It’s a very short flight from Mykonos to Athens and then about 4 and half hours to Dubai. A chunk of accumulated Amex miles puts us in Emirates business class for the Dubai flight – and it is extremely swanky! Our initial plan was to go directly to Sri Lanka, but Emirates allows for a several day lay over in Dubai, so were figured we should make one Middle East stop. After a few days on an abandoned Greek isle (off-season Mykonos) we were psyched to be flying in high style.
A chauffeured car (courtesy of Emirates biz class) takes us to the Taj Dubai (https://www.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj/taj-dubai/), a very modern and luxurious hotel in a great location – Dubai’s business district.
A trip to the Al Fahidi Fort (now the Dubai Museum) is a worthy place to start (https://dubaiculture.gov.ae/en/Live-Our-Heritage/Pages/Dubai-Museum-and-Al-Fahidi-Fort.aspx). It provides a good history of the United Arab Emirates and a glimpse of life here before the discovery of oil. It’s also close to the Old Souk – a traditional market with many small stores selling textiles (some very high quality) and souvenirs. It’s fun, but be prepared to be pestered by every vendor as you pass by. Nearby is the Dubai Gold Souk. Here you’ll find many, many stores selling jewelry, mostly gold. Prices seem pretty good – if you negotiate. Let’s just say there was a little bit of “damage” done here.
The biggest attraction in Dubai is the Burj Khalifa (http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/index.aspx). At 162 stories, it is the tallest building in the world. It’s a huge tourist trap, with a big line, and costs about $50 per person to take the elevator to the top. But if you’re in Dubai, it’s a must do.
The other big attraction in Dubai is its mall (https://thedubaimall.com) – which is actually attached to the Burj Khalifa. It’s the second largest in the world with over 1,200 stores and a 10 million liter aquarium filled with sharks, rays and all kinds of exotic fish adjacent to an underwater zoo (https://thedubaiaquarium.com/en/Default.aspx). If you like shopping, you will love this place. The stores – many extremely high end – are open until midnight. There’s a really nice movie theater where a very nice local bought our movie tickets to see “A Star is Born” when she saw we were having trouble using the fully automated system. There is also a man made lake with an incredible Bellagio-Las Vegas-like water show which we watched while having some great sushi at Katsuya. All good stuff.
It’s very interesting to see the locals dressed almost exclusively in their traditional clothes. For men, an ankle-length white cotton cloak and a head scarf, usually with cool designer sandals. For women, a long black flowing gown with a scarf to cover their hair. Some women wear a veil and others a burqa which just shows their eyes. Despite the modest “uniform” many of the women wear very blingy heels, carry drool-worthy bags and cover their heads with designer scarves.
Another major tourist attraction is the Desert Safari. We were picked up at our hotel in a private 4×4 (Toyota Forerunner, I think) and after about an hour’s drive out of the city, the driver took us for a hair-raising, high-speed cruise up, down and over a bunch of sand dunes. The car stops at what appears to be a Bedouin camp where we witness a falconry demonstration, take a camel ride, eat some local barbecue, and get a belly dancing performance. We also got a cool photo op in traditional dress. It was a pretty good time, but probably more fun if you go with a family or a bigger group.
I’m not really sure what the rules on alcohol are – since this is a Muslim country that observes Sharia law – but it seems that non-Muslims are allowed to drink in hotels, certain restaurants and at the Desert Safari.
In any case, even though Dubai provided a very cool Middle East experience, we were ready to move on to Sri Lanka after our three day stay.