Dubai – a land of oil and millions of coins flowing

The tallest building? The best hotel? The largest shopping center? A ski slope in the desert? Expo 2020? This is Dubai’s very own!

This entry was supposed to be written a long, long time ago. It’s a shame that we are publishing it only now, but as they say, better late than never, especially since there really is something to describe.

Dubai was not highest on our list of destinations we want to see. It was among other large, futuristic metropolises that are resplendent with new buildings, splendor, new technologies, but somehow it was not an end in itself for us.

Visit to Dubai

How did it happen that we spent a few days here? Remember our coverage from Japan? We wrote there that we had a connecting flight in Dubai because we took advantage of a super promotion by Emirates airlines. We poked around while buying the tickets and had a few days break in Dubai on the way back – ideally to recuperate after an exhausting tour of the cherry blossom country.

You, fortunately, do not have to hunt only for cheap Emirates flights, because from Poland to Dubai also flies, among others. WizzAir directly. However, if you are traveling further afield and have a transfer in Dubai, it is worth seeing the city.

DubNAJ?

The city strives to be the NAJ in everything, and this can be seen in the airport itself (which is the NAJ in terms of international passenger service).

Even on the way to Japan, when we had a few hours of connecting flights, we couldn’t get enough of the NAJ most exclusive stores, diamond-blasted NAJ most expensive cell phones, NAJ best and NAJ fastest cars.

You can stock up on EVERYTHING (even a camel) at the terminal! The number of boutiques and zeros in the prices of individual products is overwhelming.

But beyond the material aspects, what’s amazing in general is the way this huge airport operates, all the logistics, the travel between terminals, the passenger amenities….

Out of curiosity: during the trip to Japan and Dubai, it was at the airport that we froze the most – we were waiting on the recliners for the plane and the air conditioning was blasting above us…. We never thought that in Dubai we would be sitting in sweatshirts and jackets :)

You can get swept up in Dubai already at the airport and feel the vibe of the city (the vibe figuratively, of course, because the real vibe lies ahead).

Sightseeing in Dubai

We didn’t get our first breath of Dubai air until just outside the hotel! Care was taken to ensure that the entire airport transfer was so built and air-conditioned that someone from the heat would not retreat to the airport ;)

Air-conditioned automated subways, air-conditioned bus stops, air-conditioned tunnels to various facilities (including shopping malls). The air conditioner is nice when you want a respite from the heat, but staying non-stop is not healthy, let alone going directly out at 40st ;)

Our hotel, for the time, was the HIGHEST functioning hotel in the world, which we found out only on the spot – by no means the reason we booked it. It had a really favorable price, including breakfast, and we stayed in an apartment with a kitchen (that’s what was key for us).

The hotel was located on one of the main streets with a bagatelle of six lanes (one way, of course, and not counting the emergency lanes, in case all six were jammed).

On the roads, the best and most expensive cars. After a few, we were already unimpressed by another roaring Lamborghini. However, they were done every time by police police cars – the MOST expensive in the world (Aston Martin, Ferrari, or Lamborghini).

Between the roadways, a subway line – futuristic, by the way – runs upstairs.

The subway is worth riding. It is fast, comfortable, although it can be crowded during rush hour. As befits a futuristic city steeped in technology, it is vain to look for drivers here – it is driverless and has 1. class, so that rich sheikhs don’t have to ride with the mob.

We bought all-day tickets, so that by chance we did not even stop to walk ;) We happened to take cabs, but this is already a more expensive event.

Symbols of Dubai

We took a cab to two, slightly older than the Burj Khalifa, symbols of Dubai: Atlantis The Palm and Burj Al Arab (ironically, both hotels…).

The first, is the culmination of the famous Palm built on the water, and the second is considered the BEST hotel in the world (it is also famous for being the largest cross in the world and is located in Islamic lands – when viewed from the sea).

To enter the Burj Al Arab (Burj al-Arab) you do not need to immediately spend all your wealth, but only a measly $100 for breakfast and you can wallow in luxury :)

Deira – old Dubai

But, but… it’s not just hotels, office buildings and shopping malls in Dubai. We recommend you go to the Deira district – the former main commercial district of Dubai. Here we skip the office buildings and go to one of the many so-called Souk’s: Gold Souk, Perfume Souk or Spice Souk.

Here we can feel like in a typical Arab market, where every now and then they will tempt us with the best prices, the highest quality, and all especially for us, their special friends from Poland :) Paradise for people who like to bargain, but also for those who want to feel a little climate, smell all sorts of spices or see various złproducts.

We recommend showing up here in the evening, when it’s at least a little cooler than midday.

Of course, in Dubai, we will also easily buy counterfeits of the most popular and exclusive brands. And here you can see the advancement of technology – when you enter a store you get a tablet, choose a bag from thousands of pictures and only then you get it in your hand and the haggling begins :) We do not endorse, but we have seen it happen many times.

This is not the end of the most… ;)

Of course, what would Dubai be without the world’s largest… Mall? You will read about this and two more of Dubai’s NAJ in the next post, right here;-)

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