpose of your stay is not aimless lying on the beach.
The main attraction of Dubai is ...a construction crane. There are hundreds of thousands of them here. And construction does not stop day or night. Surprisingly, this absolutely does not interfere with tourists and the population - how well everything is thought out and competently executed. By the way, visitors work at the construction site, a lot of Indians - there are a lot of jobs here and they pay well.
For the City Tour route, I paid the tour operator $85, which already included the ascent to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
In the UAE, in general, everything is “the most” - the highest, the largest, the longest, the widest, the most expensive ...So, the standard tour includes an entrance and contemplation at a considerable distance of the Sheikh’s residence, a stop near the “sailboat” - the Burj Al Arab hotel, a walk along the exotic Souq Madinat Jumeirah, a stop at the “palm branch” of an artificially created palm island and a stop near the chic Atlantis Dubai hotel and a check-in on the way back to the singing fountains near the Dubai Mall with an ascent to the Burj Khalifa tower. The route is interesting, and if you're lucky with the guide, it's doubly interesting. If you are still thinking - is it worth paying a significant amount for climbing the tower - I strongly advise you to pay it all the same. And visit it at night.
There are two benefits at once - Dubai at night is a large metropolis with skyscrapers in flickering lights, which looks most impressive at night, and the second - singing fountains work only in the evening and only in the evening you can watch this miracle from a height of 828-meter tower. By the way, the singing fountains are really a spectacle, which, I am sure, will not leave anyone indifferent. I have not yet seen a better show, in Europe for sure.
The evening of the second day was devoted to a jeep safari at sunset in the desert and entertainment in a Bedouin village. Driving in jeeps along the soft dunes of the desert is a feeling of incredible drive! The car and strives to lean, move out the wrong way and stall on a treacherous turn. Our car was filled with squeals and wild laughter, which even more incited the driver - an experienced colorful Indian in a bandana and black glasses.
Well, then dinner, traditional dervish dances, henna painting and a souvenir photo in traditional women's and men's clothing. The cost of such an excursion is approximately 65 USD. e.
A separate point of our trip was a trip to Abu Dhabi, the capital on the Persian Gulf. This is the largest of all the emirates, an intensively developing city. However, the tour seemed to me swift, albeit very informative. Of the main attractions, we managed to visit only the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, for which too little time was allotted. And most of the time was spent on the road, visiting a shopping center with an attempt to sell handmade carpets made of gold threads and precious stones to tourists, a price tag with numerous zeros, lunch and a stop for a photo pause near the Emirates Palace Hotel, the most expensive and pompous hotel ...or in the world, either exclusively in the UAE…. .
However, the delight of visiting the mosque covers all the disadvantages of this trip - this is where the luxury of an oriental fairy tale is fully manifested!
Well, the remaining few days we spent on an independent walk around the city. We took a ride on the subway, which is controlled by automatics (the subway in Dubai is exclusively ground and all crossings pass over the road, in which it is very cool - air conditioners work. ) We looked into Ski Dubai, a famous ski resort in the desert in the Mall of the Emirates (although my husband flatly refused to ride , arguing that the snow here is not real)). We got to the spice market in the old Deira district, along the way cooling off in air-conditioned ground closed stops and riding in the “male” subway car as a tourist. And they completed their route with a visit to the Oceanarium in the Dubai Mall, shopping and other pleasant trifles.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about the hotel.
The area in which we lived is Dubai Marina, one of the most beautiful and fashionable areas of the city. Surprisingly, the Lotus Marina hotel cost quite sane money. And what a pleasure it was to walk along the embankment and have breakfast, watching a small "Manhattan" outside the window ...I highly recommend this hotel, both for the price and for the location, and for the convenience.
What can I say in the end - the impressions of the trip were the most enthusiastic. Do you want to get excited? Then do not hesitate, run for a ticket, and 1000 and 1 delight is guaranteed to you, you can be sure!
