DUBAI

The first word that came to mind when entering Dubai is

EXTRAVAGANT... meaning;

  

• Lacking restraint in spending money or using resources
• Exceeding what is reasonable or appropriate; absurd
• Excessively elaborate in style
• Lavish and excessive

All of these words perfectly describe Dubai.

The Dubai flag

The United Arab Emirates flag consists of four colors: red, green, white, and black. The Emirati flag is rectangular in shape, its length double its width, and it is divided into four rectangular bands. On the hoist side of the flag there is a vertical red band. The top stripe is green, the middle one is white and the bottom dash is black. It looks similar to the letter E.

The Red means:  Security

The Black means: Natural Resources

The Green means: Prosperity

The white means:  Peace

The Date Palm Tree

The Date Palm tree is the National tree for Dubai.  They are everywhere, and the date fruit is offered at almost every meal.  The custom in Dubai’s history is to use the date palm leaves for many different things such as houses, boats, ropes and bags.  However, Dubai has come a long way since then!...

The Islamic architecture is the most photographed in the world….

The Atlantis

The Burj al Arab

Dubai boasts the tallest building in the world; The Burj Khalifa is known as the new urban masterpiece.  It has 160 floors with a viewing platform on level 124.  The elevator goes up 10 metres per second which is very fast.

There is also The Atlantis 7 star hotel which has the famous Lost Chambers within.  The only way to get to this hotel is to go through an under ground  600 metre tunnel under the Arabian sea.  And of course we cant forget the Palm resort that is shaped as a date palm in the Arabian Sea.  It has 17 branches that can be seen from space.  Also, the world residential islands.  Many famous people have bought one of these with a starting price from 10 million to 100 million on the water!  No joke!! These iconic buildings have up to 2000 visitors a day!

Another well known building is The Burj al Arab.  It is built 300 metres out on the Arabian ocean and 321 metres high.  It is shaped as a breaking wave or a giant sail.  It has a reef aquarium for the guests that can only be visited by a submarine.  Seriously… everything here is totally extravagant!

SHOPPING!

Ok. So we visited the biggest shopping centre in the world.  You name it, they have it.  Including an ice rink, large water fountain that puts on a spectacular show to music every night, an indoor aquarium.  That is only naming a few things.  We got to visit only for a short time, well five hours actually.  But it apparently takes 3 days to walk around it!  So we didn’t get to see that much!  We had an amazing steak and chips (that is all I had been craving since leaving home) and a pedicure.  The red African soil on our feet was very obvious. 

One thing that was amazing about the Dubai Mall is that each level has the same type of products.  For example, if you wanted to buy children’s clothing or toys it would be all together on the same level, side by side.  If you wanted to buy electrical equipment it would all be together.  It just seemed so practical to me and something I wish Australia would adopt. It means that even though it is the biggest shopping centre in the world, it can still seem small to the locals who come and visit regularly, instead of walking back and forth for hours like we do!

There are also many many moscs in Dubai.  The opinion in the Jumerah moscs is that “Open doors = Open minds”

So when visiting Dubai they open up the doors of the moscs to all non muslims and visitors to come and have a taste of what they believe. Islam means submission to spiritual and temporal behaviour, which is why there is a prayer call five times a day throughout the nation.  Friday is their holy day.

The Old Souke Markets

I was in shoe heaven!

We were only in Dubai for 3 days, but we definitely made the most of  every minute.  We went on a tour bus that dropped as at a museum and then the Old Souk Markets.  It was an incredible experience.  The sights, smells and sounds captivated us upon entering.  What I loved is that you can negotiate every price!  I truly wish I had an empty suitcase to fill!

One of my Henna Tattoos

We then on an Arabian Safari.  Nothing like the one in Africa!  We went out into the dessert in 4 wheel drives and watched the sun go down.  The driver drove very very fast over the sand dunes, it was so scary, I felt like I was at dreamworld!  I also think the louder we screamed the faster he would go!  I was so sure we were going to roll.  We asked him if this was his first time driving…he said yes!   He was joking!  The Arabs actually have a great sense of humour, we were just not expecting it on the first occasion when we arrived at 2 am off the plane and the concierge apologized that our booking was cancelled.  We were so not impressed, but he said that the look on our faces was worth it!  We then arrived at a beautiful place where we rode on camels, watched belly dancing, got henna tattoos and ate an authentic Arabian meal.  We met some great people.  Everyone has a different story to tell… I love it!