UAE: Dazzling Dubai

I've long been intrigued by the rich Middle Eastern emirate of Dubai. According to Lonely Planet, Dubai lives for attention; It's glitzy, glam, over-the-top and little overexposed. My sister and I had the chance to visit Dubai thanks to the discounted airline tickets we got from Qatar Airways. It was both our first time to take the said airline and we really enjoyed our 8-hour flight from Singapore to Dubai via Doha. 

Dubai International Airport: I was here for a quick stopover way back in September 2010 before I went to Prague. This time around, my sister and I lingered in the airport for several hours because it was still very early in the morning when we arrived and we were having a hard time trying to figure out how to get to our hotel. 

When we got to the hotel, we couldn't enter our room yet because it was still very early. While waiting, my sister and I decided to try their international breakfast buffet. After we freshened up, we started our adventure in Dubai! I love their ostentatious train stations! The exterior is designed like a space ship with a golden roof! Haha!

Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city with various commercial and residential buildings. 

Al fresco dining at Dubai Marina. I love the random quirks of this outdoor restaurant.  

Modern skyscrapers continue to rise in Dubai Marina surrounded by the yachts of the rich and the famous. 

Atlantis The Palm Hotel & Resort is a five-star resort modeled after the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas.

Since we were not allowed to enter the hotel, we instead leisurely strolled at The Avenues, a shopping mall within the vicinity. 

We had Yogurt Parfait at Yogurberry during the afternoon.

The Burj Al Arab is the world's only seven-star hotel. We took these beautiful photos from the entrance of Souk Madinat Jumeirah.

Souk Madinat Jumeirah is a vibrant market modeled after the traditional Arabian souks.

I really love the al fresco restaurants lined up near the man-made lake outside the souk because it offered a stunning view of the Burj Al Arab.  

Nearing sunset, we lingered at the Amphitheatre at Souk Madinat Jumeirah.

The Burj Al Arab at night.

That day, we lastly visited Ski Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East.

Before we joined the desert safari tour on our second day, we visited the Jumeirah Ground Mosque which is open to non-muslims and tourists.

Our third to sixth day in UAE were spent on road trips to the nearby emirates and cities such as Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Fujairah, Sharjah and Ajman. After our half-day Sharjah and Ajman tour, we headed to the famous Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made structure in the world.

We were able to witness the spectacular Dubai Fountain presentation at the Burj Khalifa Lake. Performances take place every 30 minutes from 6pm until 10pm during weekdays.

Burj Khalifa during sunset. I am in total awe!

That night, we had dinner at Wafi Gourmet, an authentic Lebanese restaurant.

The buildings surrounding the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa sparkle at night.