Day 16: New Year in Dubai

By Kin Enriquez -

I traveled to Dubai on the last day of 2017 and spend New Year's eve there.

___
3:00am
Going home was absolutely bonkers! It took us 3 hrs to finally get a train and get back to the hostel.



12:00 midnight
And the countdown began - and it's a happy New Year!

This is my first time to spend NYE away from home, so the experience is a bit different.

The lightshow was better in some ways from the fireworks, but nothing can come close to exploding things that light up the night sky to usher in the new year. Hashtag #justsaying.


Financial Road, 10:00pm
We picked a spot along the Financial Road overlooking Burj Khalifa where to see the lightshow. Then we waited.


Al Safadi Restaurant, 8:45pm
We decided to eat first, and we picked a Lebanese restaurant to have our NYE meal. I ordered shawarma and avocado drink.

7:30pm
My hostelmate from Japan and I decided to go to Burj Khalifa to see the NYE lightshow there (fireworks were canceled this year).


At The Top Hostel, 3:30pm
After a metro and a tram ride I finally made it to the hostel. It's on the 66th floor of a condo tower so the view is quiet impressive: the Palms, Dubai Marina, and the beach.

I settled in, and met my roommates and hostelmates. I also went downstairs to Carrefour to buy food, when went for a quick nap.

Al Jafiliya Station, 2:05pm
The bus made a stop here so I got off to take the metro to my hostel.


Dubai, 1:35pm
First glimpse of Burj Khalifa


Al Wadah Bus Station, 11:00am
I got my bus ticket to Dubai. Buses leave every 20 mins, so this will be easy.

The bus continued with the trip after everyone boarded. It will be a 2hr trip to Dubai.

Emirates Plaza Hotel, 10:30am
Back in the hotel to check out and head to the bus station.


Shiekh Zayed Grand Mosque, 9:45am
The word "grand" is apt for this mosque. The sheer size, the quality of construction and materials, the design. It's even more impressive than the one in Brunei.



I joined the throng of tourists exploring the mosque (no shoes allowed). I got into the main hall, which is even more oppulent (40-ton chandelier!).

Emirates Plaza Hotel, 9:30am
I decided to visit one more landmark in Abu Dhabi before traveling to Dubai - the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I took a cab going there. The Pakistani cab driver tried to pull a fast one on me, by having the meter already with 15AED on it (flagdown is 5AED). He pretended he forgot to turn off the meter from the previous passenger. I deducted 10AED when I paid. 

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