I'm outta Kenya! I did it, survived the kids (and the lions), and I'm back to the touring part of my travels. Hopefully that means that I'll be able to update this blog, and keep everyone in the loop a lot more often than I have been recently... though I suppose 4 posts in 6 weeks isn't the hardest record to beat!
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| The "main drag" and skyline. |
I arrived in Dubai late on the 26th, only to discover that I'd made ANOTHER travel mistake... I'd forgotten (silly trusting Canadian that I am) about the fact that some countries charge for the pleasure of touring their lands. Turns out that the U.A.E. isn't crazy about us Canucks, due to a failed deal with Emirates Airlines in which we screwed them out of a contract to fly into Toronto... so we have to pay a lot. If I had flown with any other airline, it would have been $1000 US, but luckily I did have an Emirates flight, so it was only $250. GAH! That's $100 more than I would've paid had I just done my bloody research - so I'm dubbing it (along with the money I spent correcting my Ryanair flight dates back in August) my "stupid tax". You live and you learn eh? If not with a slightly lighter wallet.
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| At the Souk in the Dubai Mall. |
I met Shefali and David, my Dad's good friends, at the airport. Shefali is pregnant with twins, so they weren't hard to find, and we piled into the car and drove to their ace apartment. It's gorgeous here, and I get my own room with a double bed and an ensuite (GASP!). I'm in heaven... literally, they're on the 30th floor, and the view is the Burj Khalifa, tallest tower in the world - I know, they stole the title from us... maybe more hard feelings about the airline thing?
The next morning I was up and at 'em fairly early, and threw all my clothes into the washer to rid them of safari dirt... it's so nice to be able to forgo the handwashing! We went to the world's largest mall, which is very close by. There's a giant aquarium there, and some shops that you cannot find anywhere else, such as the only Bloomingdales outside of the U.S. They have an Ice Rink as well, and in a different mall, an artificial ski hill! I wandered around for a good three hours, and spent quite a bit of time in the biggest bookstore the Middle East has to offer. I stocked up on journals, seeing as I have gone through quite a few lately with my rambling about the world.
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| The Burj Khalifa. |
This city is amazing, it's man-made largely, and very new. Many parts haven't been around for more than a decade, and the country itself has only recently celebrated it's 40th birthday. The ruler and politicians are all very young, and it's an up and coming city. The heat here is insane, and I'm told that it's getting cooler than it was in August, but it still feels like hitting a brick wall to come out of a/c and into 44 degree humidity! I went to the beach the other day and walked along in my tee-shirt and a breezy skirt, and found myself sweating profusely (attractive I know). The water feels like a hot bath! It's not as conservative as you would think, and due to the influx of tourism, it's quite common to see women in shorts and strapless tops, even as it remains a Muslim country and many do still wear traditional garb. Of course, these are all very fashionable, and bejeweled in many cases, as the yummy mummys of Dubai are prevalent.
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| Me with the Aquarium in the background. |
I've been so well taken care of here. David and Shefali, as well as opening their home to me, have made sure I am well fed, a blessing after the repetitive meals of Kenya. Admittedly these were good, but man it's nice to have fresh veggies and fruit again! We went out for breakfast the first day, and on day two had gluten-free pizza for dinner! YUM! They are also egg, dairy, and gluten-free, which means we all like the same food luckily. Shefali and I went for mani/pedis, and with my bright red nails I feel part of the high-rolling world again. I think I could live here... if I was rich and wanted to pay no taxes, but premiums for everything except gas that is! So yeah.. I'd live here.
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| feet on the beach, maybe my last dip in the Indian Ocean!? |
The skyline's gorgeous, and even though I miss the people I left in Kenya, and am looking forwards to the rest of my trip, I am going to miss the hospitality and atmosphere of the city. If I had more time I would do a tour into the desert, and also try to get a feel for the nightlife, which is vibrant. The city is very safe, and the hotels boast a wide assortment of classy and fun bars and lounges, which I'll have to try on my next venture. Hopefully they'll have lowered the price of the visa by then (C'mon diplomacy, get it together!).
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| At Jumeirah Beach, also known as the Palm for it's shape. |
I'm off tomorrow afternoon, but I'm going to hit the pool in the morning for a dip and then take a leisurely amount of time to repack my bag before becoming a backpacker again. Ma'a salama for now folks!
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| Beautiful blue water and white beach of Dubai. |
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