Dubai ... DO BUY... (Part TWO)

...

The next day we went off to Abu Dhabi which is only about 1 hour away to have a look around. Radhi is actually based in Abu Dhabi, so he wanted to show off his 'hood, lah.. We went to his nice one-bedded service apartment to freshen up before heading off to sightsee. Went to see the largest mosque in the world which is still under construction, to a nice spot by the waters where we could see the Abu Dhabi skyline and then off to a mall.. (again..) We went to Marina Park or something and the shopping was somewhat forgettable. Nothing like Dubai 'coz Abu Dhabi was not on sale la.. Just the measly year end sale... :( We also visited this place which suspiciosly look a lot like Putrajaya. Truth be told, it kinda reminded me of Naboo.

We had to rush back to Dubai to send off ZZ and Nazz. The night we spent at Burjuman, another mall in Dubai. This one is slightly more upmarket and you can tell from the restrooms. There's a sink, complete with mirror in every loo, okay? There were also street performances and free kids' activities such as face painting in the mall. I went to Saks Fifth Avenue (I jakun, sorry..) , bought a little bit of Patchi (yummy-licious!), had dinner and went back to the hotel.

The next day, we went to the Mall of Emirates again so that I could finish my shopping and Azrul took the opportunity to meet up some contacts in Dubai -- entrepreneur, kata.. kenalah widen the network.. :) We wanted to ski initially, but there was that slight constraint of time. Tak jadi lah.. First, a meet-up with an Old Putra at Starbucks - wi-fi charged at AED15/hr and the coffee is almost double the price here. Had dinner at Chili's with another contact where everything was so darn salty and the portion was rather huge. Then, on to another meet-up with other Malaysians in the Emirates at a place where you could get 'teh tarik' near Lamcy. By the time we were through, I was so darn tired that I slept all the way back to Abu Dhabi. We spent the night in Radhi's house FOC. Had a very good night's sleep. ZZZZzzzzzz....

On our way back to Dubai the next day, we detoured to the Abu Dhabi Golf Club to get some golf merchandise for encik and Abg Amran. After ripping the pro-shop bare, Azrul and Radhi came out looking satisfied as they are now proud owners of ADGC cowboy hat / detachable rain-jacket type thing / cap. (delete where applicable) Now, on to another meeting with more contacts at Lamcy Plaza (which reminds me a little of Wisma Campbell). After lunch, we went over to the nice Old Putra's house near the airport for some roti jala. So Sweet... We boarded the plane to KL at about 8pm and slept most of the journey home... More ZZZZzzzzzz....

One thing that I noticed during the trip here is that the two emirates are kinda like competing with each other - who's got better buildings (Burj this, that and the other) , better road (Abu Dhabi's roads are slightly wider than Dubai's), who's got more bulbs on their streetlight ( Abu Dhabi's got 4 while Dubai has 2 - serious!), who's got a better airline (Emirates vs. Etihad Airways)? It seems like neverending sibling rivalry. It is pretty obvious that Dubai is the more adventurous one, and Abu Dhabi is closing in very closely.. I was told that these two emirates are the more dominant ones amongst the 7. Abu Dhabi is the richest followed by Dubai. However, Dubai's oil resources will be gone pretty soon, so they have to think of more creative ways to survive later. I guess that is why they are on a 'construction binge' at the moment. There are so many cranes here, I swear I'd be pretty rich if I had RM100 for every one that I see.

The other thing that I love about Dubai is that it seems like anything that you can dream can actually happen. It's like giving a kid a blank piece of paper and asking him to draw anything that he can imagine and they can turn it into reality.
Case in point? How about these? The Palm in Jebel Ali and Deira as well as the World. Aren't they just amazing?? I think we got a glimpse of The World when we touched down earlier on.. :)

The other striking thing is the buildings. The whole stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road is filled with majestic looking skyscrapers; each one unique and photo-worthy. Imagine Menara KL, Menara TM and Petronas Twin Towers all on the same stretch of road. I especially like the Dusit Dubai, Burj al-Arab and the upcoming Burj Dubai that is in construction right now and is already completed up to the 100th floor - they won't say when they are gonna stop but it is rumoured to challenge the Taipei 101.

I also loved the Souk Medinat Jumeira which is essentially a very expensive market. :) The interior reminds me of the scenes from Ali Baba Bujang Lapuk - I keep on trying to find the door with an 'X' marked on it. ;) Best part is, we found a photo spot that captures Burj al-Arab in the background! Pretty cool indeed...

And, what is it about the Emiratis and raffles? There are raffles in all shopping malls offering cars (not the kodi ones, mind you - Lexus, Audi..) in conjuction with the Dubai Shopping Festival. I think the most outrageous one gives out a Jaguar for every apartment bought in an upscale development with the chance to win a private jet in the raffles. Giller, apa?

Told you the trip was magical. Can't wait to get back to Dubai...

-dillz blogging out-

**updated with pictures (Happy now, Amy? )