Did you know Dubai is a city? I actually thought it was a country. I know! Right? That’s what traveling does for you…it expands your horizons, and forces you to admit that you should have paid attention in school. Turns out Geography does in fact, matter.
In my defense however, even though Dubai is only the second largest territory in the UAE, and is not even the official capital of the United Arab Emirates; Dubai overshadows every other of the seven cities that make up the UAE. Dubai is the UAE!
And truthfully, I am not even sure why. There are very few natural resources, and oil makes up less than 5% of their GDP. Almost every famous landmark was created in the last decade, and it’s not even particularly pretty. And yet, Dubai is ranked the 5th most important city in the world, even overtaking Paris.
It’s an enigma…until you get there. Dubai just has an energy to it that is addictive. People told me that Dubai is like Vegas on steroids, but I didn’t get that vibe. I just saw it as a vibrant and fun place of endless opportunities. Here you can truly do Everything and Nothing at the same time…and enjoy both equally.
Our family, to no one’s surprise, picked the Nothing option; and managed to a have a perfectly delightful time indulging in what I am pretty sure is the backbone of Dubai’s economy, Eating and Shopping…and of course more lazy rivers.
And even though we spent only 2 days here, everyone has agreed that Dubai is special. It’s a peculiar place that defies definition but is definitely unforgettable.
Dubai, surprisingly, was not “insanely hot” for late May. It was a pleasant 102 degrees, and I am not saying that sarcastically.
Olivia indulging in an enormous breakfast. The first of many epic meals here.
Where else but Dubai can you order a six course breakfast at 6 o’clock in the morning?
This is how a typical shopping trip looks like in my family. Brian is bored, Olivia is out of control, and Grace is pretending not to be part of our family.
Found at the Dubai Mall, and the only kind of camel I will let Olivia near because I am unreasonably afraid of MERS.
And this is how our shopping trips usually ends.
Brian and I at a very posh French restaurant where we had a very bad meal. Steak in liver sauce. Ugh!
Dubai’s most famous landmark all lit up. A super impressive music and light show!
Dubai is beautiful at night.
We hate zoos, but love Aquariums! This is the one in Atlantis. It’s small, but very well done.
Grace and Olivia enjoying themselves among the fish.
And watching the exhibits. We loved how the aquarium incorporated middle eastern influences with these Arabic majlis to lounge on throughout.
Lots of gorgeous and exotic things to see. A first rate aquarium!
We had a marvelous time at the Atlantis water park. Sorry I have no pictures because I spent the whole day on their spectacular Lazy River. I am not kidding. They literally had to kick us out of that river.
But the BEST part was getting to reconnect with my dear friend Elisa Busteed whom I haven’t seen in over 13 years! It was by far my favorite part of the holiday!!!!
While Lisa and I reconnected, Brian and John made sure that the enormous bottle of Jack Daniels we bought at Duty Free did not go to waste. An awesome ending to a wonderful weekend.