Fantastic Emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Hatta

The story · 2 days

Most of my acquaintances, when I told them I wanted to go to Dubai, would answer "why go there, a city under construction, all artificial, where luxury and opulence reign supreme". My stubbornness and my desire to discover new places, plus the extraordinary company of my brother and my father (who are not born globetrotters like me..), meant that on 29 January I took the Qatar Airways plane to Dubai via Doha. A word of praise goes to Qatar Airways, which has an economy class with very well-spaced seats, a monitor for every passenger, the chance to watch whatever film you want whenever you want from 300 titles, just as much choice of music and video games, and even the chance to choose what to eat… I had a chicken with yoghurt and curry that was delicious!! Extremely kind staff, ready to pamper the passenger.

I liked Dubai enormously, above all for the sense of brotherhood and mutual help among people, for its order and for its sense of safety and cleanliness. Here there's one of the lowest crime rates in the world (0.2%) and the jewellers, who have diamonds and precious stones as big as walnuts, keep their doors OPEN!! The feeling of safety was great, walking the streets even at night. I never saw a homeless person, not even a drug addict; here everyone works, even if maybe they're only employed to dust the bin or the street lamp (and yes, I saw people with electrostatic dusters cleaning the street lamps or bins!!). On the building sites everyone works safely, tied with ropes and wearing a helmet; just think that to water the garden under the Burj Khalifa a worker even had a helmet on his head..

In Dubai most of the inhabitants come from every country in the world and I don't think I'd dare to define it a global city. The original inhabitants of the area stand out for their traditional clothes, they're very warm and have a great sense of hospitality, and for any information you need they answer you with a smile (like at home in Italy, no?). For the citizens of the Emirates healthcare is free and they have free schools (university included). They're certainly the ones doing best, also because, wandering from mall to mall, I always saw families with one or more babysitters in tow (usually Filipino).

Another peculiarity of Dubai is that it's a family-friendly city: there are spaces dedicated to children, in every bathroom there's a changing table, and respect for women is deeply felt; just think that both on the metro and on the bus the front part is dedicated only to women or families with children. Dubai is a very rich city, as you can also see from the cars on the road: Cayennes galore, Mercedes, Lexus, … all cars from 60 thousand euros upwards… well, but here petrol costs only 1.5 dirhams a litre (5 dirhams = 1 euro).

How to get around in Dubai. We very often took the METRO, which was inaugurated on 09-09-2009, and which is super efficient, spotless and very convenient for getting around any traffic problems. It's worth getting a silver card for 20 dhr (4 euros) with 14 dhr of credit on it; the card has to be passed in front of the sensor at the gate of the departure metro station and then passed again at the sensor of the arrival station. The same card is also used for buses, which are also spotless and safe.

When you run out of credit you can top it up both at the metro stations and at bus stops (these are little cabins along the street with air conditioning inside..) TAXI there are unlimited numbers of them, they're very cheap; just think that once, for 30 minutes (and in Dubai they drive at around 100 km/h because the main roads have four lanes or more, so we'd also have covered those 20-30 km..) I paid only the equivalent of 10 euros for us!!!. Also consider the fact that both taxis and tourist cars have GPS and are constantly checked for speed and for the place they're in, so maximum safety for the customer!! ABRA the typical Dubai boat used to move from one bank of the creek to the other (an inlet of the sea that divides Dubai in two), very cheap, costing 1 dirham.

I was particularly struck by the kindness of people both on the buses and on the metro; if you looked at them too long they'd ask if you wanted to sit down… truly all super kind! Then both the drivers and the people working on the metro answered my questions always smiling and thanking me!!!

I recommend a trip to the Emirates to everyone; we should learn a lot from this country — the kindness, the courtesy, the way people from every country in the world live together without problems, the respect for the rules and the degree of civility and the respect shown to people. I think the Sheikh of Dubai is a great leader and that he knows how to govern his territory excellently and that he'll certainly have no trouble recovering after the crisis. If only we had people like him in Italy!!!

Day 131 Jan 2010

what to see

What to see OLD DUBAI Ancient Dubai was a trading centre between the Indies and the West, Dubai was also famous for pearl fishing. In one day we visited the Dubai Museum which is in Bur Dubai, then on foot we went to visit the ancient Persian quarter Bastakiya where there are the famous wind towers, the area has been restored and you can see the interiors of the houses and in some there are exhibitions of modern art, photography, and in others typical restaurants and cafés. I liked Bastakiya very much, it's full of little alleys and internal courtyards all waiting to be discovered. From here, still on foot, we continued along the bank of the creek to reach the souk and then Hindi Lane, the Indian street where you can buy saris, fabrics and incense.

We then continued to the Big Mosque where we went in, I in the women's section only had a miserable little room but my men had a bigger room, anyway it's not worth visiting for the architecture, but it was a cultural experience. Still walking along the creek we reached the old house of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum where inside there are photos of old Dubai, historical images and collections of coins and antique objects. Going back in front of Hindi Lane we took an Abra that took us to the other side (Deira) and we went to the spice market and the gold market, impressive the quantity of gold, diamonds and other stones in the windows and all with their doors open!!! We then continued to the Deira City Centre... (Mall) JUMEIRA MOSQUE It's a very beautiful mosque located near the beach. Guided tours are possible only on certain days at 10 o'clock.

DUBAI MARINA; THE WALK, HERITAGE VILLAGE ON THE BEACH We spent a late afternoon walking along the Walk, the promenade along the beach with shops, bars and restaurants located behind the Dubai Marina. Very interesting is the reconstruction of a typical village on the beach where you'll meet those who want to offer you Arabic coffee and dates, you'll see women sewing, cooking, scenes of daily life and falcons with their owners ready to be photographed. The dances and performances of the men are also very beautiful. Beautiful is the atmosphere of welcome and hospitality of these people, I felt at home!!! (I forgot to tell you that all this is free...

) JUMEIRAH BEACH PARK If you want to relax on Dubai's beautiful beaches this is the best solution, the entrance fee to the park is 5 DRH (1 euro), inside there are lush gardens, toilets, bars, free water dispensers and reaching the seaside area there are changing rooms, showers, palm trees and the possibility of renting sun loungers, umbrellas and towels. The sea in Dubai is beautiful, white beach, crystal-clear water, the right temperature and safe for swimming even for children. HOTEL Dubai is famous for its luxury hotels with extravagant shapes. BURJ AL ARAB To enter the world's most famous 7-star hotel you have to book a consumption (tea or breakfast, lunch or dinner) which is certainly not cheap...

it starts at 60 euros per person (in an average restaurant in Dubai with 25-30 euros three people eat and plenty!!) so we didn't go inside and just limited ourselves to watching it from outside at sunset. Nearby there is MADINAT JUMEIRA which is the reconstruction of typical buildings where inside there are restaurants, shops, a river navigable with an abra and a hotel; a good place to spend an afternoon after a morning at the beach... ATLANTIS The Atlantis hotel is located at the end of a palm-shaped island and can be reached by taxi or by a monorail at a cost of 25 DRH round trip. We went both by taxi and by monorail but the most evocative route, even if more expensive (so to speak, it's 5 euros per ride!!), is definitely the monorail one, from which you can see the fronds of the palm with the various villas (how beautiful!!).

Inside the hotel you can see the Last Chambers, that is, rooms in which there are enormous aquariums and everything is inspired by the myth of Atlantis. MALL: Dubai is the capital of shopping, from the end of January to the end of February there's the shopping festival. I can't quantify the exact number of malls, there are endless ones and many others under construction (including the Palm Mall on the Atlantis palm). I think the various malls have a function not only commercial but also of entertainment and socialising for the inhabitants of the city, in fact you can go to the cinema (there are also gold class cinemas where you can lie down), see shows in the various squares, go to a restaurant or fast food, go to pray in the mosque, or, why not, even go to the gym.... Basically the mall is a city within a city.

The thing that amazes me is that the toilets are immaculately clean, to flush there's a photocell sensor, in the sink two taps: one for water and one for soap (in many the sink dispenses soap mixed with foamy water). In these toilets there's always an area dedicated to mothers with children and a make-up area... yes, Arab women wear a lot of make-up, and even though they wear the veil they're always in front of the mirror with their mega make-up kit fixing their eye look.. Needless to say, the locals in the malls besiege the various ultra-branded boutiques and then wear their traditional dress..

(the women have black dresses with sparkles at the wrists, back and with the same design also on the headscarf...) Since our travel package was bed and breakfast, we used the malls as a place to have lunch or dinner given the convenience and quality of the restaurants and the various evening attractions. I went around several of them but personally the ones I liked most are the Mall of Dubai and the Mall of Emirates. MALL OF EMIRATES This mall is famous for its ski, snowboard and bobsleigh slope. There are shops for every pocket, an Italian-style gallery where you can find the most important names of made in Italy. I recommend going to eat at the Lebanese restaurant Al Haman on the third floor, three of us spent about 25 euros and got up with full bellies!! DUBAI MALL Under Dubai's new symbol, the Burj Khalifa, this mall offers shops for every pocket and numerous restaurants.

Come here after 18:00, and position yourself in the courtyard on the dancing fountains... from 18:30 every half hour there's a fountain show with different music.... Beautiful very high water jets in time with the music under the beautiful Burj Khalifa. On the ground floor of the mall we booked the visit to the 124th floor of the Burj a day in advance at a cost of 100 DHR per person (20 euros); if you want immediate entry the cost is 400 DRH (80 euros). With a single lift with special effects, in just 45 seconds, we went up to the terrace on the 124th floor of the tower!! From here the Dubai skyscrapers look like little Lego houses.... You can see the sea and the various islands.... We went up at 12:30, I recommend booking the visit in the middle of the day because in the morning in Dubai there's always a bit of haze.

On the Fountain there's an Arab-style bridge that leads to the Souk al Bahar, an Arab-style building with many typical little shops, very nice. We ate at Deli Downtown and at Hatam. Worth seeing inside the mall is the Gold Souk, all in Arab style with diamond prices laughable compared to Italian ones....... IBN BATTUTA MALL This mall with very very convenient prices both for clothes and electronics is inspired by 5 different nations, there are 5 courts: Andalusia, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, China

Day 23 Feb 2010

other malls , abu dhabi and hatta

FESTIVAL CITY It's a nice mall overlooking the bank of the creek with lots of entertainment, cinema, open-air shows, water features, ideal for spending a Friday evening... DEIRA CITY CENTRE A nice mall, with shops within everyone's reach and a good choice of restaurants, we had lunch at the Iranian HATAM (it's present in almost all the malls in Dubai), very good. Price for 3 around 25 € total BURJUMAN MALL It was in front of our hotel, it's one of the oldest, it doesn't merit a visit. From here you can reach on foot with a 20-minute walk the Al Karama district, where there are fish markets and markets of counterfeit goods.

A day in the mountains of OMAN: HATTA pools The border with Oman is only 120km from Dubai, with a 4x4 we drove along a road that crossed the desert and arrived in the rocky mountains of Oman passing through the heritage village. Here, among rocks and small canyons carved out by rivers that have by now dried up, it's possible to swim in natural pools among the rocks, walk along desert paths and savour the quiet of the mountains. Excursion booked with the hotel's tourist assistant at the price of 40 euros per person, a 4x4 all to ourselves at our disposal. A day in LUXURIOUS ABU DHABI The first thing we visited in Abu Dhabi was its fantastic Zayed Mosque, this alone is worth the trip! To enter inside, women must put on a tunic and veil and everyone must take off their shoes. They say this is the second largest mosque in the world after the one in Mecca.

Remarkable is the carpet on the floor, the largest in the world ever made by hand, from Iran, the coloured inlays in the white marble depict flowers of elegant beauty. The mosque's toilets are adorned with stunning mosaics. We continued to the heritage village then to the Marina Mall and then to the Emirates Palace. This hotel is fantastic, it has a stunning private beach and very finely kept interiors. It's here that the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi receives his guests on official visits.