Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be moving to a foreign country to live, let alone a country in the Middle East. Over the 2009 Christmas and New Year’s holidays, my husband Roger and I discussed what we wanted the next part of our life to be like. He thought that before retiring, he would like to do one more airport project but only if he could find something very interesting. I half-jokingly agreed that would be fine but could he try for an exotic location? As usual, Roger came through and soon we were headed to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This blog is a recap of our "leap-of- faith" wanderings around the Middle East and beyond. We joyfully share these expat experiences.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

TripAdvisor EveryTrail Walking Guides . . .Dubai Souqs & Bastakiya


I recently picked up a small assignment from TripAdvisor that has been so much fun - create 5 walking tours of Dubai. 


It was easy to come up with the first four – 1) my favorite place in all of Dubai – The Souqs; 2) a very close second - the historic Bastakiya area in Burj Dubai; 3) DIFC Art Galleries – something that has been on my bucket list for some time and so glad I finally went; and 4) The Ultimate Dubai – I was amazed to find so many world records all in one place – Downtown Dubai.  

But, number 5 has been a bit more difficult to identify. 

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel community. This is an internet site where you can get unvarnished truths and opinions from fellow travelers, and post your own, about their experiences with hotels, airlines, restaurants, etc. I had one person in the hospitality industry refer to it as “a site that brings terror to the hearts of the hotel industry.” The site refers to itself as a “place that feels like a local neighborhood coffee shop . . . a relaxed community filled with unscripted conversations between travelers like you.”

The EveryTrail initiative brings walking tours that you can use when you travel to distant cities. It even has an app where you can download it to your smartphone.

Bastakiya
The first two of my EveryTrail tours are published.  “Shoppingthe Dubai Souqs” and "Bastakiya, Historic Dubai Neighborhood."

I hope those of you in Dubai, or visiting Dubai, will try these and let me know how it goes. Please leave your “vote” on the TripAdvisor EveryTrail sites and any comments here on my blog.

The other walking tours are in the process of being approved and I will share them with you as soon as they are published. 

photo courtesy of
Dubai-architecture.info
And as to #5 –

It finally dawned on me that Dubai has a vast collection – possibly the highest concentration in the world - of one-of-a-kind architecturally stunning buildings right along the red-line of the Metro that follows the Sheik Zayed Road (SZR)!

I am always driving the SZR and see them every day. It is very interesting learning about these very unique towers. If anyone knows someone in Dubai who knows the buildings I would dearly love to talk with them. What I am finding online is rather dated.

Thanks for the help. 

Post scripts . . .

Thank you . . . Robert at Cuadro Art Gallery in the DIFC for helping put together the walking tour of the galleries. Great to hear that the American Women’s Association “Summer Gals” program is going to be taking the tour this summer.

And, Dr. Jennifer Kasirsky for suggesting a “beach walk” for kids that includes the kite beach. I still haven’t found the kite beach but hope to do so soon!

And finally thanks to my Metro buddy Robin Loving who spent a day with me riding the Metro looking at these amazing buildings of “new” Dubai.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Katie,
    Congrats on your assignment! I love the throughly researched and well written article that portrays the essence of the souq an Dubai's many charms. I also tried to vote but couldn't figure how to do it after perusing the site for directions. Let me know how to proceed.
    Warm regards,Z

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is how you vote for the Walking Tours . . Thanks.

    At the top of the page look for the "stars." Vote by placing your cursor on the star value you want to give the tour. Whatever star you're on when you click, that is the number of stars that registers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  4. In all my travels I never met with any one Scotchman but what was a man of sense: I believe everybody of that country that has any, leaves it as fast as they can.
    Flights to Abidjan
    Cheap Flights to Abidjan
    Cheap Air Tickets to Abidjan

    ReplyDelete
  5. Desert Safari Dubai i can say that this is one of the place to have fun with friends..

    ReplyDelete
  6. No doubt Arabin creates so many places for the tourist to hang out there Dubai Desert Safari

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a captivating journey! Your 'Arabian Tales and Other Amazing Adventures' blog post offers a glimpse into a fascinating chapter of life. Dodging retirement led to an incredible Arabian adventure, and your storytelling brings the expat experiences to life. Looking forward to reading more of your tales!
    Name:- Fak Tan Dubai
    Website:- https://plushtan.ae/

    ReplyDelete