Fountains, Food, and Fishes

Apparently Dubai likes to combine tourism with shopping, which if you think about it, is a pretty smart thing to do. I'm beginning to understand why they like to put things like ski hills and aquariums in their malls, because people will come for one and stay for the other. Genius! Free marketing for all!

Today, I got to see the Dubai Aquarium, which is at the other big mall called the Dubai Mall (I was at Mall of the Emirates yesterday). The Aquarium is 3 stories tall, the largest in the world (of course, it's Dubai), and costs 30 bucks to go in. Um, no thanks. I took the poor man's admission price and just gandered from behind the velvet rope. Admission only buys you the chance to walk through it. Which is kind of neat, but not necessary. Especially for that price.

It was cool to see, but I have a feeling the one in Toronto is cooler, as seen from all my friends' Instagram feeds (Note to self: I need to go see it myself, because I want some #jellyfishselfies!)

It was therefore no surprise that in the middle of this mall, in addition to the aquarium, there is a skating rink. I immediately thought, "cool! This plus Tim Horton's...if I just stay inside I can hardly tell I'm not in Canada!" Until upon closer inspection, all the arab women were skating around, abayas fluttering in the breeze like it ain't no thang. You definitely wouldn't see much of THAT in Canada.

After that I was off to Mango Tree, which had epic, awesome Thai food. But that wasn't even close to the best part. I sat at a table on their balcony, right at the front and centre, while the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) towered above me, and had the best seat in the house for the Dubai Fountains. The whole thing was straight outta the Bachelor playbook. I'm not kidding, that ran across my mind several times. I kept looking around for a rose to appear on the table! I mean, the setting was so magnificent and romantic, I could've been on a date with Juan Pablo and still been fawning over it (for anyone who watches the show, you'll know what I mean...he was the worst.) Exhibit A:

I need to explain about the fountains. I haven't been to Vegas (yet--plans are in the works for my birthday this year!) but I've been told it's similar to the fountains at the Bellagio. All I know is it was the most epic way to have dinner I've ever seen. There was a show every 20 minutes, and each time it was different. Different pattern, different music. It was truly spectacular, and a must-see for anyone who visits. Fellas, you're welcome. I've just found your anniversary/birthday/proposal venue.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/gJY7grCjCNU]

Dubai or Not To Buy

...I'm embarrassed for myself, don't worry. I love a good terrible good pun, what can I say? Today was spent doing Dubai's national pastime: SHOPPING. We all know I squealed in delight when I discovered this fact (and I may or may not have brought an empty suitcase inside another suitcase for this purpose).

I knew the shopping would be good; I didn't know it would be THAT good. They literally have every store that I like back home, and then tons that I've never heard of! Needless to say, I made off with a small fortune in tax-free goodies.

Another neat thing about the mall? There's a SKI HILL inside. No joke. I remember seeing it featured on the Amazing Race a few years back, and was dying to try it out, but due to my recent adventures in acetabular repair, I decided for my hip's sake it was best to take a pass this time around. I promise you I will be back to test it out in the future!

After making off with a small fortune in tax-free purchases, I headed to the Dubai marina at night for some sheesha and food. No booze because if you remember, it's only sold at hotels. It was pretty chilly, but luckily Dubai has an extremely strong patio game, and are fully prepared for "winter" with heat lamps and luscious blankets for all.

(Sorry for the poor photo quality in some of these, but there are times when you just don't feel like lugging your DSLR around with you. Someone invent an iPhone that can take DSLR-quality photos, and I will pay the premium for it!)

I took a stroll after dinner and found the only thing that could make me homesick: Tim Horton's. I can't believe they have one here. AND they know what a double-double is! (That fact won me a bet, and free coffee as well!)

I could get used to this!

K.

Good Morning, Dubai!

I awoke this morning to TWO wonderful and foreign delights: sunshine, and WARMTH!

Anyone who is familiar with global warming will know what a horrifying and never-ending winter we've been having north of The Wall in Canada. So to wake up to blue skies and sunshine?! Sign me up!

Today was a lazy day, getting over any residual jetlag and exploring a bit while also thinking of what I wanted to see during the short time I'll be here. First up? Umm Suqeim Beach.

The weather was actually not warm enough to lie in the sun or anything (and I was nervous about testing the Western boundaries after my airport debaucle) so I donned my summer blue jeans and a cardigan and went to explore. It was windy so the kite surfers were out in full force:

They are in the midst of building a running track, although for now it seemed reserved for groups of Emirati men to gather (and point & whisper "infidel!" as I strolled past, sans abaya).

At the end of the beach was the Burj Al Arab, one of the iconic buildings in the Dubai skyline, and the world's first (? only?) seven-star hotel. You'll notice Dubai is a fan of world records. If it's possible to outdo something, especially another country, they'll do their best. (Most fireworks on NYE record of 445,000 by Kuwait? Dubai smashed it this year. Tallest building in the world used to the the CN Tower in Toronto? Not anymore, thanks to the Burj Khalifa.)

The evening was spent at a place called Madinat Jumeirah, which is this strange, kitschy, yet oddly beautiful complex.

Built to resemble a traditional souq, it's a weird mishmash of touristy tackiness, yet you can't help but admire the architectural beauty that went into it. With the Burj Al Arab as a backdrop, it's quite the place to have dinner.

I dined on steak & foie gras, a true testament to all that is Dubai: you want it, you can get it here.

I was reminded yet again of where I was when I saw the following sign on many restaurant doors:

Toto, we're not in Toronto anymore.

K.

Arriving in the UAE

When you quit your job, and are lucky enough to have a few days off before your new one starts, the most logical thing to do is obviously book a trip. Halfway around the world. Somewhere you've never been before. Where did that land me? In the land of opportunity, mystique, and SUN: where else, but Dubai!

First things first: whoever said that booking flights last-minute is a good idea was a LIAR. $1956 dollars later...I was on a plane. Connecting through Heathrow to Dubai (no directs available, in part because Emirates holds a monopoly on that route for the time being). Because of the recent ice storm, Emirates was completely booked. Unless I wanted to fly Business class for $7k. I have a job, but it ain't THAT well-paying! Ugh. Someday I will be able to afford a suite on an Emirates Airbus...and then never buy one because that's a waste of money! Think of all the travel you could buy yourself with ONE ticket!

So I get there and have to pass through the visa-on-arrival process. Which took forever, but seems even longer after traveling almost 24 hours and arriving in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, when I finally had my turn, they took my photo as is protocol, and the nice Emirati informed me he would send it to me so I could Instagram it. Am I THAT #obvious already here?

As some of you might know (if you know me in real life), I suffer from chronic migraines. They suck, almost nothing works, but Tylenol 1's seem to do the best job at making me functional when one happens. That being said, T1's are a combination of acetaminophen (Tylenol), caffeine, and codeine, so they're definitely stronger than aspirin. You can buy them over the counter in Canada though, no prescription necessary, no big deal, right? I *may* have had some in my bag for the trip, cannot confirm nor deny..

I passed through the final check, no questions asked. I only found out once in the country that I *may or may not have* just smuggled contraband into the country by accident, and if they had discovered my activities in the airport, it carries a mandatory 4 YEAR jail sentence. Terrifying!!! I was off to a rocky start. So folks, drugs are very bad here. Including ones that are fine in your home country. Be extremely careful!

I was so rattled I didn't take advantage of the duty free, which is a real shame, because the UAE is a Muslim country and you can only purchase alcohol at hotels or if you have a special license. Oh well! Lesson learned on two fronts.

Next up, my first full day in Dubai! Can't wait. Stay tuned...

K.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Day 6: Tues 4th - Met 4 other aussies staying in the same room as us, and decided to make a big group and go to see Herculaneum and Pompeii together (note: I always thought Pompeii was spelt with two 'i's but in Italy they only use one. Sneaking suspicion they are trying to make the English look stupid.) We bought day passes for the Circumvesuviana (that stupid above-ground train is the only way to get around Sorrento) for 6 Euros and 30 cents--highway robbery--and were on our way. After declining the whole roast pig for 4.50 we saw along the way, we bought tickets at Herculaneum to 5 sites as it was cheaper if we were also going to Pompeii. 20 Euros later (Southern Italy is not cheap!), we were inside the ruins. We tried to buy audioguides but they were sold out (have you ever heard of that? What a scam!) so we invented our own explanations for things--see that? That's a bathtub..in the middle of the square...That looks like a stove, this was definitely a bakery then...etc.

Similiar to Pompeii, Herculaneum was also destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius' eruption in 79 AD. But unlike Pompeii, this town was covered with layers of ash and gas very quickly, so the preservation here is actually better. We saw some buildings that still had multiple stories. It was quite incredible--these buildings survived a volcanic eruption, burial, excavation, and two thousand years of deterioration, and still look like they do. (Maybe Hollywood needs to take some aging tips from ancient cities...)
After we were satisfied with our time at Herculaneum, we headed back to Pompeii. We were more successful with our audioguide search (and even got a deal) and headed inside. The guide was a waste of money, though; it played this cheesy minstrel music before every bit of info--I seriously doubt Pompeiians were running around with lutes in 79 AD. I think they had more important things to worry about. Like getting buried by a volcano.
The ruins at Pompeii were impressive, simply because it's so big. The books are right; it's not as well-preserved as Herculaneum, but the scope is incredible. You got to walk an ancient city and imagine what their society would have been like to live in.

We did the two hour walk-through and got really lost. Stops included a rich person's house, a bakery (for sure this time), a couple temples, and a courthouse. Our favourite part was the Lupenare, or the whore house (betcha didn't see that one coming, did ya? I thought it was a wolf sanctuary...).

It was getting dark so we scooted over to the amphitheatre before it got too late. We had a ton of fun because it was deserted--the five of us were the only ones there, give or take a few curious tourists poking their heads in. I got to dance on one of the oldest stages in the world!
We wanted to take some group photos of us on stage, but because there was no one around, it was posing a bit of a challenge. In the end, we decided that the four of us would get ready at the bottom of the theatre. Dave would set the self-timer and then book it down the stairs to jump in the picture at the last second. It took a couple tries (and a lot of cardio--those stairs are steep!) but we got the photo.
Band photo inside the ruins of Pompeii...debut album coming soon
Then we decided to take one of us all jumping in the air, from the other side, so the steps would be in the background. This proved to be quite a challenge. After an hour of failed attempts and scraped knees, wipeouts, and lack of coordination, we almost gave up, but then somehow it worked and we got the picture. The struggle was hilarious and now we have the photos to remember it!
This was so worth the blood sweat and tears!
We headed back to the hostel for some more amazing food and a movie--they project onto one of the walls of the hostel in the courtyard, so we watched RED while we were eating. I headed upstairs to pack after that, and managed to condense three bags into two (I have a Ryanair flight tomorrow, so I need to be thrifty). It took a bit of a yard sale--I left four books, a towel, and various other toiletries behind--but I made it. (The other girls in my room were quite happy to take what I was giving away)

It was a fantastic last day in Italy--I got to know some great people, saw some fascinating things, and am almost ready to close the book on this trip!

Group photo inside Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Great day guys!