Dubai

---

We arrived in Dubai at 7 in the morning after a 15 hour flight we were knackered and were really happy that the hotel had sent a driver to pick us up and when we got to the hotel we only had to wait 30 minutes before we could check in. The first day was a bit of a wasted day. We were both so tired so didnt feel like doing much.

We spent day 2 at Wild Wadi water park. There aren’t many big rides at the park and it’s ideal for families. The biggest ride was a 33-metre freefall slide described as the tallest and fastest free-fall slide outside of North America with speeds of 80km per hour on which you will experience the exhilaration of weightlessness. It was all over in about 5 seconds. What they didn’t say was it feels like being hit with a stick at speeds of 80km per hour and ending up with the biggest wedgy of your life. After the pain subsided we stood at the bottom for a while amused by the people getting off the ride in pain.

We also went skiing for the first time at Ski Dubai (the largest real snow indoor ski park in the world). It was funny watching the little kids effortlessly ski down the slopes while we struggled to stand up. Skiing was much tougher than surfing. Ski Dubai is attached to a huge shopping mall called The Mall of Emirates which is full of Desiger shops as well as a lot of high street shops.

In the afternoon we went to Jumeirah beach to get our last few hours of the sun. The temperature was about 43 degrees so we spent most of the time in the sea, which was very warm and really clear.

We were quite surprised by how busy the roads were in Dubai during the week… think M25 only worse. 6 lanes of traffic with mental drivers trying to cut in front of each other but no-one going anywhere. From our hotel it was a 20min taxi drive to Jumeirah beach, but on the way back it took well over an hour. Taxis are the best way (pretty much the only way) to get around Dubai because there isn’t much of a public transport system and they’re reasonably cheap. You could hire a car, but the roads are a little bit crazy. The new rail network is due for completion in 2010.

Dubai is a nice place to visit for a few days, but we wouldn’t stay there any longer than that because there wasn’t a lot to do. The main activity in Dubai is shopping so if you like designer gear and jewellery and have plenty of money on your hands then you will have a great time in Dubai. I suppose if we had more time we would have liked to do a jeep safari and have a go at dune surfing.

The following morning we were not in a very good mood as we had to catch our final flight back to Manchester. We made our way from the hotel to the airport in silence. 10 weeks ago it seemed like we had all the time in the world but our 2 months passed quicker than you can ever imagine.

We had a great time over the past couple of months. The only regret we have is that we didn’t have more time. We had an amazing time and I would recommend it to anyone.

---

Photos

Sunset
Al Jumeirah Beach