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Although it will no highlight my ignorance I have to say I was a little dubious of visiting Dubai. I was terrified at the thought of offending someone with with my poor knowledge of the culture. After a quick google search we found out A) There should be no kissing or cuddling in public B) unmarried couples should not reside together C) alcohol consumption is frowned upon and finally D) skimpy clothing is deemed offensive. As I am heavily guilty of all these points on a daily basis I was worried Dubai would be the place for me. On top of that, Google Fact: Britons are more likely to be arrested in the United Arab Emirates than anywhere else in the world...my thoughts "Oh crap!!"
I found myself in Dubai airport thinking 'surely there are easier ways of getting a winter suntan?'. l plodded onwards till we arrived at the Atlantis hotel and what a surprise I had. Whilst sweating away in my jeans and jumper afraid to pull up my sleeves at the risk of offending any local customs, I had unintentionally arrived at what looked like a jersey shore audition! The Atlantis, whist architecturally superb was full of
big hair, tanned muscle bound men and young ladies wearing mini skirts that would make even me blush!! "Honey! I am home!!" I cried as I mentally kicked myself for the fortune I had spent on maxi dresses and head scarves. It seems that whilst Dubai definitely have strict rules that should be obeyed these are left at the door at the Atlantis, and although I will not be challenging anybody to a wet T-shirt competition or opening up a kissing booth, I will definitely be trading my full coverage maxi dress for an itsy bitsy bikini.
First on the list was visiting the Atlantis waterpark to feed Stingrays. For those who do not know me I am convinced I am the love child of Prince Eric and Princess Ariel, therefore any activity involving marine life sends me (even more) insane. I was in heaven
My enthusiasm wavered slightly when our marine guide gave a brief safety talk of which all I heard were "There will be sharks in the pool" and "Make sure you have the correct thumb position when feeding as the Rays might just suck your thumb clean off"... Yep it was right around there
that I wished I had a better attention span. To prove my self proclaimed mermaid status I headed off bravely down the steps expecting my 'big and tough' boyfriend to share my false bravado and be right behind me.... He was not, instead he was cowering at the top of the stairs and had to be gently coaxed in by the instructors! Instead of the serene scene I was expecting, I was basically mugged by a gang of Cownose Rays (which must have been half starved) who seemed as keen chewing on my bikini bottoms as the prawns i was offering by hand. There is not much I can not accomplish when I have a camera pointed my way and as I sucked in my belly pulled on a big cheesy smile, glanced over at my cowering boyfriend ( who was now in the water at least) I fed my first ray.
It was great and tons of other positive adjectives you can think of!!! Only made better by my boyfriends high pitched cries of terror and claims of being eaten alive. If you are imagining a tank of piranhas at this point, l should clarify Cownose rays do not have teeth, instead they Hoover up their food so at the worst my dramatic boyfriend would leave the pool with a love bite from an over zealous fish.
In the evening we settled down at the bar for some cocktails Alcohol is only sold in the hotels of Dubai and can only be consumed at home if you have a license). After drinking 2 and complaining to one another about the lack of alcohol, as only An English girl can, we walked down the beautiful Atlantis staircase , or else Bryan walked I gracefully lost my footing and tumbled down the stairs- thankfully stopping as I got my elbow caught in the railings. So from this i took away apparently the cocktails in Dubai are stronger then they taste and Always take the elevator. Flashing my knickers as I "oof" and "ow" my way though the lobby was painful but I sure know how to make an entrance!!
Other activities in Dubai included a desert Safari which was a delight to see and a swimming with dolphin experience in the Atlantis lagoon, which if visiting Dubai is a definite MUST!
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