Yep, I buggered off to Dubai - again.

It's been a couple of years since I last went abroad, March 2013 to be precise, and I really wanted to get away from cold, miserable Britain at least for a week. Instead of going somewhere that demands a lot of effort and planning (like Israel/Palestine last time out), I thought we could do with something a bit more relaxing, where I won't return home more exhausted than I left.


 So the OH booked a week in Dubai for us! It may not seem the most natural city for me to visit, as I love places with lots of history behind them and adventure, but sometimes I just want to catch some sun, eat some good food and relax - and for that, Dubai beats all of the usual places.

First day, I thought yes! SHOPPING. BEACHES. EATING.

Who am I?

After a day of shopping til I dropped, eating till my stomach felt ready to burst and tanning myself up until I could get no darker, I was bored. I remembered why we don't really do holidays like this. I don't do relaxing, I can't sit still for five minutes and I want to get a feel for the place I've made my temporary home.

All of your transportation needs in Dubai are catered for. They have the awesome Metro that runs from one side of the city to the other, the tram that takes you around the Marina area, the monorail that runs through the heart of the Palm Jumeirah, buses (if you really want to!) and taxis. The taxis are reasonably cheap but always leave me feeling like I'm just going from A to B and missing out on what's going on in between. So most days we took this bizarre mode of transport called walking.

Last time we visited Dubai, back in 2011, it was in July and blazing hot so walking was out of the question, but this time it was late 20s to early 30s so it wasn't so bad. It was also really hazy most days, with a strong breeze so the sun's rays weren't quite so penetrating. Either way, walking was on the menu and it was fascinating to walk around the streets and see what Dubai was really made of. I'm glad I did it, because there were so many things we saw that we otherwise couldn't have.

There were a couple of things that I really wanted to do. The first was to take an Abra ride across the creek, it's basically an old-fashioned motorised boat that takes you from one side of the creek to the other in about 5 minutes. It costs just 1 Dirham, which is about 18p and I have to say that it's the best 18p you'll probably ever spend. It's nothing spectacular, it just feels great to be out on the water, sea-breeze gusting through your hair, sun shining.

The second thing I really wanted to do was also water-related! I'd heard about the Dubai Ferry, that takes you through the Marina out to sea and past the Atlantis. It was slightly more expensive than 18p but lasted about 45 minutes and took us past some pretty breath-taking cityscapes, before picking up some pace in the open sea and taking us the length of the Palm Jumeirah. Again it felt great to be out on the open water, and from out there you get an idea of the scale of Dubai that you perhaps don't when going backwards and forwards along the main Sheikh Zayed Road that forms the city's backbone. It really does look like a futuristic Gotham City in the desert.

You'll also notice from the photos below that I went a bit Fish-eye crazy! I haven't really used it enough on my past few holidays, so I probably overcompensated a little this time around! But when you see some of the photos, I think I can be forgiven. :)


 
The view looking back from Marina Beach


Marina Mall Tram Station - Fish-eye style!


Stylish looking Bugatti Veyron parked at Mall of the Emirates - not iridescent enough for my taste though

 
The Palm Atlantis from the Arabian Gulf

 
Trés Artistique


Dubailand miniature model - they're building replicas of the Taj, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa!


Loitering with intent at Jumeirah Beach Residences

 
Sheikh Zayed Road lined by Jumeirah Lakes Towers

 
No travel post would be complete without waffles...

 
Dubai 360 at Dubai Mall

 
Spices at Deira Souk

 
Electronic Billboard at Dubai Mall

 
Oh yeah, my birthday happened!

 
Waterfall at Dubai Mall

 
Some old boats from the Abra ride

 
This cute little thing actually bit me - felt more like a nip though! 

 
Mall of the Emirates

 
A couple of shadowy individuals

 
Re-united with my darling Mint Lemonade. Why won't you come to Britain? :(

 
Burj al Arab

 
At the Dubai Fountains between shows

 
No expense spared in the malls

 
I took too many photos of Western Brands in Arabic script!

 
Stuck in the lift with the OH

 
Ravi's! Never did I imagine you'd find a place like this in Dubai. Cheap and Tasty!

 
Dirty old alley, brand spanking new skyscraper

 
J'adore

 
Shades fit for Dubai

 
Always look at these, never buy them!

 
Bokeh

 
Dubai Marina from aboard the Ferry

 
Posing at the Atlantis Aquaventure Beach

 
This reminded me of Homeland for some reason

 
Cuddly toys of the Burj Khalifa - 1) Why? 2) Looks like something rude!

View 'At the Top' with the fountain show in full swing

So that was my Tour of Dubai in over 30 photos (I think??), had to narrow it down from hundreds! It was great fun over there, and I have to say we were both suffering some post-holiday blues when we arrived back to Manchester on a cold, grey, rainy, windy day in March. It didn't help that we were hungry and the cafe near the arrivals lounge had one veggie option - a cheese sandwich that looked like it hadn't been buttered. F**k me. Take me back already.

Cannot wait til the next one, but think we'll have to go somewhere a little more crazy and way more out of the comfort zone!

Have you guys been on holiday lately? Any plans for the next one?


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