Although we had travelled all through the night, we didnt want to go to sleep as we only had two nights in Dubai and wanted to see as much as possible so we went straight up to the 43rd floor of the hotel to see the famous Dubai skyline. It really is incredible. It is just a mass of modern buildings, dumped in the middle of the desert. Very strange when you actually see it with our own eyes. We then attempted to sun bath in over 40c heat. Needless to say it was not that succesful! I have never been so hot in all my life and it is such a different heat to Asia. You just feel like you are physically melting as there is no humidity.
We got picked up at 2pm ready for our jeep safari. We drove out to the desert for about 2 hours and then jumped into a jeep. We drove over the dunes for about 10 minutes which was a really great experience, especially because the drivers are nuts! We even saw one jeep that had managed to get completely stuck in the sand. The jeep then dropped us off in the middle of the desert where we had a buffet dinner. I also got a henna tattoo and we had a go on the shisha pipes.
When it started to get dark we then had some evening entertainment which included bellydancing. It was a good night but I am glad we only paid a groupon price for it as it was a bit disorganised and could have been better! The jeep then took us back across the dunes to the coach. We went up to the hotel bar when we got back to have a quick drink before bed and check out Dubai at night.
It was lucky that we booked it online a few weeks before because the whole time we were there was sold out otherwise. We only just arrived there in time as you have to walk quite a way from the metro station to actually get to the building and then we couldnt find the entrance. One thing we noticed with Dubai is that you can't really go there on a budget. The infastructure is fine for cars but I don't think they expect anyone to be 'poor' enough to be on 'foot'! There are no pavements hardly anywhere so at one stage we eneded up walking along a dual carriageway! Probably not the safest way to travel considering they all drive at about 100mph.
Anyway, we did manage to get there in time and it was definately worth it. When we got out of the lift on the 147th floor and looked out my legs went all funny! You are so high up it is the strangest feeling. Looking out over Dubai was incredible. We took about a million photos and then walked around the Dubai Mall at the bottom. You could spend a fortune if you had the money. We walked around in the clothes we had been wearing for the last six months with about 20p in our pockets and have to say felt a little bit inadequate with all the glamourous couples walking around with about 20 bags of shopping! We spent the rest of the afternoon spotting all the famous attractions in Dubai including the Marina, the Palm and the 6 star hotel.
The 6 star hotel looks a lot better in photos- it really isn't all that from up close. We also made a little trip to the beach as we thought it would be rude not to. We then headed back to the mall for dinner and then watched the famous water fountain show which again was really entertaining! We had an incredible time in Dubai and would definately go back for a holiday with a lot more money to spend. I think we would also go a bit later on in the year, perhaps September or October so it is not quite as hot. All in all though a great way to finish off the most incredible six months of our lives. No regrets and just a lot of fantastic memories with some great people.
Now we just need to plan the next trip............
