Though I have to admit, the view was a lot better than I expected. Keep in mind that this is a major attraction in Dubai and no matter what time you go it will be extremely packed. Getting back down was a horrible experience. The line for the elevator was even longer then the line to go up. Do pay attention to the type of tickets you have. We wasted so much time in lines not realizing our tickets were for the fast track. I think many others didn’t know that either as the fast track line was almost empty. 😅 

Old Dubai 

I loved this part of the trip. We did this the second day and because hubby and I overslept we missed out on spending more time here. We ordered an Uber to drop us off at Arabian Tea House which is perfectly located at what I would say is either the beginning or end of old Dubai city. Breakfast here was great! And well priced.  We definitely got a taste of a traditional meal here. Then we walked around the narrow walkways and although we didn’t have enough time to explore this area like I wanted I would recommend you take the time to do so. I wanted to stop by the museum to get a history fix as well as make other short stops I had read about online. There’s so many spots that make for great photo ops! I really loved this part of Dubai.

From here we walked over to the Bur station  through the old city and got on an Abra (water taxi) which was about 10 minutes and the fasted way to cross the creek and get to the Gold Souk. You can walk around it or take a bus or taxi but traffic is so bad that it will take a lot longer.

 

Gold Souk

After crossing the Creek we walked about another fifteen minutes or so to reach the Gold Souk. This place is quite interesting and you will either love it or hate it. So many vendors and so many people, both tourist and locals. We didn’t get to spend much time here. We wanted to do a little shopping, etc but we only had enough time to buy our abaya for Abu Dhabi and a couple souvenirs. I would recommend that you do not take the first price for anything, shop around and practice your bargaining skills. Our abaya went from $1000 US dollars for 4 to $260. Crazy right 😂 when he said $1000 I almost fainted. Unfortunately I didn't take nice pictures of this area, I mostly have videos.

I keep saying we didn’t have enough time. Let me explain. We had our desert safari tour scheduled for 2pm. We had overslept earlier that morning due to being jet lagged and we were about 30mins away from our hotel. 30 mins may seem like nothing but we didn’t factor in traffic. Traffic was insane I tell you and I guess it was worse because it was early afternoon and there was road construction happening. 

If I could do this part of the trip different I would change the desert safari to a different day to not be rushed and spend enough time in this area. And I probably would have paired the evening with either dinner in the sky or  dinner and drinks at Souk Al Bahar. 

 

Gosh. If there’s one thing you must do while in Dubai is the desert safari. There are endless options and companies to choose from. The company we used was great, ABC Tourism and we booked through Viator. But my cousin who had been there months earlier also had a great company. We picked ours because it was more adventurous. We had dune bashing, sand boarding, and ATV Quads on top of the more traditional options such as camel rides, hawk show, belly dancing & fire show, and dinner. We ended up upgrading to better seats while there and I’m so glad we did. Food was served as buffet style but with our upgrade our food was brought to the table and I can't recall whether it included alcoholic beverages or not but we did have some on the table. The food was pretty good and so much! Really a waste in my opinion. Way too much food.

 

Our dune bashing driver was phenomenal! It was like he was inside my brain. He took so many pictures of us and best part, I didn't have to direct him! He was telling me (us) how to pose and what were some of the most popular poses, etc. I mean, he was really amazing! Like an undercover photographer or something 😆. All the staff here were amazing. I truly have no complaints and would 100% recommend them.

My favorite part was the quads and sand boarding. I was looking forward to sand boarding so much and it definitely exceeded my expectations, specially because I didn’t fall 😆. I was on a roll this trip! Check us out!

 

Marina yacht tour 

This day was supposed to be our beach day but things didn't work out as planned. We did way too much walking with nothing truly exciting and no real beach time. Knowing what I know now, this morning tour could have been done before the safari tour. But also if we would have kept the plans as if, ending this Marina tour with just lounging by the beach would have been great too. The tour was nice. It was fun and we did a big loop to see many of the attractions from the water. It so happened that in our yacht there was a Hispanic family celebrating A birthday and they had Spanish music planning which we loved and hubby and I of course got to dancing 😆. You can take a Hispanic person to a different continent but you cannot remove their roots lol.

 

   

We also paired his day with tickets to Palm Jumeirah Observation deck. And although that was pretty cool to see and learn about it didn’t require much time. It honestly took longer to get there (because we attempted to get on the train only to have to walk back and catch a taxi anyways 😂) See, time wasted. I take responsibility for this part. I wanted to do a little walking and try their train system and it backfired. 

Palm Jumeirah Observatory Deck and it’s surrounding area  

We paired this with our yacht tour and beach day because of the location. This is actually a very interesting place. I loved the history behind the palm shaped island and the views were breathtaking! You could literally take a trip to Dubai and spend the entire time in this area. Of course that it will have a hefty price tag attached but with reason. If I ever get to go with the kids I’d love to stay in Atlantis here. Or even at one of the many amazing hotels in the area. You really can’t go wrong and from either side the view will be phenomenal. After our trip to Dubai it was one of those things like great. Been there, off the list, don’t have to come again. But thinking back about it as I write brings me all the feels. This area is so much different than downtown Dubai and the marina. It’s worth the splurge in my opinion but more when you have seen experienced and explore other parts of Dubai and want to return just to relax 😉. 

The boardwalk in the a Marina was pretty cool, you can definitely tell it was an area were the younger crowds preferred. And of course closest to the beach. 

The boardwalk in the a Marina was pretty cool as well, you can definitely tell it was an area that the younger crowds preferred. And of course with its proximity to the beach who wouldn't. Again, any location you pick will be worth it it's just a matter of your personal interests and likes. 

Dinner in the sky 

This was cool. Never in a million years would I have imagined I would do this 😆 but I did and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. The service was good. The food I thought was great! And they had a nice desert show. Music was good. There was always something happening that it truly made the time go by fast. The ride up and down was smooth, hardly even noticeable. And the views 😍. Enough said. 

 

Other things that we got to do/see was the miracle garden. So nice! Except we went on the hottest day and well we almost died from the heat so we cut the day short. We also stopped by the Dubai Creek which is an area that’s under development there. Currently they are building the Dubai Creek Tower which was projected to be completed by 2022, yet do to Covid the plans have been put on hold and a completion date is not known as of now. I literally just wanted a picture, just a picture in a specific spot. That's all I came here for. I didn't get the picture I had envisioned, the picture below was the closest to it so it'll have to do. Everything else was like ghost town. And of course we cannot forget the downtown area. Lots of walking, nice little spots and restaurants, the fountain show, great views of Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall, amongst other things. Dubai is truly a safe and beautiful place. I feel beyond blessed to have had the opportunity to visit and make for an unforgettable birthday trip.

  

You really can’t go wrong with an area to stay at. Just make sure that you think thoroughly of all that you want to do and pick the best location that will work for you. We found ourselves going to the Marina area daily and taxis/Ubers we’re not cheap. We originally had reserved our hotel in this area but my cousin mentioned how far from Downtown it was and then with traffic it was worse and so we switched. But to be honest, given our itinerary it would have been better for us personally to stay with our original plans. That's the thing about locations, you really won't know until you have experienced it. 

Y’all. I cannot believe it has been a full year since my last entry 😲. 

So much has happened since. Both good and bad. But mostly good. I have loved all that this decade has brought. A few weeks ago I was listening to a podcast were the host talked about the seasons of sowing and reaping. She asked to think about the season we were on. And she proceeded in saying that at times we may wonder why our lives may feel “too blessed”  and we may question and/or even doubt why life is good for us when it may simply be that we are in as season of reaping. 

I thought deep about this because I was feeling just like that. Like the ball may drop at any moment. Like it was all too good to be true. I’ve actually felt like that for a while now. Is like what have I done to deserve all this goodness and grace? All these blessings? But after listening to her podcast I gave in to my  suspicions. There was a time in my life where things were hard. A season of endless frustration. Things were nothing compared to what it is today. I felt like giving up and dare I say even hopeless. Yet I held on to the tiniest bit of hope that I had. I planted my seed. I prayed for rain. And I waited.  

Fast forward to today. I am reaping the fruits of that seeds. Gosh. Who would have thought. I won’t lie to y’all. Even today I still feel challenged and some days hopeless in certain situations. But it has been nothing like in years past. Nothing like the way I felt in my late 20s. However, I have changed and learned a lot the last 10+ years and I am learning to apply those principles to my every day life. In both, the good and the bad. I pray that when my time for sowing comes again I am patient enough to endure whatever it may bring with grace and perseverance. 

So what has happened in the past year?

I managed to lose 40+ lbs and keep it off. 

I started working again, as a home care nurse. 

We traveled to Dubai, Egypt, and Italy!!! Dreams do come true!!!! 

We also traveled to Bahamas and took a couple of weekend trip to Las Vegas and Miami. 

Our oldest started his junior year of H.S and is playing baseball for the #1 team in PA. 

We got a dog 🙄 (2 years ago and I have finally accepted that he’s here to stay). 

Hubby started his own company. 

Our boys are in baseball, flag football, soccer, and swimming which has made for a very busy fall this year. 

Lastly, and equally as important, my latest focus has been prioritizing my mental health. 

I've learned that blogging is part of my creative life. Is my happy hobby. Reminiscing on what brings me joy and putting it in words the best that I can makes me genuinely happy. So I plan to take the time out for it. I know I have said that before but I mean it this time 😆. Once a week I will write about things happening in my married life, the good, the bad, and the ugly from my home, family, and travels.

So tune in every Thursday for a new post!