Only a short overland trip from Northern Oman away are the United Arab Emirates. World famous for its luxurious lifestyle, oil & gas wealth, the fancy city of Dubai and world-class airlines. We had the opportunity to explore the UAE for 7 days, 3.5 in Dubai and 3.5 in Abu Dhabi.
Honestly, I was never really interested in visiting Dubai but since it was on our overland itinerary anyway I gave it a try. Many of my negative prejudices indeed got confirmed: A lot of showing off, a very specific & unlikeable crowd of visitors and thousands of gold diggers, influencers & wannabes living there. Many travellers I met before described Dubai as one huge shopping mall without any soul which I partly would agree with. But besides that, the city is of course incredibly interesting: Insanely modern, futuristic style, artificial islands, the highest building in the world and a very very diverse population.
Kind of the highlight of our time in Dubai was our Couchsurfing host Harry, who has a very interesting lifestyle and hosted more than 500 people from around 100 countries! I got a lot of insights about Dubai from him and just had a great time together. Right now his goal is to host a person from every country around the world, so if you are from a kind of exotic country, feel free to contact me for a great time in Dubai! :D
Abu Dhabi, the federal capital of the UAE is quite different compared to Dubai. The city consists of several islands and has a very relaxed atmosphere. The cornice is a really beautiful place to have a walk and the stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was one of the most impressive buildings I have seen in my life. Our American host Michael, who plans to buy land and live on a farm in Yemen was quite an interesting character as well.
What you can call a Mission Impossible is to find local Emiratis in the UAE. Besides police officers and border officers, it's nearly impossible since you will be surrounded by foreigners (mostly from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines or Russia) all the time. The majority of Emiratis live completely isolated from the foreign working class in their own luxurious bubble.
The UAE are for sure worth a visit and I would especially recommend using a stopover of 1 or 2 days between flights to explore one of the two cities.
One video I really recommend to learn a few funny and interesting things about Dubai is this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJuqe6sre2I&t=52s&ab_channel=AdamSomething
2 Highlights:
- Seeing the futuristic city of Dubai with all its pros and cons
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
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| Visited places in UAE |
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| Starting the journey from Oman |
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| Border between Oman and UAE |
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| Arriving in UAE |
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| The surroundings of the apartment we stayed in Dubai |
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| Dubai really is a special city and worth to visit for sure |
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| Old Dubai, a much more atmospheric area |
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| A boat trip on Dubai Creek |
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| Dubai Frame |
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| A great night with Harry |
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| Burj Khalifa, the highest building in the world |
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| Water fountain show at Mall of Dubai |
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| Shisha at the balcony of our flat |
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| Burj Al Arab, a luxury hotel |
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| An abandoned 250,000 $ Aston Martin |
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| One of thousands |
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| Bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi |
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| Abu Dhabi City Beach |
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| The contrasts of Abu Dhabi |
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| Mike showing us his guitar skills |
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| Amazing architecture of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi |
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| Stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque from inside with the biggest carpet in the world |
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| Those cards are on the ground all over Dubai :D |
