My first trip out of Africa was in Dubai, so you can imagine how excited I was!! My first impression when I landed in Dubai was how modern the city looks, it was like stepping into ‘the future’. Tall skyscrapers and well-designed infrastructure graced this city, not forgetting the sleek cars on the road. Simply astounding!
Our cab driver was a lady from Ethiopia, and from what I had heard before, there are a lot of foreigners living and working in Dubai, and you will hardly interact with the natives- who make up about 20% of the population. Most of the cab drivers we met thereafter were either from Pakistan or India. The government of Dubai is trying to bring in experts with various skills to help build its economy. The Emiratis (natives of Dubai) enjoy wonderful perks from their government, which include free housing, free education until secondary school, and free medical care. Now this is the real definition of a government working for its people. What a commendable job that is!
The first place we stayed was in the Dubai Marina area. This place is an affluent neighborhood with a man-made water channel passing through. It is close to the beach popularly known as JBR beach. Now I wasn’t quite sure Dubai had a coastline. In my mind, it was a beautiful city built in the middle of the desert, but there is more to it, it lies next to the Persian Gulf. The Persian Gulf - which sources from the Indian Ocean- passes across UAE. And in case you are wondering what Dubai is, it is one of the states in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE comprises 7 states, with Abu Dhabi being its capital. The Sheik of Abu Dhabi holds the presidency of UAE while the ruler of Dubai holds the vice-presidency.
The Marina area is breathtaking. It has a lot of amenities to enjoy, like the Dubai Marina Mall, luxurious hotels and restaurants, the beach etc. At the mall you will find luxury brand stores, as well as many restaurants and cafes to dine in. The area is filled with beautifully designed buildings all around. You will also see a lot of upscale yachts either parked or cruising through the man-made water channel. My favorite part was walking along the Marina area at night. The place looks even more beautiful with the evening lights on. The weather was also perfect during this time of the year (December) it wasn’t too hot. December is one of the best months to visit Dubai. The temperature was ranging between 16 – 26 degrees Celsius. They call this winter time in Dubai, so you can imagine how the summers are like here. The temperature in summer can go to a high of 51 degrees Celsius!! Now that is like being in a furnace. But what do you expect when you are in the middle of the desert?
Among the first things I noticed was how clean the city is, there is barely a single piece of paper on the ground! Everything is so well maintained and looks almost brand new. I also noticed how the traffic rules are followed to the latter, even the pedestrians religiously followed the crosswalk signs, something I'm not used to seeing. Every time a car would approach a zebra crossing, it would stop no matter how far the pedestrians are from the crossing- It was very refreshing to experience that. Now the utmost surprising thing was that, flyovers are built with elevators so that pedestrians don’t have to climb up a long flight of stairs, now what in the world? I never thought that was a thing anywhere. it’s very considerate to the people of determination though- that is how disabled people are referred to in Dubai - how polite. The cars gracing the roads are very sleek I have to say, even the taxis, they all look brand new and are of exquisite designs. Most of the taxis we got were Lexus cars. I’ve never seen so many Lamborghinis and Ferraris in such a short amount of time. My first time in a tesla was in a taxi, unbelievable!
The thing that probably impressed me the most was the fact that the crime rate here is very low. It’s deemed one of the safest places in the world. It felt great to not have to constantly look over your shoulder, especially coming from where I’m from. The people are also very polite, honest, and respectful. Everyone we interacted with exuberated a sweet and positive energy. Everyone seemed enthusiastic to interact with us. It was amazing to engage with foreigners from different parts of the world and learn a thing or two about them. Now this is one of the best things I LOVE about traveling. Interacting with strangers and listening to their stories. I even learned about countries I’d never heard of before.
Begging is illegal and punishable by law because it poses a threat to public safety and security. E-scooters are also a big thing here. You will find them parked on every street. These scooters are available for rent through mobile applications and you will not see anyone on-site manning them. I thought that was pretty cool.
Now the first thing we did when we got to the Air Bnb was to catch on some sleep because we were tired from the long flight. After that, we headed out to The Dubai Marina mall which was just a 10 min walking distance. I remember having this awesome and peaceful feeling walking along the Marina area. It is less crowded early in the day and the weather is as perfect as it could be.
I remember coming across Starbucks for the first time at the Dubai Marina Mall. You should have seen how my face lit up. I’ve always wanted to try Starbucks and see what all the hype is about. I went for a double caramel Frappuccino with a cheese croissant. It was so good that I had this every single morning for the rest of my trip here, no kidding. I noticed that there are a lot of American restaurants and brand stores here. Talk of MC Donald’s, Five Guys, IKEA, Starbucks, PF Changs, etc. You can also find all the big luxury designer brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Patek Phillipe, etc. So this makes Dubai a nice place to go shopping (if your pockets are heavy)
Now let us get into the activities you can engage in and around the Dubai Marina area
Go to the beach
There is a beach located next to the Marina area, called the JBR beach. The beach is very beautiful and the water is clean (no seaweed) and refreshing, especially in the afternoons. It gets pretty hot in the afternoons so this would be a good afternoon activity. The beach stretches over 1.7km, so there is plenty of room for everyone. You will find hotels and restaurants along the beach, so you can decide to grab a meal or drink as you relax by the beach. Everything here costs money though. For you to comfortably enjoy your time at the beach, you will have to rent beach chairs with an umbrella and towels, and that will cost you around $25 per person.
The drinks are also quite pricey, keeping in mind that it’s illegal to drink in the street or a public place or be under the influence of alcohol in a public space. You are only permitted to drink in licensed restaurants, hotels and bars attached to licensed hotels. Or, you can purchase alcohol from a licensed premise and enjoy it in the privacy of your accommodation. Trust me I know, my head was spinning when I heard all these too. This reminds me of a time we were looking for a liquor store. After asking around, we were directed to an enclosed shop in the car parking lot of a mall, and I could have sworn that that liquor store looked like a private garage of some sort. There were no signs advertising alcohol whatsoever. It was even hard to locate the entrance door, we passed it a couple of times before someone showed it to us. That was wildly unbelievable!
You will also encounter a similar problem when looking for nightclubs. Make Google your friend because most of the locals have no idea where they are located. It’s almost like they are forbidden and hence hidden away, like outcasts. What a culture shock. Very different from where I’m from.
Visit Dubai Marina Mall
As I mentioned earlier, Dubai Marina mall is located at the center of the Marina area. Here you will find a lot of luxury clothing stores and restaurants. This is also where we went for breakfast every morning, at Starbucks. You will find fast food restaurants, casual dining, and coffee restaurants. The one thing you will not find in this mall is alcohol. The restaurants in the mall are not allowed to sell alcoholic drinks. So you will have to source them at licensed hotels and restaurants outside. The mall is very beautiful and spacious, and if you happen to get lost, there is a digital map on every floor. Oh, and not to forget free Wi-Fi in the mall.
Sample Restaurants
When I visit a new place, one thing that never misses on my itinerary is sampling restaurants! There is a building right next to the Dubai Mall called pier 7. It hosts 7 fancy restaurants that range from casual to fine dining. The first restaurant we tried out was called cargo. They make really good cocktails, I’d give them an 8/10 for that. I had oysters there for the first time and I gotta say, it will take me some getting used to. This restaurant ranges more on the casual side and the wait staff was fantastic. Just a quick note, Dubai is well known for having very good hospitality, so everywhere we went we were treated with utmost professionalism and given good services. The restaurant has a balcony sitting area and the views of the Marina from up there are spectacular, the perfect spot for a sundowner. The next restaurant we tried was called Asia Asia. Now, this is a fine dining restaurant and it’s pretty pricey compared to Cargo. We only had cocktails here and it was great and the service was superb (I’m still sticking to cargo having the best cocktails though). The other restaurant we tried was M Atelier. This is located on the top floor of pier 7. We went there on an evening for some drinks and shisha. The views are great and they make really good cocktails here as well. Now one thing to note is that you will find shisha almost anywhere you go. Most restaurants including cafes will have shisha on the menu. Shisha is part of the culture here, and it is a way for people to gather together, chat, relax or watch some games.
Experience the Desert Safari
This was hands down one of the highlights of my trip! It’s a MUST to experience the desert safari because this is where Dubai sprang from, the desert. it’s insane to think that Dubai was just a desert in the 60s, and now 57 years later, it is this incredible modern city.
The discovery of oil was the catalyst of this fast development. Dubai ranks second in oil reserves in UAE. They have about 4 billion barrels while Abu Dhabi holds first place with 92 billion reserves- which is about 299 years of oil left! Surprisingly, oil is not the biggest revenue earner for Dubai. Dubai decided to commercialize and diversify into tourism, real estate, hospitality, and a major business hub for foreigners. Its major revenue earner is travel and tourism.
The Desert safari location is quite a ways from the Marina area, about a one-hour drive. This would be my first time being on a quad bike and oh boy, it was about to be one hell of a fun ride in the desert! My partner was a little concerned to let me be on a quad bike by myself since I’ve never driven anything in my entire life. But the word fear doesn’t exist in my dictionary. I remember us driving our quad bikes into the desert and it was one of the best feelings I have ever had, I was full of adrenaline too. A little scary incident happened though. My long dragging cover-up got caught in the quad bikes tyres as I hit the brakes, and I was sent flying into the sand! It all happened so fast. Thank goodness the sand was smooth and I didn’t sustain any injuries. So there you go folks, don’t wear garments that are long and could potentially get caught in the tyres- I felt like a badass though. Going up and down the sand dunes was so much fun, and a little scary at times. Watching the sunset from the desert was breathtaking. I’d recommend coming here in the late evening.
Water is provided freely here on the desert safari. Speaking of water, Dubai gets potable water largely from the sea, which is then desalinated to make it safe for consumption. Quite an expensive process. Dubai also creates enhanced rain through cloud seeding, a method of artificially encouraging clouds to produce rain ( At this point nothing surprises me in Dubai anymore)
The next thing was to experience a WILD Landcruiser drive into the desert. And when I say wild, I mean the craziest drive I have ever experienced. The driver was driving in a zig-zag along the sand dunes and tossing us, up and down. It is perfectly safe though, the drivers are professionally trained to do this and the cars are comfortable for this. This gave me big confidence in Landcruiser Prados. These cars can handle a lot it seems. This would be such a fun activity for speed enthusiasts. It feels like driving in a video game.
After the land cruiser ride, there is a dinner at a camp in the middle of the desert. Here you will watch a fire dancer, an Arabic belly dance, and a religious Egyptian dance. Now this is what I’m talking about, witnessing the traditions of the people. The dinner is a buffet of local and foreign cuisines and there is a booth for free shisha.
A trip to Dubai Miracle Garden
Well, they say everything is big in Dubai, In fact, the biggest in the world. There's the world's tallest building, the world's largest natural flower garden, the world's biggest shopping mall, and for $6,800, the world's most deluxe spa experience, which includes a 24-carat-gold facial. So nothing should surprise you about Dubai anymore.
The Dubai miracle garden sits on 72,000 square meters and has over 150 million flowers! They have flowers shaped into different animals and cartoon characters like the Smurfs, Aladeen, and his castle, etc. My favorite structure was an emirates plane covered in flowers, I couldn't stop marveling at it. I was just stunned by how creative the people who came up with this are. It sorta made me feel like I am not creative enough, haha. The garden operates from October to April (winter time) and closes from May to September due to high temperatures. It is estimated that they use an average amount of 757,082 liters in a day to sustain the garden. My goodness!!
Take a day trip to Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and is about an hour and a half drive from Dubai. Abu Dhabi is way larger than Dubai by far with a population of 2.9 million people while Dubai is smaller but with a population of about 3.3 million people. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the 7 Emirates and the center of industrial and political activities in the country. It is known for its cultural heritage and history, with sights such as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Qasr Al Hosn Palace.
The first place we visited was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It is the largest Mosque in UAE and the third largest in the world, enough to accommodate over 40,000 visitors. Fully air-conditioned inside, the prayer hall is furnished with a hand-woven carpet and chandeliers made of Swarovski crystals. It is said that it took 200 women to make that carpet! The mosque is made from pure white marble which gives it a sublime grandeur look. To enter the mosque, the ladies have to be fully covered, especially the head as a sign of respect to the mosque, so you can either buy or rent a hijab.
From there we went to a heritage center that showcases the history and culture of UAE. Afterwards, we went to an Indian/ Pakistani restaurant. Now I love Indian food, curries, chapatis, and all that spicy food. Chapati happens to be my favorite meal. I had a taste of Pakistani food for the first time and I’m gonna say, I’ll stick to Indian food as being my all-time favorite.
We got to see the Qasr Al Watan, which is the presidential palace and my goodness it's one hell of a palace I gotta say. Next, we visited the Emirates Palace hotel. This was the second hotel in UAE to be branded as a 7-star hotel, the first 7-star hotel was Burj Al Arab.
It would take me a whole book to describe Emirates Palace Hotel in detail - there’s so much to do. There is a helipad, a jogging track, and a water park. This is the swankiest hotel I have ever seen or heard of. Here you will buy your snicker bar from a solid gold vending machine and eat your dessert with edible gold trimmings. They even have a $1 million hotel reservation deal that comes with a private jet, chauffeur-driven car, and personal butler. They even have a private beach that is made from specially imported white sand. Talk about being EXTRA! This place is so fancy it is a tourist site on its own. You have to book reservations in advance before visiting.
These are just a few of the activities you can consider doing when staying around the Marina area. Later on, we moved our accommodation to Downtown Dubai. I’m going to be talking about my experience there in the next article. Yalla!
