This final entry will be in Dubai. We spent 5 days there. And for once, upon reaching the hotel, my room mates & I could actually unpack and hang our clothes in the cupboard. In Bahrain & Abu Dhabi, we could only unpack the clothes that we need before having to repack them again before we check out. It was a hassle, I tell you.
Anyways, the hotel in Dubai is like any other hotel. But the aircon is the nicest I have ever seen... Check it out!
As usual, we visited different companies like Etihad, ENOC & MOE. Their corporate gifts were simply amazing. I received MP3 player (1GB), alarm clock, post-it pens, table flask, mug and my personal favourite:
Yummilicious Chocolate!
Out of all the 3 places I went to, Dubai is the one undergoing the most development. Once we were travelling on the coach along a straight road. On my right, the plot of land were all the skyscrapers including the Burj Dubai which is the tallest building in the world standing at 186 storeys. The final height of the building is still not revealed publicly yet. On my left laid the barren deserts. Such contradiction...
Check out some of the buildings/skyscrapers:
Burj Dubai
The last day in Dubai was the best of all. We were done with all the company visits by Friday, leaving us Friday night & the entire Saturday for shopping and recreation!
Before this, check out this beautiful mosque... A pity we didn't manage to go inside. We were so near, yet so far!
With teaching assistant (TA) #1
(the prof has 3 TA's in all)
Recreation
First stop was the dhow cruise. We had dinner in a big wooden ship. There were songs and dance and the food was fantastic! As usual, after dinner we cam-whored and guess who I met?
Mawi!
Not that I am a big fan, but I was star-struck for a while. He was filming alone, perhaps a Dubai documentary or something.
Some pics for the Dhow Cruise:
The lights amongst the darkness
Second stop was at Mall of Emirates. That mall is the only place where I found very very nice cars - Porsche, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Marserati & latest model of BMW sports. Remember I mentioned that we secured a meeting with the ministry of education? They surprised us by treating all of us to SKI DUBAI! ANd a free dinner at St. Moritz Cafe. Yoohooo!'
Ski Dubai @ Mall of Emirates
My initial outfit which I changed later...
During Dinner @ St. Moritz Cafe
With TA #2
We went to Ibn Battuta Mall as well. The mall has 6 different courts, all with different designs & infrastructure. The interior design of the mall was fantastic! Do google to find out the history behind the architecture of the mall. You wont regret it :)
Next stop was to Burj Al-Arab. This is the only 7 star hotel in the world located on an island. I paid SG$180 only to realize that I was only paying for the food! Drinks not included and you can't drink "outside" water. I had too much food (as usual) & I can't do without water. The 7-up I ordered costs me an extra SG$12 more.
The ceiling
How the walls looked like
Entrance of the restaurant
Inside the restaurant
A pose with my SG$12 drink
Final 2 stops: Desert Safari Tour
We rode on the 4 by 4 land cruiser to go through the desert fields before reaching our destination.
Layan....
Hold your breath! The final stop was at the souq markets (bazaar) where we did our shopping.
First stop was to the gold souqs, then the spices and finally the local goods. Later, we actually need to ride on a sampan to go across the border to arrive at another souq. Here goes....
My personal favourite
Received a phone call from Mr.HHH
With TA #3
With the tallest man
The final pic before leaving Abu Dhabi Airport for Singapore
FINALLY, that wrapped up my entry trip. I hope you would enjoy reading my experience as much as I had enjoyed sharing it with you. Dubai is really a must-go destination in 10 years time where the most exciting fantasy island called Dubailand will be ready by 2020.
Dubailand will hold all the different wonders from all the world and just the fantasy island alone is as big as Singapore! Imagine!
Till then, Love!
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