Dubai @ UAE - Where impossible is possible!

Posted on January 25, 2014
Location: London
Dubai @ UAE - Where impossible is possible!

During my trips to Saudi Arabia and South Africa, flights always routed via Dubai and it was always in my mind to return to this beautiful city one day, for a vacation. This time, the wish was granted. Dubai is one of seven cities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), located in the Middle East on the beautiful Arabian Gulf. Something about the place…which made me curious and still is…a place where impossible is possible. We visited in the last week of Jan 2008, and the weather was perfect for sunbathe during the day and pleasant in the evenings, making it ideal for stroll around. Dubai has this sultry desert weather; where winter falls between December and March, and temperatures average 75 to 90 degrees, which is the recommended time to visit.

There are many places to go and have fun in Dubai. Some one suggested Souk-Al-Bahar and it was indeed one of the best waterfront dining and leisure experience in my life till that date. It was located in the Downtown Dubai complex with a fantastic view of the Dubai Dancing Fountain Show. The Desert Safari was an exciting experiment for me as well, including some serious dune bashing in jeeps over enormous sand dunes, camelback rides and evening entertainment as we viewed the magnificent desert sunset. It was good to see one of India’s celebrated yoga gurus was also enjoying desert safari, together in the same group as us.

Dining in Dubai was an impeccable experience, with many choices of different cuisines and flavours. My personal favourite was the local Arabic dish : Mandi Rice. There are specialized restaurants, which serve this local delicacy and we have to sit down on the floor and eat with our hand, to eat this aromatic dish. It is generally served in large portions, and meant to be shared by a group of people. Also if we are seafood lovers, we can have a time of our life in Dubai, Serious indulgence, I seriously mean!!!

The Dubai Mall featured the most high-end stores we have ever encountered, an enormous aquarium, man-made ice rink and an underwater zoo. These shopping malls are not just shopping malls; they were also about their architecture, design and character as well. My favourite one was the emirates mall but there was also Ibn Battuta mall, which had different wings and each wing was build as per different cultures such as: Andalusian, Tunisian, Egyptian, Persian, Indian, and Chinese. For keen photographers, there are several spots within Ibn Battuta mall, for some serious photography options.

On the coastline of Dubai, sits the Burj Al Arab hotel. During my visit to Dubai, it was the only seven star hotels in the world. Staying in the hotel alone, a guided tour around the hotel, with just some afternoon tea, was more expensive than the daily tariff of a five star hotel in our very own London, then! It is one of the most photographed structures in the world, designed to resemble the billowing sail of a ship, which stands at a height of 1,053 feet.

Today, Dubai has emerged as a cosmopolitan city, which has grown steadily a business and cultural hub of the Middle East. It is also a major transport hub for passengers and cargo. Although Dubai's economy was historically built on the oil industry, the emirate's Western-style model of business drives its economy with the main revenues now coming from tourism, aviation, real estate, and financial services. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become symbolic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, such as the world's tallest Burj Khalifa, in addition to ambitious development projects including man-made islands, hotels, and some of the largest shopping malls in the region and the world. Dubai also is the 22nd most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city in the Middle East. Dubai has also been rated as one of the best places to live in the Middle East.

DUBAI was truly a memorable experience of a lifetime; a city where the impossible is possible!

Bikash MohantyBikash Mohanty"Welcome to my website!
I am grateful for your visit. Please enjoy my writings and reach out to me, with your feedback."

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