The City of Gold: Dubai, UAE!

Visiting Dubai is a bucket list item for many, and I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to visit this city six times (not to brag). Yet I feel like I need to go back once more to recapture the images and videos lost from those times (yes, I was a bit careless prior to my now-content creator days). There’s so much you can do there that while I wanted to wait to make another trip back, I’ve decided to make a two-part blog. So I’ve decided that this one will be about architecture, museum(s), and some things you can do. The history of this country is quite interesting. Can you believe they went from a small fishing village with limited space to much of the city we see now as a barren desert?

Dubai’s history stretches back 125,000 years to when humans first settled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is worth noting that Dubai is one of the fastest-growing cities among the seven emirates and holds well over 300 world records. But how about starting with the obvious travelers? Let me introduce you (once more, but for the first time on this page) to the Burj Khalifa!

Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa holds 7 world records today, including the tallest building in the world! It is 828 metres tall (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories. Going up in the elevator alone gives you the upside-down low gravity feel, but the view is worth it. The tip of the Burj Khalifa can be seen from up to 95 km away on clear days, which is often. Tom Cruise climbed the Burj in Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. But better yet, if you are like me and love art or when art meets architecture, you would love to see the painting within and the aesthetic of the building from the inside out.

Dubai Mall

This mall should be called Shoppholics’ Heaven. You can stay in the mall’s hotel, ski or ice skate, go to the movie theater, watch the fountain show every day, shop, indulge in delicacies, and so much more. The Dubai Mall has found its place in the Guinness World Record for having the largest shopping mall aquarium and the giant OLED screen in the world! You can wander around in this shopping heaven and feel like you are discovering something unseen through every corner.

Sky Dive Dubai

Before skydiving, there were myriad attempts across centuries of humans trying to fly. Did you say Ibis? no, anyway. Skydiving in the Palm Drop Zone gives you breathtaking views of the Palm Islands and the Dubai city skyline. (literally, lol). A stop through the Palm Drop Zone is a must, and I’d gladly do it once more just to get the view.

Fun fact: In the fall of 2022, 100+ women from 22 countries came together to break the vertical world record for female skydivers.

Palm Tree Island

The Palm Islands are the largest artificial islands in the world and the only man-made islands visible from space. Ah, awesome! Instead of concrete slabs, the foundations of The Palm were created from 7 million tons of rock and sand. Enough to form a 2m-wide wall that would circle the globe three times. Engineers used satellites to plot the shape, and the sand dredgers sprayed the sand into place with pinpoint accuracy to create its shape, creating the crescent shape, the trunk, and 17 inner fronds. Did you know that skydiving can have long-lasting mental health benefits? According to the Wisconsin Skydive Center’s article, skydiving can help you improve your impulsive reaction to stress, live in a long-lasting happy mood, tune your situational awareness, encourage Better Communication Strategies, and get better sleep.

Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

Granted, I haven’t stayed there yet. But I hope to do it next time I am around. My hotel was the Jumeirah Mina A Salam, close enough to get this picture. I did, however, get an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner reservation there, which was delightful. The blurry picture is my only proof of this proximity, so there you go (obviously not a thirst trap, or maybe it is). The Burj Al Arab Hotel’s first-ever beach terrace also has a few world records under its belt.

Take Plunch in the Dubai Mall Aquarium (Shark -Cage Snorkle

I got to snorkel with the sharks inside a cage at the Dubai Mall’s aquarium, where you can get a tour boat ahead of your snorkel session. The bottom of the boat is completely see-through, so you get a glance of what’s underneath as you pass by. There’s another package where you can scuba dive with the sharks, but my friend didn’t think it was a good idea then. Still, on my return, I shall do the scuba dive portion, but for now, this is folks.

Boat Ride

The boat ride can be scheduled through booking.com, expidia.com, and many other sites (and no, I’m not sponsored yet). I can’t remember exactly where I booked this from, but it is a nice afternoon activity you can do when taking a little break from the action.

City & Dubai Museum tour

You can schedule a tour in person or online. The museum showcases the story of Dubai, from its humble beginning to the empire it is now. Did you notice the Ibis in that picture? Pretty cool, huh? The Ibis is a symbol of communication, probing, transition, and trust. When this creature presents itself to you, it probably wants to tell you that you are in a harmonious relationship with your surroundings. The Ibis teaches us to create a smooth flow of communication to create an appropriate working condition. While I am not Arabic, I do feel like it’s worth mentioning that Evye Luvz’s blog logo coincides with its history.

Bonus fun fact: The sacred ibis was considered the living incarnation of Thoth on earth.

Nightlife

Okay, so the nightlife is much more than what you can see in these pictures, but honestly, I wasn’t in my party-animal mode, so I just walked around, ate, and went to bed early. The water fountain show occurs in the afternoon and evening in the back of the Burj Khalife and Dubai Mall. Tons of people gather at the terrace to watch the show every 30 minutes, starting at 6 pm sharp. The last Fountain Show Dubai Mall starts at 11 pm.

Safari Desert

At the Desert safari, you get a ride in SUVs on the sand dunes, race on four-wheelers, get a camel ride into the sunset, try their costumes, and watch the show while enjoying an Arabic dinner. Did I mention that you sandbord from the top of the dunes? This was one of my favorite all-day activities from the entire trip. I’ll recommend a 100%.

City View

This is not everything that I did or saw, but it is everything that I could salvage, and for that reason, I intend to return and recapture all of it once again! (A little tear fell down my eye as I typed this.) This is one of the shortest blogs I’ve ever written, but I think the pictures speak volumes by themselves.