A Week in the United Arab Emirates

Cultural Heritage Surrounded By Modern Luxury

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the UAE?

For most people, the answer is either luxury or oil.

It’s quite fitting since these two things are not unrelated within the context of this country.

The cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become virtual playgrounds for the wealthy over the past few decades.

The booming oil and gas production sector has played a major part in catapulting the UAE into the Top 10 on the list of the world’s wealthiest countries.

Contrary to popular belief, however, their thriving economy does NOT rely on oil production anymore! In fact, it only accounts for 15% of their current GDP.

The vast majority of the oil boom occurred between the 1960s and 1990s. The UAE was not officially founded until 1971.

What really cemented the success of this relatively small nation’s economy was leveraging the massive influx of capital by reinvesting it right back into the country.

The UAE is now a thriving tourist hotspot, frequent host to major sporting events, major transportation hub, and global business epicenter!

Apart from attracting so many visitors, the UAE has also become an incredibly popular place to move.

Why? Well, its quite simple. The quality of life is off the charts!

Fantastic infrastructure, vibrant city life, dependable healthcare, low crime, plenty of job opportunity, reputable universities, a well-connected collection of airports, and a wonderfully diverse population.

Sidney and I would strongly consider a move to the Emirates if it weren’t for one trade-off. There is absolutely NO WAY we could ever get used to the sweltering heat!

Temperatures often reach over 115 degrees in the summer months while rarely dipping under 90 in the Fall and early Winter!

With that said, we made the UAE our home for 9 days back in November and enjoyed the experience immensely.

We were so excited when we found an extremely cheap direct flight on WizzAir from Ankara, Türkiye to Abu Dhabi.

The old adage “you get what you pay for” definitely applied here 😂

It was a very uncomfortable plane to be on for over 3 hours.

The saving grace of the experience was that the views out of the window were spectacular!

The valleys, lakes, and mountaintops of Eastern Türkiye and Northern Iraq were really beautiful.

While I was tracking the flight pattern, I was curious why we started our flight due east when our destination was southeast.

I quickly realized that the plane was navigating around Syria. Even civilian airplanes are strongly advised not to enter Syrian airspace.

As I looked down at the gorgeous landscapes, it made me sad to think about how this region has been absolutely decimated by war my entire life.

Many historians consider Iraq and Syria to be the “cradle of civilization”. The ancient Mesopotamian societies that roamed these lands pre-date even the Greek and Roman empires.

The first known cities, agriculture, and even written language developed in this region over 10,000 years ago.

The rich cultural heritage and ancient ruins would be incredible to see in person. I hope with all my heart that Sidney and I are able to visit in our lifetimes. Not just so we can see it, but because this would mean that the horrifying carnage of war had finally subsided in a place where it has become far too familiar.

Our flight made its way directly over Baghdad and Kuwait before gliding down across the Persian Gulf and into Abu Dhabi International Airport.

It was really interesting seeing the landscapes surrounding the city. Abu Dhabi is quite literally in the middle of a vast desert!

We decided to stay in Abu Dhabi rather than Dubai for two reasons.

The first reason, as I mentioned, was that we scored a great deal on the flight. The second was that we also found an amazing deal on our hotel!

The Capital One Venture X card has been such a fantastic tool for our travels this time around. Along with the unlimited lounge access at airports, we have also scored a few random deals on accommodations.

We ended up getting a $200 discount in Abu Dhabi, which added up to 3 free nights!

While this city may not get the same amount of attention and adoration as its flashy younger sibling, we found it to be a fascinating blend of old and new!

The highlight, without a doubt, is the stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This magnificent monument to the founder of the UAE is easily in the conversation for coolest thing we saw all year long.

It is actually relatively new! The Mosque opened to the public for the first time in 2007 after an 11-year construction process.

If you follow us on Instagram, you already know that we were quite mesmerized by the mosque. We simply couldn’t stop taking pictures!

(If you don’t follow us on Instagram, check us out @maxandsidney 😁)

It was built to represent the UAE’s harmony between religious heritage and cutting-edge modern design.

There are also features of the building that are reminiscent of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal in India.

The thing I will never forget about the Grand Mosque is how blinding bright the white colors were in the Abu Dhabi sun. The color scheme of white and gold make the entire building glow under the ultraviolet light.

Abu Dhabi is both smaller and less busy than Dubai. However, it is the capital city of the UAE, and older by far than the rapidly growing super-city to the east. In fact, it is considered a far more influential city than Dubai on the world stage!

“Abu” is the Arabic word for “father” and “Dhabi” is the Arabic word for “gazelle”. There are many gazelles in the Arabian Desert, and because of this, there are several stories in Arabic folklore involving the unique animal.

Abu Dhabi was a prominent trading outpost for centuries, specifically for the pearl trade. These days, it serves as headquarters for many global entities including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the entire world.

When you hear about all of the big investments into sports teams and leagues, this fund is one of the biggest players in that emerging race.

I mentioned in the beginning how the UAE hosts several major sporting events. The biggest event of all is the prestigious Formula One race known as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

This race takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit, which has become a virtual theme park for racing enthusiasts. The centerpiece of this complex is a literal theme park called “Ferrari World”.

Here, you can learn all about Enzo Ferrari’s empire, drive a Ferrari yourself, and take a spin on the fastest roller coaster in the world!

Ferrari World features the signature bright red all over the outside of the building which makes it very easy to spot when taking off from the nearby airport!

Okay, I’ve hinted at it a few times now. Let’s talk about the crowning jewel of the United Arab Emirates. The one and only Dubai.

While we were researching the UAE and putting our itinerary together, we had two major takeaways.

The first was that we HAD to experience Dubai. It just seemed like one of those places that we had to see with our own eyes.

The second was that Dubai was going to be very expensive, and we were not going to be able to afford much time there.

This may sound like quite the conundrum, but all of our time living out of suitcases has taught us a thing or two about being frugal.

It turns out that Abu Dhabi and Dubai are only separated by 80 miles! Even better, there is an hourly bus service connecting the cities that runs from 6am until midnight!

We realized that we didn’t even have to book a hotel in Dubai to visit. We made several day trips on the bus from Abu Dhabi that ended up being relatively painless and VERY affordable!

Now obviously, our backpacker budget didn’t have room for the infamous Dubai highlights like sky-diving over the Palm, test-driving a Lamborghini, swimming in the world’s deepest pool, zip lining across the marina, or any of the other comically luxurious experiences the city is known for.

Not a problem! We were able to check off everything on our Dubai checklist in 3 days.

The top of this list could honestly have been the only thing on the list and we still would have been happy.

Getting to see the Burj Khalifa in person was an experience I will never forget.

The scale of this gargantuan tower is hard to put into words. But I will try!

When it comes to tall buildings, the Burj Khalifa is the undisputed world champion. It is the tallest building on the planet at a height of 2,717 feet. This is almost 1,000 feet taller than our tallest building (One World Trade in New York City).

Since 1,000 feet isn’t much of a reference point in our minds, I will put it another way.

Many of you know that Sidney and I had a spectacular city view from our last apartment in Chicago. I have written about it a few times.

I loved that apartment, and I loved that view! I would look right out of our bedroom window toward the giant Willis Tower every single day and it never ceased to amaze me.

In a city full of skyscrapers, the Willis Tower rises above every other building in Chicago by quite a large margin. It can even be seen from several of the Chicago suburbs.

Well…. the Burj Khalifa is almost exactly the same height as TWO Willis Towers would be if they were stacked on top of each other.

🤯🤯🤯

This magnificent tower is the main attraction of the city, and that is no secret to anyone. Not even to the numerous developers around the downtown area!

It seems like no matter where you are in downtown Dubai, you can find a breathtaking view of the Burj Khalifa. The entire city was built around it like a giant, ornate frame on a painting.

Okay, enough about a building. We didn’t take an hour-long bus just to see a building! (Well, actually, we kinda did 😂)

The Burj Khalifa is surrounded by two other major attractions in the heart of Dubai.

One of them lies right at the foot of the tower. The Dubai Fountain is one of the most awe-inspiring water displays in the entire world.

The fountain is in the center of a large man-made lake that is surrounded by restaurants and shopping.

It was actually designed by the same company that created the Bellagio Fountain in Vegas! While the effects of the water jets are quite similar to the Bellagio, the Dubai Fountain is much larger!

At any point, this engineering marvel can spray up to 22,000 gallons of water into the air. The fountain shows occur every half hour from 6pm to 11pm every night.

Here’s the best part.

The show is choreographed to a different song every time!

We saw several shows from a few different angles, but the most memorable was Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”.

(Check out our Instagram to get a sneak peek before the YouTube video!)

The other major attraction, right underneath the Burj Khalifa’s massive shadow, is yet another world record holding facility.

The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in the entire world by total land area (3.7 million square feet).

It actually ranks quite a bit lower when it comes to total shops, but this is mainly because a great deal of space is taken up by a giant aquarium, a movie theater, an ice skating rink, and yet another fountain!

We spent almost an entire day in the mall for a YouTube video, and I can confirm it is easy to get lost in there!

If you look at the list of largest malls in the world, you will notice that many of them are in the Middle East!

Malls are very popular in the UAE. There was a mall right under the Grand Mosque, a mall across the street from both bus stations, a mall by the Formula One track, and multiple malls in central Dubai!

Normally, Sidney and I are not really mall people. But I will say, I can understand why the Emiratis love them so much!

Not only are they clean places where there are plenty of things to do, they are also GLORIOUSLY air conditioned!

Even during the early Winter, there were times during our visit where a 10 minute walk outside was enough to completely wipe us out.

The desert heat is a force to be reckoned with. The alarming temperatures are only half the equation. It is also incredibly humid all year round.

Therefore, there is no better way to beat the heat than to spend your afternoon in a mall!

I think the thing that normally depresses me about a mall is the monotony of it all. Every mall I’ve ever been to seems to have the same stores, the same fast food chains, and even the same visual aesthetic.

While it certainly wasn’t hard to find the familiar chains and clothing stores in the UAE malls, we also came across things we have never even heard of!

For example, we got to try Al Baik, a very popular chicken nugget joint from Saudi Arabia. We discovered a fantastic coffee chain called “% Arabica” that serves the best Spanish lattes I think I’ve ever had.

We even got the browse the Huawei store! This is a Chinese phone company that is completely banned in the US for national security reasons 😳

I definitely don’t know enough to comment on all of that…..but can I just say is that their phones are pretty freaking cool! Sorry Apple 😅

It was even cool to see our familiar US chains like McDonalds, Burger King, and even Papa John’s written in Arabic!

Before arriving in the UAE, the idea of spending an entire day in a mall would have been a horrifying thought. I humbly admit that I enjoyed the experience immensely!

However, I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t point out that there is plenty more to the Emirati food scene than chains in the malls.

Arabic coffee is a staple of the Emirati experience. It has some similarities to Turkish coffee, but the main difference is that Arabic coffee is spiced with cardamom which gives it a peppery flavor.

While it is extremely bitter, its a very enjoyable sipper that definitely wakes you up in the morning!

As far as food goes, nothing quite says “Emirati comfort food” like shawarma.

Sidney and I have had shawarma before, and quite honestly, we didn’t even know that it had origins in the Arabian peninsula!

This delicious street food likely has ties all the way back to the Ottoman Empire, which is why there are such strong similarities to döner kebabs in Türkiye and gyros in Greece.

The main difference between shawarma and gyros is that shawarma has a signature marinade that gives the meat a smoky and sweet flavor.

Nothing satisfied our hunger brought on by the desert heat like a hot shawarma wrap and an iced tea or fresh squeezed juice!

While a beer would be a nice accompaniment as well, it is not as easy to come by.

Since the UAE is a Muslim country governed under Shariah Law, alcohol consumption is very uncommon. It is not impossible to find establishments serving alcohol, but there is a massive catch.

The alcohol tax alone makes the UAE one of the most expensive places in the world to drink. A beer will cost between 15-20 dollars, and cocktail prices reach the 30’s at some of the Dubai rooftop bars!

It is also a complete hassle to buy alcohol at stores. There are only a few places in the country with a license to sell and all tourists are required to get a 30-day alcohol license on top of that.

Needless to say, we didn’t bother with any of that trouble. We stuck strictly to water, coffee, and delicious pomegranate juice!

The UAE is a rapidly-growing country, and with all of that growth comes change.

The two major cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are unrecognizable compared to what they looked like even 10-15 years ago.

While it may seem like an intimidating place on the outside, we found it to be extremely welcoming and diverse.

English is widely spoken because of the many immigrants from Europe, South Asia, and really all over!

On top of that, everyone we had interactions with were both friendly and helpful.

While it was very important to pay close attention to the conservative laws, we felt completely comfortable wearing shorts in public and showing affection (appropriately).

There is often a lot of discussion around these topics when it comes to the UAE, but we found it to be a far more open-minded place than we had previously heard it described.

At the end of the day, being a little extra mindful about showing respect and modesty in public was all it took to make us feel completely comfortable and safe!

While the UAE may not be for everyone, it is a place that had piqued our curiosity for a very long time. It was definitely a bucket list moment to finally visit!

I am very intrigued to see how different it looks 10 years from now. The development is showing no signs of slowing down.

Did you notice how I used the phrase “world’s largest” quite a lot in this newsletter? The UAE likes to go where no one has gone before, and I am honestly quite excited to see what they come up with next!

Our next stop was another Arabian Gulf nation just a few hundred miles to the north.

More on that in the next one!