The End.
KIDDING! :) So this past weekend I jumped into a car with 4 of my friends and caravanned (is that even a word?) with another car full of friends to Dubai for the weekend to celebrate the birthdays of two of my new friends. To be honest, the drive between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is boring...it's road and sand....and some industrial things...maybe a fence or two and let's not forget the huge roadside signs of the Sheikh after which the road is named. But really - it's just desert...and not Arizona desert - I mean sandy desert.
Anyway - pulling into Dubai I got a little misty-eyed. It is still amazing to me that I live here. For the majority of the week, my life is just work. To and from school, maybe walking to the convenience store for water or milk or whatever, but it's just work life. On the weekends when I get out of the city or get out in the city to explore, that's when it hits me that I'm not in America anymore - I'm living in a part of the world where traveling to amazing locations is easy and accessible. So, for this small town girl from Montana, pulling into Dubai, one of the most talked about and amazing cities in the world, was a bit overwhelming.
Our first stop was our hotel...the Auris next to the Mall of the Emirates. We dropped off our bags and then walked over to the mall where the girls had made reservations at the "largest Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the world." It was a massive restaurant...situated right at the end of the indoor ski hill, Ski Dubai, which is the third largest indoor ski hill in the world. We sat and ate dinner and watched skiers and other snow enthusiasts slip and slide their way down the hill. What a fun place to eat! Check out this video for what it looks like to ski here. Ski Dubai
After dinner we got ready for our night out at Barsati's. Barsati's This is an amazing venue - right on the beach with the Dubai skyline on one side and the Persian Gulf on the other. A truly stunning setting and the perfect place to celebrate two 20 something's birthdays :) It was a night to remember!
The next morning we got up and headed out to brunch at Double Decker - a UK style pub with an all you can eat/drink brunch for only 199 AED. It was so good!
There were a few of us who were headed home that day so we made our way across to the Dubai Mall (directly adjacent to the Burj Khalifa) for a little afternoon shopping and site seeing. There is an aquarium in the mall, stocked with gorgeous fish. You can also SCUBA dive in the aquarium for a price. How fun is that? However, I'm not sure if I want to come face to face with any sharks. ;) I do know this - I am definitely looking forward to spending more time in Dubai soon!
The pre-party pic.
Outside Barsati's with the girls. That's the Dubai skyline behind us.
More of my beautiful new friends.
Dubai skyline.
A gorgeous Bentley convertible outside our hotel.
Post-party pic - not too bad for it being 4:30am.
Our view on the way to brunch.
Laura and I in the cab to brunch.
Double Decker's
SCUBA diving in the aquarium at the Dubai Mall
The ceiling in the mall. I want these twinkle lights in my house on my ceiling. :)
Leaving Dubai
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