Three Girls and a Guy in Dubai

Long in the planning, we are finally on our way to see gorillas, chimpanzees, the wildebeests “Great Migration” and hopefully lots of other African animals. The best way to get there from home was through Dubai, so that was our starting point. Then we fly to Entebbe, Uganda, travel overland to Kigali, Rwanda, fly to and around Tanzania, finishing in Zanzibar. (Click on East Africa 2025 above to see the route)

Dean is so lucky to be traveling with his wife and two long time friends, Mary Moffatt and Carleen Hamdon…hence the title of the blog, better than Dean and his harem?

In many ways we have been fortunate to be part of the few who brave the 42 °C / 108 F temperatures of Dubai in the summer, no crowds, easy to get into sights and restaurants, and you get a very real sense of what the Bedouin’s endured with no air conditioning, sure how they survived. Water in the Arabian Sea is 32 °C / 90 F so you can’t go there to cool down, thank goodness for modern technology and air conditioning!

We stayed in an Airbnb on the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s most impressive landscaping project, this man-made palm tree shaped island added 56 km / 35 miles to Dubai’s coastline. It’s a very cool location - imagine living on a palm frond!

Our first day began with a tour of old Dubai. Thankfully, our guide, Pria owner of “Dubai By Foot”, suggested a driver so we could pop in and out of the air conditioning car to cool down periodically. We toured the historical neighborhood of Al Fahidi, built in the 1890s, which grew up around the pearl driving industry, the only item they could trade in the barren desert at the time. We saw many traditional buildings, a Bedouin tent, crafts and local artwork, smelled perfume, incense and spices in the souks and rode a wooden abra down the river.

A spice souk with lots of yummy things - we bought tea, saffron, figs, pistachios and turmeric:

We visited at gold souk and all tried on many things, I got a necklace with my name in Arabic:

The Museum of the Future is a marvel of architecture, a donut shaped ellipse constructed of stainless steel and decorated with Arabic calligraphy. The 6 story museum is inside the wider part of the donut…unreal! You were guided through the museum, which starts with a trip to space in 2071 on the sixth floor, then descending through the museum back to current times. It was very cool, both literally (we needed AC) and figuratively.

The DNA library was fascinating:

See the animals in each…gorillas anyone?

We had a wonderful supper at Ibn AlBahr Seafood Restaurant, stumbling distance from our apartment...emphasis on stumbling…sorry, no food pics! Clearly distracted! It was very good though, loved the ceviche, tabbouleh, calamari and mussels!

We had heard about an indoor ski hill in Dubai, so set up to find it at the Mall of the Emirates. Yep, a ski hill with a chair lift, poma lift, toboggan hill and luge track - inside a huge area kept at -2 °C / 28 F. You can rent all the clothing and gear, and ski in Dubai! The lift passes were $85 USD. We didn’t have time to give it a try, next trip!

The Aura Skypool is the highest 360° infinity pool in the world, at the 50th floor of a sky scraper. It is famous for its spectacular views over the Palm Jumeirah, unfortunately, with the heat and humidity it wasn’t super clear, but was still an amazing thing to swim around and enjoy the 360° views in the nice cool water. Great way to spend a hot day!

Afterwards we enjoyed supper at Sushi Samba, one more floor up.

Our last day in Dubai, we decided to tour the nearby city of Abu Dhabi. This is the capital of UAE and very different from Dubai, just a few skyscrapers and more of a cultural center with many fancy government buildings, museums and historical sites. Unlike Dubai, Abu Dhabi is built low and spread out. It is composed of many islands all joined by bridges, and is very bright and white. There is currently a version of the Louvre, a Museum of Natural History, and a Guggenheim museum under construction.

We visited the Sheik Zayid Grabd Mosque - stunning! The inlaid semiprecious stones and mother of pearl reminded me of the Taj Mahal in India.

You may notice our lovely attire….lets just make Dubai even hotter! Parking lot wardrobe change, a Muslim tailgate party?! Good thing Pria had a closet in the back.

Lunch after the visit to the mosque was incredible - way too much food!

Another gem in Abu Dhabi is the Qasr Al Watan (The Palace of the Nation), built primarily for hosting international guests. (Mary thought they meant her, and almost got us kicked out for her suggestive pose! Keep in mind that there are signs posted that talk about no public displays of personal affection, no hand gestures and many other rules to comply with. In all fairness to Mary, there was no sign to indicate that you could not lay down on the couch! Our guide Pria hid behind Dean in an effort to distance herself from our group!)

Last stop was the Abrahamic Family Houses, a unique complex built to symbolize UAE’s culture of tolerance, diversity and peaceful coexistence. It includes a practicing church, synagogue and mosque. Each is housed in a cube of the same size:

The Catholic Church:

The synagogue:

The mosque:

We ended our visit to Dubai with happy hour at “New” Atlantis resort, The Royal. At the top of Palm Jeremiah, it is completely over the top! (Chantel Ross, you would love it! Add it to your list!)

“Old Atlantis”

“New Atlantis Royal”

Dogs of Dubai ….hot dog!

We met Sal on a beach walk one early morning, only about 33 C / 91 °F at 6 AM! Reminded us of Tazer….❤️

At the museum of the future, we met a dog that doesn’t shed! Perfect for Dad and Sharon! 😊

NEXT STOP: Entebbe, Uganda. (Hoping for the best, but expect some connectivity challenges in Africa, so ...)