I always share with you my experiences from around the world, but I kind of pass by the exotic country where I live and spend most of my time. Yet, for many of you, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or some other emirate may be on the list of dream holiday destinations! But I have to admit that most of my time in Emirates I spend in my bed, tired of traveling around the world. So I got to know my new home better only thanks to my parents’ visit.

Briefly about Emirates

While I’m waiting for my parents in Dubai Airport arrival hall, where they should arrive with their Emirates flight from Vienna, I will share some geography facts with you. (Because I know that many people mistake the facts, and even myself I didn’t know much until I started living here.) United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a state that consists of 7 Autonomous Emirates – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujeirah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm al-Quwain and Sharjah. Dubai is by far the most famous and largest city, but as the emirate, the largest and richest is Abu Dhabi, including the green city of Al Ain. Abu Dhabi is also the capital of UAE. The well-known Emirates airline is based in Dubai and its flight attendants wear those famous vailed hats. But the national airline of UAE is Etihad, which is based in Abu Dhabi and for which I fly. Us, flight attendants of Etihad, we don’t wear a veil on our hats, but we have a chic brown uniform with cyclamen, green and orange details. Generally people often ask me whether we have to cover ourselves in UAE. No, we don’t have to and we don’t. In fact, in many local clubs, you will find girls exposed rather than covered. Alcohol is not promoted, but is available in hotels, bars and liquor shops. On the other hand, smoking is very common like in any other Arab country, especially smoking shish-a. It is very hot here, in summer months the temperatures climb above 40 degrees, in winter is pleasant 20. It rains like twice a year, but the sea is beautifully clean and turquoise. No criminality. The country I live in belongs to one of the safest in the world. In addition to hundreds of mosques there are also a few churches. Only 20% of the population are local Arabs, the remaining 80% is a colorful mixture of immigrants mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines, but also Europe or Brazil…

And now there will be two Slovaks more. May parents have just arrived. When the terminal shuttle train took them from one terminal to another, they almost got panic attack that they were taken to the city. They have never seen such a huge airport. Straight after warm welcome I take them to a car rental company, because without a car in UAE you are lost. Dubai has a subway, but in Abu Dhabi you need a car or taxi. The distances between the points are too big and the air is too hot. My daddy will have a difficult task to drive us to a hotel. Dubai roads have at least four lanes and an incredible number of exits, ramps and underpasses. Getting out of this maze is often difficult even for the most accurate navigation. 🙂 I have to take my parents from one corner of the city to the other, because I booked for them nice holiday resort by the sea – JA Jebel Ali Beach Hotel and Resort. I hope they will have there right vacation atmosphere. The resort is really beautiful, there are majestic peacocks strolling on the lands, horses are neighing in their stables and golf lovers can appreciate endless green fees. But right now, we are just excited about our beds…

Garden of Miracles

In the morning, straight after breakfast, I take my parents to the nearest Dubai Marina Mall, located in Dubai Marina, where a beautiful walk around canals and tall skyscrapers is. The path will take you to the JBR walk and public beach, offering great views of the unfinished Dubai Eye, the one which is supposed to be bigger than the famous London’s Eye. If it’s not too hot, JBR walk is used for jogging or beach volleyball. Several restaurants and cafes with terraces stretch along the beach. Our favorite is the Greek restaurant EatGreek, where we end up for a healthy lunch, and the American Cheesecake Factory. After a good lunch, I take my parents to the Miracle Garden (40 Dirhams entrance fee), which proves that miracles can really be built from flowers. Every summer the botanical garden is closed due to hot weather, but with every season it opens gates with new flower creations. Just next door, there is the huge Dubai Butterfly Garden (50 Dirhams entrance fee). Unfortunately, we don’t have any more time left for butterflies.

It is getting dark outside and I have a plan to take my parents to the most popular attraction in the city – the Dubai Fountain – the world’s largest singing fountain. The fountain is located between the world’s tallest building – Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, which includes a huge aquarium with sharks and other marine animals. Burj Khalifa measures incredible 828 meters and has 160 floors. The Sky Lounge in 555 meters high and the views of the 125th and 148th floors are also open to tourists for a fee from 100 Dirhams above. This time, however, we have to skip the heights point and we just go to the fountain, which dances every half an hour alternately to two different melodies – one Arabic and one classical. The spectacular water and light show on 30 acres is something you can not see anywhere else in the world… No wonder thousands of people are gathering every half an hour at the shore…

Dubai Venice

During the day I will give my parents a rest and well deserved relax on the beach at the resort after a busy day last night. After lunch, however, I take them to the beautiful place of Souk Madinat Jumeirah, which is a shopping center in the style of the old original Arab bazaar. In the streets of the market we admire shops and stalls with traditional Arabic crafts – richly decorated slippers, precious metal jewelry, embroidered abayas and silk pashminas, colorful lamps, heavy Arabic ouds and various souvenirs… Due to location of the shopping center by canals with gondolas, I call it Arabian Venice here. Several restaurants with cousins from all over the world stand on the pier, offering a beautiful view of the world’s most luxurious building in the shape of sailing boat – Burj Al Arab. There is a calm, pleasant atmosphere in both light and dark when everything is lighten up by beautiful night lighting. On our way back to the hotel we stop at the famous shopping mall – Mall of Emirates, because Daddy wants to see the ski resort, which is located under its roofs and mum is curious about penguins. When there is money, everything is possible. Even skiing in the middle of the desert…

Old Dubai

Next day we have to say goodbye to the resort by the sea and all beautiful peacocks and we head first to Dubai Marina where we we pick up my friends Kika and Terka and then all together continue to the Sikka Art Fair – Dubai Village Al Bastakiya. Laughing young girls bring in the car of tired “old men” (where I have to count myself, as well) at least a little energy. Our destination is located at the very opposite end of the city, but it is worth a visit. It is an artificially built part of a typical Arab village standing on the oldest ruins of the original Dubai, which brings tourists closer to Arab culture. Behind its typical Arab walls are art galleries and workshops with traditional Arabic crafts and art. You will find spice shops, handmade jewelry, ceramics and paintings. There is also a very interesting museum of Arabic coffee. Many galleries regularly organize creative workshops and events. Whether you want to engage in a creative activity or not, Al Bastakiya has an unforgettable atmosphere and a few very pleasant restaurants with traditional Arabic cuisine. We settle down on the blue wooden benches under the white canopies in the garden of the Arabian Tea House, where we order various Arab dishes (kebab, sawarma, tabbouleh salad, Arabian bread, hummus, halloumi cheese) and we all share our food like some Arabic family.

From the Arab village, we move to Global Village, where another friend of mine – Vierka join us. Global Village is one of the most popular attractions in Dubai. Miniatures of the world’s most famous and iconic buildings are concentrated in a small area. So you can admire Big Ben, Roman Colosseum, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera House at one time. Many countries in the world have here their own national stalls selling local specialties: in small Morocco you can find an argan oil, in small Italy they have pasta and olive oil, in Africa cocoa butter and in mini version of Azerbaijan warm furs. In the part that represents UAE, you will find camels, falcons and Arabic tea. It looks beautiful here both, in the sunlight and also in the dark, when the whole village is lighten up by colorful night lighting… What is interesting, the Global Village changes every year. During the summer and the biggest heats, all area is closed and the designers have time to work on new creations for the next season. Unfortunately, neither Slovakia nor Czechia are represented here… And with the demonstration from all over the world our trip in Dubai finish. My dad has to drive us back to Abu Dhabi, which is about an hour and a half by car from Dubai. I’ve booked for my parents a nice accommodation at the Traders Hotel by the beach, just opposite the Grand Mosque.

Day in the desert

Today is on our plan a safari trip to the desert. There are several agencies in UAE offering similar tours. The program is almost always the same, the prices vary according to the season. In Abu Dhabi, however, we can use groupon.ae, where you can find special offers at discounted prices. Mini tour bus will take us to a desert camp far behind Al Ain city. There are many activities waiting for us – riding on horses or camels, we can hold and stroke a trained falcon, or let henna painter to paint our hands as Arabic women usually do. Training falcons is a very prestigious hobby for the locals. Such a well-trained falcon could cost several millions. The falcon is also the national symbol of UAE and it’s the only animal that can have a seat booked in Etihad airline flight. With my parents, we also play the Arab family when we try traditional Arab costumes – daddy put on him traditional white kandora and keffiyeh on his head, while my mum dress in abayu and hijab to cover her hair. It is a pity that we did not get the best weather, a small desert storm is coming to the camp. Sunsets over the dunes are usually beautiful, but this time we were not lucky with the weather. One experienced driver from the camp takes us to his jeep and shows us a crazy offroad sand dune ride. My dad then repeats the sand dunes ride on the quad. As I will learn later, this was the part he enjoyed the most of whole vacation 🙂 The day ends with the typical Arabian dinner with sitting on the floor on the carpet. Too bad we feel more sand (due to sand storm) in our teeth than normal food, but we still enjoy the last hours of a successful day. In the evening I will hand over my parents to the Traders Hotel staff. For two days I have to leave them for my flight to Vietnam. I hope they enjoy the sea and the beach and they won’t get lost… They don’t really speak English…

The eighth wonder of the world

In the morning I wake up in my room in a apartment in the Sea Side Tower on Reem Island, where we have a beautiful view of the sea (as you can tell by its name). Around lunch time I will invite my parents to visit me because I want to show them what my new home looks like. I’m hoping they’ll stop worrying about me once they see it all. When the sun begins setting down, I take my parents to the most beautiful and most important sight in Abu Dhabi – the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. Time around sunset is probably the best time to visit. The mosque is even more beautiful in the colors of the setting sun and then in the evening when it’s all lighten up. Mom says it’s like the eighth wonder of the world. I would definitely replace it with the Taj Mahal, that did not impress me so much as this mosque. Well detailed work on every inch of wall with all these splendid columns can easily beat any other building today. Endless pieces of rough patterned carpets, richly decorated chandeliers and precious stones forming elaborate mosaics… I’m really amazed. And then the time to say goodbye to Abu Dhabi reach my parents. So I’m taking them for a very special dinner. I make a reservation at the Michelin restaurant Hakkasan at the Emirates Palace, which is said to be one of the most expensive in the world. Right in this hotel you can find cappuccino powdered with real edible gold! In the end, I have a greater experience from watching my dad struggling with chop sticks than the food itself! 🙂 Hakkasan is a restaurant with Asian fusion cuisine. 🙂

Farewell

I am taking my parents to Dubai Airport, where they will be taken straight to Vienna with a regular Emirates flight and a double-decker Airbus 380. Btw, Emirates is another airline, the one with vailed hats. 🙂

P.S .: Many of you often ask me about the bazaar and the other things you saw in Sex in the City movie. Although second movie takes place in Abu Dhabi, actually it was all shot in Morocco. In fact, nothing you see in the movie can be found in Abu Dhabi. 🙂

United Arab Emirates are all desert, camels, palm trees, sea and beach clubs, luxury hotels and modern skyscrapers. It would seem that there is not much of authentic culture or untouched nature. But who seeks, shall find…

December 8, 2016

In mountains

United Arab Emirates also have their mountains. They are not green but rocky and sandy, but their majesty has also its charm. We find out that UAE have their highest point and Ivica has a car, so we are decided to explore it. Unfortunately, every hill in Arabic is called Jebel, and we have mistaken the highest hill of Emirates – Jebel Jais with Jebel Hafeet. The difference is mainly that both hills are located at opposite ends of Emirates. Jebel Hafeet is a short distance from Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, while Jebel Jais far behind Dubai in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. We can not make it to both at the same day, so we just reconcile with a smaller Jebel Hafeet. To the viewpoint on the top of the hill leads a wavy rocky road and from several places we have a beautiful view of the setting sun. On the way down, we can also visit Al Ain – the greenest city of UAE (where the UAE drinking water is packed in bottles) with an interesting sand castle Al Jahli Fort. It looks exactly like the castles we used to build from sand when we were children, it’s just much bigger… 🙂

The highest point

Today we are heading in the right direction to the highest peak of UAE – Jebel Jais in RAK (Ras Al Khaimah). There are several popular trekking trails in the mountains and many tourist choose to climb up to the highest point on their own, but me and Ivica rather drive by car as close as possible and take only a short walk up. And then, from the top, we enjoy the view and scoff at the sweaty tourists climbing up below us. They are not the mountains we are used to at home. No greenery, only gray and red dry rocks, here and there some bushes and black mountain goats. But still, it has its charm… I feel a bit like on another, some yet uninhabited planet…

In Zoo

There is also one interesting zoo in RAK – RAK ZOO. At first sight it might not seem to be exceptional, but it’s definitely not an ordinary zoo with sad animals captured in cages. The owner of this zoo is Jasem Ali, well known under the nickname The Lion King. On instagram he has over 100,000 followers (@Jasem_Ali_)! This man is able to communicate with beasts and loves animals above all. Fifteen years ago, he began collecting unwanted wild animals from wealthy Emirate families until he finally opened a zoo. Behind its gates you won’t find any animal detached from wild nature, but rejected creatures, that finally get a little love. (Admission to Zoo is 20 Dirhams.) You can also cuddle with chimpanzees and orangutans for an additional cost of 30 Dirhams. (The author of the photo below is my friend – Kristína Svitková @quicouche.)

Hatta Lake

And while you’re in RAK, be sure to check out the beautiful Hatta Lake with its green oasis in the middle of the desert. (The author of the photo is my fiend Veronika Mesíková @veronikamesikova85)

Desert Safari

Another option to enjoy a bit of nature is a safari trip to the desert. There are several travel agencies that offer similar trips. The program and prices may vary slightly. Some agencies even offer you to stay over night in Arab tents. On the occasion of a visit of our fiend’s mum, we decide for an all day safari trip with Hala Abu Dhabi travel agency. The program includes a sand dunes ride with an experienced jeep driver, watching the sunset over the dunes, some camel farm, and a dinner in the camp in the middle of the desert with a belly dancer. On the camel farm we learn some interesting things. Such a camel can be more expensive than a shiny Ferrari! We also meet the “Miss Camel” respectively. “Mr. Camel ”, a male camel who wins all beauty contests and costs fortune! Even though it has bow legs and drool as all other camels. 🙂 But his figure is really huge. A real king of the desert!

Me and my boyfriend celebrate our birthday almost on the same day. I was born on November 25th, him on 24th. Our first birthday together, shortly after I moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi, we decided to celebrate in great style – in the luxurious and iconic Atlantis Hotel the Palm in Dubai.

Atlantis the Palm is located on Dubai’s artificially built island Palm Jumeirah and together with Burj Kalifa’s tallest building and the most expensive Burj Al Arab hotel it belongs to the most iconic locations in Emirates. The name island got due to its palm shape. Accommodation is not a cheap business but worth all the money. The architecture of the entire complex is in the Atlantic style, but has also Oriental and Arabic features. The resort also includes the amazing Aquaventure Water Park, the Marine Aquarium, Dolphin Bay and Nasimi Beaches. Entrance to the water park and aquarium is included in the hotel rate per night, but for swimming with dolphins you have to pay extra. Whether with or without dolphins, stay in the resort always turns into an adventurous journey in fabulous underwater world…

P.S.: At the Atlantis resort you can also find one of the most extravagant specialties that only the world of Dubai can offer: Gold ATM! ATM that withdraws the pure golden bricks instead of the banknotes! Of course, only if your account status allows that…