HOW TO EXPLORE DUBAI IN ONE DAY
In a
land where bottled water is more expensive than gasoline and when temperature
could rise more than the normal body temperature, I am beset with the issue of
how exploration could be done.
A
day at Souk Madinat with Issa, Shera
and Aaron, I was caught off guard to purchase a day pass ticket for the hop-on
hop-off bus day tour of the Big Bus
Tours of Dubai. I was hesitant at
first. The cost was around 60USD or
approximately PhP2,600.00. This will be
the first time I am in a tourist mode under an organized tour in exploring a foreign
city.
But
with the temperature and expensive cost of bottled water, the big bus is the
answer, as it comes with a free and unlimited bottled water and a full lower
deck air-conditioned bus.
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| BOOTH OF BIG BUS TOURS AT SOUK MADINAT |
The
Big Bus Dubai has three routes (City Tour, Beach Tour and Marina Tour). For half a day before going to the airport, I
availed of two routes – City and Beach Tour.
The area for registration is at Dubai Mall. The tour has a choice of 12 recorded
languages, a free desert sunset tour (which I will not avail due to intense
heat), free Sharjah Panoramic Tour, the free Atlantis Aquarium entry (for the
48-hour tour), free entry to over 10 museums, free creek dhow cruise, free
marina dhow cruise, free ride on a water bus and the free reward booklet which
I gave to my friend who is based in Dubai.
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| THE BIG BUS PARKED AT DUBAI MALL |
Given
the routes and the freebies attached, it could have been reasonable had there
been no time limitations attached. Since
I have decided that I would truly be back to Dubai, this serves as a good
introduction on my part and a perfect orientation of Dubai’s landmarks and
exceptional architectural landscape.
Every
tourist wants a good vantage of the tour, and so they decided to position
themselves on the upper deck while I care less and most of the time alone on
the lower deck for a much needed air-conditioning.
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| THE BIG BUS TOURS |
I
never went off the bus apart from transferring to another bus from the Beach
Tour for the City Tour. With the many
destinations passed through by the tour bus, there are a few that stands out.
Apart
from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest modern structure, Dubai’s most
iconic landmark is the Burj Al Arab. Resembling a billowing spinnaker sail, the
7-star hotels’ design is truly stunning and imposing. It is in fact my favorite of all the
landmarks. This and the Atlantis are the
reasons why I have to avail of the bus tours, as I told my friends, since it is
quite a distant from the city center and a hassle when commuting. I will have no tour guide on my last day as
my friends all have to work.
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| THE BURJ AL ARAB AT JUMEIRAH RESIDENCES |
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| THE BURJ AL ARAB AND THE NEVER-ENDING CONSTRUCTION WORKS AT DUBAI |
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| THE BURJ AL ARAB AT SOUK MADINAT |
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| SOUK MADINAT |
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| THE CANAL |
The Souk Madinat also provides a good
vantage to the Burj Al Arab. It presents
an authentic ancient marketplace with the traditional Middle Eastern style and
ambiance. There are aligned restaurants
and coffee shops at the outdoor with a canoe ride traversing the artificial
canal.
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| ARABIAN MERCHANDISE |
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| COLORFUL SHISHA |
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| ARABIAN STATUES |
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| THE CARPETS ON SALE |
For
the Beach Tour, we passed by the Jumeirah
Mosque, considered to be the most attractive mosques in Dubai and it really
is. It is built in the Medieval Fatimid
tradition and a good subject for photography.
If one opts to get off the bus and have a tour at the mosque, one can do
so every Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 10dirhams (approx. PhP130.00)
and it starts at 10 in the morning.
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| THE MOSQUE |
Believed
to be Dubai’s oldest building, the Al-Fahidi
Fort is home to the Dubai Museum.
As we passed by the museum, I felt uneasy as I wanted to go down and check the
museum since admission is free for Big Bus tickets, but I got nervous that I
would not make it on time to the airport.
Judging from its façade, with walls built from coral and shell cemented
together with lime and appearing like a castle, it could have been worthy of
visit.
The Gold Souk and the Spice Souk was again inviting.
I could have tried my bargaining skills on shops offering gold
necklaces, brooches, rings, bangles and earrings, but my want for air-condition
overpowered. And I was surprised to know
how cheap a 22-karat gold is. The world
different from the modern shopping centers of Dubai is the spice souk. It is an authentic market selling bags of
spices, incense, traditional medicine products and souvenirs. Again, I just have to pass by it and witness
commerce unfold as I peek through the windows of the bus.
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| GOLD FOR SALE |
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| THE SPICE SOUK AREA |
The Jumeirah Park & Public Beach is a
temptation as we passed by. But again, I
can’t manage soaking under intense heat but it could have been a picturesque
experience with camels and other recreational facilities.
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| ONE OF THE EXPENSIVE HOTELS AT JUMEIRAH |
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| A VIEW OF THE BEACH |
The
Palm is one of Dubai’s most iconic developments. On the outer breakwater of the Palm is the
Atlantis Hotel and Resort. I stepped out
of the bus for a while to check on the pedestrian avenue (since it is
air-conditioned) and it is lined with a variety of luxury boutiques. After 20 minutes I left immediately and
waited for the next bus to Dubai Mall.
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| ENTERING THE PALM |
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| THE ATLANTIS DUBAI |
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| THE CEILING OF THE ATLANTIS |
On
the way to Deira City Center (my gateway to the airport through the metro
station), as I avail of the City Tour through the bus, I was amazed that Dubai
still maintains its traditional charm in the form of commerce and trade through
the Creek. The traditional form of transport between the
eastern and western sections of the city via the creek, is a small wooden ferry
called “abra” which continues to operate.
If you hop-off the Dubai Creek, you can enjoy the free Arabian Dhow
Cruise where a view of traditional Dubai can be experienced.
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| CROSSING THE DUBAI CREEK |
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| TRADE |
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| TRADE AND COMMERCE AT THE CREEK |
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| THE ABRA STATION |
On a
City Tour, I have noticed that skyscrapers are not the usual and conventional
ones. They deviate and form a unique
architectural concept. A twin building
designed using equilateral triangles is one such unique architectural façade
and this is the Emirates Tower. The Jumeirah Emirates Towers has been
awarded “Best Business Hotel in the Middle East” for nine consecutive years.
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| DEIRA DUBAI |
As
can be glanced all over Dubai, the Burj
Khalifa, the world’s tallest building can be seen on a good vantage as you
hop-off the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping complex. The true scale of this massive building is
best experienced as the bus tour is being experienced.
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| THE DUBAI MALL |
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| THE BURJ KHALIFA |
While
some destinations are accessible through the efficient metro station that Dubai
has, the bus tours will still provide an insight of what to visit the next time
Dubai is on your travel plans. With
barely five hours allotted for the city and beach tours, I still recommend you
make most of what is available on the tours and allot the whole 24 hours when
plotting the itinerary.
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| DUBAI - THE OPEN AIR MUSEUM |
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| SIGNAGE AS SEEN FROM THE BUS WINDOW |
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