Dubai Desert Adventure - November, 2014

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai
October 30th 2015

Published: October 30th 2015

November Desert Adventure

Saturday, November 22^nd:

For a change my first flight didn’t depart Las Vegas until 1:40pm, so no dragging my butt out of bed at zero dark thirty which is generally the case for my trips……far more civilized in my opinion. Delta Airlines had been gracious enough to upgrade me to first class, so it was with joy and anticipation I checked in a couple of hours prior to departure. McCarran as usual was a zoo….especially this weekend just before Thanksgiving – apparently everyone wants to gamble and end up flat broke for the holidays. People watching is definitely a national pastime in this airport.

We left almost an hour late which, given the short connection time in Atlanta, put my Dubai flight in jeopardy and I wasn’t sure I would make it. But with 15 minutes to spare, I arrived at the international gate and was able to board immediately. As Delta has just the one 14-hour nonstop flight to Dubai each day, the flight is almost always completely full and tonight was no exception. I had been upgraded once more and the thought of the lie-flat bed with feather pillow and duvet, went a long way to assuaging the thoughts of so many hours locked in a steel crate hurtling across the globe at 675mph.

I viewed a couple of movies while over the north Atlantic but was more interested in curling up and sleeping for the majority of the flight. Dinner was excellent, the champagne was flowing, but with the help of an eye mask and ear plugs, I was able to shut out most of the world. I woke up a couple of times to check our current location on the interactive flight map (south of Greenland and then crossing the North Africa coast at Alexandria), and by 10pm we kissed the tarmac in Dubai. Atlanta had been in the low 40’s and chilly – the Persian Gulf was 87f, hot and humid…….it’s so good to be back.

The long hike from the plane to immigration eased the kinks in my back and legs and I felt almost human once more as I approached the customs hall. In previous visits I’ve spent up to 3 hours in line – the Emiratis haven’t yet quite grasped the concept of speed when it comes to staffing the booths. There must have been 800 or more passengers from 7 international flights milling around, and I doubt there were more than 12 guys stamping passports and asking the usual inane questions. I walked to the far end of the customs hall and found the smallest line…..saints be praised, I got thru in less than 30 minutes…..a record by any UAE standards, for sure. My suitcase was already on the conveyor belt in baggage claim and my driver was waiting for me as I emerged into the crowded exit hall.

The new Hilton Doubletree Hotel just opened a few months ago in the Al-Basha area, right next door to the famous Mall of the Emirates (this is the location of the indoor ski slope, everyone talks about) and is approximately 45 minutes south of the airport. By this time I was beginning to feel the effects of almost 30 hours non-stop travel across the globe, and I was more than ready for a shower and a real bed. Another pleasant surprise when I checked in – an upgrade to a one bedroom apartment, complete with full kitchen and even a washing machine…..this bodes well for the coming week’s stay. By the time I had unpacked and taken a hot shower it was past midnight, and in spite of being exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. Ended up cruising thru the many tv channels to find all the English language ones (there are a boatload), and settled on a Boardwalk Empire episode of four seasons back. My accommodations are perfect for a short stay. The living room boasts a 42” HD flat screen television, with fantastic satellite reception and an extended sofa with ottoman. The room overlooks the main entrance of the Mall of the Emirates. The kitchen just off the living room, has a full size refrigerator with freezer, microwave, cooktop, washing machine and dining area. There is even a half guest bathroom, just in case. How cute. The separate bedroom has the obligatory king size bed, 42” HD flat screen tv mounted on the wall and oodles of wardrobe space. The adjoining bathroom is a dream…..need I say more? I think not.

Monday, November 24^th:

After a very fitful night, waking up at least three times in a panic not knowing where the hell I was, it was 9am local time before I was able to make myself fairly presentable and head down to find breakfast. Bistro 55 is open every day from 6am to 11am for breakfast (full buffet style), and then again from noon to 11pm for lunch and dinner. It took two jugs of coffee before my eyes were open enough to decide on food – an omelet, tomatoes and mushrooms with Brie cheese were my choice this day. I returned to the room an hour later armed with the Khaleej Times, one of two English language newspapers in Dubai. This will be a lazy day to fully recover and once maid service is complete, I will probably grab a few more hours sleep to get synchronized with local time. Its 12 hours ahead of Las Vegas – that’s a lot to get acclimated to. I’m curled up on the living room couch, watching BBC News and bringing this blog up to date. Bright and sunny outside and tomorrow I will be making my way to the Mall of the Emirates – it’s been at least two years since my last visit there. They have an excellent coffee shop right in front of the glass-enclosed ski slope – always good for a laugh. The hotel also boasts an Indian restaurant, Tikka Café, and that is where I plan to have dinner this evening. I do love a good Vindaloo and mint naan.

There is much going on in the Emirates these days. Abu Dhabi is hosting the annual Formula 1 race over this coming weekend and Dubai has the National Parachuting Championships and an international golf tournament all this week. No wonder the airport was such a zoo last night. People come from all over the world to attend the F1 races. Dubai is also gearing up for the annual Dubai Shopping Festival which happens in January. It has been the premier global shopping event for more than twenty years and does more to boost tourism here, than just about anything else.

While my mini apartment was being serviced in the early afternoon, I decided to explore this hotel. The two aforementioned restaurants are the major eating establishments for Doubletree, but they also have a lobby lounge/Starbucks stocked with a wide variety of pastries, cakes, gourmet sandwiches and the full array of coffees. This, along with the business center and the health club, is open around the clock. Good to know if I get the munchies at 3am or decide to work out (that ain’t happening anytime soon). When I returned, I realized that the room wasn’t nearly as cool as it needed to be with Dubai’s ever-present high humidity. A quick call to the front desk and within 10 minutes they had a mechanic fixing the vent problem, changing out the filters and now the temperature is close to freezing…..works for me. I’m impressed with the responsive customer service so far and I adore the accommodations.

It’s 9pm and I have just returned from a wonderful evening having dinner at the Tikka Café, an Indian restaurant here in the Doubletree. I was their first customer of the night so got undivided attention from the entire staff, all four of them. It’s a beautifully decorated place with color-coordinated seats, wall coverings and table linens. It’s an open-style kitchen and I got to watch the chef prepare the dishes he was sending out. The manager Vikas came over to introduce himself and his restaurant and made a couple of Vindaloo suggestions. I finally went with the beef, generally I have either chicken or lamb but decided I needed to broaden my culinary horizons for this ethnicity. It was simply delicious and the whole wheat mint naan was to die for. Definitely worth a write-up in Tripadvisor. I’m stuffed to the eyeballs and ready for a solid night’s sleep. Tomorrow I sally forth to reintroduce myself to Dubai – should be highly entertaining to say the least…….stay tuned for the goodies!

Tuesday, November 25^th:

I slept well but was wide awake by 4:30am – my internal clock isn’t quite back to normal yet. Even the morning newspaper isn’t sitting outside my door yet….yep, it’s way too early all round. Dozed off for another couple of hours and when I surfaced once more, headed down to the Bistro 55 for my morning java. They had date muffins freshly baked so one of those with mango juice and a veggie omelet had me set up for the day.

The temperature was back up in the mid 80’s and a wind was blowing hard enough to swirl sand around in all directions. Rather than run the risk of having half the skin on my face scoured off by walking to the Mall of the Emirates, I took advantage of the hotel’s complimentary shuttle service. It’s less than 2 minutes away and most of the stores were open for business by the time I arrived at 11am. The place is massive and a Fashion Dome has been added since my last visit. This along with the ski slope are the main attractions. This may be the desert with matching heat and humidity, but once inside the Mall its Christmas time from end to end. Decorations are up and sparkling – a regular winter wonderland and they even added a Santa Claus and sleigh to the ski slope! Obviously geared to all western ex-pats and tourists – the Arabs sure don’t celebrate this holiday.

Spent a couple of hours walking around and seeing a few new stores but with so many malls in Dubai, the competition is fierce. I stopped at my favorite coffee shop for a caramel latte and was highly entertained watching some locals trying to master the art of a snowboard. They may be expert in handling sand, camels and falcons but when it comes to snow sports…..well no doubt you get the picture….it was hilarious to say the least. I thought about catching the latest Hunger Games movie at the multi-screen theater within the Mall, but after reading reviews and seeing that it bombed in the ratings, I’ll wait until it comes to cable. By 3pm I made my way to the shuttle stop and was back in the Doubletree a few minutes later.

Maid service had come and gone….fresh, crisp linens on the bed looked so inviting, so I lay down and passed out for a few hours….next thing I know, it’s almost 8pm….I must have been more tired than I first thought! Decided to check out the lobby Starbucks and spent the last of my UAE currency on a curried chicken wrap for dinner. As it has a great view of the hotel lobby, I picked a table by the waterfall and “people watched” while I ate. The building is 12 stories high and the open atrium soars from the marble-floored lobby to the ebony ceiling from which is suspended geometric shapes, outlined in optic fibers like millions of tiny winking lights. Neon ribbons of bright blue snake down the glass wall on the front of the building and the glass elevators rise and fall on the opposite side. At the base of the elevators right where I was sitting, is a water display dropping three levels into brightly colored mosaic tiled bowls staggered in height. Really an attractive feature for a hotel lobby. There is such a feeling of light, air and spaciousness in this hotel and yes, it does look brand new.

While I was eating my sandwich Vikas walked by (last night’s restaurant manager) and wanted to know why I wasn’t having dinner again in the Tikka Café. He seemed almost offended I would order a wrap over his Vindaloo…..LOL I explained I wasn’t hungry enough for a full dinner but would make up for my error by being in the Tikka Café tomorrow evening instead. That seemed to mollify him….too funny.

Wednesday, November 26^th:

I think I am finally on UAE time. Had a decent night’s sleep and before heading to Bistro 55 for breakfast, I decided to do a load of laundry. This way all my clothes go home clean and I don’t have to run my washing machine at home this weekend. It’s a total washing/drying piece of equipment, so once I figured out roughly how it works, I threw in everything I have worn since I arrived here. It doesn’t hold much – not surprising, considering this is a hotel apartment to begin with – but it was big enough for my few soiled articles. Then it was down to the restaurant for an omelet, mushrooms and yogurt.

Today was all about riding the Metro around this incredible city and making a visit to the gold/perfume/fabric souks in the old part of Dubai, down at the Creek. The nearest Metro station was within walking distance and for 5 diahams (approximately $1.25) I purchased an all-day ticket. This incredible transportation system was built less than 10 years ago and with each visit, I see they have extended the route further and further south towards Abu Dhabi. It begins at the three terminals out at Dubai International Airport and currently ends at the port of Jebel Ali, about 40 miles away. It snakes thru downtown Dubai, the Marina, Jumeriah Beach, the Palm Islands and the new all-green community. For part of the journey it parallels Sheikh Zayed Road, the major highway of Dubai and a road I’m very familiar with, having driven it on occasion in the past.

It’s super clean and efficient and the various Metro stations along the route, are an example of architectural brilliance…..they are a sightseeing event unto themselves. The mag-lev trains speed along about 20’ above the ground, which gives an excellent opportunity for passengers to take photographs of this “over the top”, totally eclectic Emirate. Air conditioned to the max, not a piece of trash or single sign of graffiti anywhere, and fully automatic. No matter how many times I come to Dubai, I still find riding the Metro one of the best and cheapest ways to get around. I never tire of seeing the massive skyscapers that seem to spring up virtually overnight. The Burj Khalifa (highest building in the world) still impresses me…..it really is an awe-inspiring structure…… and who could fail to be moved by the artificial Palm Islands out in the Gulf?

Three hours in the souks flew by and I had to fight the urge to max out my credit cards with gold and perfume purchases…..LOL I doubt there is any other location which can boast such an amazing amount of gold in one small area at one time. It literally blinds you when the sun reflects off the bangles, bracelets, necklaces and rings displayed on native stalls thruout the market.

Before returning to the Metro station, I made my way to Dubai Creek where water taxis ply their trade up and down the waterway, as they have done for centuries. Here is where the city originated as a pearl diving center and which today, is still the trade center for the Emirates. For the equivalent of $.25 I crossed the Creek on an ancient dhow (water taxi) and had the best view of downtown Dubai there is….from the water. Dozens of boats of all sizes line the docks, loaded to the gunwales with items of every description – I even saw a few refrigerators in cardboard boxes being unloaded! It’s a hive of activity and represents many world nations trading here in the Persian Gulf. The wind had died down from yesterday and it was pleasant enough to spend an hour drinking coffee from an outdoor café and watching the world go by on the Creek…..I really love this part of the world.

Back in the Doubletree by late afternoon and my laundry was dry….ready to be ironed, folded and packed. This is my last night in the hotel – this time tomorrow, I will be checking out and heading to the airport for my multi-hour journey across the globe and home to Las Vegas. I arrive there Friday afternoon, hopefully in one piece inshall’allah (praise be to God in Arabic).

I really wasn’t hungry so took a pass on eating dinner this evening and relaxed in the room. I did pull out the iron for the clothes I washed earlier…..now everything is ready to pack tomorrow. I have requested late checkout and with my Hilton status, I get to stay in the room until 6pm. That works out well…..my shuttle service to the airport picks me up at 8:30 and I can always people watch in the lobby for a couple of hours. Going to be an even longer flight back to Atlanta – flying west adds up to 1.5 hours to the same one going east, plus I have the additional domestic ones. It will be good to be home again Friday afternoon.

Thursday, November 27^th:

I decided to try a new tactic to combat the miserable jet lag/exhaustion I always have especially flying home from the east. I dozed for a couple of hours in the early evening and then forced myself to remain awake the rest of the night. Promptly at 6:30am I headed down to the Bistro 55 for a good breakfast – this too was part of the new plan. Normally it’s simply too early to eat at this time, but not having had dinner yesterday, I was starving.

Once back in the room an hour later I took a hot shower, finished all my packing and went back to bed. Only this time I would actually be sleeping away most of the day. I had arranged with the front desk earlier in the week, to have an extended checkout time of 6pm and my airport shuttle will be picking me up at 8:30pm. This worked out very well. Instead of running around all day and then flying all night and part of tomorrow virtually nonstop, this way I’m far more refreshed by the time I board my 15-hour redeye flight to Atlanta…..this leaves at 11pm. Will be an interesting experiment to see how I feel once I land in Las Vegas midday Friday.

Another great trip has come to an end. Now I have 10 days at home with various appointments scheduled for next week, before once more I’ll be back at McCarran – only this time its south to Buenos Aires to meet my cruise around the Horn.

Happy Thanksgiving all and stayed tuned for the South America blog coming in December…..

Cheers

Dubai Desert Adventure - November, 2014

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