It was a short trip to Dubai & Abu Dhabi back in 2014.

Dubai (杜拜) is a crown jewel in the Middle East. The city is superbly clean and safe. If you accidentally left your bag in a taxi, the taxi driver would send the bag to the nearest police station. The police would then contact you to collect. Not a single cent nor travel document is lost. Don’t forget to leave your hotel card in your bag with your room number.

Water is a scarce commodity in Dubai. Petrol is sold at Dir1.60 per litre but drinking water (500ml) is sold at Dir3.5 per bottle. Nevertheless, date palm trees and flowers blossom beautifully along the roadsides. The Emirates government recycles wastewater for water plants. The initiative proves very successful. Sustainable, creative and innovative environmental conservation for many to learn.

OASIS IN THE DESERT: Day 2

Started the day with a visit to Burj Al-Arab Dubai (帆船酒店), one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. It is an iconic landmark you can never miss. However, only hotel guests with reservations are allowed to go through the passage gate.

To get a good close-up view of the hotel, it is best to do so from Jumeirah Beach. Many foreign tourists were enjoying a sunbath in bikinis or swimming suits. Be mindful that this is a Muslim country. Topless, sleeveless, and bikinis are only allowed at the beach or swimming pools inside hotels.

Next, we enjoyed a monorail ride for a sightseeing tour around Palm Island and a close-up of Atlantis Palm Dubai Hotel & Resort.

The popular game show, The Amazing Race 15, arranged for the team members to slide down the resort’s Leap of Faith water slide at its water park. The slide dropped them along 200 ft and 90 ft down an 84° incline and through a tunnel beneath the aquarium’s shark lagoon. After retrieving the clue, teams had to search for the beach located near a lagoon, which was the sixth pit stop in the race.

We ended our day with a meal at Apple Café & Restaurant. The restaurant offers a remarkable view over the Creek. In addition, the lamb speciality was excellent and delicious. Truly miss it~

OASIS IN THE DESERT: Day 3

We started the next day afresh. Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and Dubai Mall, the biggest shopping mall in the Middle East, were on our radar.

We were allowed four hours for a shopping spree in the Mall. Had a coffee break near the indoor waterfall. From afar, it seems so real as if humans jumping down the fall. Truly Awesome!

We booked the observation deck visiting time at 5:30 PM. To avoid the huge crowd, we headed up at 4 PM. Here we had the chance to watch the full musical fountain show from atop and admired the panoramic view of Dubai city.

Dubai Fountains is the world’s biggest musical fountains. It is huge at the Ground level. Beautiful ❤

OASIS IN THE DESERT: Day 4

After breakfast, we travelled to Abu Dhabi. From afar, you will notice a grand marble white mosque sitting in the middle of the desert.

The luxury Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi is gorgeous and elegant. It hosted a part of the Amazing Race 23 show where participants walked in to collect the pass.

With 82 domes and 1000+ columns, the Grand Mosque uses 24-carat-gold gilded chandeliers as decorations, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, and not to forget, the world’s largest hand-knitted woven carpet.

This amazing mosque is open to the public except on Fridays. It indeed showcases the wonderful diversity and unique experience for her visitors. A decent dress code is a must.

During the fasting month, all mosques in the Emirates offer free dinners to the public regardless of their religion. The dinner is prepared by five-star hotel chefs and it tastes yummy.

Jumeirah Mosque is the most-photographed mosque in Dubai and it is the only mosque open to the public 6 days a week in Dubai (closed on Fridays).

Organised tours are available for non-muslims to learn about Emirati culture and religion. The tour starts at 10 AM (No reservation required) and you must arrive at the main entrance by 9:45 AM. Each tour lasts approximately 75 minutes.

Dress code: Modest dress is preferred, however traditional attire can be borrowed from the mosque.

OASIS IN THE DESERT: Day 5

Located in the centre of Deira commercial business district, Dubai Spice Souk & Gold Souk are traditional markets (souk) in Dubai. The Spice Souk is adjacent to the Gold Souk. We ended our trip at these amazing souks.

The Spice Souk comprises several narrow lanes which are lined with open and closed-roof stores. They sell a variety of fragrances and spices from frankincense and shisha to all sorts of herbs used in Arabic and South Asian dishes. Currently, the market also sells textiles, rugs and artefacts.

Gold Souk, on the other hand, consists of over 300 jewellery retailers. One can reach here by taking the Dubai Metro to Al Ghubaiba station.