How I Spent My Summer Vacation In Urdu

[Otilia Mojarro]

Wemake sense of new places and cultures by comparing and contrasting them to what we already know. I observe this tendency in my parents, who immigrated to the United States in 2011. During our vacation to Turkey this summer, they compared the mountains of Cappadocia to Murree, a popular hill station in Pakistan we often visited as a family during my childhood. Picking up singular words on signage around the bustling markets of Istanbul, my mother was able to connect with our tour guide by offering parallels between Turkish and Urdu.

I, on the other hand, see San Francisco in the brightly painted houses sitting atop the Bosphorus River and reminisce on my time spent hiking the Rocky Mountains in Colorado with my cousins while driving through the valleys of Cappadocia. After spending my formative years in the United States, I make sense of the world differently than my parents. And this realization is a reckoning that I am not sure I am willing, or ready, to face.

It is a reminder that what fundamentally defines me as a person may get lost in a larger void, that an entire way of life may perish before I get the chance to pass it on to my children. I suppose in a way I feel a responsibility to protect this sense of belonging. But with every question posed to me in Urdu that I answer in English and every street I can no longer recognize in my hometown in Pakistan, I worry that my identity is slipping away and with it, hundreds of years of heritage.

To add to it all, years of growing up in white-dominated spaces, where I was often the only Pakistani-American and Muslim, created a tokenized version of my identity. And that tokenization meant that I felt responsible for properly representing the entirety of 231.4 million Pakistanis and 1.8 billion Muslims. But in bearing such an expectation, I created an outward monolith of my culture, hoping to portray my people in a positive light, but instead portraying them in a homogenous one. The reality that my experiences are only my own and untangling that notion from how I interact with my own culture and identity has taken years to unlearn and will continue to take time.

We took Emirates airlines directly from NYC to Dubai. They had a 2 for 1 deal airfare which was great! Emirates airlines has deals often and they fly from several cities across America so I do suggest signing up on their website. They also offer free layovers in Dubai. We met several people who were taking advantage of traveling to other countries on Emirates but stopped in Dubai on the way.

You can also fly on Etihad Airways into Abu Dhabi and take a shuttle bus or taxi one hour to Dubai. Qatar Airways is another option. They make a stop in Doha before continuing on to Dubai. Of course you can use US based airlines as well.

There is no shortage of hotels in Dubai, especially luxury hotels. You can also check rental sites such as Airbnb. In terms of the best location, you should first think of Dubai as a long strip. I compare it to Las Vegas or Cancun if you have been to either. We kept driving back and forth, up and down the same main road.

Just like any major city and tourist area, there is a lot of traffic in Dubai. There is also rush hour traffic. You should be aware that the work week in Dubai is Sunday through Thursday. Their weekend days are Friday and Saturday. This affects the time it takes by car/taxi getting from one location to the next. Traffic is much lighter on the weekends.

For the best prices use the regular taxi cabs and not the fancy Lexus taxis. Check to see if there is a meter in the taxi and you can also ask what the price will be from one location to the next. For example, we were unaware of an automatic surcharge leaving from the Metro station on Palm Jumeirah to the Dubai Mall.

Dubai has a very clean and easy to use Metro system. During the week and rush hour this may be your best bet based on the traffic. However, the day we used it we found it be crowded (no seats available), we had to change trains and wait for long stretches since it was a weekend day and the distance to the metro in the Dubai mall was a long walk! It took us over an hour to get to our location using the Metro so give yourself plenty of time if you have to change trains. During the week the trains run more often.

This is another way to see Dubai and there are two systems available. Both are located at the Dubai mall for pickup and have different routes that take you to all the main areas. Unfortunately, due to Thursday rush hour traffic we were not able to see as much as we would like on our bus. Therefore, if you decide to do this, start early in the morning, do it on a weekend or purchase a multi-day pass.

This is a source of stress for many people traveling to the United Arab Emirates, especially those wondering about traveling to Dubai as a woman. I found this article prior to our trip that was very helpful. Basically, tourists and ex-pats wear regular clothes. The only time I wore a traditional hijab and abaya was visiting the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. I expect that would be the same when visiting any mosque.

While on the beach I was actually surprised just how skimpy people were dressed or not dressed ? You are also expected to have on closed-toe shoes with pants or long skirts for ladies with your shoulders covered while dining in restaurants in Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab.

The current conversion is 1 Dirham equals 0.27 USD. But again, once I did the conversions for taxis, food, tours and our hotel, it was equivalent or more to what I would pay in the US. Keep in mind I am a luxury blogger so my activities included high tea at Burj Al Arab, a stay at a luxury hotel on the Dubai Marina and I did some private tours.

You can exchange money on arrival at the airport but we noticed a slightly better exchange rate at the malls. And there are plenty of malls. In terms of American credit cards, most places only take Mastercard or Visa. Our hotel and the Nike store in the Dubai Mall accepted American Express but that was it-based on our experience.

The food is fresh and it is delicious! Dubai is known for multicultural cuisine and pretty much anything you are want to eat you will find here. I was excited to try authentic Middle Eastern dishes. There is a heavy Asian, including Indian, influence to the food in Dubai which I noticed while having brunch at Saffron at the Atlantis resort.

Since this is a Muslim region, do not expect to find pork in the restaurants. However, there is plenty of seafood, lamb, beef and chicken. Popular dishes include shawarma (sliced meat like a kebab), hummus, curried dishes, basmati rice and marinated whole fish (I ate a whole sea bass vs a filet while in Dubai). Dates are also very popular. They come in many varieties and you will find date markets and fancy date shops in the malls. Try some with Arabic coffee.

Alcohol: Tourists are allowed to drink at licensed hotels, bars and restaurants in Dubai. Our hotel fridge was fully stocked! However, you are not allowed to drink in public, including on the beach. Public drunkenness is also not allowed (if only this was the case in the US ? In order to purchase alcohol in Dubai you would need a license. To get around this you may purchase alcohol at the duty free shop at the airport.

Although crowded, it was well run operation. However, I was not impressed with the views from the top. Granted, it was a bit hazy that day but most of what we saw were the skyscrapers close by and the desert. If you have been to top of other buildings such as the Empire State Building or the John Hancock Building, I think you will be disappointed.

Brunch in Dubai is held on Fridays. I chose Saffron since it was described as a fun day party. It was really brunch on steroids. There was a DJ and more food and alcohol than you can consume in 3 or 4 hours. If you are going with a group, I think this will be fun. If you are looking for a more intimate or fine dining brunch experience, this is not it.

Speaking of Atlantis, if you have seen pictures of Palm Jumeirah you have noticed the Atlantis resort sitting at the end. Although I have visited Atlantis in the Bahamas, after gazing at this man-made island for years I knew I had to visit the island and the resort. We took the monorail to Atlantis in order to see the individual islands that make up the Palm. That part was pretty cool. However, Atlantis was an enormous hotel/resort with people everywhere. There were security guards making sure tourists did not enter areas for the guests and it took forever to find Saffron.

The Dubai Fountains are located at the Dubai Mall. They were designed by the same architects of the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. We waited 30 minutes in a hot crowd to watch 3 minutes of the fountain show. It was quick and not as elaborate as I had imagined. I was disappointed. I have been told it depends on the length and type of the song. There are restaurants with outdoor patios located around the fountains so if you have time sit and watch more than one performance.

Dubai is more glitter than gold. The taxi drivers are a nuisance and public transport such as their version of the metro is unaccessible to the public, you have take a car to use it. Meaning it is often near a busy road that does not allow pedestrians to cross.

Every modest fashion inspired by Islamic fashion. Designer modifies modest Islamic clothing and invokes other names. Every fashion has a history. Not like that designer creates today and launched on the market and next day people start to wear those.

Dubai Museum, Wild Wadi Water Park and there are too many other attractions. Well, You covered all the points very well. Dubai is really a wonderful destination to travel these days with lots of tourist attractions.

Thanks for sharing the relevant information. I was wondering regarding some different things that I can try on my next visit to Dubai. You are undeniably a travel expert who eventually made my work easier. Cheers!

3a8082e126