UAE2020 Day 06: Dubai Mall

A couple of hours later and Timah took us on a drive to Dubai Mall. Its website proclaims: "From the windswept sands, a new legend rises; a mall of epic proportions that is named The Dubai Mall."

an impressive work of public art

Ginny and Sern got our tickets here

we went up 4 years ago

Also known as the home of the Dubai shopping festival, it is one of the world's largest shopping malls in UAE. Lots of things to see, do and buy in The Dubai Mall, but we were having none of it tonight; we were here to watch the dancing fountains. We stopped by Caribou Coffee, our favourite cafe in all of UAE for some light refreshments while waiting for the show to begin in an hour or so.

always our favourite cafe

Caribou Coffee's motto...

"Life is Short, Stay Awake for it"

we didn't need coffee to stay awake tonight

but it surely does help

hits the spot

After that we headed out of Dubai Mall and towards the Burj Khalifa Lake to a small pier where we joined the queue, but as the hour progressed it started to rain. This did not dampen our spirits though, as we braved the elements and continued to wait our turn. We managed to snap some shots of the Burj Khalifa and its surroundings as we waited:

the Burj Khalifa

Arabic: برج خليفة‎, "Khalifa Tower"

formerly known as Burj Dubai

reconstructed hotel, The Address Downtown

And the wait was very well worth our troubles.

The Dubai Fountain is the world's largest choreographed fountain system set on the 30-acre man made Burj Khalifa Lake, at the centre of the Downtown Dubai. This spectacular fountain package is 246 ft long and shoots water up to 500 ft into the air accompanied by a range of classical to contemporary Arabic and world music.

We also took some photos of the entire Dubai Downtown area from the vantage point of our boat as we circled the Burj Khalifa Lake. We admit we went overboard with the photos so please humour us a little bit:

setting off

Souk al Bahar on the left

and the majestic Tower

circling the Lake

the Dubai Mall from the Lake

majestic

regal

imposing

iconic

more construction going on 

to add to the already brightly lit skyline

all around Dubai Downtown

lots of high-rise residences

all around the area

only for the rich and famous

a peek the hotel known as The Address

a peaceful boat ride

that got wetter and wetter

but no matter

since the sights made up for the weather

the boat kept is its slow and serene pace

letting us soak in the sights and sounds

of Downtown Dubai

the Dubai Mall in the distance

and the Souk al Bahar

a sight that we will never tire of

no matter what others say

this sight is...

well worth the neck-crane

alright, we're getting ready...

to turn our attention...

to the dancing fountains!

It was yet again another once-in-a-lifetime experience provided by the mad-hatter tour guides, Ginny and Sern. "Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves and spend without fear of bankruptcy." And so we are grateful to thee!

By the time we got back to the small pier our clothes were quite dry, and just a little damp. We got back to the hotel and bade Ginny and Sern goodnight but feeling a little hungry we took a walk along Al Fahidi Street in the chilly night air to have a simple supper at this quaint little cafeteria:

along Al Fahidi St

you won't miss it

we enjoyed the chilly night air

and politely declined the invitation to dine indoors

JD Cafeteria is located barely 500 metres from our hotel, and situated along the Al Fahidi Street. The proprietor welcomed us into his humble abode and we politely declined his offer to serve us indoors since we wanted to enjoy the outdoors, much to his amusement.

comfort food

to warm the body

and the soul

All warmed up, we went back to the hotel and call it a night. Another session of Deira walkabout awaits us tomorrow.