Around this time last year, I had my first long haul flight together with my boyfriend. I used to travel alone on long haul flights as a kid so sharing it with my special someone was special. lol

My boyfriend and I play ultimate frisbee and the main reason why we went to Dubai was to watch the World Championships of Beach Ultimate. It was an enriching experience as a player. I’m not that into ultimate now than when I was in college but it felt surreal to be able to see the USA players play in front of me when I used to just watch them on youtube.

I have read a lot of articles that Dubai is an expensive country to visit. I beg to differ. I think the biggest expense we made in the trip was only the taxi rides just because we didn’t live near a train station and we didn’t want to take the bus. Other than that, Dubai is actually affordable especially with Emirates offering a new Cebu-Clark flight to Dubai.

Anyway, here are some of the deets of my trip to Dubai March last year.

Cost: (in PHP)
Mnl-Dubai Roundtrip w/15 kl baggage = 12,500
Ceb-Mnl Roundtrip w/15 kl baggage = 2,500
Accommodation = Free ;)) Stayed at a friend’s house.. Thanks Dong & Dara!

Itinerary:
Day 1
Arrival at the airport. US citizens were given priority so I didn’t have to fall in line for a long time in the immigration. The lines were really long when we arrived.

Day 2
Jumeriah Beach, Dubai Mall, Dancing fountains at the Burj Khalifa. I just stared in awe at the tallest building in the world.

Day 3 to 7
World Championships of Beach Ultimate 2016 at Jumeirah Beach. It was a week long tournament and we just inserted a few trips at night to see the Burj al Arab, the Palm, and eat at some of my fave food places, IHOP, Shake Shack and The Cheesecake Factory.

Day 8
Atlantis (AED 260). A friend’s friend works at Atlantis so we got in for free. I didn’t try the Poseidon and the Leap of Faith because I’m not really into slides that give me butterflies in my stomach. But y’all should try those when you visit. The other slides were really great and they had this slide where you will end up at an aquarium. That was my favorite!

Day 9
Desert Safari (AED 130, discounted).  This was the highlight of our trip. From dune bashing to camel riding to eating authentic Arabic food and witnessing amazing performances, it was just surreal. It was nothing that I have ever experienced before so I really enjoyed the whole tour.

Day 10
Shopping! Went to Dubai Mall, The Mall of the Emirates, and Wafi Mall.

Day 11
Abu Dhabi City Tour. We opted for a Big Bus Tour in Abu Dhabi. We visited a few attractions like the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, The Marina Mall, the Yas Marina Circuit, and Ferrari World. I found out that the Sheikh Zayed mosque was the only mosque in the world that was open for the public. The details inside the mosque were really amazing and I felt like I was Kendall Jenner at that time. Kendall and her crew visited the mosque on December of 2014 so I actually tried to do the pose Kendall did on her instagram. lol

Day 12
Miracle Garden and more shopping!
Day 13
Last Minute Shopping, Madeinat Jumeirah

Day 14
Ibn Battuta Mall, Old Dubai

One thing that makes Dubai memorable is because everything they build or do is always extreme. I’d love to visit Dubai again the future, especially once they have finished the construction of Universal Studios Dubai. Even though we have seen quite a lot attractions in our two-week stay in Dubai, I’m sure there’s still a lot more to see.

<3theadventuresoftingting