March 16, 2023 – Dubai, UAE

Dubai is in the middle of the great Arabian Desert and second largest of the seven United Arab Emirates.  An emirate is simply a political territory ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch.  Language is Arabic but English is widely spoken.  Currency is the Emirati Dirham and currently $1US = 3.67 UAE Dirham’s.

We arrived early in the morning and docked next to the famous Palm Jumeirah.  It’s a man-made island shaped like a palm-tree (2 miles by 2 miles) that sits off the coast of Dubai.  It’s a millionaire’s paradise with luxury hotels, homes, villas and restaurants.  In a distance, we can see the Burj Al Arab Hotel and the Burj Khalifa.  Everyone on the ship is required to disembark for a mandatory face to Passport Inspection in the terminal, so we disembarked, turned over our passport for scanning and stamping and got back on the ship.  As we were getting ready for our tour, Bob looked over our balcony and spotted a whole group of sting ray’s swimming by.  How exciting!  I took some pictures and video.  We watched them until a boat went by and they disappeared.

We started our tour this morning with a guide named Mohammed.  He said many people here are named Mohammed so call me Mohammed the 1st.  Lol.  As we left the dock, we drove by the marina area that had many, huge yachts.  We are close to one of the Sheik’s palaces.  O, I recall our visit in 2016 and how much has changed since then.  So many new skyscrapers near the Marina area.  The architecture in this city is spectacular!  I recall the twisted skyscraper.  Dubai is a city of world’s biggest, tallest, longest, etc.  Biggest mall, tallest building, mall with aquarium, ice skating rink, ski slope indoors.  Exotic cars everywhere.  I could spend a few days here just car and people watching.

We drove to the Dubai Mall downtown (biggest in world).  We walked through to other side and outdoors to the manmade lake that is just below the Burj Khalifa.  We entered another mall area and went to lunch at a lovely restaurant.  Funny, out of the hundreds of restaurants, we have been here before.  It was a traditional Arabic restaurant.  Food was delicious and authentic atmosphere.  You’d think you were sitting in a building a few hundred years old.  Stone and beams with cathedral ceiling.  We had a lovely meal and headed back to the bus for our next tour.  

We drove to Miracle Gardens.  Of course, another world record.  It’s a garden in the desert that claims 150 million blooms.  We wandered around, took pictures and enjoyed the flowers that included an Emirate plane made of flowers.  Lots of places to sit in the shade, enjoy a snack and a cold drink.  We laughed when we saw Ice Cream Fried Chicken.  Yes, they looked like drum stick but really ice cream.  No, we did not try one.  

The area of Dubai has so many nationalities and religions living here.  Believe Mohammed told us less than 20% are Emiratis.  Most of population are foreigners.  He told us there is no income tax, free medical, free education.  If you’re related to royal family, you have free utilities, free home and many more perks.  

We left the gardens and headed back to the port.  I asked Mohammed if he would drop Bob and I off along side the road so we could catch an Uber downtown.  Of course, he said, I will ask the bus driver to take the next exit.  I know what some people are thinking and yes, I do make Bob nervous on occasion.  Lol.  I told him, there is no crime in this area and we’ll be perfectly safe.  We got off the bus and used Uber app to get a car.  Within 2 minutes this nice man in a Lexus stopped to pick us up.  Downtown to the fountains at Burj Khalifa please.  Within a half hour, we pulled up to a valet area and there were Aston Martin’s, Lamborghini and Ferrari’s being parked.  Just in time for the fountain and light show that plays to music and lights up the entire Burj Khalifa.  We walked around the lake and stopped in different areas to enjoy the show.  Tens of thousands of people strolling in the mild nighttime air.  Every 30 minutes you can enjoy the show and each one is different.  We stayed for 4 because it’s so fabulous!  I remember watching in 2016 and it was one of my favorite memories.  The last show was the song, Thriller by Michael Jackson.  The water cannons would shoot water higher than I’ve every seen.  I’m sure a record, it’s Dubai.  Lights, lasers, music, fountains of water dancing.  So beautiful!  Everyone cheered at the end of each show.  We mingled into the crowd and walked through the Dubai Mall to the front to get a taxi back to the port.  So fun to watch all the people.  From women in Burka’s, men in traditional Emirati dress called a Dishdasha or a Kandura.  A single piece, ankle length garment.  Many different versions of dress, head and face covering depending on many things.  It was very interesting.  After strolling through the mall, we grabbed a cab and went back to the port.  We saw the ‘Dubai Eye’ (giant Ferris wheel) lite up as we entered the port.  What a fabulous day!  We stood out on our balcony and watched all the tourists boats sail by all decorated with lights.

The Dubai Mall boasts over 1,200 shops, an ice rink (where we saw hockey being played), an aquarium and a vast cinema and entertainment complex spread across four floors covering a total area of 12 million square feet.

The Fountains at Burj Khalifa is the most powerful and biggest automated fountain in the world.  No doubt.  It can shoot water 426 feet high or as high as a 50 story building!

The Burj Khalifa holds the record for most floors in a building (163), as well as the world’s highest restaurant (on floor 122) and the world’s highest nightclub (on floor 144).  The building has a hotel at bottom, floors of offices and then apartments.  We understand they are building a new tower that is even taller than this one.  I’m not sure when but they say one out of every four cranes on earth are located in Dubai.  The metro system is clean and easy to use.  Unmanned trained system goes throughout the city.

Dubai is one of my favorite cities that is filled with very diverse group of people that are friendly and welcoming.  There is very little crime and you never feel unsafe no matter what time of day or night.  The laws are very strict and people are held accountable for their actions.  Hmmm….what a concept.  Some examples that Mohammed mentioned: if you run a red-light twice, you go to jail.  If your car is too dirty, you can be fined (dirty meaning dust can blow off and cause an accident).  

We are lucky to have an overnight in Dubai so we can have a second day in port.