Dazzling Dubai

It's been a while since my visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in November last year (2023), but the memories are still fresh. Below is a snippet of my awe-inspiring trip to the land of the Bedouins.

"Habibi... Welcome to Dubai!" - surprised my friends on Facebook with this caption as I posted some jaw-dropping pics and clips from the Dubai airport as soon as I landed there. I was part of a group of travellers from Kolkata.

Here's what followed during my 5-day visit:

Day 1: Not a fan of cruises, but did this anyway. Scenes from the Dhow cruise:

I would say it was way better than the Bollywood-themed Chao Phraya cruise in Thailand. The gorgeous view of the Dubai Marina plus the local entertainment made up for the mediocre food.

Day 2: On the way to Abu Dhabi, there's this quirky place called the Last Exit. This Mad Max-themed eatery + rest stop is actually a great photo stop too. And don't miss their themed washroom. It's another level altogether!

Never thought I'll don this attire and I was so so uncomfortable covering every inch of my hair and body. But the visit to the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi was worth it. The magnificence of the mosque can't be captured in photos.

Have a lot to say about the rigid dress code but maybe I'll save it for later... As for the mosque, it's a dazzling show of marble, gold, diamonds, and Swarovski crystals.

After our visit to the mosque, we browsed through the dazzling markets of Abu Dhabi, before heading to Ferrari World, where I happened to chance upon a Sheikh, a thorough gentleman who, while I asked him to click a few pictures of mine, struck up a conversation with me and even greeted me with a "namaste" once he learnt I was from India.

Day 3: Perhaps the best thing about the Dubai city tour the following day was the Al Seef heritage village. Originally an ancient village with traditional structures, the place has now been turned into a souk or marketplace, replete with shops, cafes, and eateries. Lovely place with an old-world charm and a gorgeous view of the Dubai creek. Bought a camel sling and a jar of Yemeni ginger honey and clicked tons of pics.

Next up were the Dubai Frame and the Museum of the Future, both architectural marvels.

While the Dubai Frame offers a stunning 360-degree view of the city and also has glass floors, the Museum of the Future is a 7-storey building (though it looks like a doughnut), with exhibits on the environment, AI, etc. Unfortunately, we didn't get inside any of these structures.

The rest of the day was spent going around the other major attractions, such as Jumeirah Beach, Palm Jumeirah (with a view of the Atlantis), Burj Al Arab, etc.

The Dubai Mall was quite an experience. It's huge and houses all world-class brands: Chanel, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Versace...You name it, they have it...

The Burj (which has an entrance through the mall) experience was however quite chaotic. The 45-min wait and the long, congested queue (80% Indians) did not make for a very pleasant experience. Nonetheless, the view from above more than made up for it.

I was left wondering while waiting in the queue amid the mad rush, whether Sreebhumi was inspired by Burj...or Burj was inspired by Sreebhumi (puja pandal in Kolkata). :P

Day 4: The day began with an unexpected downpour (with thunder and lightning). Just when we thought Dubai was an urban paradise, the rain showed the city's most prominent negative: its lack of proper drainage. I was stunned to see the roads waterlogged and posh sports cars stranded.

Nonetheless, the early morning rains gave way to a beautiful sunny day...and my visit to the Miracle Garden was worth it!

The day and the trip ended with a visit to the Lahbab Dunes, where we had a field time dune bashing in a Rover.

As the night descended, we were escorted to the tents, where awaited a grand dinner and a show replete with belly dance and fire tricks. All in all, our Dubai trip was a perfect and rejuvenating escape that will be etched in my memory forever!

Must-try delicacies:

1. Camel milk chocolate

2. Kunafa

3. Camel milk ice-cream