Sleepless In Emirates

Dubai is known to be one of the most expensive city in the world...

Surely not one of the choice if one's are opting for budget travels...but seriously its not going to be that expensive if you know your way around the city...i was lucky enough to be sent by the office to attend a seminar in Dubai...that rules out budget travel then...hehehe...luckily enough...it also happens to fall on my birthday...who says that work can't be combined with pleasure...i still made time to go around the city right after i finished with my classes...every single day...hahaha...

Went to Dubai in June 2010...it was one of the low season given the fact that the temperature there was scorching hot...up to 42 degrees if i am not mistaken...was there for 5 days...spending the nights in City Centre Hotel in Deira managed by Pullman hotels...cool huh...the seminar took place on the other side of the city...i had to commuted via taxi and metro every day...taxi is a big No No if you are on budget...unbelievably expensive...as for the metro tickets...the fare is almost the same as in Kuala Lumpur...metro will be a better option...

Dubai is indeed a shopping heaven...strategically located in between Asia and Europe...you can easily spot items from both continents...at an affordable price...went to the tallest building in the world...the Burj Khalifa...the entrance fee to go up to the observation deck was AED300~RM290...erkkk...but you can get it for 1/3 of the price at specific time...all you had to do is just ask...the building was in the same compound as Dubai Mall which is by the way is the biggest shopping complex in the world...yeah...you can lose lots of calories by just walking thruout the complex...

For those who are finding specific items...they have these souks that caters for all those textile products...perfumes...souveniers...jewelry...each of the souks are within reach from one to another...not that near...as you have to cross the river via abra to get to the other side of the souks...but...still...have to do a bit of walk lah...also Dubai has lots and lots of malls...they even have an outlet mall which by the way is worth your time (but i didn't managed to squeeze in the time to go)...Al-Karama is the area to find affordable foods and souveniers to bring back to the home country...other than the souks...

Dubai visit is incomplete if one doesn't go to the Dubai's most prominent and significant structure...Burj Al-Arab...also to Jumeirah Mosque...which is by the way is one of the biggest mosque in the world...also The Walk in Jumeirah Beach (where i spent my birthday nite...hahaha)...the closed Hard Rock Cafe Dubai...and also Dubai Marina...most of these places are covered by the metro and busses...you can ruled out the taxis...i don't recommend it...hahaha...

On the final day of the seminar (which happened to finished by afternoon)...i went on for the Desert Safari...its a must do if one's ever going to visit Dubai...there's lots of operators...all you have to do is just ask around as the prices are different from one to another operators based on the service offered...the one that i took was inclusive of buffet dinner in the middle of the desert along with free-flowing shisha...camel ride...belly dance and that turkish twirling dance to accompanied the dinner...it was around AED130~RM120...plus...the person picked me up from the hotel...hehehe...

After all had been done...i made one conclusion...there are ways to scale down the budget to visit Dubai...it depends on the time of the year...the location of the place to stay...as you can actually find hotels that cost below RM200 per nite...the metro was good enough to bring you around the city as it was well connected to all those prominent places...you can also find affordable food in Dubai...hehehe...or just go to the mall and make some groceries...hehehe...since i was in Dubai for an official purpose...i really had made myself tired out throughout my stay...as i don't want to miss out of all Dubai has to offer...in the end...i was Sleepless In Emirates...

T.Y.S