Dubai’s ‘Venice’

Madinat Jumeirah is the so-called Venice of the Dubai. We were here on our 24-whirlwind race around the Dubai during a short stop-over on a flight to the Maldives. If you’re in the Dubai, it’s worth getting to Madinat Jumeirah for a short wander. We stopped here on our quest to see everything of interest…

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Crossing the Dubai Creek on an abra

The abra is fun to watch as it crosses from one side of the Dubai Creek to the other, from Bur Dubai to Deira. The abra is a traditional boat made of wood that serves as a water taxi. The crossing costs 1 dirham, and is paid on board to the ferry captain. We had…

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Shopping mall tourism? The Dubai

I was in the Dubai, United Arab Emirates this past spring, and I must admit I was rather unmoved by what seems to be the national pastime, and a prime reason for visiting for many tourists – shopping. Yes, in the Dubai, you can literally shop until you drop. But, even if you’re not a…

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Skyscraper Tourism: The Burj Khalifa in the Dubai

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, when my family and I travel, it’s rare we’ll pass up a trip to the top of a skyscraper. I’ve already written about our visits to New York’s Top of the Rock, Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers, and Taiwan’s Taipei 101. When we went up Taipei 101 and my sons learned the skyscraper…

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Exploring the gold and spice souks in the Dubai

There’s not much of an ‘historic center’ in the über-modern city of the Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Still, there are a few winding streets that date back to the city’s days as a sleepy fishing village not so very long ago. So on your visit, when you tire of shopping malls and high-end boutiques,…

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