I was excited to write this one as it is one of the most special tours which I had till date. It is my first international tour and I enjoyed 10 days with my friends visiting many places in Dubai and UAE. Will talk in detail about the Dubai 10 Days trip and my experience which you will surely enjoy reading it. ๐
Well it all started from an idea. When your friend calls you up and asks that we are planning to go for a Dubai trip, are you in? Well it is always great to travel with friends as it is very enjoyful. The most important part is to go with like minded people. So I thought for a second and said YES. This one YES has given me a lot of confidence in life and got to learn and enjoy a lot of things. There is a saying that “anyone can steal your wealth but not experience!” This is the same in Travel.
So we 4 boys were ready for the trip, well we did not hire any travel agency and all. So we had to take care of all the bookings by oursleves. Thanks to internet as it helps a lot for doing hasslefree bookings online. So first our dates were finalized of the tour. Then we did a smart thing. We had planned the tour 3 and a half months before. So we actually booked our flight tickets in July month and we had planned to go in October 2015.
Tip: Book your tickets in advance (few months before) to get heavy discounts on the price fare
Being said that we had done the flight bookings of one of the world`s best airlines the Emirates from Mumbai. Now we two friends were from Pune and two of our friends were from Vadodara. So they booked tickets for a connecting flight from Vadodara to Mumbai. So our flight tickets was done! What next? Well it was time to get Visa for the trip to UAE. So one of my friend took the initiative and he applied for the Visa. We received our Visa for our Dubai tour and we were very happy.
We also made hotel bookings and tour bookings online and that too in advance. So this is like the most important and smart thing we did just before the tour. So we were all set for the tour. Our bags were packed and the Time had arrived! It was the first 10 days of October 2015. I can say the weather was pleasant during that duration. So we started our journey. We two friends came from Pune to Mumbai. Our other two friends came to Mumbai. We all met at Mumbai Airport, do you know how was the feeling?
Day 1 : Reaching Dubai
It was of the type Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaraa ๐ It means you will not get life again, this is the moment to live it. So we all were excited! We received our boarding passes and we went through the security checks and immigration. Then we had around half hour to board the flight. So we were just roaming at the airport. Looking at the foreign currency exchange rates. ๐ Yes then the time arrived to get into the world`s largest plane.
It was the massive Airbus 380 plane. It was my first international trip and I was very much excited. Though not my first flight journey as I had boarded many domestic flights in India ๐ But had heard a lot about the experience in Emirates Airlines. We got into the plane and got seated. Then flight took off. Actually the take off was very smooth if we compare to domestic flights. Mumbai looked great during night from the sky. During the flight we got juice as welcome drink. It was followed by dinner.
The dinner was very tasty. Also there was a screen in front of you where in you can do many things. So we started watching a movie. Also I was seeing the exact location of the flight on the map. There was internet connectivity in the flight. This was something new for me, which I immediately used for check in status update on facebook ๐
We had a very comfortable flight and we finally reached Dubai Airport. Then we wanted to do go to our booked hotel. It was at a far location. The best part in individual travel is that you get to explore new places. We asked for Metro station and it was very near. So we went to the Dubai Metro station got new cards. Yes you get a metro card which has balance and you can travel, automatically in stations when you check in and check out the balance is deducted.
So it was my first ride on Metro and it was great, no rush at all. We went in and did the enquiry about the nearest station near our hotel. We went there and reached our hotel. We checked in to our hotel and it was like the most awesome feeling ever. Then we came out and had dinner. Discussing about next day`s schedule.
Day 2: Desert Safari
We were actually looking forward to this day as we had heard a lot about the Desert Safari in Dubai. So we had booked our ride in Hummer. The best part is that the Hummer came to escort us at our Hotel itself. So it was fun to have a ride in the Hummer to the Desert. So we saw the Dubai city first time in daylight. The multiple lane roads. Infrastructure of the city is just marvelous. Also the driver of our Hummer was driving at an insane speed of 120 km/h. Though it felt like normal over there.
The climate in Dubai is humid so there is a need of AC always. We reached the desert. It was time to get freshen up. All the air of the tyres was removed and it was time for the real Desert Safari. We also had few chinese tourists in the vehicle. I was seated in the middle seat with my friends. So on the sand, our Hummer started to take a ride. Ups and downs, turns and with speed it was a rocking ride. Our driver seemed to be an expert because at some turns we used to think that the Hummer might get toppled. But it did`nt happen, because it was in full control.
That ride was intense and it was like we all used to scream at dangerous turns. Superb feeling. That day is surely unforgettable. We came back from the ride, again air was filled into the tyres of the Hummer and now it was time to relax and go for dinner. So our driver took us to an Oasis Palm where there was a stage and buffet. So we knew that there must be some cultural performances along with dinner. It was a pleasant evening and it was like a feast. There were lots of different cuisines. The buffet started.
We started enjoying the dinner. Also cultural program started. When a person started to perform. It was like a folk dance of the UAE performed by him. He had lights on his costume and it was looking great. Then it was followed by belly dance. Crowd cheered the artist and she performed very well showcasing various skills. A superb evening with good food and cultural program, this is what the best you can expect in a tour. We also met a chinese couple who became our very good friends.
It is great meeting people from different countries. You get to learn a lot of things from their culture and people. Then we got our Hummer ride to our hotel and that was the end of a great day. I must say an awesome start of my Dubai Trip.
Day 3 : City Tour
This day we thought of exploring the city more. So we had booked a city tour. So at the morning a car came to our hotel which was our ride for the day. We boarded the car and started our day`s journey. First we visited Dubai`s Gold Market. This is a huge market and you can get gold for a good price and also have various options. There were huge necklaces and various types of jewellery available in the market. Also we spotted the world`s heaviest Gold Ring in that market.
There was a Guiness book of world records certificate shown near the ring as well. So it was fascinating to see such a market just focused on Gold. During the ride we saw many things in the city which we captured in our cameras. Boats, aeroplanes, various infrastructure in the city. Then we visited to the most photographed mosque in Dubai city, it is the Jumeirah Mosque. Later we headed to the Jumeirah Beach. This was a very nice place.
Light blue water, very clean and lots of shells around. It was a peace of mind at that place. Also we were able to see the Burj Al Arab. This hotel is known to be the World`s only 7 star hotel. The view was just amazing as we were on the beach, the sea and the hotel. So it was surely a great place to visit. We wish we had more time but we were around an hour at this place. Then we headed to The Palm Island. There we saw the Hotel Atlantis. This is a mega hotel and has a very beautiful architecture. We loved the place and promised to come there again.
Later we reached at Dubai Mall. It is known as the World`s Largest Mall. So we had lunch at the Mall. This is a huge and massive mall where you will find various brands from across the world. We enjoyed our lunch at our favourite brand outlet. Then we headed over to Burj Khalifa. The Dubai Mall is connected to the Burj Khalifa and there is a way to go there with ease. So we started going to the ground floor of Burj Khalifa. All the history of Burj Khalifa is showcased there. It is the World`s Tallest Building.
We got inside the elevator and it goes 124 floors in less than a minute. A music starts running and as the music is completed you visit the 124th floor. The view from this floor is magnificent. We spent a lot of time at Burj Khalifa and it was great to see the various landscape of the city. I surely got the feeling of being at the Top of the World. These emotions and feelings can only get experienced when you travel. This was indeed mesmerizing for me.
Day 4: Conference
We had a conference to attend on this day. It was the Critical Communications Middle East Conference. We utilized our day networking with other like minded entrepreneurs and gained a lot of valuable knowledge. This conference was in Jumeirah Beach Hotel. So it was a great experience. Will surely write another article on what were our learnings from this trip. ๐
Day 5: Day City Bus Tour
It started with visiting Dubai Museum. So this was the right place to get to know more about the culture of Dubai and also about the past of this rapidly growing country. We visited the museum and we got to learn a lot of things. Mainly their culture and how Dubai was evolved in the past many years. There were wax idols and also models of various objects. Later we had booked the Big Bus City Tour. So it was time to roam the city in this bus.
It is really awesome to get live commentary from them and you get to know more about the places. We visited Wafi. It is a place which is having Egyptian culture. We also entered the Wafi Mall. Huge idols showcasing Egyptian culture can be seen at Wafi. It was a double decker bus, and the roof was half open. So you can actually click a lot of pics and also enjoy the city in the open air. Clicking pictures when Burj Khalifa is at the background is just amazing.
We again visited the massive Dubai Mall. There we got off the bus. We went there to watch the famous Dubai fountain. It was a wonderful evening and with awesome Arabian music we watched the Dubai Fountain show which is near the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. A great view for sure. It was a bliss to see the fountain show live. Water surely gives us peace of mind. Even a place which is surrounded by desert is actually having the World`s second biggest Fountain. It was just fabulous.
In the Dubai Mall we also visited the World`s largest bookstore. This mall is huge and exploring it completely, was a fun loving experience. Then we also visitedย World Trade Centre in Dubai. There was a massive Electronic exhibition. So we went there and did some shopping. To be honest a lot of shopping ๐
Then the day was finally over and we came back to our hotel. It was time to relax and rejuvenate the memories.
Must read: Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar Trip
Day 6: Meetings
When you are on an international tour that too yourself with friends, networking is important with like minded entrepreneurs. So we had scheduled few meetings on this day. It was great to meet entrepreneurs in Dubai and we had one on one talks about how we can help each other. Very knowledgeable day indeed.
Day 7: Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi
How can I forget this day? This was one of the best decision we took to go to Abu Dhabi for the Ferrari World. A chauffeured car came to pick us up in morning at our hotel. So we hopped inside the car and were ready for the journey from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. It was a 160km ride and it was fun to see the desert across the roads. Also we had stopped at one place for having breakfast.
We also had few other European guests with us in the journey. It was a big van and it was great to know about their culture. They were from Sweden. We don`t know how the time passes when we talk during the journey. Our driver was kind of a guide too, who was talking with us, explaining all about the culture of Dubai, about the places and everything. So it was great experience altogether. Then we finally reached the Ferrari World.
I love Ferrari! These are stylish beasts and not made for normal people but for extra ordinary class successful people. Ferrari World is huge. The first thing you observe while going into the Ferrari world is the famous Rollercoaster.ย Yes it is having the World`s Fastest Rollercoaster. Did we enjoyed a ride in it? Well yes we did! I will tell you about that experience later. So we entered the entrance and our driver said to come back till evening 5 pm. So we had a time deadline to catch up. Also we had a target to enjoy all the rides and have lots of fun.
It is a very beautiful place and everything is Red. Actually one of my favourite color. So when we went inside we saw the list of rides. We ran to the Go Karting to book our slot for afternoon. Yes you have to do advance booking for the Go Karting. Then we actually enjoyed a ride where in two people sit in a car and it travels. There you can see all the european culture. It was fun to enjoy that ride. There were ferrari models placed all over the place. Exotic amazing cars all around you. It gave a sense of serenity.
Then we also experienced the 4D cinema. Where in you feel like you are sitting inside the Plane and flying above Italy. It was a stunning show as we were seated, the seats uplifted us and we were like on the 4th Floor. It felt scary to one of our friends for sure. But the whole movie and experience was just fantastic. Later we also played game on a simulator. This feels like you are sitting in the ferrari. There were seats and steering wheel. It was basically a Multiplayer video game against the 8 real people over there. There were hydraulics below the seats. So when you used to steer left the seat used to uplift on right a bit, so it gave a real feeling of driving the ferrari.
Then the time arrived! We went for the World`s Fastest Rollercoaster Ride! How fast was it? Well it was very fast with top speed of staggering 239 kilometres per hour. The top speed of the rollercoaster is attained in just 5 seconds. So when we boarded the roller coaster. It was all sense of excitement. It goes 0 to 100km/h in just 2 seconds! It says Go Go Go and the rollercoaster is gone. We enjoyed the ride thoroughly.
All were screaming and it was just fun. As I had glasses so there was a safety protection over it so that I can see and enjoy the ride. It is very very very fast indeed. One of the best rides which I have experienced in my whole life! This rollercoaster ride when it came to end gave us a sense of achievement feeling. I and one of my friend liked it so much that we went on this ride again. Yes we are crazy to get this experience again, we were thousands of miles from our place and we wanted to enjoy the ride to the fullest. Superb ride it was.
Then it was time for Go Karting. We were four of us and other 4 people. We got training for few minutes about how to drive and about safety. Then it was time for the Race! This was my first Go Karting experience on track. There is no restriction, just accelerate and turn your vehicle in the game to complete the laps. There was too much fun. Real time Go Karting was a dream and that too in ferrari world made it more and more awesome.
Then we went to another cinema theatre. Where in it was a story and we have to sit in a vehicle and there is a story line about a character. This was a beautiful ride as fiction world seemed to be real with the use of technology. Then we saw real models of ferrari right from the beginning. We clicked pics and it was time to say good bye to the most amazing Ferrari World.
Day 8: Night Bus City Tour
This day morning we relaxed and had planned a lot for the evening. So we had arranged a Night Bus City Tour. Dubai looks great at night, with lights all around. So we thought of having a trip to the whole city again at night. Our journey started from Wafi. The place which showcases Egyptian culture. It was indeed great visiting that place. We had an hour to board our bus, so we explored the Wafi Mall.
Finally our Big Bus arrived and the city tour started in the evening. It was great to see all the places again in the lights. Mainly the point of attraction was the Hotel Atlantis at the Palm. So it was looking stunning at night. We clicked lot of pics from the bus itself. It was a great ride and we were on the upper deck of the bus. So it felt great indeed.
We came back to Wafi, then it was time for the famous laser show. So this show was dedicated to showcase Egyptian culture. There were lasers and sound for 10 minutes on the beautiful huge Egyptian idols. Attending this event live is always fantastic. Finally it was time to get back to our hotel and call it a day off.
Day 9: The Lost Chambers Aquarium, Atlantis The Palm Dubai
We had planned to visit this Aquarium and we were all geared up and exited to visit the Atlantis hotel again. We reached the lovely hotel Atlantis, The Palm. There is The Lost Chambers Aquarium which is like below the hotel. When you see the infrastructure it is just amazing. There are huge fish tanks inside the Aquarium. There are various types of fishes in the Aquarium. Time just flies by by looking at the fishes. So many of them and there were also places to sit and relax watching them. This was a sense of peace watching the fishes swim in the water. There are very huge water tanks in the Aquarium.
Even we saw few Scuba Divers watching the fishes. This was a great sight indeed. I loved the fact that so many types of fishes are there and also the Aquarium does seem to be inside Lost Chambers. We just relaxed on a sofa and watched the fishes for a long time. It was a great experience indeed. That gave a sense of tranquility. After visiting the Aquarium, we also saw a beautiful sunset near the hotel Atlantis, The Palm. After watching a beautiful sunset, we went to the Mall for lots of shopping and getting ready for tomorrow`s journey to go back to Mumbai.
Day 10: Return Journey
Our bags were packed and we were all set for our return journey. Well we did`nt even realized how these 10 days passed. It was a great stay and with all the memories with us we boarded our flight from Dubai to Mumbai. Yes it was again with a world class airlines Emirates. The experience was fantastic in the flight. We also got to know the exact location of the flight on the display. It was a great journey and we safely landed India.
This trip has taught us a lot of things. We enjoyed each and every moment of it and it was wonderful experience and yes it was my first international tour! ๐
Photo Credits: Saurabh, Pranay, Nirav & Me ๐
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