Hopping on the bus from Cork to Dublin, on the day of my long awaited flight to Dubai, I was prepared for a nice, leisurely drive which would get me to the airport well before I needed to be there.
This optimism was shattered, however, when not ten minutes into the journey my bus hit a car on MacCurtain Street. The entire vehicle was forced to wait an hour and a half for the gardai to arrive.
But all was not lost. I had deliberately gotten an early bus, and so I literally just arrived in time for the flight. It was close, but I made it.
It took seven and a half hours to fly from Dublin to Dubai, and I'd say I slept for maybe three hours.
I flew with Emirates, my first ever flight with them. The food was nice and the ceiling lit up like the night sky. It was beautiful. Upon arrival to Dubai it was around 8am... So I was basically launched into the day with very little sleep. But hey, I'm in Dubai! And sleep is for the weak.
First port of call was the famous Burj Khalifa.
In case you don't know, the Burj is the tallest building in the entire world.
It absolutely dwarfs everything around it - though everything around it is basically a skyscraper in its own right as well.
Viewing it from below was spectacular, but going up to the viewing platform on the 125th floor was equally as awe inspiring.
The view was amazing.
The entrance to the Burj is through the Dubai Mall, which has every shop you could ever want. It. Is. Vast.
I hung around there until 6pm because that's when the fountain show starts.
The Dubai Fountain is a must see if you're in the area.
It's located in front of the Burj and there is a water show every half hour for about three minutes.
Watching it as the sun set behind Burj Khalifa was easily one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I got a little boat out into the middle of the fountain for one of the shows which was nice.
So far I'm genuinely really liking Dubai. Everyone speaks English, everything is very tourist friendly, and I feel very safe. Clothes-wise I've been covering my knees and shoulders, but I don't think that's entirely necessary in the more touristy areas. I've seen women in full burkas, women in headscarves, and women in tank tops and hot pants!
Dubai is a huge mix of cultures and accents and skin colours... I genuinely think it may just be the most multicultural city I've ever been to!
#dubai #unitedArabEmirates #Emirates #flight #airplane #uae #burjKhalifa #tallestbuilding #dubaimall #dubaifountain
