City tour around Dubai

In Asia, United Arab Emirates On 09/11/2014 No comments

Dubai

Dubai’s tour has two lines: blue and red. I started my day in the blue line which goes to the beach and the financial center of the city. Dubai has high temperatures the whole year through. Now, in the fall, it was a “mild” 35°C. In summer, daily temperatures are higher than 40°C, so the beach should be one of the main attractions of the city. Unfortunately, like in most Islamic countries, it’s mainly for tourists. Jumeirah has some beach clubs that, depending on the day, are women only. I imagine that might be mostly visited by the locals and not so much by foreigners.

My first stop was Jumeirah Public Beach. From there you can see the famous Burj Al Arab. I’ve seen a documentary on the construction of this luxurious hotel and that made me want to see it from up close. Burj Al Arab is considered a 7 stars hotel and was built on an artificial island. The building’s base is made of 230 concrete spikes embedded in the sand. The hotel’s sail shape has become the symbol of Dubai. Unfortunately, the hotel is not open for visitors.

After Jumerai Beach, my next stop was “Atlantis on the Palm”, the famous palm-shaped artificial island. The island’s shape is not easy to see from the ground, it only appears when seen from above. The trunk of the palm is connected to the continent by a bridge, but the ring around it is connected by an underwater tunnel. In this ring you can find Atlantis, a complex of water parks, shopping center and hotel.

I decided to visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium. Very beautiful! Since I scuba dive and I’m passionate about water, it’s no wonder that I love aquariums, but this one is different. It’s not gigantic like the ones in Monterey or Kuala Lumpur, nor tries to be educative or scientifically accurate. Its beauty is on the settings created for the aquarium and the surrounding areas. The visitors feel as if they are walking through ancient Atlantis, the lost underwater city. It’s a magical place, as in a fairytale. And the fishes, thousands… All kinds of sharks, barracudas, eels… The lobsters habitat is on the ceiling, a different why to see these crustaceans from below. And the jellyfishes, together with some light work, do a soft dance for the visitors. Pure poetry.

After Atlantis, I left the shore and went to the commercial and financial center of Dubai. The next two stops would be two of the big malls of the city: Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall. There you can find everything, from an Indoor Ski Slope and Ice Rink to an aquarium and a zoo. Of course, it also has a huge amount of shops, restaurants and movie theaters. I stopped at Dubai Mall to have lunch and to see Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. I didn’t get to the top of Burj Khalifa. There were no tickets available, only VIP passes for US$140. I thought it wasn’t worth it. In order to see the building from outside and below, I walked by Dubai Fountain, a huge swimming pool with a fountain that has daily evening light shows. It never ceases to amaze me how they manage to have that many pools, lakes and fountains in the middle of the desert. A luxurious waste of resources.

In the afternoon I caught the Red line of the tour. This part of the tour takes approximately 1,30 hours and, as it was late, I didn’t go down in any of its stops. Moreover, my hotel was nearby and I could easily go back to these places. It’s interesting to see the contrasts. This part of the tour crosses the old part of Dubai, the historical and commercial center where the traditional Arabian markets are. One of the stops I recommend is Bastakiya, the historical district of Dubai. This neighborhood has traditional style buildings, handcraft shops and art galleries. One of the houses in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood held my art exhibition, the reason of my trip to Dubai. From there you can walk to the Dubai Museum to know a bit of the history of the region.

Another indispensable stop is one of the souks: Old Souk, Gold Souk or Spice Souk. The experience of buying and bargaining in one of the traditional Arabian markets is a must in this kind of trip.

My last stop on the tour was Creek Walk because I wanted to take the last boat tour on the creek. An Arabian Dhow River Cruise is included in the BigBus ticket. Dhows are traditional Arabian wooden boats. The tour started at 5.30pm, at sunset. It was beautiful to sail the waters of Dubai Creek as the desert lights faded while buildings and ships lighted up. It takes approximately 1 hour and it’s the perfect way to end your day of touring the city, appreciating the different styles of architecture. Lights, skyscrapers, traditional markets, boats, mosques, everything blends in the darkness and city lights.

[Translated by Òscar Buenafuente]