English Teacher in Oman
Exploring Dubai
25 - 27 February 2009
The Story…
During 2008-2009 I taught English to Omani students at a college in Ibri, rural Oman. A bunch of teachers at the college decided on a weekend trip to Dubai in the neighboring UAE, about 300km from Ibri.
So, five of us drove down with my rented Nissan Tiida and slept 2 nights at the very neat Dubai Youth hostel.
We explored Dubai city...mainly the malls and Dubai Creek. We reserved a whole afternoon and evening on the 26th of February for a Desert Safari near Dubai, a not to be missed experience.
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| Jumeirah beach & Burj al Arab hotel |
About Dubai
It is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the country.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature.
The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline and heads the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
It emerged as a global city and business hub of the Middle East, and is also a major transport hub for passengers and cargo.
By the 1960’s, Dubai's economy was based on revenues from trade and, to a smaller extent, oil exploration concessions, but oil was not discovered until 1966. Oil revenue first started to flow in 1969.
Dubai's oil revenue helped accelerate the early development of the city, but its reserves are limited and production levels are low: today, less than 5% of the emirate's revenue comes from oil (Wikipedia).
Staying at the Dubai Youth Hostel
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| Youth hostel in Dubai |
Located at 39 Al Nahda Road, Al Qusais Area of Dubai. Dubai Youth hostel offers value-for-money accommodation, 8 km from Dubai International Airport Terminal 1.
It features an outdoor pool, dining options, storage, and laundry facilities.
Air-conditioned dormitories and private rooms at Dubai Youth Hostel are fitted with functional furnishings and tiled floors. They are all equipped with cable TV channels, while each has access to shared bathrooms facilities.
Guests can enjoy simple food, snacks, and refreshments at the in-house cafeteria of the hostel. The nearby Al Bustan Mall is a comprehensive luxury shopping center providing an abundance of shops and eateries.
Staff at the Youth Hostel Dubai is available 24/7 and can help plan visits and excursions to nearby popular attractions, including the scenic Port Saed. Complimentary parking can be found on site.
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| View from our room - Dubai Youth Hostel |
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| Youth hostel in Dubai |
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| Dubai Youth Hostel swimming pool |
Dubai scenery
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| Dubai bus |
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| Dubai scenery - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai scenery - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Air-conditioned bus stop....only in Dubai - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai apartment block - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai scenery - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai architecture - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai architecture - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai architecture - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Dubai architecture - Dubai taxi ride |
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| Signboard |
Dubai Malls
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| The Gold Souk in the Dubai Mall |
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| The Gold Souk in the Dubai Mall - A painting on display |
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Dubai Mall - Holding Cute soft toy bull dogs at a toy store
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Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort with 22,500 square meters of indoor ski area.
It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls
in the world, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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| Ski Dubai |
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| The Gold Souk in the Dubai Mall |
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| Ansu holding Cute soft toy bull dogs at a toy store in Dubai mall |
Jumeirah Beach & Burj Al Arab hotel
Jumeira Beach is a white sand beach that is located and named after the Jumeirah district of Dubai. It is on the coast of the Persian Gulf and stretches along the coast south of the city's historic district to the junction with The Palm Jumeirah.
The beach and its frontage feature large hotels, resorts, and housing developments, such as the Burj Al Arab (Arab Tower) hotel, Wild Wadi Water Park, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and the old-style Madinat Jumeirah, a hotel and shopping complex (Wikipedia).
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My wife and I on Jumeirah beach
with the Burj Al Arab hotel in the background |
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| Jumeirah Beach |
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| Burj Al Arab hotel |
Desert Safari Dubai
The Desert Safari is a famous and 'must do' tour in Dubai in which you have an unforgettable real desert safari adventure or better known as 'Dune bashing'.
At the end of the Dune bashing experience is a traditional Arabic Bedouin campsite, where you can enjoy Camel Riding, a BBQ dinner, and entertainment in the form of Arabic belly dancing and traditional Tanoura Dancing shows.
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| Our guide deflating the wheels for the upcoming dune bashing |
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| Ansu and I in the desert near Dubai |
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| After the dune bashing session, we stopped here to watch the sunset |
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| Desert sunset |
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| After the dune bashing session, we stopped here to watch the sunset |
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| Sunset camel riding at the Bedouin camp |
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| Ansu at the Traditional Bedouin campsite |
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| Who me? |
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| Holding a falcon, at the end of a desert safari - at the campsite |
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| Traditional snacks being made at the Bedouin campsite |
Iranian Kashti's & Abra's in Dubai Creek
Iranian cargo boats in Dubai Creek - Tens of small and modest Iranian cargo ships, known as 'kashtis' in Persian, travel every week to Iran from the UAE carrying foodstuffs and household items.
Dubai’s Deira Creek is lined with tens of kashtis on any day of the week and workers mill about as they wait to receive deliveries of goods and load them on board.
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| An Iranian cargo ship or Kashti |
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| Iranian sailors on their 'Kashti' |
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| Loaded Kashti - Deira harbour |
Dubai Creek water taxis (Abra's)
Dubai Creek is located in the center of Dubai. The Dubai creek separates the Dubai airport area and Deira area from the Bur Dubai (also known as Dubai city).
We took one of these Abra's or water taxies from the where the Iranian ships lie on anchor in Deira, across the creek to the Old Textile souq in Bur Dubai.
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| 'Abra's (water taxi's) and a Kashti (Iranian cargo ship) on Dubai Creek |
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| Abra or water taxi on the crossing |
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| At one of the stations |
We took one of these Abra's or water taxi's
from the where the Iranian ships lie on anchor in Deira, across the creek to the Old Textile souq in Bur Dubai.
The souq is a traditional market of textile products located in Dubai's historic Bur Dubai neighborhood.
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| Dubai Textile Souk |
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| Dubai Textile Souk |
To view our Desert safari and dune bashing adventure, click here!
To view Iranian Kashti’s and water taxi’s in Dubai Creek, click here!
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