Back to Dubai

I never thought I’d be going back to Dubai so soon after my first visit, but here I was, six months later, I was trying to spot Burj Khalifa from the plane window again.

Last time I visited it was September 2018 and all I can remember was how poorly I could handle the heat. This time it was a different story and I could finally wander around during the day and enjoy sitting outside at night.

Even though I did not crave the heat, one of the first things I did after arrival was….well you won’t believe this –  I agreed to try a hot yoga class there (40 degrees Celcius!!!). I nearly died during the class, but it sparked my love for hot yoga. Now, a year later, I can’t wait until the lockdown is finished and I can go back to my beloved hot yoga studio here in Edinburgh. Believe me, once you try it, it’s hard to go back to a regular yoga…

Anyway, I will stop talking about my love for yoga and write a bit about what I did in Dubai. I was actually quite excited to see more of the city since during my first visit I was all over UAE and didn’t really visit much of Dubai. Well, I can’t really say that I visited that much this time, because I ended up hanging out a lot with Craig’s friends all over the city.

First, we all went for a Friday brunch, which seems to be quite a big thing in Dubai. I had a hard time trying to find a place on google now (that’s what happens when you let people plan things for you), but I’m pretty sure it was at Meydan Hotel. The food was awesome, I could try so many different cuisines and there was plenty to drink. The time passed really quickly and soon I found myself in the taxi heading to one of the sailing clubs for more drinks. I wasn’t sure if I could handle more booze though, so ended up just enjoying being outside.

The next day I was told there was more eating/drinking involved, which I wasn’t sure I could handle again, so I negotiated a quick visit to the old Dubai. It was nice to see the old buildings, with the wind towers (old natural air conditioning systems),  the Souk and to cross the Dubai creek in a traditional abra (boat). It was good to be a tourist for a bit and see some of the Dubai that wasn’t purely skyscrapers, even the very pushy sellers didn’t bother me too much at that point.

the wind tower

However, it was time to go back to the skyscraper land and see a few more of Craig’s friends. The next stop was Dubai Marina. I did quite like it if I’m honest, especially the walk at night after we again stuffed our bellies with tonnes of food. The views from the restaurant where we ate were pretty cool too.

It turned out to be a very sociable trip and we spent more time relaxing with people rather than doing much in Dubai, but I still think the big picture of this place is kind of coming together. Just one thing to note for myself, if I ever go back to Dubai, I’m never doing it after staying in a super cheap place like Sri Lanka, it’s just a bit too much of a shock to the bank accounts… 🙂