A few days after taking finals, my family and I traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I was excited to travel and explore a new country. Most of my time was spent in the city of Dubai, known to be home to the world’s record-holding structures and rich history.
Background about the UAE
The United Arab Emirates is a country found in Western Asia bordering the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, Oman, and Saudi Arabia and sharing maritime borders with Qatar and Iran. The country is made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi (the capital), Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al Quwain. The UAE is governed by a Supreme Council of Rulers comprised of seven emirs (rulers), who appoint the prime ministers and the cabinet.
Day One
As soon as my family and I landed, we checked into our hotel first. While in Dubai, we got stay at the J.W. Marriott Marquis, which happens to be the world’s second tallest hotel, located in downtown Dubai. Luckily, we were able to rest a little bit and wash off the 12-hour plane ride before we headed out for the rest of the day. We grabbed some food and drove around the city for a little bit before heading to a desert safari. In the desert safari, we traveled by land cruiser over the sand dunes of the desert an hour away from the city. Riding on the dunes was really exciting and thrilling. The entire ride felt like being a roller coaster, and it especially fun for my brother, and I being able to sandwich my mom in the back seat. After our bumpy ride, my cousins tried sandboarding down the dunes, which unfortunately led to a bunch of sand in their shoes and absolutely hilarious pictures and videos. During the night, we experienced Arabic-style barbeque and entertainment, such as fire-breathing and belly-dancing. Somehow my family and I were able to power through the day, despite the traveling we had gone through earlier. I was just so excited to get back to the hotel and collapse onto my bed.
Day Two
The next morning, we were off to Abu Dhabi to visit Ferrari World. I definitely did not expect Ferrari World to be what it was: a Ferrari themed amusement park. One of the first things we did was ride Formula Rossa, the fastest roller coaster in the world, traveling at 149.1 mph. It was a terrifying and exciting experience, and I would highly recommend the ride for any thrill-seekers out there.
After Ferrari World, we visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, one of the largest mosques in the world. The mosque contains different architectural styles from different Muslim civilizations. It celebrates diversity through its various inspiration borrowed from Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, and Egypt, amongst other Islamic countries. The mosque invites many tourists to witness spectacular domes, glistening courtyard pools, and the world’s biggest handmade chandelier and carpet.
After visiting the mosque, we headed back towards Dubai and spent the night in Dubai’s Global Village. Global Village is part theme park and part market, filled with pavilions containing handicrafts and snacks of different countries. This attraction brings together different cultures, structures, and local architectures. You could visit London’s Big Ben, India’s Taj Mahal, or travel back to the ancient pyramids of Egypt. The entire park is reminiscent of Disneyworld’s Epcot, sharing the same bright lights and lively atmosphere for children and adults. There were a variety of things to do and visit, I don’t think one night could have sufficed.
Day Three
My last day was spent driving around Dubai and sight-seeing. We started our day visiting the Dubai Frame, the world’s largest picture frame (crazy, I know). It’s an architectural landmark located in Zabeel Park, Dubai. Afterward, we traveled around the city visiting Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Palm Jumeriah (where multiple celebrities own residences), Dubai Gold Souk (Gold market), and Dubai’s Atlantis Hotel by monorail. Out of these places, I really enjoyed visiting the gold market because it was wild seeing shops selling varieties of gold jewelry all next to each other, spanning the broad market street. One of the funniest things that happened on the trip was when my family and I were at the gold market, we stopped this souvenir shop where my cousins and I were given a sample of chocolate to try. We were trying to figure out why it tasted so different until the shopkeeper told us it was camel milk chocolate. After that, we handed off our individual pieces to our parents.
Afterward, we spent some time roaming around the Dubai Mall before heading up the 124th of Burj Khalifa. The view of the city was absolutely insane and being able to watch the sunset from the Burj was unbelievable. It was really cool being able to see the entire town, all within a walk around the floor. Once we finished gawking at the view, we headed downstairs onto City Walk, ready to watch the light show illuminated onto the Burj and the fountain show nearby. We ended our night and our trip by going on a dinner cruise sailing through the city’s attractions.
There was so much that my family and I did on this trip and so many more stories I wish I could share. I had so much fun touring Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and I really would love to go back one day. Even though most of our time was spent in Dubai with a day in Abu Dhabi, I would have loved to see what the other Emirates had to offer.