Dubai is an easy drive from Abu Dhabi. It's only about an hour and a half away, so it makes for an easy day trip. A couple friends of mine and I decided to go for the weekend, though, and we rented a hotel room. I was a bit surprised when entering Dubai (from the west), because I did not immediately see the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building. It turns out that Dubai really has two different skylines. There is a western skyline you travel through first, and then another central(or eastern) skyline. The two skylines are separated by several kilometers (yes, I said kilometers) of low-rise buildings.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi, though they are part of the same country, contrast greatly, and in many ways. The first thing I noticed is that most of the structures are much newer in Dubai than in Abu Dhabi. As most everyone knows, Dubai went construction crazy for several years and over-developed the country. Now, with the realities of today's economic climate hitting hard, many of these structures are vacant, or even unfinished. The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai, was formerly named the Burj Dubai. When the economy stumbled, the ruler of Dubai needed to borrow $10 Billion from Abu Dhabi. The ruler in Abu Dhabi agreed to loan the money, contingent that the world's tallest building would be renamed the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa is the Abu Dhabi rulers name). In addition to the world's tallest building, Dubai has also created several man-made islands. One island is called The World, because from an Aerial view it looks like the globe. The Palm Jumeirah, shaped like a Palm tree, is probably the most famous of the islands. On the island is an abundance of housing, as well as the Atlantis resort and the Aquaventure waterpark. We visited the island, but did not enter either Atlantis or Aquaventure. The 7-star hotel, Burj Al Arabia, is also visible from the Palm Jumeirah. The closest thing Abu Dhabi has to any of this is the Palace Emirates Hotel. Also, Abu Dhabi does have some man-made islands, but they are not extravagantly shaped.
Dubai is also different because it is much more diverse. I could not help but notice a larger population of Westerners. I even saw a guy wearing a Bears jersey that I yelled to from the car as we were passing! In addition to Westerners, I also noticed a larger middle-to-upper class Indian population. There is a fairly large Indian population in Abu Dhabi, but most of them you don't see on the street. They are mostly workers, that many deem to be working for slave wages (that's a whole 'nother blog that might get me deported).
In general, Dubai is much more liberal than Abu Dhabi. For example, in Abu Dhabi you can't get pork products at any restaurant due to Muslim practices. However, in Dubai I was able to order a ham sandwich at the first sandwich shop we visited. That was a welcome relief because I miss my pork products!!
While In Dubai, we visited the Dubai Mall, which I was told is the second largest mall in the world next to the Mall of America. The mall has an enormous aquarium, it's own gold souk, and even a Pizzeria Uno!! It is through the mall that you can reach the top of the Burj Khalifa, though we did not go to the top because the line was long and the price was not friendly. We also did a boat cruise on Dubai Creek, which is more like a salt water river running in from the Arabian Gulf, than an actual creek.
Pictured below: Burj Khlifa, Dubai Aquarium.
Last week we left our desert paradise for a reality check, and a return to western life by visiting Amsterdam. We were able to leave due to the Eid Al Adha Muslim holiday. Three friends and I departed from Abu Dhabi on a red eye 1:00 A.M. flight, flew through Frankfurt, Germany and arrived in Amsterdam at about 8 A.M. The cool temperatures and fall colors were a welcome relief from the relentless desert sun. We took a train from Schipol airport to Amsterdam's Central Station and were on our way. We rented an apartment, two blocks from city center, for a very reasonable price.
Our first day there was a beautiful, sunny day, filled with lots of fall colors in Vondel Park. While there, we walked nearly everywhere. Most people there either walk or ride bikes virtually everywhere, too. It's no wonder that it's among the healthiest countries in the entire world. The park was beautiful and we were able to sit at an outdoor cafe, enjoy a local beverage, and do lots of people watching. I remember feeling the most relaxed I had felt since leaving The States. It really felt like home even though I was nowhere close to home!
Our visit to Amsterdam included stops at the Van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank House, a canal cruise, a stroll (or two) through the Red Light district, and yes, a visit to a coffee shop. There were lots of street performers putting on incredible displays too. The highlight for me was probably the Anne Frank House. It was incredible to see, still preserved in glass, the actual pictures she had posted on the wall in her bedroom. That really struck a deep chord for me to walk where she had walked, written, and lived during such a horrible time for humanity.
Pictured below: Swan in Vondel Park, Museumplein, Dam Square, Anne Frank House, Mother teaching daughter to ride a bike, and canal cruise.
