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Visiting Dubai is one of the goals I set for this year. I don’t have much expectations in Dubai in terms of environment and weather since it’s just another Middle East country same with Bahrain where I'm currently residing. Still, I was very excited to go to Dubai to unwind from a very tiring job in Bahrain and also to reunite with my college friends.

When I arrived at DXB (Dubai International Airport), they gave me a free tourist sim card which will be automatically expired once I depart UAE after my vacation. I exchanged my money from BHD (Bahraini Dinars) to AED (UAE dirhams) as advised in one of my previous forum inquiries here. However, if ever I will come back again to UAE, I will just exchange my money to any currency exchange outlets in Dubai like Al Ansari Exchange as it has higher exchange rates than in airport.

One of the things I wanted to know when I came to Dubai is the price of the goods in the market. I would say that grocery items are cheaper in Dubai than in Bahrain. Maybe because it has more consumers than in Bahrain.

UAE has more landmarks and tourist spots than Bahrain which I really liked. I went to Desert Safari, rode in a camel and wore the Arabic head scarf. My friends and I were lucky to have free tickets to Dubai Expo as special promo for its reopening the attraction city. We went also to Kite Beach. I was able to take metro trains sometimes whenever we go to malls. It was upsetting sometimes because the trains were full during the peak hours of passengers after work hours. Taxi transport is good also. We were able to go to IBN Batutta Mall, Dubai Mall and City Centre Deira. I decided not to take the city bus tour because it was hot outside and as already considered an adult at 31, I prefer the bond and laughter with my friends than to get tired wandering outside. LOL

My friends and I had a fun trip to Fujairah and Sharjah. The rocky mountains along the road is breath-taking. It was really a good trip however due to extreme hot weather, our car got overheated that had to be towed. We were just so grateful we got to stop over to Sheesh Rest Area in Sharjah while waiting for a taxi and towing vehicle.

Overall, the trip was full of fun and happy good memories in my book.