A few short decades ago, Dubai was a dot in the desert. Then its leaders launched a plan to become a global tourist destination. In other words, Dubai decided to “go big.”
In 2025, it boasts the tallest building in the world.
And the largest shopping mall in the world.
And because there’s no snow in the desert, it created something called “Ski Dubai,” an indoor ski resort at…um…the mall. Yes, Ellie’s first time on skis was in…Dubai.
Because Dubai only had 70 kilometers of Arabian Gulf shoreline (not nearly enough to accommodate the world’s visitors), it created more. The Palm Jumeirah—the biggest artificial island in the world—has doubled the length of the Dubai coastline…at a cost of over $12 billion USD. But hey, go big or go home, right?
At the half-way point in our grand adventure, we’ve splurged on two nights at a hotel near the base of Palm Jumeirah. Three weeks in, I thought a beach day would be lovely.
It was.
Yesterday we swam in the Gulf. (Surprisingly, the water was hot tub temperature. Even the water temperature in Dubai is extreme!) Today we’ll take the monorail to see the Palm Jumeirah.
This is our last day in the heat and the land of tourism. It’s been fun. Just as the city planners intended, we’ve “gone big” in Dubai.
But tomorrow we go home. To the Davick and Satre ancestral home, that is. Stay tuned for our adventures in the land of fjords and the midnight sun.
And as always, blessings along the way.
Caroline
Wander Tales by PC, PB, and Ellie 