Dubai by night

Leaving Beirut

I woke a little later today at 0500 instead of 0300, which is still good as I have a long day ahead, flying to Dubai at 1155 with the intention of exploring there till late at night.

Checking out of the hotel at 0730, I ordered a car which got me to the airport 20 mins later.  It was truly a case of FOMO getting to the airport that early as I couldn’t access the check-in area for another hour.

I was nearly the first in the queue for check-in and was through airside pretty swiftly and in the lounge at 0915.  There were four lounges to choose from and the one I went to was huge with lots of seating and empty space under the skylight that was so big you could play tennis in it.

Flying to Dubai

The boarding gate for my Emirates B777-300 to Dubai seemed quite empty, apart from the noticeable presence of an Italian military group.

On board, the business class cabin with its 2-3-2 configuration looked narrow compared to even A320 or B737 shorthaul business class seats but they do recline flat or nearly so.  It’s no surprise they had been taken to court in New Zealand for not clearly indicating that seats may vary depending on aircraft type or substitution.

The flight was only a third or a quarter full and I regret paying for a confirmed ticket using points rather than a staff standby ticket.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing but with travel in Syria and Lebanon, things can go wrong easily with temporary airspace closure.  I didn’t want to be way-down in priority should there be a disruption.

I truly thought this route would be full of rich Lebanese but I now think it is the labourer routes that are consistently jam-packed.

Piloted by a female captain with a remarkably youthful voice, we landed 5 mins early into Dubai at 1655.  It must have been a non-hub timing as the airport was super-quiet.

Immigration was high-tech with iris scan which required me to open my Asian eyes far wider than what’s easily achieved.  It took a few attempts before I could be let through.

I got to the metro 25 mins after disembarkation, which is quite remarkable for a large airport.

With a transfer between Dubai’s two metro lines and a short walk including an overhead bridge, I got to the Ibis Styles Dubai Gold District at 1810.

Exploring Dubai

My last proper exploration of Dubai was in 2003 when the city was a fraction of its current size.  Even though I overnighted briefly in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2015 and got a sense of its growth, I didn’t get a chance to explore.

I aimed to make up for it tonight and tomorrow and got myself out of the hotel at 1835.  I took the metro to Burj Khalifa and the adjoining Dubai Mall, arriving at my destination stop at 1910.  Then came a seemingly endless walk (about 15 mins) in an elevated walkway across highways.

I finally got inside the Dubai Mall a bit before 1930.  I found my way to the aquarium, which was nice but nothing I hadn’t seen before.  But, hey, it’s free here.

Wandering outside to the big artificial lake at 2000, I was lucky enough to catch the musical fountain and light show in action.

Within 30 mins of getting there, I was kinda done!  Apart from those “extras” it was just another mega mall selling things I have no desire for.

I continued my wander as much as possible to various parts of the complex on different sides of the water.  There was a section with Arab character and a Chinatown.  If it hadn’t been for the small meal that I got from the food court, I would have spent zilch here.

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With some difficulty, I found my way out of the massive complex about 2130, an hour after arriving.  Then came the long walk to the metro station and the ride.  I made it back to my hotel around 2240 for my night’s rest.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep till after midnight even though it was way after my (very early) bedtime back in Beirut.