dubai

Desert Safari Trip (continued)

Although you guys got a sense of the desert safari trip from this video I made, I decided a few more pictures couldn’t hurt. We began the adventure in the back seat of a land rover driving through the dunes. I mention where we were sitting, because like a bus or a plane, the back was the worst (or best) place to be. When our driver floored it over the top of a dune and landed on the two front tires we had to brace ourselves for an ugly bump when the tires underneath us finally touched ground. With the tight grip of our hands, we held our bags prisoner. With the slightest lightening of our grip they flew up to the ceiling, and if we weren’t paying attention, so could our heads. I thought this whole experience was thrilling, but Kayla’s stomach begged to differ.

After the ride we made a stop and were greeting by a mysterious half spiderman half iron man driving a four wheeler. He grabbed someone and drove up and down the dunes, perhaps even more dangerously than the land rover had, proceeding to pop wheelies and push the limit on balance. It took me about 4 minutes to decide I just had to do it. You can see a short clip of me riding it with him in that video I mentioned earlier. It was by far the highlight, (and dielight: the moment when you’re closest to death,) of my time in the desert. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

As I have ridden elephants in the safaris of Thailand, I have been waiting to go somewhere to ride a camel. Turned out that place was Dubai! The camels were taller than I imagined, and not too comfortable. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to trek across a desert on one. (Just kidding, if I got that chance I would just sacrifice my butt, endure the pain, and trek across that desert!)

The rest of the trip included watching the sun set, henna, belly dancers and (surprise, surprise) a buffet of delicious food.

If you haven’t checked it out, watch my Desert Safari Video so that you can get a real feel for what it was like.

And that just about wraps up my posts about Dubai. From now on it’s all snow, skiing, camping and other awesome things in Norway! (Until, of course, I reach my next destination 🙂 )

Peace!

Dubai’s Noteworthy Dining and Architecture

Many people think of Dubai as a super unique and developed place– but what they may not know is that it’s also beautiful. The architecture is phenomenal. Most of the towers are designed one-of-a-kind, and some even seem to defy physics. They are truly pushing the limits on architecture and design, in the most intriguing way.

In fact, you could spend a whole day just checking out all the unique towers Dubai has to offer. But what would be even better than that… is checking them out at night. As the sun begins to fade away, Dubai’s skyline comes alive. Buildings light up– a multitude of colored lights dance around the towers, the city: becoming, not tacky, but rather elegant.

How would you like to play soccer on this field?

As you could read in my previous post, dinners in Dubai don’t come up short. Out of all of the meals we ate, only one of them proved to be underwhelming, (and in all fairness it was probably a decent meal, just out shined by the other fantastic meals we had.) I’ve always been somewhat of a buffet-hater. This is partially because of the scaring experiences at unhealthy and unsanitary buffets after swim meets or on road trips. These various buffet restaurants cover the United States and come in all shapes and forms, but they most likely rhyme with ‘Colden Gorral.’ This previous conception of buffets was thrown out the window, (of probably a very tall tower,) while visiting Dubai. Buffets in Dubai are luxurious and pristine. Dishes are prepared in elegant and thoughtful ways as if they were being delivered to the tables. Not only are they stunning to look at, you will also be taken back by the options. You can find anything from lobster tails to lamb soup– sushi bars to cheese tables, and so on. The most impressive station at all of these buffets never failed to be the dessert tables– lined with cakes, mousses, indian sweets, and of course: chocolate fountains.

Another great thing about dining in Dubai is that you have every world cuisine at your fingertips. In fact, I had the best mexican food I have ever had at the restaurant, Maya. It was so good, Dad and I returned for a second time on my last night in Dubai. Unfortunately we filled up on the Maya Nachos and Tequila Chipotle Prawns we were too stuffed to eat their amazing churros. Next time I suppose…

I will admit, Dubai spoiled me. For those 10 days I became accustom to delicious world cuisine. Just as I was reminded of how much I love the sun and warmth, I was reminded of all of the great foods I love. And now I will try to, once again, adjust to the cold weather and endless bread and potatoes here in Norway. Wish me luck.

The Burj Khalifa: The Tallest Building in The World

We’re On Top of The World, Hey!

Well, not exactly, but on the 124th floor of a 828 meter-high building, it feels like it. The Burj Khalifa is in the heart of downtown Dubai and holds the record for the ‘tallest building in the world.’ But that’s not all– it also holds the titles for the ‘tallest free-standing structure in the world,’ the ‘highest number of stories in the world,’ the ‘highest occupied floor in the world,’ the ‘highest outdoor observation deck in the world,’ the ‘elevator with the longest travel distance in the world,’ and the ‘tallest service elevator in the world.‘ Like I said in my “The Excessiveness of Dubai…” post, Dubai must have the world record for the ‘city with the most world records.’

So this is what it feels like to be 124 stories high

On the 124th floor of the world's tallest building

The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world

The Dubai Mall, (all 5.9 million sq ft. of it) sits next to the Burj Khalifa. Surprise Surprise, the mall is the world’s largest mall based on the total area. Every evening there is a fountain show outside the mall, at the base of the Burj Khalifa. We stuck around for the show one night, and boy, was it a show.