UAE: Dubai, the city of extravagances
- Where To Go Next By I&P
- Nov 12, 2022
- 3 min read
The first impressions of a tourist when arriving in a new city are often made at the airport. And Dubai was no exception. I immediately opened my eyes wide to the grandeur of the city - literally, to take the immigration photo with eyes wide open. The immigration officer kept insisting for me to open them wider because the camera wouldn't take the photo but I couldn't! 😆
After passing passport control and receiving from the immigration officer a free 1Gb SIM card that was valid for 24h (she liked my eyes! 😉), we took the metro for the first time since Paris. It is partly above ground so you can see the city center's immense skyline as you approach it.
But what we would later discover during the rush hours is how crowded the metro can be. They tried to solve certain issues with "women and children only" carriages and a "Gold" carriage (it usually costs 2x the regular price), but it definitely makes you think that additional transportation infrastructure is required as the population will only keep increasing.
When walking down the huge streets of the Financial Centre, we felt like we were being transported into the future with those very tall and futuristic looking skyscrapers.
One in particular that impressed us the most was the Museum of the Future.
The other one is, of course, the Burj Khalifa whose shape can be seen from anywhere in the city, from the beach to the airport and from the Dubai Frame.
So, for this first day, we decided to go visit the Dubai Frame, which is literally a huge golden frame with a panoramic viewpoint from its top. This monument is strategically placed in a part of the city where, on the south side, it "frames" the new Dubai, and the north side "frames" the old Dubai.
The Frame's viewpoint features a smart glass floor that becomes transparent when you walk on it, allowing you to see the bottom part of the frame, 150m below. I thought of my friends who have vertigo. 😆
When we left the Frame, the heat was still so intense that we finished our water but luckily, the city offers free water refills at some key locations.
Like Saudi Arabia, this city is far nicer to enjoy after the hot afternoon hours.
That's when we went to see the massive Burj Khalifa. It is indeed overwhelming but as you cannot get that close to it, we could not appreciate its height as much - although you can still hurt your neck by constantly looking up (we may need to fly in a chiro 😜)! We also noticed that there were a lot of buildings with the name Emaar all around the Burj Khalifa. Who is Emaar?? It seems they are the real estate developer that own all of those magnificent buildings, including the Burj Khalifa! 💵💵💵
Under the Burj Khalifa, you'll find the Dubai Fountain where you can see a water and light show to the sound of international music, after sunset.
The Fountain is part of the Dubai mall, simply the biggest yet most crowded mall we have ever been to. So many brands, mainly high-end, can be found here. People from all over the world wander this maze of stores and impressive food courts, some wearing their abayas and niqabs, while others wearing more "bold" outfits. Dubai is really at the intersection between east and west.
From inside the mall you can also see part of its immense aquarium with sharks, manta rays and other fish swimming around - and you can even pay to go feed the sharks!
It is definitely a gigantic shopping mall, but far from the metro, as it's at least a 20 mins walk to the main entrance and then another 20 mins to cross the mall itself to go to the Fountain.
Ok, let's stop window shopping and get some rest!
Comments