Place to be: Dubai & Abu Dhabi

While I am writing this blog post, I am currently on a plane from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne and then Adelaide. I look back on the past few days, which have been more than crazy, and I find it difficult to find a beginning to my first adventure story.

The last week before departure was actually an emotional roller coaster. A mix of homesickness and wanderlust, and excitement and anticipation increasing by the minute. But these days have also shown me what great friends I actually have and that I can always look forward to coming back home! Thank you again, my dear ones! I am so happy to have you! On the day of our departure, my sister and her boyfriend Doug finally came to take me to the airport. After an emotional goodbye with my favorite Lisa, we finally started. Closing the front door one last time and saying goodbye to home. Unexpectedly, my excitement increased even more on the way to Munich and my fear disappeared. At the latest at the airport, I realized: Vreni, you cool dog, you can finally call yourself a backpacker! Check! After some turbulence with my travel mate Lisa, we finally met her just in time for boarding. Thank God, the farewell from Mona and Doug was short and with smiling faces. I also want to say a big thank you to both of you for accompanying me patiently and calmly. You guys are awesome! And there we go, it's half past 11 pm and we're already off! For the first time, I board a plane and can even sit by the window. We roll across the runways and then take off, the plane lifts off and veers into the night in a big curve. Damn, it's beautiful. I'm flying. Tears come to my eyes.

After a short night, the new day greets us with a beautiful sunrise and finally we land around 7 am in Abu Dhabi. We get off the plane and are greeted with a well-intentioned slap of heat. It's crazy hot. And it's only morning. Our next destination is an Etihad bus, which takes us to Dubai in a little over an hour. Supplied with water, Mentos, and other stuff, we drive through the desert, interrupted by construction sites and billboards in the middle of nowhere. Arriving in Dubai, a taxi takes us to our hotel, the Rove Downtown.

Taking a taxi is practically a bargain. They charge 0.5 Dirhams per kilometer without considering the duration of our journey. Converted, about 4.1 Dirhams is one Euro. Top! But even better were the taxi drivers, who came from India and Bangladesh. One of the drivers told us that he pays 500 Dirhams per month for a room (!), which he shares with 8 (!!!) other people. A glimpse into the fancy world of Dubai from a different perspective. Even our hotel is great. The furnishings are a mixture of Arabian and retro style, and we have a pool overlooking 3 towers, including the Burj Khalifa.

In general, everyone here is overly accommodating. The backpacks were always taken from us and even the taxis were called by a hotel employee.

Positive culture shock, so to speak.

After a quick dip in the pool, our first destination is Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world. Hundreds of stores line up, ranging from high-end to luxury. It's difficult to keep track, but who needs to when there are giant aquariums, Hermes, an ice skating rink, and Victoria's Secret?

After finally finding the exit, the next stop was Burj Khalifa. With the (once again) fastest elevator, we went up to the 124th floor. An incredible view and a beautiful sunset awaited us. As it got later, Dubai lit up and fewer people were on the deck.

Once back on the ground, we visited the Water Fountains, the tallest fountains in the world (no joke).

Day 2 in Dubai had JBR Beach right next to the Burj al Arab in store for us. White sandy beach and almost warm sea, very very nice although some cooling off wouldn't have hurt with the felt 50 degrees.

Another highlight was our safari tour, where we were picked up in white SUVs and could go for dune bashing. A dream for the motor enthusiast in me!

Then we drove through Dubai's dunes and finally arrived at a camp with Arabian food, traditional dances, and more. We sat on a camel for a few minutes, but were glad to be back on the ground as the animal seemed to want to throw us off. On the way back, a very interesting conversation about Islam arose, as both our guide and a fellow traveler were Muslims. The signs for the end of the world from the Quran were particularly surprising, for example, when skyscrapers reach too high into the sky. Strange that exactly in Dubai, a city predominantly of Muslims, the tallest towers are being built.

Another love: Arabic coffee with dates. Awww.

The next day, we had to say goodbye and off to Abu Dhabi. Our destination was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. A beautiful building, beautiful decorations, absolutely beautiful. The only catch: neon-colored dresses in leopard and zebra patterns for coverage. Yeah... we felt a bit tricked.

The constant stares at us were also a bit strange. After taking a photo of the gigantic 12-ton chandelier, my hood slipped down. Not even 3 seconds later, I was sternly instructed to immediately put it back on. Damn, chill out.

In the evening, we treated ourselves to a round of pool and cocktails. Eventually, we also had to say goodbye to Abu Dhabi. Our plane took off at around 11:00 Arabic time and the sun set at 4:30. Our flight lasted until 7 o'clock Australian time, and then another hour to Adelaide. The next challenge: kick the jet lag's ass. You won't beat us!