Dubai pt2

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Now were in Singapore, after another hectic journey. We had a night flight, which was ok but I woke up a lot and Terry had a dodgy stomach so was uncomfortable for most of it. Considering it was 7hours, it went quickly, and all the entertainment was working this time so we kept occupied.

Singapore has a really nice metro, which is very clean, cheap and easy to navigate. We took it from the airport to the hostel which only cost £1! It’s still boiling here, but it’s even more humid than Dubai and there is less air con. The hostel seems nice so far.
Back to Dubai anyhow. On Thursday evening we went to this lovely park called Creekside which was only 10mins walk away. You had to pay £1.20 to get in, but it was so beautiful and looked out onto the creek so there was a little beach and a pier. It was very quiet, we were basically the only ones there so it felt like a little oasis in the middle of the Dubai madness.

As we’d blown our day budget on taxis, we ate cheap Lebanese food for dinner. They bought out this plate with a whole cucumber, tomato, lettuce, olives, bread and carrots on and we had no idea what to do with it. We just waited until the mains arrived, which only cost 25AED (less than £5) so fit with our budget. They have this mall called Wafi, which is shaped like a pyramid and is completely Egyptian themed. We watched the wildlife sound and light show there which was basically just film projected onto the front of the main pyramid but was made so it fit in perfectly with the structure and the sound and the lights. Well worth a watch, and it was only 5mins away (and free)!


We slept for hours and didn’t get up till 10am the next morning, lazy! Dubai have their weekend on Friday and Saturday so Mike was off work and drove us to a beach. Again, it was so beautiful, perfect blue water which was so warm and easy to swim in. Terry predictably splashed me with the water a few times before getting bored. We slapped the suncream on pretty heavily but both still got a bit burnt, mainly just “missed a spot” and now have random splotches of red.

To cool off, we went to the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) and it’s adjoining Dubai Mall. It’s spectacular! Mike said when he went to Bluewater last time he was home he was so disappointed as compared to Dubai malls, ours are so crap. This particular one, which I’m sure is the biggest in the word, has an ice rink, aquarium, huge indoor waterfall, over 1200 shops, loads of cafes, restaurants and a gold souk! You have to see the photos to appreciate what it’s like.

In the evening, they put on a big water fountain show (Vegas style) over the waterfront so Mike met us and we all watched it together. Again, the photos will show how awesome it looks.
As we had to fly out, we made one quick stop at Festival City, which is a mall/riverfront complex where Mike bought us dinner  I had an enormous slice of carrot cake and a strawberry milkshake! We sat outside as after sunset, Dubai heat is actually manageable so we had this amazing view over the water.

Overall, I think Dubai is fantastic. It’s one of these places you really need to visit. It’s as if someone has played a real life game of Sim City and Dubai is the result. There’s just skyscrapers everywhere, outrageous buildings and the whole city practically oozes wealth.
A few notes/observations/tips
1. There are kids everywhere
2. Everyone drives really lovely cars, and most are white
3. Air Conditioned bus stops are wonderful for randomly standing in to cool off
4. The Emirati men and women are so immaculately groomed; it makes you feel such a mess.
5. If you do go, make sure you like heat, like spending lots of money and don’t go if you’re culturally retarded or easily overwhelmed!

I hope everyone at home is ok and my friends are all enjoying their summer. I’ll fill you in on the wonders of Singapore in a couple of days!

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