Tag: dubai

My Trip To Dubai (Part 6)

Posted on by LFFL

Me

I just loved waking up every day in Dubai to my next adventure.

I had no idea today was going to be a doozy—but a doozy it was!

Desert Safari

I had SO much fun on this 6-hour safari.  Here we had the pleasure of meeting a couple from Canada and a couple from America as we all piled into the land cruiser once the driver picked everyone up from their prospective hotels.

The safari carried on from about 3:30pm-9:30pm and I loved every minute of it—well, almost every minute of it.  There was a bit of dune bashing that threw me for a huge loop.  I was NOT prepared for that, I can tell you.  What started off as a smooth ride soon turned into chaos.

On our way to desert safari camp.
Having fun headed to Desert Safari.
Being silly in the land cruiser on the way to safari.
Being silly on the way to safari.
Chillaxin’ in the desert on our way to camp.
Our group taking a break on the way to camp. (A couple from Canada, a couple from the States, my date from India living in Dubai, and me from the States.)
Me chillin’ with a big bird.
Me and a bird chillin’ in the desert.
Out in the middle of the desert.
At a rest stop halfway to camp.
A store at a rest stop.
Our snacks.
That sun.
Those land cruisers for all that dune bashing.
The sunset.
Desert Safari campsite.

I had absolutely NO IDEA we would be in a land cruiser with our driver tearing across the sand hills like a freaking maniac!!!  What was that about?!  At first I thought we were just going over a few bumpy parts to get across the desert, but NO—apparently, it’s all part of the safari adventure!  They actually hire drivers to drive around like nut jobs across the desert on the way to camp.  What?!

And my date and I were sitting in the very back seat which made the experience that much worse for me.  You can feel everything in the back seat—all the bumps and everything!  I swear I don’t know how many times I thought we were going to tip over and go rolling down any number of those hills.  Geez Louise!

One of the guys in our group took an excellent video of some of it and was kind enough to send it to me.  But in the video below, yeah, you can hear me carrying on in the back seat—but not nearly as much as I really was.  This is because the video is only 30 seconds long but our maddening ride on those hills was 30 minutes long!  And the video doesn’t make the ride seem nearly as rough as it really was.  Trust me.

[wpvideo GqDOGDqK]

Video courtesy of Scott McQuistan

It was all I could do to keep myself from getting nauseous, dizzy, and throwing up vomit in the back seat—considering I noticed there was absolutely no way to let the windows down in the back seat just in case I had an accident.  Seriously?!  Is this really happening right now?!  My date tried to help me through it all best he could, bless his heart.

That camel ride.
Getting ready to ride. Giddy-up.
On a camel ride.
Getting off the camel with some help.
Me and my safari date in the shisha pit.
Me and my safari date still in the shisha pit.
We keep taking pictures.
The picture-taking goes on and on.
Me and my safari date in the shisha pit. We’re not going anywhere.
Glad I met someone in Dubai that likes taking pictures as much as I do.
Me and my safari date chillin’ in the shisha pit as only we know how. Who does it better?
He’s back there somewhere.
How many pictures does one take before they’re considered vain?
Us again.
Yeah, that’s right.

Somewhere along the way to camp, we stopped at a local store for about a 5-minute rest break.  We grabbed some snacks to eat the rest of the way to camp.

Continue reading “My Trip To Dubai (Part 6)” →

My Trip To Dubai (Part 5)

Posted on by LFFL

Me

Ready to go on a dinner cruise in the Dubai Marina.

I couldn’t wait to get on the boat and sail down the Marina while having dinner buffet-style.  You know I love food.

The Dhow Cruise

When we arrived to the boat, there were fresh sweet dates waiting on a platter before we even stepped onto the boat.  I can’t begin to describe how sweet these things were!  Omg.  I couldn’t eat just one.

I finally had to pull myself away so I could board the boat because my date kept encouraging me to try another one and another one because he saw how much I liked them.  I’m telling you—I could have eaten the entire platter myself.  Which means there’d be none left for the rest of the crew—but such is life.

Headed out the door for the cruise.
The platter of fresh sweet dates I couldn’t pull away from.
Getting ready to board the boat.
That’s me on deck shipping out to sea.
Me and my dinner date.
Me and my dinner date.
Me and my dinner date.
Waiting to eat dinner.
At the dinner table.

This cruise was one of the most beautiful and romantic ever!  I loved looking out the window at the water and all the beautiful buildings.  It was a sight to behold.

Me

 Me and my dinner escort.

The buffet-style dinner was lovely.  Of course, I had to get one of everything which required more than one plate.  And since I don’t have eight arms, I could only carry one plate back to the table.  But my date surprised me by bringing me a second plate with food from the other side of the buffet—which I hadn’t made my way to yet.  But you knew I was headed there, right?

For someone that’s only known me a short time, he figured me out pretty quickly when it comes to food!  He was such a gentleman taking care of me.  Ahh, I just absolutely loved meeting people in Dubai.

Continue reading “My Trip To Dubai (Part 5)” →

My Trip To Dubai (Part 4)

Posted on by LFFL

Me

I’m all ready to go see the famous Burj Al Arab hotel.

Now I’m on my way to Jumeirah to see the Burj Al Arab.  Ohhh, my goodness gracious I’m so excited.

The Burj Al Arab

What can I say about this magnificent creature?  I’m speechless, I tell you.  Totally speechless.  I can’t even begin to describe its beauty.

I was on my way to have lunch at the Al Muntaha restaurant.  First of all, you’re not even allowed to go up the long drive that leads directly up to the hotel without having a reservation either at the hotel or at one of the restaurants at the hotel.  You have to show security at the gate that you actually have a reservation or you’re not getting anywhere close to that bad boy.  No siree!

The taxi drivers will even ask you when you first get into the car if you have a reservation there because they already know they aren’t getting past a certain point if you don’t have one.  So don’t even try it!

The Burj Al Arab in all her glory.
Approaching the Burj Al Arab.
Greeting the cars.
Rollin’ at the Burj Al Arab.
Rollin’ at the Burj Al Arab.
The walkway in front of the Burj Al Arab.
The walkway in front of the Burj Al Arab.
In front of the Burj Al Arab.
The Jumeirah Beach Hotel directly across from the Burj Al Arab.

I found this interesting video on how the Burj Al Arab was built.  It totally blew my mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGzSNZudEHw

I did some sightseeing outside the hotel and wandered around the inside of the first floor.  Then I made my way to the restaurant’s personal elevator/lift that goes directly from the first floor straight to the restaurant.

And, oh my goodness, what a view of the sea from that glass elevator ride!  I wanted to ride it all day long like a little kid—up down, up down.

The view from the restaurant windows is even more fabulous.  You look directly out the window and all you see below you is the beautiful Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea.  Pure gorgeousness!  You’re literally out on the sea in this hotel!

Continue reading “My Trip To Dubai (Part 4)” →

My Trip To Dubai (Part 3)

Posted on by LFFL

Me

Excited for my next adventure today.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Today was the day I took a trip to Abu Dhabi to see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  I took a charter bus to get to Abu Dhabi from Dubai and it took about an hour and a half to get there.

I thought the charter bus would take me all the way to the mosque, but it dropped off at the bus station and I had to take a city bus the rest of the way to the mosque which was another 20-30 minute ride.

The bus station in Abu Dhabi was segregated with a “ladies waiting area” and a men’s waiting area.  I had no idea until I saw a sign.  Interesting that the ladies had such a small waiting area while the men had massive room for seating.  What’s that about?  But I just went straight outside to wait for the bus.

The bus schedule from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
Charter bus in Dubai headed for Abu Dhabi.
The ladies waiting area at the Abu Dhabi bus station.
The men’s waiting area at the Abu Dhabi bus station.
The prayer room at the Abu Dhabi bus station.
Ladies waiting area on an Abu Dhabi city bus.
Ladies at the front of the city bus, men in the back.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque up ahead.
Getting closer to the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
Walking across the bridge to the Grand Mosque.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

There’s also a prayer room inside the bus station and people were taking off their shoes going inside to pray.

When I got onto the city bus, I didn’t realize the men and women had their own separate sitting areas.  I almost sat with all the men but turned around and saw an empty seat next to a lady—so I sat down.  That’s when I looked up and saw a sign that said “ladies only.”  Whew!

You also have to open the door on the city bus yourself by pressing a button.  You have to do this whether you’re getting on or off the bus.  Of course, I stood there waiting for the driver to open the door for me until he told me.  (I mean—how lazy can a bus driver be?!)

Continue reading “My Trip To Dubai (Part 3)” →

My Trip To Dubai (Part 2)

Posted on by LFFL

Me

Roaming the streets of Dubai—with my apple juice in a large cup from McDonald’s that I can’t seem to get in the States.

There are seven emirates in the UAE—Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah.  I was in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and briefly touched down in Sharjah.  But the goal next time is to visit all the emirates no matter how briefly—just so I can say I’ve been to them all.  And you know I’ll do it just because!

The Palm Jumeirah & Dubai Creek

I had my own personal escort to the beautiful Palm Jumeirah and the Dubai Creek.  I can’t even begin to describe the beauty I saw as we drove around the crescent of Palm Jumeirah.  It’s a sight to behold.  We also went to a couple of nightclubs that week and I had a blast.  It was not a problem for me to be out late at night especially since it was still daytime in America—my body clock was still trying to adjust to the time difference.

At the Dubai Creek.
At club Q43 at Media One Hotel in Media City.
At Barasti Beach club at Jumeirah Beach.
At Barasti Beach club at Jumeirah Beach.
Rollin’ in a BMW at the Palm Jumeirah.
In front of Atlantis The Palm in Palm Jumeirah.
In a phone booth at the Creek.

The time difference in the Middle East took some getting used to at first, but I survived.  Since we had just turned the clocks back an hour in the States, I was in a country that was 10 hours ahead of America.  But the first day I landed, I was determined to get on the Middle East schedule.  And, boy, did I have fun once I did!

We’re BMW rollin’ through that tunnel thing at the Palm.
At the Dubai Creek.
Feeding the fishes at the creek.
The art of smoking shisha and drinking fresh-squeezed watermelon juice.
Shisha at Zyara Cafe in Media City.
Waiting to go out.

Here’s a video I found from the “Documentary & Life Discovery Channel” on how the Palm Jumeirah came about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYAo6cCDXF0

The Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall is so massively huge that I didn’t have time to hit all parts of it.  But I did see some of the highlights.  I actually went to the mall on two different occasions with two different gentlemen who were kind enough to keep me company.

Continue reading “My Trip To Dubai (Part 2)” →

My Trip To Dubai (Part 1)

Posted on by LFFL
On the way to the airport. No time for makeup yet.
Freaking out at the airport. It’s just starting to sink in what I’m doing.

This girl woke up early on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2014 doing her usual “getting ready for work” thing like any other normal day—and within an hour of getting dressed for the day decided out of the TOTAL BLUE that she was going to go to the Middle East the very next day all by herself!

With absolutely NO PLAN, NO FORETHOUGHT, and NO IDEA HOW to pull it off she set her mind to it.  My bosses at work looked at me crazy for giving them ONE day’s notice—but even I only had a day’s notice to plan everything since I had just decided that very morning to do something so, obviously, insane.

And with the help of a few awesome friends, I was able to pull off the impossible and figure it all out and left the next day on a 12-hour flight overseas to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for 10 days!  THAT GIRL’S A THUG!!  WHO DOES THAT?!

(I have SO many beautiful pictures and videos that this will be a 6-part series.  I hope you enjoy all the videos and pictures from my time in the UAE.  Wish you could have been there!)

The Dubai airport customs line.
My very own personal TV screen.
The map of where the plane was flying at any given moment. Going over Istanbul, Turkey here.

This trip was so last-minute that I still didn’t even have a hotel reservation when my friend arrived at my house to take me to the airport!  I was booking one on my computer as she stood there waiting for me.  Then off I ran out the door!

My family and friends were freaking out and texting me all day when I was overseas checking on me—“where are you, what are you doing, who are you with?”

I don’t travel and have hardly been anywhere in my life that doesn’t involve cars, buses, or trains because I’m terrified of planes.  Hence, my face in the second picture above when it just dawns on me at the airport what is about to happen!  First of all, BY MYSELF; second of all MIDDLE EAST; third of all PLANE!

The living room in my hotel apartment.
The bedroom.
The bathroom.
My lovely hotel in Media City, Dubai.
The kitchen.
Guest information.
The Arabic news.
A Nancy Grace-like debate on television. Lol.
My personal bidet. Who knew?
President & Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan (Ruler of Abu Dhabi) and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Ruler of Dubai).

I don’t know why I snapped when I woke up that morning but I did.  And now my life was about to get even more exciting.  I didn’t have time to research ONE THING about this place I was going to.  So I figured when I landed I was just going to “wing it” each day.  Yes, I clearly lost my mind.

But, ohhhhhh, how I absolutely fell in LOVE with this city—and the entire country.  As soon as I landed and got through the insane customs line, I pulled out of the airport in a cab and within 20 seconds I swore I never wanted to go back to America.

Someone asked me if I felt “safe” in this country.  I felt much MORE safe than I ever feel in America.  I did things in this country by myself that I would never even attempt to do in America.  The emirati have this country on lock.  They don’t play.  Cameras are everywhere, too.

Me

I just loved waking up every morning in my new home away from home.

I loved meeting so many people along the way.  I was wedged between two awesome guys on the plane in a really tight space.  We took selfies together.  One lived in the States but was from Tehran, Iran and was going to visit family; the other guy was from America and told me all about his travels to Afghanistan and such.

Continue reading “My Trip To Dubai (Part 1)” →