Dubai…A taste of Home?
“Dubai is my kind of town! I’m definitely coming back.” - Paul
Way more than a town, Dubai is a shining city in the United Arab Emirates. The second most populous and second largest state in the federation of seven emirates, Dubai is striving to be number one when it comes to ultra modern architecture and Western Business in Asia.
It is here that we got to stand on the 124th floor observation deck of the Burj Khalifa. At over 828 meters (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world. It made the sky scrappers around it look like miniature toys.
We also got to explore The Dubai Mall, which in addition to having an indoor aquarium, virtual reality arcade, and ice skating rink, also had all the American restaurants you could imagine, from the frequently found abroad chains like McDonalds and KFC, to a Krispy Kreme, Texas Roadhouse(?!), and Carvel’s ice cream(?!?). Yup, you read that right. Memories of Carvel cakes and milkshakes from Newington, CT came flooding back.
Despite all these choices, we opted for the Cold Stone Creamery with all their staple signature flavors and a stellar floor show (the server successfully threw a scoop of ice cream 30ft across the mall to another server!).
In addition to the food, Sophia spotted a familiar face in the New Balance store. Jack’s New Balance commercial runs on repeat in the New Balance store in Dubai! So cool!
With several city sites checked off our list, we headed to the desert the next day for some jeep off-roading, sand dune four-wheeling, sand boarding, camel riding, and a delicious meal and entertainment at a traditional Bedouin camp. Naunie and Papa even let Paul drive the dune buggy (Sophia did not want to try). While I was glad he was with them and not us, I have to admit he did a fantastic job!
Given our few short days there, we all had a great time in Dubai and may just join Paul for a future visit.
