So... Welcome back! I will be talking about the 4 days we spent in NYC just the first 2 days for part 1 cos I'm taking tooooo long to complete the post. The time we spent in New York were primarily focused on the Manhattan borough, with just a bit in Brooklyn. As I've said, there's just so, so, so much to do and 4 days is definitely not enough if you plan to cover Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island (essentially the 4 other boroughs that makes up NYC).
Look out for the gold stars ('★') in the posts for extras on how to save money on your trip.
We stopped over at Dubai for a full day before continuing the journey to New York. As our 'transit' was more than 4 hours, we were given a complimentary meal voucher to be redeemed from selected restaurants across all the terminals in DXB airport. Free meal? Why not!
Currency used in Dubai is known as the dirham (i think it's pronounced as durhumms with a silent 'h'), stylized as Dhs or AED. It is pegged to the USD and US$1 = AED3.6725. At the time of travel, exchange rate for SGD is S$1 = AED2.60. I changed only S$100 and it turned out to be waaay too much as we did not plan to shop in the mall and there were no way to spend the money on food (more on that below).
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Currency used in Dubai is known as the dirham (i think it's pronounced as durhumms with a silent 'h'), stylized as Dhs or AED. It is pegged to the USD and US$1 = AED3.6725. At the time of travel, exchange rate for SGD is S$1 = AED2.60. I changed only S$100 and it turned out to be waaay too much as we did not plan to shop in the mall and there were no way to spend the money on food (more on that below).
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Flight to DXB
EK349 • SIN-CMB-DXB (77W)
ETD SIN 2330hrs >> ETA DXB 0600hrs
We chose this flight over other direct flights because landing in DXB at 0600hrs seems to be the best option out of all – you get to start the day right away upon touchdown! 22 hours is likely enough to see just a couple of landmarks leisurely with no need for an expensive night stay at a hotel.
If you have carry-on luggage, you may wish to consider Emirate's Left Baggage service. Conveniently located outside the arrival gates at Terminal 3, it costs only AED25 per 12hr block per bag and saves you the hassle of bringing your stuff around. It should only take about 10-15 minutes for the entire process. Present your receipt (in the form of a ticket) to reclaim baggage before checking in for your next flight and payment can be made by cash or card.
Off we go!
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Obligatory happy tourist shot by Rafik.
We chose this tour over the evening safari tour as we planned to visit Burj Khalifa during the sunset hour. This tour includes sand dunes bashing, sand-boarding and transport to and fro the desert. It is approx. S$72 per pax and tour lasts for about 4 hours. A USD10 tip is to be given to the driver before drop-off and is agreed upon booking.
Our guide, Rafik, is a really patient and friendly guy. It was a semi-private tour so we were joined by another couple (max. 6 guests). Pick up is complimentary at any hotels in Dubai.
Our guide, Rafik, is a really patient and friendly guy. It was a semi-private tour so we were joined by another couple (max. 6 guests). Pick up is complimentary at any hotels in Dubai.
Camel-flage? I thought they were trees.
The ride to the desert was about an hour or so and we got there around 9.30am. Upon arrival at the desert, Rafik released some air from the tyres and we were tossed wildly in the car like ragdolls. Exciting, definitely! Dune bashing is definitely not for the faint hearted or those with motion sickness.
It went full throttle, roller coaster style random bashing for about 15 minutes before we arrived at the spot below.
It went full throttle, roller coaster style random bashing for about 15 minutes before we arrived at the spot below.
*Cue desert pano*
There is really nothing at the desert except... Sand. It's really endless sand dunes after sand dunes after sand dunes, like how the ocean goes on forever except it's solid.
Helpful tip: do not open your mouth unless otherwise necessary, because you will end up eating a lot of sand especially when the wind starts blowing all that fine sand particles up and away. Also it helps to be wearing sunglasses, because even with these buggy shades on, I managed to get sand in my eyes. I was > < this close to wearing those lab goggles, you know.
OH AND PLEASE DO NOT WEAR SNEAKERS LIKE US BECAUSE THE SAND WILL FOLLOW YOU TILL THE END OFTHE WORLD TIME. We attempted to empty our shoes at a pitstop nearby and the sand collected in our shoes can easily bury a hamster alive. Even at New York, the sand is still lurking in between my toes.
Get outta ma shoes already.
OH AND PLEASE DO NOT WEAR SNEAKERS LIKE US BECAUSE THE SAND WILL FOLLOW YOU TILL THE END OF
Get outta ma shoes already.
A 'been here, done that' pic with my cousin, Cee and me putting in effort to look cool, lol. Sand-boarding is really just about strapping your feet down on a board and then tumble down the sand dunes. Admittedly I'm not the most talented athlete in the house... Hahaha.
100% done.
No camel riding because I don't believe in doing things like that and also I don't want to spend money sitting on an animal. However if they want to pay me and let the animal sit on me please get in touch via email and we can discuss from there HAHAHAHA I'M KIDDING.
At the pitstop, taking a rest and allowing the vendors to help us tie this thing on our heads. Do we look suspicious? Especially with that buggy shades?? Urgh I still regret not buying this middle east man scarf thing. It would have kept me warm in SF and it's only AED15!!!!!
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The closest to warm food we could get during Ramadan (usually in June).
The Dubai houses an ice skating rink and an aquarium all within the mall itself! On top of that, there are hundreds of retail shops (from high fashion to high street), a cinema and so many picturesque walkways that you can easily spend half a day here. It is also conveniently connected to the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Station on the Dubai Metro via a 15-min long walkway so getting here from the airport isn't a problem. Access to the Burj Khalifa tower is directly at Lower Ground level.
It was fasting month so most restaurants were closed in the day. We could only find warm food in the supermarket and there were no seating area inside, so we packed salads, wraps and deli to go. Eating and drinking in public is not explicitly prohibited (or was it?) but to be considerate, we roamed around the mall in search of a really discreet corner to eat without having to fear being caught or shot lol.
It was fasting month so most restaurants were closed in the day. We could only find warm food in the supermarket and there were no seating area inside, so we packed salads, wraps and deli to go. Eating and drinking in public is not explicitly prohibited (or was it?) but to be considerate, we roamed around the mall in search of a really discreet corner to eat without having to fear being caught or shot lol.
That led us to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo! At least our efforts paid off cos the view was pretty amazing and it was tucked away in a quiet corner with little traffic. No admission fee required to admire the underwater world at this spot at First Level (outside Chilli's/Joe's Crab Shack restaurants) and access is via the escalator outside Rainforest Cafe, Ground Level. Guess who decided to interrupt my lunch?
Jawwwwwssssss! Oh and a strange waterfall/sculpture at level 1.
It's 37° out there! God!
Souk Al Bahar, an Arabic-style shopping mall just across the Burj Khalifa Lake.
The struggle is real yo. That is how low you have to go to get a full shot of the Burj Khalifa from below.
Remember this building cos you're gonna see a lot of it below. Hahaha
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At The Top, Burj Khalifa is situated at level 124 and admission is AED125 for adults before and after the sunset (peak) hour. During sunset/peak hours, it is AED200 between 1730hrs-1900hrs and AED300 for tickets purchased at the door for immediate entry.
We booked our tickets in advance on the website and collected the physical tickets from a self collection booth. If you have time to spare, consider going in at 1700hrs and hang around for the sunset (I think it was 1930hrs in summer) so you can save a bit on admission.
But be warned that there's nothing much to do at level 124. You can walk round and round the viewing area, spend some Arab money at the souvenir store or find a quiet corner to camp till sunset.
#cheapskates
Daytime view of Dubai city center from Burj Khalifa. The first thing I noticed was... There's almost no greenery. Just buildings after buildings after buildings, a sea of grey. Is this what they call an urban landscape?
Of course this calls for a Burj Khalifa pano!
Night view! I always preferred night over day views because it's only in the night that you see the city illuminated with all the lights from buildings, street lamps along highways and headlights from cars. It's almost like watching it come alive, watching this place bustle with energy.
Also, it's finally time to bid Dubai goodbye as we had to start making our way to the airport for our flight to New York at 0240hrs. We took the Dubai Metro to the airport (towards Rashidiya) and a single trip in the Standard Class cabin costs AED6 (or AED12 in the Gold Class cabin).
An overall view of the metro map. More info on train fares here.
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*** Extra: Shower facilities at Dubai Airport ***
If you hadn't judged me for doing a 22hrs layover without mentioning refreshing myself before the next long-haul flight out, I salute you.
Of course I couldn't deal with all that grime for the next 16hrs of being strapped in a seat, I can't! Thank goodness for the shower facilities in the airport. Best of all, it's completely FREE OF CHARGE!
Our flight departs from Terminal 3, B gates and the showers are located near B13 and B19. Bring your own towel and amenities, as these are not provided (duh).
Click to enlarge! Circled the showers in red and Ocean Basket in black, where we redeemed our complimentary meal from.
If you are departing from other gates (A or C), you can have a look at the terminal maps and plan your route prior to the trip here.
So... Ciao for now!
