Dubai



Our Maldives trip provided the perfect opportunity to stop over in Dubai.  Our good friends Matt and Jenn moved there from Sydney about the same time we moved to Zurich so it was only a matter of time before we made the trip to see them.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by Dubai.  There is much more there to do than what my other friends who visited it said.  Beach, beautiful sunsets, cocktails, shopping, food, and what has to be the worlds highest concentration of extraveagant modern architecture.  Enough to keep me busy for at least a week.

 

Middle eastern food was a new discovery for me and I loved every bit of it.  Mostly Lebanese: humus, olives, taboulah, and my favorite dish of humus, yogurt, and chicken topped with fried bread.

 

We stayed at Matt and Jenns on the 95th floor of the Burj Kahlifa!  Waking up to the sunrise (and then going right back to bed...I am on vacation), sitting by the pool watching the sunset over the ocean, and sipping wine on the couch with the city lights all around.  I would never even have to leave the house. 

But then we wanted to get some culture too.  We did the touristy thing and jumped on a desert safari.  Fun none the less. After dune riding our way over the dunes and taking in the gazelles and oryx along the way, we stopped to watch the sunset over the dunes and headed into the candlelit camp for dinner Arabian style, hookas, and a belly dancing show.

 

 

Dubai also has an old town with the old boats along the river and alleyways of the old souqs. We took a tour with the local culture center including a mosque visit and discussion time with Arabian coffee and dates. I highly recommend this as it gave me a completely different look and impression of the middle eastern culture and the islam religion. And that is what travel is all about!

 

Thanks Matt and Jenn for sharing your pad and being such amazing hosts!