It’s 4 am and I find myself in the Latin cab on the way to JFK airport to begin this adventure. After 2 hours of watching Trump on TV while waiting for the boarding call, the airline sent me to business class on account of the delay and for the stupidity I was watching on the news…just kidding! #GodBlessAmerica
#1stStop was Miami, FL …not to die of boredom, waiting for my travel companions, whom where coming from DR, I started walking around the city just like every tourist. From the beginning, my faithful Snapchat stood with me, so I decided to give a special hashtag to my trip: #RaySBJourney. Then, I found my #travelpartner, my dear #Madrina. We spent the day shopping awaiting for the next flight.
#2ndStop was Istanbul, Turkey…but before that we had to endure 13 flight hours, which I spent watching movies, eating and drinking wine just like a businesswoman. Unfortunately, once in Turkey we couldn’t leave the airport because it was only a connecting flight. However, Ataturk Airport is big enough and with great entertainment. Something that does not really matter because remember that we are Dominicans and if there is no entertainment, we create it.
It was time for the next flight bound for the Middle East, #3rdStop was Dubai, UAE… Once you arrived at Dubai Airport, you feel like a millionaire. There we met our tour guide Mohammed from Egypt, who gave us a night tour through the beautiful streets of Dubai. We then headed to the hotel, from where we had a panoramic view of the famous Palm Islands. My room on the 28th floor looked like an apartment with glass walls to enjoy the view at its best. After so many hours of flight & tourism, we were tired and hungry so (at 4 am) we ordered room service: Pizza and Starbucks…Amazing!
With energy at 7 am continued the tour, we visited few beaches but the main one was Jumeirah Beach, where is the only 7-star hotel in the world, and therefore the most expensive: Burj Al Arab. I learned about the culture thanks to several visits to different museums and to the tallest building of the world: the Burj Khalifa.
To go to the markets, we had to travel around the city by boat. We walked through the Gold Market, where hundreds of shops and kiosk just selling jewelry. Here you can see the world’s biggest gold ring.
At nightfall, we went to The Dubai Mall, the biggest Mall in the world, with more than 1,000 stores. It has a zipline above water and an indoor ski resort. We appreciated the beautiful light display of the Burj Khalifa, and we also walked around downtown almost getting arrested.
At dawn, all wear traditional clothes with which we headed to the next stop: #AbuDhabi. Upon arriving to the emirate, we went to Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which is considered to be the key site for worship in the country. Its architecture, designs, paintings, white and even the gold surrounding it…It’s unbelievably perfect. In the main room, you can find the biggest lamp and the biggest carpet in the world.
Abu Dhabi is the capital of UAE; therefore, the royal family has their islands and palaces there. The Royal neighborhood is technologically militarized so when you enter, you must save all electronic devices, even though you are inside a vehicle. Also, here is the tallest bridge in the world and the famous towers that appear in the movie: Fast and Furious 7. After a day at the beach, it’s adventure time in the Ferrari World, the only Ferrari amusement theme park. When returning to Dubai, we went to several Marina Yacht Club, in one of these is found the most twisted tower in the world. We visited the exclusive Atlantis The Palm Hotel, 1 of 3 in the world and then visited the famous Palm Islands where only those with enough money have villas there. Villas with up to 3 private beaches and helicopter parking.
They are always under construction, in search of higher progress so 80% of the world’s cranes are in the Emirates.
The next day, we drove to the next emirate: Sharjah, #5thStop. This is known as the Emirate of Education, where you find the best schools and universities (the same are divided by gender: women’s and men’s college).
Later, we did a desert safari tour in 4×4 Jeeps…” An unforgettable experience” … We ended the tour in the middle of the desert where they have several clandestine places of entertainment where people drink, smoke, and dance. I did not do any of those but I did camel ride and drove four-wheel for hours.
As Dominicans, we never ran out of energy, so we ventured out to experience the nightlife. For our luck, we got to a bar where they had live music of our worldwide singer Juan Luis Guerra. The last night, we enjoyed a dinner/party on a yacht in the waters surrounding the Emirates.
And when there was nothing more to see, we found the famous Gold ATM at the airport. Can you believe it? By just entering your card like in any ATM, and instead of cash, it gives you Gold.
#RaySBJourney did not end there; our journey continued with Istanbul, Turkey… but that’s another story!!!
Raynoa C. Abreu Garcia