Back to the Emirates – Dubai

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Just a few weeks after my trip to Abu Dhabi I flew to the Emirates again, straight into Dubai this time. I had been there some three years ago and it was nice to be back. This time the plan for me was to see some more of our airline clients down there to discuss our research and assessment products for pilot selection. Moreover, I was supposed to provide some training to my local colleagues, three fantastic ladies and their wonderful MD.

I arrived in Dubai late on a Saturday, or to be more precise, at 1 am on Sunday morning. I had booked a fast transfer through immigration, which is a smart thing to do in Dubai. It is not very expensive, but it can save you from queuing in immigration for an hour or two. And I was lucky I had done this because there was an issue with my passport. I was standing in front of the immigration desk for a long time, the immigration officer typed something into the computer, kept looking at my passport, and I could quickly see that something was wrong. Now the good thing was that I had this lady with me whose job it was to fast-track me through immigration. She told me that apparently when I had left Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago this had not been registered in the system properly, and thus it looked as if I had never left the country. She took me to an office where two immigration officers typed more stuff into the computer and then it seemed that I was okay to enter the country. My suitcase was awaiting me and I was glad I had booked a hotel transfer.

My hotel was close to Dubai Marina, which was nice. I spent the days working with my colleagues, but in the evening I had time to explore the area a bit. So on Sunday evening I went for a nice long walk along the Marina. It is nicely illuminated at night and there are lots of bars and restaurants. You hear all kinds of languages since people working in Dubai come from all over the world. I had Lebanese food. On Monday evening my colleagues Kate and Nada took me out for dinner to a nice place overlooking the Marina. We had some European-Mediterranean fusion cuisine, very nice too. On Tuesday night I went over to the beach promenade, within walking distance from the Marina. There is a nice wide beach with deck chairs, there are bars and restaurants, and there is a small souvenir market. I enjoyed the warmth and the fact that I could sit outside for dinner. This time I had Turkish food.

On Wednesday night the entire team went to the Soukh, a market that they rebuilt where the old Soukh had been, and the way the old market had looked. It felt like entering Sheherezade’s world! There are even small canals with little boats on them that one can rent. From there one also has the view of the Burj al Arab, the famous Seven Star hotel in Dubai. Our Managing Director Gisou invited us to an Iranian restaurant. She is originally from Iran herself and she enjoys recommending the best dishes, so the food could not have been any better. I also learned more about Dubai. For example, dating apps are illegal there. These are examples where one can see that it is an Islamic country. It was interesting, the food was great, and the company was just awesome. Thank you Gisou, Kate, Rose, and Nada for taking such good care of me!

My last morning in Dubai I spent at the beach promenade, had some more Lebanese food for a late breakfast, and went for a little walk along the promenade during daylight before heading back to the hotel way too late. But I managed to catch my flight back!

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Photos

City skyline I
View from the office

City skyline II
View from the office - and one can see the haze that is almost always in the air

Residential area
View from the office

Dubai Marina by day
View across the canal

Dubai Marina by night
... brightly illuminated

Soukh I
Rebuilt so that it looks like in the old days.

Soukh II
Canals and bridges in the foreground, the famous Burj al Arab (which changes colour at night) in the background

The beach I
View from my breakfast restaurant

The beach II
Panorama

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Beautiful photo
Nice shots of Dubai

[Katha Turbostern]

Re: Beautiful photo
Thank you :-) It's amazing how much haze there is in the sky every day. I was lucky during the days when I was there, so could enjoy rather nice views, but sometimes one does not see too much.