Travel Log #1: Dubai

I realize I've done a pretty terrible job of posting about my travels. It's been a more than interesting 3 years and I've been to places in the world I never thought I'd go. So, mainly to maintain my memories, I'll start at the beginning and post occasionally about where we've gone and what my experience was like.

We had just moved to Singapore and had literally been in the country for 3 days before my hubby had to take a business trip. I can't even remember where he was going but he was gone for at least 10 days. We lived in a 4-story, 100 year old house that had been remodeled and was gorgeous. However, it was old. It was impossible to keep cool, there were lots of lizards IN the house and it rattled every time a car drove by. Even though I had lived alone for at least 3 years, being in this house alone at night scared me to death. I tried my best to do everything to stay in bed but by midnight I found myself on the couch with the tv and all the lights in the house on.

One night during my husband's trip, around 2am, I was on the phone with a friend from the US. Suddenly I heard a huge CRASH and the noise continued for a few seconds. Immediately my heart started pounding out of my chest. I got weak in the knees as I thought someone was breaking into the house. Here I am in a new country all alone. I don't even know how to call the police. I tried to maintain my composure and continued talking to my friend as I started to roam the house. I was completely terrified! Turns out, the wind had blown one of the windows open and it was banging open and closed. Phew. It took my heart at least 15 minutes to return to a normal beat and I spent the whole night awake.

The view from the hotel lounge

My husband came home to a scared insomniac and I told him he better take me on his next trip or I was going home (My husbands' version of this story is that he suggested I go with him on his next trip). Thankfully, he did take me and that's how I ended up visiting Dubai.

Dubai is an amazing and very different city. There is the Dubai Creek that runs through the middle of the city and then there is the Persian Gulf. When our plane landed, I was blown away at how close we were in proximity to Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. All these places you hear about in the news. I was in the Middle East. I was excited and a little scared too.

Since my hubby was working, I had to entertain myself. Dubai really isn't a place where a woman can walk down the street on her own. So, I asked my hubby to book me a site seeing tour. I was thinking I'd be on a double decker bus with the rest of the tourists. The morning of the tour, the hotel lobby called to say my ride had arrived. I walked down to find a beautiful Mercedes with tinted windows and a man in a suit who was going to drive me around the city for the next 5 hours!!! I am laughing as I write this because at first it was so awkward. The man was very nice and it all ended up fine. Here are just a few highlights:

The world's only 7 star hotel

The world's tallest building

                                                                      

When I wasn't touring the city, I was mostly laying by the hotel pool. It was March and the weather was beautiful! My hubby took some time out of work to take me to the Gold souk (market) where there were soooooo many jewelry stores and stands, all gold. I was in heaven. Then we had a wonderful traditional Middle Eastern dinner with belly dancing included (not us dancing).

Dubai was the first place in the world I really stepped out on my own. Although my hubby was with me, he was there to work so I was truly my own travel companion. I remember feeling lonely, missing my friends and wondering if I could really handle what I had gotten myself into. But there was also a part of me that started to grow. A little spark was lit inside that said "what else is out there in this great big world?" My interest was piqued and Dubai was just the beginning...