Dubai-Where Anything is Possible

​As a travel professional, I was familiar with Dubai as a shopping mecca for the wealthy.  I also knew that it had attractions in the “biggest” and “tallest” categories, but I was surprised to find a city that also possesses depth, a rich culture, and the most stunning architecture anywhere in the world.

​The first stop on my tour was the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world, and home to the largest aquarium in the world that holds 10 million liters of water, 140 species, including over 300 rays and sharks.  You can walk through a tunnel that provides a 270 degree view looking up from the bottom of the tank.  At the Dubai aquarium you can take a glass bottom boat ride and  even cage-dive with sharks.  There is an underwater zoo that has otters, piranha, penguins, an enormous Australian crocodile, and much more.  This is not your average mall, and not your typical aquarium.

Next, we visited the Burj Kalifa – the tallest building in the world.  It takes 1 1/2 minutes to get to the viewing platform by elevator.  As you are ascending, there is a projection on the walls of View from Burj Kalifathe elevator about the tallest buildings in the world.  As you pass the heights of some of the world’s tallest buildings they are projected on the sides of the elevator.  As you approach the top, there is silence so you become aware of just how much taller this building is than any other.  History in an elevator!  Looking down from the viewing platform, you have the sense that you may be in a low flying airplane.

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​​While Dubai has the reputation as a new city, its origins go back 3,000 years as an oasis  historic Al Fahidi Districtfor nomadic herders, and then as a pearl fishing village.   In the 1800’s the Bani Yas tribe developed Dubai into a center for trade, fishing, pearls and shipping.  When oil was discovered in the 1960’s, the revenue financed infrastructure.  Not wanting to be completely dependent on oil, the economy has become diversified so that oil is a small part of the economy.  You can experience Emirati culture at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding in the historic Al Fahidi District, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Dubai. Located in a wind tower house, providing an early form of air conditioning, the center operates with the philosophy of “Open doors. Open minds.” You can participate in open and honest conversations that promote cross-cultural understanding, and demystify the local culture, customs, and religion of the United Arab Emirates.  Call it tourism deplomacy if you will.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding

A desert safari is probably the most popular activity in Dubai. Unfortunately, it has become very commercialized where jeeps are driven over sand dunes, referred to as dune bashing, and this is harmful to the environment. Luckily, you can experience the magic of the desert, observe stunning nature, while learning about the Bedouin culture entertainment through responsible companies such a Plantinum Heritage Tours.

​They operate on the grounds of a royal family member’s nature preserve.  Driving in a Mercedes G-Wagon, I saw an Arabian Oryx – extinct in the wild, except on nature reserves and in zoos. We engaged in a falconry demonstration while watching the sun set over the sand dunes. We then headed to a heritage style camp where we were served authentic Emirati cuisine cooked on site.

While dinner was being prepared, we we were given an introduction into Bedouin food preparation and culture that included a ride on a camel, traditional dancing and music, and discussions about the stars which were used to navigate in the cool desert nights.

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While dinner was being prepared, we we were given an introduction into Bedouin food preparation and culture that included a ride on a camel, traditional dancing and music, and discussions about the stars which were used to navigate in the cool desert nights.

I am not a big shopper, so I had never had a big desire to go to Dubai.  Now that I have been there, I see it is a destination that has a lot more to offer than I ever realized, and I am glad I had the opportunity to visit this remarkable destination.

If you would like to visit Sheila (the name of the camel I rode) and this extraordinary destination that is safe, immaculately clean (no litter – and I saw a man scrubbing a driveway on his hands and knees), doesn’t require a visa for US citizens, has nonstop service from nine US gateways, and is one of the top 5 tourism destinations in the world – give me call at World Cruises and Travel, 800-882-9000 / 954-720-9000 or Blair@WorldCruisesAndTravel.com