By Hrach Kalsahakian*
Dubai rises from the desert like a miracle waiting for you to explore and enjoy it. It is a city in the shaping. People visiting it say they find always new things to do in Dubai. The city has transformed from the way it looked just five years ago. It is a city that reinvents itself every year. On each visit you will see that the skyline is completely different.
The latest achievement was having the opening of the tallest building in the world called Burj Khalifa. The building is next to Dubai Mall, one of the biggest malls in the world with an aquarium and fabulous fountain show.
Dubai is a family friendly city with genuine hospitality. You always feel safe and secure there. You can walk around at any time of the day or night and be completely safe. The airport is one of the biggest in the world, yet you feel that the people working there are incredibly helpful. The arrangements are swift.
Dubai is a place for driving and walking. Tourists can go around by car or bus or using metro that connects tourist attractions to each other. You can walk endlessly in malls and various pedestrian areas in the city.
Dubai is a cosmopolitan city that attracts workers from all over the world. You can interact with workers of different nationalities in the airport, hotels, and restaurants and in almost any activity that you do in this city. You may find shopping malls in other country but it is difficult to have the same blend of seller and shoppers.
It is great to visit Dubai. The beach is only a few minutes away. Inland water parks attract many visitors. There is great variety of food from many international cuisines. Everything is clean and efficiently run.
Dubai is a mixture of old and new. You can visit the historical locations around the Dubai Creek to understand how the people of Dubai used to live few decades ago. You can follow the history of the place in the Dubai Museum.
World-known attractions such as Atlantis Hotel's water park, the most luxurious hotel in the world known as Burj Al Arab and the man-made project that resembles a palm tree in the sea, are only few of the many available for ordinary visitors, besides the outdoor activities such as desert safaris, water trips, journeys to other Emirates such as Abu Dhabi, Fujairah etc.
Shopping experience in Dubai involves wide range of items from the traditional merchandize to the internationally known trademarks, all located in a short distance from each other. You can shop with limited budget or with all the money that you can afford to.
Food choice is extremely huge in Dubai. With so many people with different backgrounds working in the city, the food business is thriving with innovative offerings and new additions almost every week: Asian, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Arabic, etc. you name it, you can find it in Dubai.
The one sentence that can summarize Dubai experience is that it is a place with something for everyone. Everything is provided with great sense of service and attentiveness. The place is run with the least trouble to the visitor. People who have travelled to many locations in the world understand how valuable is this to the frequent traveller or even to one-time traveller who needs to derive the maximum pleasure from a visit.
A new addition is the race course in Dubai called Meydan City. Dubai is positioned as a place for horse race experience. Other international events include annual golf, tennis, film and other championships and festivals, besides the exhibitions on regional and worldwide level.
In Dubai boredom has no meaning at all. There are so many things to do, so many activities to get involved in that you will feel how quick the days are gone and the end of the holiday experience has come.
From an indoor skiing experience to a trip to “old Dubai” where you can stroll around the old markets (souks) and see traditional wooden boats and merchandize arriving from Asian countries especially spices, silks and perfumes. Next is the gold souk, where you can make good bargain on gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other purchases. Dubai sprawls on both sides of a famous creek. Next to the gold souk is the spice market where you can smell the scent of exotic aromas from many countries. In the souk you can get an idea of what Dubai was like in the past before the introduction of the skyscrapers and the huge malls.
On the other bank of the creek you will see the textile souk known for its offerings of all sorts of weaves from around the world. There are unlimited choices with negotiable prices.
Dubai remains the land of opportunity for many people. Part of an independent federation of Emirates called United Arab Emirates since 1970, Dubai is the gateway to visit all other Emirates, each of them the home of other unique attractions that would definitely interest the tourists.
Hrach Kalsahakian is a licenced tour guide in Dubai (Read more).
Photos:
1) Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world
2) Hrach Kalsahakian (below the orange lifesaver) with tour guide colleagues in 2008, in a location near Dubai Creek.
