Sept 4-7
We caught a late-night flight from Beirut to Dubai. My lovely friend Amina had arranged for us to stay with a high-school friend of hers who has been living in Dubai for the past 7 years. Without ever having met us, Lauren graciously agreed to have us in her home during our stay in this desert metropolis.
It was now 3am and we hailed a cab to the Dubai marina, the beautiful area where Lauren lives. Leaving the airport, we were expecting the dry desert weather we had experienced in Egypt and Jordan, but instead were hit with a humidity I have only felt in a sauna. Yeah, that bad.
Upon arriving to Lauren's flat, we were instantly welcomed and told to make ourselves at home. Her cats, however, had other plans.
Most likely a territorial thing or perhaps they could just smell my distaste for animals in the room, but the entire night they ran around; made bizarre, loud noises; and nibbled and jumped on Josh and myself.
After a feline-induced, sporadic slumber, Josh and I headed out to see what Dubai had to offer.
As soon as we stepped out the door, my sunglasses instantly fogged up. Upon trying to take photos with my SLR, it was nearly impossible because even the internal glass of my lens had condensation on it. By the time we had reached the metro, a mere 15-minute walk, I had probably lost a few liters of sweat.
Our first stop was the Dubai mall: an immense building containing every high-end fashion-house imaginable; many innovative, unique stores; a full ice rink, and even a Tim Hortens!
We spent a few hours window shopping before deciding to brave the unworldly humidity outside.
Right outside the mall is the world's highest building, the Burj Khalifa. Completed in 2010, the Burj Khalifa stands at an incredible 829.84m (2722.57ft), and is home to the Armani Hotel and other ridiculous residences and stores. To be honest, we thought it would look taller, hahahah!
Due to the fogging up of my camera, I had to rely on the puny camera of my IPhone 4. Better than nothing.
Also, unfortunately, they do not let hobos in their hotel, so Josh and I couldn't check out the interior.
We returned to Lauren's and waited in her building's pool until she got home from work.
Not only did she work all day, but she had bought groceries and made us a delicious fajita dinner. Talk about hostess with the mostess!
Due to out 4am arrival and Lauren's incredibly generous 4am wake-up call, we all went to bed early. Even her cats left us alone that night. All was good!
The following day we didn't feel like window shopping or indoor skiing, so instead we made our way to Wild Wadi, an outdoor waterpark. Nothing beats cool water when dealing with 50 degree heat and 100% humidity!
That evening, Lauren had invited us to her coworker's birthday dinner at Loca, a Mexican Bistro in the Dubai Marina Beach Resort.
Josh and I went to join a table with lauren's colleagues from Tarapin. Apparently Tarapin only employs beautiful female expats from the UK for their Dubai office. Needless to say they were eager to meet the two random Canadian strangers staying at Lauren's place.
Lauren's colleague and also the birthday girl, Prima, treated us better than we deserved and wouldn't let us pay for anything. The night culminated in drinking games, which evidently I lost because the next thing I knew I woke up on my mattress in Lauren's apartment.
The following day Josh and I rented a ferociously powerful Chevrolet Spark, the name of which implies its likely source of propulsion, and drove to the capital of the Emirates: Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is the second largest city in the UAE, but the richest Emirate in the country. You would never know it by looking at it, but it is currently supporting Dubai financially despite the latter's brash opulence and ridiculous structures.
Upon our arrival to the city, we met up with Josh's friend Kat, who had volunteered to be our guide for the day.
First she took us to a cafe overlooking Abu Dhabi's envious skyline and the we visited the Emirates Palace: Abu Dhabi's answer to Dubai's excessively luxurious hotels. Before entering, we were inspected at the guard station to ensure we were wearing pants (an extremely rare occurrence on our trip through the Middle East) and walked around, imagining how a night in this palace would likely cost as much as the budget for my entire year-long voyage.
From there we went to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, easily the highlight of our brief tour of the Emirates. Taking 11 years to complete, and using more precious stones and materials than anyone could imagine, this Emirati Taj Mahal (they look very similar) was absolutely stunning. After, we joined Kat for one drink on Yas Island before heading back to Dubai to saunter along the marina with Lauren.
I had a little taste of home on my last day in Dubai: a Java U coffee in the morning and Tim Hortens for lunch.
For dinner, my last meal in the Middle East, I met up with my elementary school friend, Nadia, at the Dubai Marina.
My final meal in the Middle East was a fitting one: eating ful, tabouleh, hummus and smoking shisha while being served by Egyptian waiters.
Alpha becomes Omega.
The United Arab Emirates is a weird place: from its unimaginable wealth and larger than life structures; to its white-clad, Bedouin-looking Emirati and South-Asian working class; there is no other place on earth that is more contrasted and ambitious at the same time.
The one definitive conclusion I can make about this country, is that our hosts and guides were beyond generous and to them I offer my sincerest thanks. You made our short stay truly memorable and we won't forget your kindness.
Shukran.
