Well after more than a year in the Middle East I decided it was time to head to Dubai. Just a short weekend trip, but I timed it to coincide with a golf tournament called the ‘Dubai World Championship’. This is the end of season tournament with the top 60 players on the European Tour.
I managed to do this holiday on the cheap with the return flight costing $150NZ and accommodation $50 p/n. Even better, entry into the tournament was free! The first morning I made use of the fantastic public transport system on my way to the golf course. The metro is amazing. So cheap (about $2.50NZ max for a trip that can last up to an hour), regular trains and lots of major attractions on the way. It also goes directly to the airport. The only problem was it was always full so very hard to get a seat.
The golf course was top class as were the golfers in attendance. The crowds weren’t that large so it was easy to get close to the stars. I spent a day and half here and walked almost the entire 18 holes following players such as Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, and Henrik Stensen. I even saw cricketer Brian Lara there. The weather was hot (high 20’s) so I tried to take shade where I could. Luckily I had sunscreen and that it’s much harder to get burnt here compared with the Southern Hemisphere. There were a number of pink Brits though. Unfortunately I wasn’t there for the final round as Sunday is the first day of the working week.
As well as spending time on the golf course I managed to get to see the famous shopping malls in Dubai (Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates). Dubai Mall is the biggest in the world with 600 shops, an indoor ice rink and aquarium. Not to be outdone Mall of the Emirates has over 400 shops as well as Ski Dubai (an indoor ski slope that can host 1500 people). Although I didn’t spend much time at these malls as it was outside the shopping festival times, when all the shops have huge discounts, I had fun walking around all the high fashion shops.
Well that’s about all from Dubai. An amazing well planned city with many attractions, world class sporting events, impressive architecture and a super public transport system. Certainly worth a visit/stopover.
Wow Blair this is amazing I wish I was there to go shopping with ya! See ya soon.
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