I had a few days free and decided to have a real vacation! No work, no mails, no recordings, no photo shootings, no videos! Ohh wait… yes videos. One video in particular. But that’s a suprise you’ll have to wait 😉 and it was zero work. Just a few shots taken while we were having fun. We didn’t even think about the camera.

So, me, mom, Anca and Ghitzy! #girlsteaminDubai

 The shiny glass surface and night lights of Burj Khalifa stands like a beacon over the city. The newly build Opera (well almost everything is newly build in Dubai in European terms) has a great program of plays, ballets, opera and concerts. Me and the girls went to Mary Poppins. That was an absolutely outstanding performance and production from start to finish. Just make sure to dress to withstand the cold frim the AC! 🙂

We swimed with the dolphins, went on safari and had a good tanning session. Mom even tried sisha!

The truth is you cand find anything you need for a great vacation. If you have kids and want them to have a great this is the place to go! There’s Atlantis The Palm, where they can dance and swim with dolphins and seals or go on really cool water slides! I confess I also wanted to try them! They also have The Lost Chambers Aquarium where they can see amazing creatures and is designed to look like the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis.

You can even try the Green Planet where they recreated the natural environment of a rainforest, where animals are able to live like in their home.

Or maybe try a ski session after a few hours at the beach. Yes, you can do that too! :))

Dubai is a very special place with a strange energy. Always changing, always growing. They have the biggest buildings in the world (Burj Kalifa 880m, the Dubai Mall) in the the middle of the desert! It’s a multicultural place. In the middle of the Arabic world! You can meet every kind of people: Europeans, Americans, Africans, Asians, Indians etc I love seeing people from all over the world with very different backgrounds, religions and political beliefs living together, working together and getting along! This is one of the things that impressed me the most here.

I must confess that my favorite experience was the safari. Watching the sun over the desert, enjoying the silence of it! At night and during the day the desert is a special place. We went dune bashing in retro convertible Land Rovers, then stopped just in time to catch the sunset.

This is a must! If you go on safari you must take the time to enjoy the sunset over the desert. It’s a truly magical moment.

While the desert is stunning in its own right with its magnificent hills and natural beauty, there’s a surprising amount of wildlife that calls this harsh place home ( the gazelle, Oryx or the Arabian Wildcat are just a few).

The time we spent at the camp was just as good. Seated under the stars having a feast of Middle Eastern grilled meats, breads, rices and fresh salads including hummus, tabouli and bean salad. Sisha and dessert to complete the evening!

I believe one of the best ways to discover a new culture and make a connection in a new place is by enjoying an authentic meal. There were many activities to do there like camel riding and sandboarding, that we didn’t do. Maybe next time… We all wanted to truly enjoy the natural beauty of the desert!