24 hours in Dubai

Our visit to Dubai and last stop in Asia was a whirlwind! We made the most of our 24 hours in this extravagant city. 

As we began to descend, we were greeted with unique views of constructed developments amid the vast dessert and sand dunes. Once in the city, we were awed by the incredible architecture and by how quiet, calm, and clean the city was. It was a striking difference when compared to everywhere we’ve been recently. 

We hit jackpot (again) with the hotel and room, as were upgraded to a corner suite on the 49th floor at the JW. The views were spectacular! We had a view of the impressive Burj Khalifa with its 148 floors. It almost made our 49 look measly. 

After settling into our room and taking in the views, we jumped in an Uber and headed for the Dubai mall or better put, an indoor city within a city. It was massive! But with temperatures consistently sitting above 100 degrees, you need a cool place for people to gather. 

This mall had everything! A movie theater, at least four full-size Starbucks, a huge aquarium, its own Chinatown, and an open air ice rink. That’s in addition to the who knows how many shops and eateries (Google says 1,200 retail outlets). It was an easy place to get lost!

During our wandering, we passed across the bridge and over to Souk al Bahar, an Arabesque-themed shopping area. If you like dates (the food) then this is the place for you! We didn’t realize dates were such a big thing here, but our hotel gave us an assorted set of fancy dates on our arrival, and they were all over this little shopping area. 

Dubai is known for its grand structures and experiences, and on that list is the world’s tallest performing fountain. The glitzy fountain show takes place daily in front of the mall and with the help of the Burj Khalifa. The first show starts at 6pm and a different show occurs every half hour until 11pm. We also learned that there’s a light show displayed on the Burj Khalifa between each fountain show. It would be easy to sit there all night watching the performances! 

We gathered with the crowds to watch the first showing at 6pm and as the clock ticked to 6:15, then 6:30, we figured something was up. It turned out that the show was starting at 7:30 today… our best guess was that it had to do with sunset or the Islamic holiday, we’re not sure. Regardless, we decided to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant with an outdoor patio that had a view of the 7:30 show. We enjoyed a few more spectacles before heading back into the mall to wander through Chinatown and check out the ice rink. 

As the evening progressed, the mall came to life. It began to feel like a Las Vegas casino. There were so many people, which made great people watching, there were numerous shops to go into, and it was easy to lose track of time. 

Around 10pm we decided to call it a night, watching one last light and fountain show from Burj Park near the mall. It was oddly peaceful lying flat on our backs on the turf waiting for the shows to begin. The temperature had dropped a bit (90s never felt so good), and with the occasional breeze, the quiet murmurs of the city, and the sparkling Burj Khalifa, it made for a serene ending to our busy day.

We woke up early to fit in a quick walk around Dubai Creek Harbour before heading back to the airport. On our ride to the harbour, we were amazed by all of the construction taking place, and the endless number of condos and apartments within the city. Where are all of the people who occupy these spaces? The streets were always so empty!

We enjoyed our stroll along the water, snapping a few shots of the skyline, and grabbing a refreshing açaí bowl for second breakfast. And just like that, it was time to pack up and head out.

We left a few items on our “Dubai to see” list, so I guess we’ll have to come back! Maybe in December or January per the local’s recommendation.

We can’t believe the Asia portion of our trip has come to an end. It’s been a wild wonderful ride! There are so many highlights from our time in Asia, the Supertrees in Singapore, zooming through Vietnam’s countryside and collecting high fives from the little kids, wandering through countless markets, playing with elephants, snorkeling in Thailand’s colorful underwater world, falling in love with mango sticky rice, taking cheesy photos in front of the majestic Taj Mahal, and laying out under the Burj Khalifa… the list goes on and on and makes us feel so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity and all of these unbelievable experiences. #makingthemostofthisonelife

Next up is a new continent, South Africa here we come!