Apr 14-18 Dubai

I imagined Dubai as seen in Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol - you approach the city from the far off orange dunes and all of a sudden, a monstrosity of buildings appear in the desert. This is fairly accurate, however we knew we were getting close when a Ford Super Duty dually passed us pulling a racing boat. I hadn't seen one of those since I last checked my parents garage (the truck of course!)

The Burj Khalifa could be seen from 50 km away (on a hazy afternoon). It made the rest of the buildings look minuscule, although they were all very tall. Dubai reminded us of Vegas in some ways, luxurious hotels, extravagant cars, urban tourist attractions, high end shopping, and everything had a shine to it. However, it was missing the sincity aspect, so Vegas still takes the cake in that category.
For Carla's last day in Oman, we browsed through Matrah souk for 'souvenirs'. We decided to don our outfits for the drive to Dubai, otherwise, out and about, our outfits would've been too hot. A nice Omani lady gave us a hand with our head scarves when we were clearly struggling to piece it together.

We stayed at the Novotel right beside Mall of the Emirates. This mall has the famous indoor skiing attached. It was tempting to feel 2C again and put on a snowboard. We opted out and went for a beer instead in the 'chalet', but the skiing was reasonably priced ~45 CAD (180 dhs) for 2hrs full gear, so maybe next time.

The lady at the front desk had recommended an African restaurant, Tribes, for dinner. After cruising the mall, which had a ton of stores and restaurants, we decided on Tribes and weren't disappointed. The food was fantastic! Yum, those were some good beef ribs (sans booze, surprisingly alcohol was still a hit or miss in restaurants).

Tribes in Mall of the Emirates

   
Day 2 we checked out the rooftop pool and gym and made a plan for the day. We decided to make use of the Dubai metro to the Burj Khalifa. The train line is really handy as most stops are walkable to the major attractions. The day pass was only 10 dhs (2.5 CAD, less than our single ride C-train ticket) and worth the experience of being able to gawk out the windows at the buildings. Plus, me and Carla took full advantage of the 'Ladies Only' carriage! The transit stations were really impressive.  If the World Cup ever came to Dubai, they'd be ready for the masses. The system seemed to be running at half vacancy, much like the rest of Dubai (I've read ~30% commercial real estate vacancy vs Calgary's 3%). If we build it, they will come... 
We arrived at the Burj Khalifa. Ground zero of 162 floors or 828 m. Excavation started in 2004 and it was officially opened Jan 2010. The tickets to the observation desk were sold out the day of, so we got our tickets for the following day. The Dubai Mall (newer than Mall of the Emirates) was built around the Burj Khalifa along with multitudes of hotels, promenades, and even a souk (a high end one of course). The Dubai Mall is known for the world's largest 'dancing fountain'. Think Vegas Bellagio, but bigger. It's also known for the indoor aquarium. Another world record, for the largest single pane glass wall.

Dubai metro station

Promenade around Dubai Mall

Bridge to the Souk

Dubai Mall

Lunch over looking the Burj Khalifa

Aquarium in Dubai Mall

The Atlantis at The Palm (palm shaped man-made island) is not to be missed. The Palm is an amazing feat of engineering and development. I didn't expect it to be so big. Huge condo complexes make up the 'trunk' and the 'fronds' have mansions stretching out further than we could see, all with ocean fronts. Again, it felt half empty and yet there is the Palm 2 and 3 development on the way. Makes us wonder how many properties were sold as vacation homes and the number unsold. Anyway, the Dubai marina was also another unique part of the city. The marina is built within the city surrounded by huge skyscrapers. We took a stroll around the water front walkway, surprised that not a single restaurant served cold beer. We were parched at that point and decided to make a break back to the hotel. 

Atlantis at The Palm

Looking back at Dubai from Atlantis

Dubai Marina - yes there is a marina amid the skyscrapers

     
I had read up on Dubai's hotspots in Time Out magazine. The ladies night's specials were something to take advantage of. Every night of the week, you could find a bar that had some sort of happy hour or ladies specials. This served us well for 2 reasons. Where there are specials, there is a party! And secondly 2/3 of us can our on party on at a discount. The second evening out, Apres (ski chalet bar) had a DJ and offered 3 complimentary glasses of the bubbly for ladies, no disclaimer involved.  The next evening we went down to the Dubai Marina Resort because they had a couple of bars to choose from - Malecon (Cuban), Serai (nightclub), and Loco (Mexican). We stopped in at Malecon, but 8 PM was clearly too early. There was one other table besides us and the Cuban band didn't start until 9. We decided to try Loco instead, which proved to be a good time. The live house-band (acoustic-rock cover songs) played songs we could sing to and the they had plenty of beers on tap.
The last day on the town happened all by luck, and turned out better than we could've planned. We stumbled upon an Aussie bar Nezesussi for dinner, which happened to have a ladies night special, free food with your drinks (100 Dhs/$25 Cdn). When we finally found the right door to get in, the place was packed and they even had a hockey game on! (on the smallest tv in the corner, but it was still playoff coverage). We intended on going to the Burj Al Arab (world's only 7 start hotel), later that evening, but had dropped the ball and called too late. Reservations are required for entrance, even just for drinks.  Plan B turned into a night at the 360 club in the Jumeriah Beach Hotel. We were looking for the bar and the front desk told us to go down to golf carts and they would take us there. I didn't know what to expect, and thought maybe they assumed we were wimps in our high heels. So the cart took us out past the beach, past the yachts and to a island-like bar. The club was amazing! Completely open air, 2 levels of ocean views with the Burj Al Arab 100m away. We also found out that if you had a group of 6 girls, you get free bottle service! Unheard-of....Dubai was a good change of pace from life as-we-know-it-so-far in Oman. I can see why people head there every few months for a weekend getaway.

Burj Al Arab

The ladies chariot, on route to 360!

Burj Al Arab