Weekend in Dubai
Trip Start
Jun 24, 2008
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3
5
Trip End
Jul 25, 2008
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Driving through town, I was struck by the size and grandeur of Dubai. The city redefines urban sprawl. High rises drench the landscape and everywhere you look, another is being built. Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, is absolutely staggering - and construction isn't even finished yet! There are not enough Dirhams in the world to lure me to the top.
We received a very warm greeting upon our arrival at Al Qasr. Cold washcloths and strong coffee were offered to Madam and Sir (as we were called by everyone) as we waited at reception
Michael enjoying prosecco
. Our room, 619, had Islamic architectural details (arches, carved wooden doors) and was beautifully appointed in what seemed to me to be authentic Middle Eastern furnishings. Five minutes after settling in to our room, there was a knock on the door and we received a fruit basket, chocolates, mousse cake, and a bottle of prosecco in celebration of our first anniversary. Apparently Michael mentioned our anniversary when he made the reservation and the hotel made a note of it (and would continue to do so throughout our stay). We enjoyed a glass of the sparkling wine, then made our way to Pai Thai, a restaurant within the hotel compound. Pai Thai turned out to be an excellent choice for dinner. Again, we were offered a cool towel when we arrived - a real necessity around here - and then were taken to a table overlooking the canal which snakes through the resort. We ordered cocktails and a Thai appetizer sampler (fish cakes, chicken dumplings, beef satay, Thai spring rolls). Michael ordered his favorite, pad thai, and I had wok-fried beef with Thai broccoli. We asked for the check after the very enjoyable meal and received, along with the check, another mousse cake topped with lit candles and a chocolate that read, "Happy Anniversary!" It was comical (birthday candles for an anniversary cake? two mousse cakes in two hours?!) and slightly embarrassing, but we ate our cake anyway.
On Friday morning, our friends Jessie and Mo visited from Abu Dhabi which is a little over an hour away by car. Jessie and Mo are moving to Abu Dhabi in August and were on a house-hunting trip. The four of us enjoyed coffee on the veranda and then set out for a dune bashing expedition which Jessie organized. Our driver took us about 30 minutes outside of the city to sand dunes
View of Burj Al Arab from our room
. After letting air out of the car's tires, he drove us over the dunes with daring speed. I don't really know what I was expecting, but this was more frightening than the scariest roller coaster on which I've ever been -- we had white knuckles, queasy stomachs, and a plethora of foul-mouthed outbursts. The worse it got, the more our driver chuckled. I think he was probably in his mid-30s and he said he has been driving the dunes since he was 15 and has never rolled. That seemed impossible but I clung to that fact just as I clung to the ceiling handle in the truck. Towards the end of our safari, we stopped at a camp to drink some water, lower our heart rates, and ride a camel. This camel was not as charming as the Bahraini camels Michael and I had visited the week before. He was wearing a muzzle and seemed to be trying to spit at us as we mounted. I can't say that I blame him; he was old and it seemed hot, even for a camel. We all enjoyed a short ride before driving out of the dunes. After air was added back into our tires, we made our way back to Al Qasr.
Michael and I went to Friday brunch (judging by the crowd, this is apparently the social event of the week for expats) and Jessie and Mo went to the Mall of the Emirates to check out the ski slope and buy bathing suits
Bedside reading lamp
. We met back at the hotel and went to the beach. We swam in the Arabian Gulf for a while (like tepid bath water but somehow still comfortable) and then hung out by the pool. We're not sure if our skin is toughening up or if it was just a cooler day, but we were outside for a few hours and were able to enjoy it. Jessie and Mo left around 6 to head back to Abu Dhabi. Michael and I walked around the hotel souk (just one of the many things that made it feel like a Vegas hotel) and then took a taxi to Raffles Dubai, another hotel complex. We enjoyed drinks on the outdoor patio of Crossroads Cocktail bar and then went to dinner at Fire and Ice (not to be confused with the Mongolian Barbecue chain in the United States).
Dinner was incredible -- we ordered the seven-course tasting menu and are hoping the menu will be emailed to us, as requested. It really was phenomenal -- from foie gras explosion (it had pop-rocks on it!) to wagyu beef, we savored every last bit and left the restaurant about three and a half hours after we arrived.
Saturday morning was lazy. We went to the airport a little early and walked around duty-free, which is like a mall in itself. An American magazine was 15 USD, so we just browsed. Our flight, which we were told was delayed an hour, ended up leaving on time. It felt good to be back in Bahrain -- it was a beautiful, clear day and it almost felt like we were home.
