Confessions of being Dazzled in Dubai

“Aankh Zyada Karo” boomed the custom official, as I gaped at him trying hard to understand. Impatiently, he motioned at the retinal scanner. Realization dawned in a nanosecond as I started giggling uncontrollably. The magic had started!!! The country I love the most was amusing me from the minute I had stepped into the swanky Dubai Terminal 3, flown in by Emirates Airlines. After collecting my luggage, I settled in a waiting cab and reached The Atlantis at Palm Jumeirah.

This was my fifth visit to Dubai since I had moved back to India after a two-year corporate stint. Magic keeps me drawing back to this land of luxury. As a kid, I always wanted to peep into a Magician’s backstage. I believed that behind all the neat tricks shown on stage, there are dark secrets hidden backstage. Dubai, for me is an adult’s magical show with the tallest building-Burj Khalifa, largest mall- Dubai Mall, expensive cars racing down the highway, a seven star hotel and I keep going back to find that dark hidden.

I freshened up and met a friend at Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structure in the world. The observation deck, located on the 124th floor, invites one to enjoy sweeping views of Dubai. We clicked many pictures and bought a souvenir on our way out. This is a must do on any traveler's list at Dubai. 

 

Getting Ready to be on the "Top of the World.
 

The Beautiful Day View from the Burj Khalifa

 

The Scintillating night view from Burj Khalifa

Next, we headed to Shades lounge at Address Marina to watch the fiery orange sun take cover behind the horizon. An alfresco lounge overlooking the hotel’s infinity pool quickly set a stylish scene with guests dropping in to unwind on a Thursday night. We moved to Mall of Emirates for dinner at Après. We watched daredevil skiers as they catapulted down the slopes of Ski Dubai over a plate of fish and chips. The night was still young and perfect to shake a leg at Armani/Privé club. Be ready to spend AED 2000 per couple to enjoy its outlandish splendor. Shake a leg with Dubai glitterati and dance to uptempo music as you sip delicious concoctions, an evening well-spent!

Early next morning, still dreaming about the fabulous time last night, I forced myself up to enjoy the scrumptious breakfast. Today was reserved for long walks (In the shopping malls, of course!!!) Outlet Mall at Al-Ain Road (Route 66) and Dragon Mart, Al Awir Road – Dubai. At Outlet mall, one can find branded goods at fabulously reduced prices and at Dragon Mart, everything under the sun- Made In China. I picked up a nice pair of Kurt Geiger shoes, clothes, sparkly accessories, and knick-knacks from Dragon Mart.

Go here if you want some amazing deals

Polish those bargaining skills for these goodies!

The third day, after a leisurely breakfast and a dip in the pool, I went to Jumeirah beach with my friend Kristine. Being a Friday, it was crowded with people lounging on beach chairs, kayaking and enjoying water sports.

The beautiful sunset at Jumeirah Beach

One can have Sheesha too :-)

Chilling at the beach with Khristine

Gentle waves lapped at my feet and as the sun set, excitement mingled with doubt-Tonight, I had a dinner date with my Ex!!! I had to look hot, ravishing and composed to make him feel miserable (at least that’s was how I had pictured this in my head a 1000 times). I checked my reflection in the mirror one last time, held my head high and stepped into his waiting car. The easy camaraderie between us came slowly back as the evening turned into night and surprisingly, I had a lot of fun. We chatted, laughed, indulged in reminiscences but knew that we had really really moved on :) 

By end of my three-day stay, I had ticked off a few things on my bucket list:

Walked under twinkly white fairy lights in middle of the night.
Sang solo at a Karaoke bar.
Giggled myself silly at Customs of a foreign land.
Put a message in an empty bottle and let it float away in Jumeirah Beach waters
Reconnected with a friend who is not on social media.
Called up the person I had fought with sorted out my differences.
Had dinner with my Ex and truly moved on.

But the best, I took a walk down my memory lane.