19 hours Epic Hours in Dubai!

Really it was more like eight good hours , a 30 minute nap and Café and  two hours of exhausted despair. I have made this grand plan to use my 19 hour layover well, so I could see Dubai. For the most part I feel like I saw Dubai.

Here's the first thing you notice upon landing. There's a sign saying there will be no announcements; that it's silent airport, and it is in fact so quiet...and shiny. Stood in a 40 minute line to get my visa and immigration drop my bag off at baggage storage and headed to the metro. I had arranged at tour of the old city I need to meet at a metro station.  Here is the metro station. Quiet, clean, air conditioned.

Cairo/Dubai difference: say old city in Cairo and you're talking about thousands of years. They old city in Dubai and you're talking about 1971. That's when Dubai and seven other cities in the area became the United Arab Emirates.  That is not to say that people weren't here; they were, but it didn't start to thrive until 1971 when the seven cities united and formed United Arab Emirates. An Emirate just means city.

Other fun facts.

• Many Iranians emmigrated here when the Shah came to power.
• The UAE is 90% expatriot. They don't let anyone but UAE born people obtain citizenship, so people have lived here 20, 30 or 50 years and are still considered expats.
• Many Emirates wear native dress.  

We visited the spice market as well.  Here are some pictures.

The Gold Market

The Spice Market

Emirati Water Taxi

It was a good tour, but I had a reservation for lunch at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. I took a taxi and the driver got lost, but I got there.  Here are pictures.

 

Dubai is also known for its malls, and it was time to go tot he Dubai Mall which is a fairly long covered walkway away from the Burj. The mall was essentially a large shiny mall with a few highlights. Here they are: An awesome sculpture, an aquarium, an ice skating rink and of course the outside view of the Burj

 

 

About an hour into my visit is when lack of sleep caught up with me. After wandering for some time and trying to rally I decided something had to be done. Mind you, when despair set in it was still 9 Hours until my flight. I found a cafe with a cushy chair, ordered a water and slept. Deeply. I'm sure I was quite the spectacle. It helped somewhat. I shopped a bit and then wanted to see this fountain show on the list of must sees.  Well one of the best spots is the terrace outside of the Apple Store. Look at this picture and you'll know why despair came back. Bucket lists are important, but I'm not sure this even counts.

Finally, it was back to the super quiet, serene airport and a 15 hour flight later I'm home.  It was a great trip.  I learned a lot and made new friends. Happy Travels.