Getting a taste of Dubai

Dubai is on our list of places to visit at least a couple more times before we leave.  To be honest there really isn’t any reason not to, with it only being two hours away.  I know that had I not hurt my leg that we would have definitely gone more often.  As of a week ago we had only been 3 times in almost two years, but we decided to make it a fourth last weekend.  We also decide that this weekend would be a more ambitious than what we are used to, as far the number of things we set out to do.  We packed our day with events and sites, and we vowed not to let tiredness keep us in the room.  

Headed to Dubai

I took off a day on Thursday so we could head on out and get a full weekend in Dubai.  We caught a cab to the bus station, paid for our ticket, which is wonderfully inexpensive by the way (50 dirhams for both of us- about $13 USD).  The buses are coach buses and very comfortable.  This one was actually the most comfortable I have had, with a really good amount of space in front of me and some really relaxing cushions on the seats.  After a few games of UNO and Scramble on the IPad with Natova, the next thing we know we are pulling into the station in Dubai.  

The taxis in Dubai are way more expensive than in Dubai so we decide to give the Metro a try (an above ground monorail).  It was something we wanted to do anyway so it worked out.  There was a station right across from the bus station so we hop on.  Just entering the station we were impressed with the design and the state of the art technology.   We packed onto the train and I do mean packed on, and made our way to the hotel, which is pretty close to the Mall of the Emirates.  We got off at the mall to catch a cab to take us the rest of the way.  It was while we were waiting in the taxi line that we got a pretty good look a gluttony of luxury cars, including the most Bentleys I had seen in one place in a long time.  Most were passing though, but a couple were parked and I was able to snap a few photos.

Once we got to the hotel (which we found out is located behind the Holiday Inn just like our apartment), we dropped our things and headed out to the Global Village.  Before we left I was able to record a clip of the room.

Global Village

The Global Village is a lot like what it sounds.  It is something of an amusement park (it has a few roller coasters and other rides) but it mostly consists of themed shopping areas representing different countries from around the world, mostly Middle Eastern.  I had a colleague describe it as a glorified flea market and I could understand where he was coming from.  But for us, because of the decorations, it had a more of a traditional souk (market) feel at times.  Walking around the whole thing got our feet hurting but it was definitely worth it to check out.  

Atlantis

The next day we ventured out to the world famous Atlantis hotel.  There are only two of them in the world, the other one is in the Bahamas.  It is situated at the tip of the Palm Jumeriah, which if you are unfamiliar is a huge man-made peninsula in the shape of a giant palm tree with a crescent covering it.  If you check it out from Google Earth or Google Maps.  Palm Jumeriah is all upscale and on each of the “branches” of the palm are rows of beach front luxury property that goes for a minimum of a million dollars a piece.   In the hotel there is a large Lost City of Atlantis aquarium which was our main reason for visiting the hotel.  

The hotel was nice but not the nicest we have been to (that distinction goes to the Emirates Palace).  There were tons of tourists as we expected and a good amount of shops with way over priced clothes.  We had a little down time before our tour of the Aquarium started so we were able to get some good pictures in front of the hotel.  It was really hazy at first but that cleared up later (I don’t think I have talked much about the fogs and hazes in this part of the world-I have never seen anything like it.  There have been times driving to work and we cannot see the road 10 feet in front of us.  By far the densest fog I have ever been in).  

We had to wait around for about two hours but finally the time rolled around for the tour.  We had already seen the aquarium in the Dubai mall so this one wasn’t really as impressive, but there were some pretty interesting fish in there, including a huge catfish (I had no idea they got that big).  Overall we liked it and are glad we took the time to check it out.

The Taste of Dubai

We attended the Taste of Chicago during the time that we lived there and really enjoyed it, so I was glad with Natova’s diligence to get us to the Taste of Dubai.  We ran across some tickets on one of the coupons sites that give discounts and deals on events and products, like Groupon for the Middle East.  When we got there the place was pretty packed (evident by the fact that both ATMs on site ran out of cash so attendees, i.e. us, had to go across the street to get money out).  Ultimately we didn’t stay very long. After we looked at a couple of cooking demonstrations and just generally took in the atmosphere, we naturally wanted to get something to eat.  Well, it turns out the Taste in Dubai is run a little differently than the Taste in Chicago.  First of you purchase the food with actual money, which leads to longer lines because people need change and so forth, which holds up everything.  Also, the prices were ridiculous.  The going rate for most dishes was about 30 dirhams (close to $8 USD), and when I tell you the dish was bite size, I’m talking 4 bites tops and you are done.  Our stomachs, and our wallets, convinced us that we were better off heading to the Mall of Dubai to pick up something fulfilling there.

We did just that and ended up in an African restaurant called Tribes.  It is not some hole in the wall joint either.  The place was full of expats and I have to admit the prices were on the pricey side.  But we figured we deserved it after a long day walking around Dubai so we went for it.  I must say the food was excellent.  I got the ribs and Natova tried the lamb, both of which I thought were delicious.  The amazing part was the vegetables that came with the dish were cooked in some type of sauce that made the vegetables as good if not even better than the ribs!  And I never thought I would say that about any vegetables. 

Clubbin’ in Dubai

So now we run into a dilemma, the same one we ran into last night.  After the Global Village our feet were shot and we were exhausted from travel and walking.  We vowed that we would go out clubbing in Dubai because we wanted to do it at least once.  However, our bodies had other plans and we decided to postpone our fun until the next night, this night.  But unfortunately, our bodies started to sing that same tune from last night, and this is our last night here, so it’s now or never.   Natova left it up to me to make the decision and I began to get swayed with conversations of “we could come back and just do the clubs only and no walking miles during the day.”  In fact, it did work and in my head I figured we could just come back, but I didn’t tell Natova that.  I wanted to see here in her club outfit and I knew she would only put it on if she thought we were going to the club.  So I made here think that we were going out and she got herself dressed (not too happy about my decision either, I could tell).  We did a brief photo shoot before we left to go to the “club”.  When we got downstairs I informed her that I am not going to drag her to the club but I planned all along just to take you across the street and get some drinks and chill out for a bit before we come back here and collapse.  I expected her to be relieved but to my surprise, she insisted that we just go to the club.  And so it was.

I had researched a bunch of clubs in Dubai most of that morning and decided that Club N’Dulge was our best bet.  It seemed to play Hip Hop music, and on the Youtube clip I saw, they were having a Chris Brown’s album release party there, so I figured it would be a good choice.  Like all clubs and bars here, the club is located in a hotel.  Lucky for us it is Hotel Atlantis, so we were already familiar with the location and the layout.   

The club itself was nice, nice vibe, nice location, nice décor, nice everything.  The drinks may have been a bit watered down, as they did not seem to affect us much throughout the night.  And they were crazy expensive.  But the cover for the club was free so I guess it balances out.  We were disappointed with the crowd at first, and it never did get really full.  We learned from one of the waitresses that the Sundance Film Festival was the same night so that drew away a lot of customers.   Nonetheless, we had a good time, dancing and chilling on one of the couches they had available.  We kind of wanted to strangle the DJ because he would play one decent song and follow it up with something from ten years ago, but that was okay, we still had fun.  We got out on the dance floor for a good little while.  Natova’s feet dictated when it was time to go and I didn’t have a problem with that, I was ready too.  We plan to go back on a regular night when it gets full; that would be amazing. 

The next morning we hopped a bus back to Abu Dhabi and that was it.  Great trip, can’t wait to do it again, and there is no reason not to.  We have a few months left and this is an easy weekend getaway only a couple of hours away.  We always like Dubai because it feels so much like a regular city in the U.S.  We figure if we had to live anywhere in the region again we would want it to be Dubai.  So if you ever get a chance definitely check it out.  ‘Till next time.