Where In The World?: First Day in Dubai

Saturday, February 8, 2020

First Day in Dubai

I arrived around 7:00 PM last night. The airport was immense and very opulent. I had arranged with Marhaba through Emirates (recommended by my friend, Paula) for a greeter to meet me. After a 13 hour flight with no sleep, I was very glad to see him holding up my name when I arrived near baggage claim. We sped through customs, and then he handled the baggage while I went to the ATM.

We then went outside to get a pink-roofed taxi which is also known as a ladies taxi. The ride to Jumeriah Beach Residence where I had booked an AirBnB was about 40 minutes. There was quite a bit of traffic, but the city was pretty with the lights and so many unusual stores lit up. It was interesting to see a lot of US businesses like Subway written in English/Arabic.

At the apartment, Kashem was waiting outside, and he proceeded to explain all the ins and outs of the apt. It was candlelit with roses and rose petals strewn about for a special welcome. (I had also seen rose petals used as a welcome in Africa.) Very pretty! There is a spirit of hospitality that is very evident in all the people I’ve meet so far.

Next. I went to Carrefour, the local grocery story which was a quick 5 minute walkaway. I knew I wanted coffee, fruit, cereal, etc. for the next morning, not to mention something more for dinner. Unfortunately, I got a little disoriented on the way back to Rimal 4 which is the address of my JBR tower. I quickly retraced my steps and found it easily.

Dinner on the balcony overlooking the pool and the city of Dubai was beautiful.