Dubai

We arrived in Dubai on a bus from Muscat, and the difference between the cities was nearly an overstimulation of the senses. Dubai is big, like really BIG, there are skyscraper as far as the eye can see, modern public transport, many people all over, and more shopping malls than we could count. We planned to stay in town for two nights, and then move on to India by plane. After having managed our previous destinations mainly with Airbnb and booking.com, we had some great Couchsurfing experiences in Dubai: Our host Shaji showed us around and was very generous, it felt as if we had been friends for a long time. Fun fact: His hometown is in Kerala, the place where we are headed in India. Therefore, he was able to give us many precious tips for this country and its culture.

Back to Dubai. We enjoyed staying in this megalopolis. We figured out that it is truly no city to hang out outside, because nothing is close enough to get there walking, and the heat is almost unbearable. To remain in air conditionned places at all times is not difficult, though. There are long pedestrian hallways from the metro stations to the shopping malls, and we figured that these are the places where people spend their time. The malls are huge, and we could just walked around for hours (Dubai Mall is the biggest mall in the world, by the way). One evening, we had the opportunity to go to the top of the world: The Burj Khalifa. The building is about 830 m high, and the view from the highest visitor platform is really impressive. It feels more like the one out of an airplane.

Pretty high. And this is only floor no. 73 of 207. The highest we got was 123.

For all car lovers: Dubai is like a safari with cars instead of animals. Some pretty rare and customized luxury cars all around. My husband was thrilled.

Pretty rare species: A golden Lamborghini.