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A Change in Plan…A Brief Stay in Dubai

The Burj Khalifa – tallest building in the world at 828m!

After arriving at the Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek for departure, Michel began to feel ill. For the first time on the trip, he must have taken in some bad food and suspected a bizarre side of vegetables served with last nights schnitzel. Both the two hour flight to Johannesburg and seven hour flight to Dubai proved to be quite a challenge having spent most of his time in the lavatory. When we arrived in Dubai it was 12:00am, Michel was still not feeling well and we had not slept in over 24 hours so we decided to find a hotel to rest up for our 16 hour layover we hoped to spend micro-exploring Dubai. We opted to crash in a cozy 4×7 snooze booth for an unbelievable cost of $24 per hour. Tight budget Tamaira was so devastated over the cost she didn’t sleep a wink.

The next morning when we got up Michel had now developed severe abdominal and back pain making standing and walking a real labour. Tamaira found him a spot to sit while she searched for assistance. Immediately, the medical staff at DXB had Michel downstairs in the medical clinic, with a doctor’s diagnoses of food poisoning. After two hours on an IV and still within reach of our connecting flight Michel felt a lot better however we decided to prolong our connecting flight to Kathmandu to ensure a proper recovery and also possibly tour Dubai for a few days.

Now feeling 100%, we were able to venture about Dubai. We found the diverse local population was quite courteous, friendly and polite. We observed countless teenage boys and older gentleman kindly offering females their seats on the metro. It was refreshing to roam around a city of this size that was so clean and felt very safe.

Camel racing

Visit to the Jumeirah Mosque

Michel dressed in a dishdash (white robe) and a Keffiyeh (head scarf)

Atlantis on Palm Island

One of the many aromatic spice souks

The Burj Al Arab – the only 7 star hotel in the world

We have Michel’s food poisoning to thank for the experiences of bargaining in the souks, gazing at the architecture and cheering on our favourite camels at the track while sipping camel milk. Next up, Nepal! Can’t wait.

Cheers, Tamaira & Michel

Tags: Atlantis, Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, Camel Racing, Dubai, Travel

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Daisy Prado says : 2014/04/20 at 7:07 AM
$24 per hour?? I would have not slept either! haha :) But out of every hiccup there is a story! Glad everything worked out for you guys.
Happy Travels,
Daisy

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- Rambling Gadabouts says : 2014/05/06 at 1:50 PM
  It was no doubt steep but with the way I was feeling I may have even paid $50/hr… Cheers, Tamaira & Michel
  
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backpackerlee says : 2014/04/27 at 11:27 PM
http://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/burj-khalifa-high-in-dubai/

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- Rambling Gadabouts says : 2014/05/06 at 1:40 PM
  Thanks for the great link! Unfortunately the advance spaces were booked solid for weeks past our departure from Dubai and we weren’t willing to pay 400AED… Something to do in Dubai next time. Cheers, Tamaira & Michel
  
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Mom & Dad says : 2014/05/13 at 8:54 PM
Hi
Dubai looks like a place to put on the bucket list of must sees, did you guys get a chance to go into the 7 star hotel it looks absolutley amazing? glad that you guys are having a great time
Mom & Dad

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- Rambling Gadabouts says : 2014/05/21 at 10:30 AM
  The hotel is not open to the general public and although we would usually try to talk our way around ‘soft’ rules we felt our chances of success were limited. Afternoon tea starting at AED 360 (~ 106 CAD) each is one the more economical ways to gain access but was outside of our budget for this trip…. The food is surely spectacular and we’d really consider budgeting for this experience should we ever visit Dubai in the future. For a cool post on the hotel checkout http://www.adventurouskate.com/visiting-the-burj-al-arab-the-worlds-most-luxurious-hotel/
  
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