UAE: We finally did that "dating" thing

During our two day stopover on our way to Kathmandu, we went to three of the seven Emirates: Ajman, Sharjah, and Dubai. We were quite excited to discover that the same amount of points that got us a dingy room on the outskirts of Paris here garnered us a stay at a four-star hotel!

Being responsible adults in nice hotel rooms

The outside of the Ajman Ramada would've made Emperor Palpatine jealous (three huge, black, glossy towers with red accents). It was also covered in a fine spray of pigeon crap.

For context, we had slept the previous night on a bed in a physiotherapist’s medical office, complete with a skeleton wearing a red ball cap. 

Our room had a kitchen area (with a microwave and stove, but no stove, tableware, or cutlery), a bathroom with extensive (cheap) toiletries, a sitting area, desk, and a bed garnished with real red rose petals, towels folded into swans, and a card addressed to ‘Mr. Rachel Glessing.’

We absolutely freaked out, and then hobgoblined all over that place. We washed our clothes (all of which smelled severely like feet, don't ask) in the kitchen sink and hung them off every available cupboard. We strung a clothesline across the living room and didn’t let housekeeping in. We survived off instant noodles.

Venturing into Dubai

In the morning, we discovered that to get to Dubai from Ajman by transit you need a card you can only buy in Dubai. Luckily, our hotel provided a free shuttle to Dubai Mall, as well as their own private beach (?!). So we did that.

Dubai mall was massive and really, really shiny. A slice of cake will cost you $22 CAD, so we stood in the mall and munched on $2 peanuts we smuggled brought from Greece. Many fancy people walked amongst many fancy stores. We observed philosophically like the true scholars we are and ate more peanuts.

Then we blew all our money (kidding, kinda) and bought tickets to go up the tallest building in the world. Well... at least 80% of the way up.

Line Simulator 2025 ™

How to experience the 125th floor of the Burj Khalifa (it takes 1.5 hrs just to get up there, have fun):

1. Buy tickets online so you skip the ticket line, while standing next to it.
2. Join the line to get your entrance time checked. Be waved through.
3. Join the line to have your tickets scanned. Scan your tickets.
4. Join the line up for security. Do the security thingy. Men and women go through separate lines.
5. Join the line to get to the manual revolving doors which are really confusing people that have never pushed a door for some reason.
6. Join the line to get in the elevator.
7. Go up the elevator which for some reason shows animations on all four walls of you ascending into space.
8. Enjoy the view of Dubai sprawled out below you.
9. Join the line to go down the elevator. But not the fast track line because for some reason that one’s super long.

The view at the top was quite beautiful, even though it was dark by the time we got up there (the sun was up when we were in the first line!).

UAE Transit is Flawless

The next day we visited the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilizations, where we learned more about Islam. We then walked to the bus station, which may have been a mistake considering it was 35 degrees and took us 40 minutes. 

Because of traffic, the bus took an hour and a half to get to the edge of Dubai (later, it took over 2 hours to get back, traffic seems to be perennially awful). One taxi driver mentioned that there are traffic cameras everywhere, and driving laws are strictly enforced. Don’t forget your turn signal!

We wandered around Old Dubai, tried the famous combo of pistachio and chocolate, and took a boat across Dubai Creek (actually a large river). 

Interestingly, we saw many more woman than men out in public. There is actually a 2:1 ratio of men to women to the UAE, perhaps due to heavy immigration for work, with immigrants accounting for 88.52% of the population according to some stats. Physical affection is also hugely frowned upon, and there are legal implications for kissing in public, including deportation. We missed holding hands, largely because it’s hugely functional in staying together in huge crowds. 

The UAE also happens to be in a desert, and we did in fact see pure sand in any area that wasn’t paved. With the intensive air conditioning they employ, the UAE actually has a higher per-capita energy use than the USA. In Dubai, even the bus shelters have air conditioning!

UAE 2: Electric Boogaloo

We briefly touched down again on our return from Nepal, this time spending only 5.5 hours in the Abu Dhabi airport. It was reminiscent of Dubai mall, with its expensive shops, glittering and pristine design, and strong air conditioning. We were more favourably impressed by its interesting architecture though!

One bulk shop sold many variety of dates, and they kindly sold us small amounts of a few varieties. So we did an impromptu date tasting in the airport! They were SO SO GOOD. Each had its own distinct flavour and texture, but Medjool dates were our favorite for their thick, smooth texture and caramel flavour.

Stay tuned for our next blog post: Nepal Part 1 where we trek in the Himalayas and get awfully sick. See ya(k) later!