MY FOUR DAYS IN DUBAI

This was not my very first trip but it was indeed my very first International trip, it was my first time flying, my first time trip with my post grad peeps. Therefore it was very special and dear to me. This was about my trip to Dubai. It was a four days trip to this beautiful city of skylines and huge architectural wonders.

Our flight was scheduled for 5 AM initially but got preponed from our Airlines to 2 AM due to this little blunder everything that was planned had to be rescheduled. This includes the hours spend in the airport drooling over the facilities and store and also the beautiful sunrise. After Checking In into Dolphin Hotel which is in Khalid Bin Al waleed road and right at the edge of Meena Bazaar we ate got charged up and left for the Souk.

Day 1: The souk is situated in Deira District which is connected to the city via man made water channel and is bordered by Persian Gulf, Sharjah and Dubai creek. This was an ancient route of trade but now its losing its charm due to development. There are small boats that take tourist along the waterline to the market area. The market starts with spice market followed by antics and gold and later into cosmetics and cloth market. After you enter the market there will be many sales person approaching you and bargaining is the key to shop. I bought Herbal tea, Saffron and nothing else which I regret now. The time flies here by getting fascinated from the vibrancy and bargaining. For evening we had dinner in Marina Dow Cruise. a perfect setting for romantics dates but for us it was just too perfect with all that cold wind blowing and night light perfacture.

Day 2: We had a small visit for which we had to wear formals and the later half of the day was planned for Dune Bashing, desert safari and some dinner with live fire performance and belly dance. Dune bashing is like a roller coaster on sand you sit in your cars the cars were mostly Land cruiser/ Fortuner. For this you have to hire a professional driver as they know the roads best and can also give you insights about the city and anything you are curious to know. They are friendly and they will teach you how to have fun basically. After dune bashing we reached Khaima which are small tents selling food and hookahs and in the centre there is stage for night performance. If you hire a tour guide for desert safari they have allocated space in that area and you can get special discount on hookahs if you don't want to opt for the free ones. In this area you have small stalls for free mehendi, or if you want to get a picture in burkha / abhayas / jhuba etc. You will also get vendors selling checker scarfs and some roaming with eagles for pictures and stuff. Outside the khaima are some camels ready for free ride if you want to totally optional. Also, before the Dune bashing they will take you to a desert ring where you can ride a scooter.

After a tiring Day 2 some of us decided to relax and visit Dubai's new attraction which is La Mer. La Mer is a beach with numerous hotels and shacks to binge on but yet so peaceful and relaxing.

Day 3: City tour day we visited many hotspots of Dubai city like Dubai Marina, Palm Atlantis, Palm Jumeira, Jumeira beach, Kings Palace, Dubai mall etc.

Day 4: Last day of the trip the day was planned for Burj Khalifa visit, Dubai Aquarium and rain forest, shopping and hitting the runway back home. This was the last way and we wanted to make the most of it. I din't opted for Burj Khalifa as the timing that was scheduled was post sunrise. So a quick tip if you want to go there try booking for sunrise or sunset as it is the most beautiful and worthy time to experience the beauty of Dubai. I went for Aquarium because I love fishiessss and every second of that whole experience was delightful and content to me. Both this attraction is situated attached to Dubai mall and there is a metro connected to the same.

For shopping i bought all my souvenir from Meena Bazaar and local dollar stores as it was convenient for me to shop during the night after we came back to our room.

PS: There are so many more attraction that was not covered like the Miracle flower garden, Bollywood Park, Global Village, Dubai frame and many more. Do check those attraction too while planning your trip.