Dubai – Larger than Life

To be honest, I never thought I would visit Dubai one day. To me it’s just another sprawling city with skyscrapers et-al. In spite of transiting through Dubai airport several times, I had never stepped outside the airport. This time, thanks to the Dennis’s irresistible invitation, I decided to take a break and give Dubai a dheko. I’m more than happy that I did! And here’s why:

City of Superlatives

The drive from the airport itself gave me a taste of what’s in store. I lost count of the Rolls and Bentleys zooming on the roads. The towering skyline mimics the Manhattan skyline with its stunning replicas. One look outside the car window and I was convinced that Dubai is all about superlatives: biggest, tallest, longest, widest and much more…

Tallest

The 160 storeyed 830 metre high Burj Khalifa – a man-made marvel of glass and steel wears the moniker of the world’s tallest in simple elegance and grace that characterises the city itself. The breath taking views from insane heights from “At the Top” makes it surely a once in a life time experience. The portraits of the craftsmen and engineers who created this pride of Dubai adorns the walls of this tower. This thoughtful gesture in itself deserves a special mention. I had seen and marvelled at other tall buildings in other Countries, but the Burj Khalifa is the best.

Dubai Frame – the newest attraction that opened on 1^st January 2018 is yet another architectural marvel. Designed as a golden frame, the 150 metre tall building gives the spectators a view of both the modern city as well as the olden parts of the city. Of course, the highlight is the walk on the transparent glass structure that connects the “frame”. You see the bustling city beneath your feet through the transparent glass. Your heart pounds in excitement and your head starts spinning as you take one trepid step at a time like a trapeze artist.  The view down below with tiny cars and people like ants milling around is an altogether ethereal experience that leaves you shaking your head in disbelief and grinning like a kid after tucking in a third scoop of ice cream.

Biggest:

The malls, now where do I start? They are micro cities by itself. With car parking alone stretching over 9 floors these shopping malls exceeds all our imaginations and definitions of a mall. To even call them just shopping malls is like referring to a Ferrari as just a car! The Mall of the Emirates arguably one of the largest is in the world straddles down town Dubai with an array of shopping and entertainment avenues. Housed inside this structure is Ski Dubai – world’s largest snow park that brings snowy peaks of Alps to life inside four walls. Yes you can actually ski in Dubai in sub-zero temperatures while just outside the mall, the city sizzles at 45C !   

Then there is the Dubai Mall, Ibn Batuta Mall, Dubai outlet Mall and many other malls housing all the world’s top fashion brands and more under their humungous roofs. It is THE destination for shopping Nirvana.

Longest:

The Meydan Race Course with the grand stand extending to over a mile in length is –well you get the picture –Dubai grandiosity in yet another avatar. The Dubai world cup held on the last Saturday of March every year attracts over 60,000 spectators and the world’s best in horse racing. The magnificent horses and their miniscule jockeys really grabs your eyeballs with their speed and control. Watching the race live on the turf and on the world’s largest and widest diamond vision high definition LED screen is yet another thrilling experience that l will always cherish.

The urge to excel

At the end of my very short visit to Dubai, I was convinced that this is one city that I must return to with my family and take in the sights and sounds more leisurely. More than the luxury and grandeur that the city presents, it is the constant urge to excel and reach greater heights. Dubai is not about to rest on its laurels, at every corner I find that some construction is going on, I was told that they are building yet another tallest or largest structure that will soon be the newest attraction and vie for world’s attention. The urge to excel and reach greater heights surely makes Dubai unique and dynamic. I must say this larger than life city had surely lived up to its hype and more. 

The spirit of Dubai that says:  if you can dream it, you can do it will have a special place in my heart and mind.