When I unexpectedly noticed that my Ethiopian tourist visa was about to expire the second day of my upcoming holiday week, I eventually decided this would be the perfect opportunity to explore a new country. However, my choices were somewhat limited by the fact that my passport was almost full, with just one blank page left that had to be saved for the new visa when returning to Addis. This rather frustrating technicality automatically excluded a lot of options on the African continent, so I looked towards possibilities in Europe and the Middle East. After a lot of research and struggling with my perpetual indecisiveness, I finally booked tickets about a week before departure. Destination? Two actually - the United Arab Emirates and Jordan!
My solo trip started in Dubai, where I stayed three nights at one of the more reasonable (yet still fairly pricey) hotel choices a bit outside the city centre in Deira. I spent my first couple of days exploring the city by foot and metro. A definite highlight and must-see when in Dubai was, of course, the Burj Khalifa – the tallest man-made structure in the world at near 830 meters – as well as the nearby Dubai Mall (massive) and Dubai Fountain (beautiful). The modernity of the city and diverse culture somewhat reminded me of Kuala Lumpur, although the focus appears to be even more centered on achieving the biggest, the greatest and the most unique, with the Burj Khalifa, Palm Islands and World Islands being the most obvious examples!
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| Reaching for the top - the Burj Khalifa! |
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| The Dubai Fountain - a short but spectacular show (had to see it twice!) |
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| The Dubai Mall Aquarium (the part available for all to see) |
An aching back and sore feet transformed me into a true tourist on my
third day, when I decided to buy a ticket for a hop-on hop-off double
decker tour bus. I have to admit I was skeptical at first but it turned
out to be a fantastic and very informative way of seeing many of the
sights, including the Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah Mosque, the spice and
gold souks of Deira and the aforementioned Palm. The ticket also
included a traditional Dhow cruise on the Dubai Creek, which I was fortunate enough
to be able to enjoy at sunset.
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| The tour included a voucher for a free Turkish coffee and Turkish delight - yum! |
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| The beautiful Jumeirah Mosque |
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| A city under constant development. Burj Khalifa standing tall in the background! |
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| The Burj Al Arab - the only self-proclaimed 7-star hotel, right by Jumeirah Beach |
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| Sailing past nice views on the traditional dhow |
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| Sunset on the Creek :) |
On my final day in the UAE, I only had a few hours to spend before catching my flight. Having initially decided not to go to the top of Burj Khalifa due to the steep ticket price (tip: buy your ticket well in advance!), I changed my mind last-minute and got a fantastic view before heading to the airport. I really enjoyed the first part of my solo adventure in Dubai - a fascinating juxtaposition of old and new, empty desert and busy metropolis. Next stop (and next blog post) – Jordan! Stay tuned :)
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| View at the top of the world's tallest building! |
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