Dubai

So we arrived in Dubai early hours of Tuesday morning (15/07/14) to be faced with some craaaazzzyy heat and humidity as we took our first step out of the airport. I know people talk about it but seriously this was immense! We felt like we'd walked straight from a fridge into a Sauna! It was only 7am and already nearly 40 degrees! We grabbed an air conditioned taxi (which was very much welcomed) and enjoyed the sights of Dubai whilst enroute to our apart hotel in Dubai Marina (Marina View - could do with a refurb but we would recommend it). It took about 40 mins from the airport and got there really early - we couldn't check in just yet as no rooms were ready so we took a short stroll down to the Dubai Marina Mall - that short stroll felt like forever - it was so hot (seriously crazy sweaty with the humidity)....Note to self no one else is walking about outside - we'd only walked for about 5 minutes. We hit the much needed air conditioning and had a wander around the Mall.

 

As we'd arrived in Dubai during Ramadan and with it being pretty early in the morning there wasn't much open or going on. We did find a helpful lady who assisted us and we purchased some tickets for a few things for the next few days of our Dubai leg. 

We got a few bits from the Waitrose supermarket - I know.....Waitrose ..... in Dubai. To be fair all the shops are the same as in the UK (pretty much) but we went to get bits for the hotel room, particularly water! We couldn't drink or eat in public due to Ramadan so we headed back to the hotel again in the sweltering heat. Upon our return we checked in, chilled out and caught up on few much needed Zzzzzzz's. Later we went down to the hotel pool to have a swim and sunbathe ........bliss! anyone reading this (we don't get paid for plugs) get onto P20 sun cream - best purchase to date

 

That evening we had dinner in the hotel and we went to meet our good friend Johnny (who lives in Dubai) in the Marina at the Trader Vic - Mai Tai bar in Jumeirah beach resort (JBR). It was pretty good in there - a bit like Mahiki Bar in London. 

We decided to walk there - we thought 'looks like a nice evening for a stroll' but as we had no idea where we were going and after dodgy directions from the hotel this ended up being a pretty hot and sticky walk where we got a little lost and no taxi drivers had even heard of the bar - was Johnny having a laugh?!? Anyway by sheer fluke and after losing about 8 litres of fluid we stumbled upon it in much need of a drink. (Ant went to dry off in the gents under the hand dryer!)

 

It was great catching up with Johnny having a cocktail or two and a few shandys. It was about 1am after chatting lots when Johnny offered to take us on a night tour around Dubai in his company car - was really good! We went down onto Jumeirah beach then down to see the Burj Khalifa and had an amazing tour of the city - thanks Johnny. We had an amazing first day!
 

Next morning (Wednesday 16/07/14) we got up and walked to Dubai Marina Mall to pick up a shuttle bus @ 09:30 (we obviously hadn't learnt our lesson as we melted again) to take us on a big bus tour - the blue tour. The tour took us all around the city and we saw all the sights including the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, the Atlantis on the palm, Jumeirah Beach hotel and many many more. The tour had headphones we could plug in which was very informative of the landmarks we'd passed so was nice to get to know a little about the place. Thankfully we were allowed to drink water on the bus despite it being Ramadan as long as we were discreet which was an absolute lifesaver. Antoni sat mainly in the air conditioning part of the bus upstairs as I was catching some rays - you know me I love the sunshine! 

 

 

 

 

Later that evening we had a booking at At.mosphere restaurant on the 122 floor of the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world - 829 metres tall! We had a table booked for just before sunset to see the amazing view of Dubai by day and night. We headed out early and went into the famous Dubai Mall which is huuuuuge! Think of the Trafford Centre, multiply it by about .......... 20 - could have done with hiring a couple of Segways!

We had a wander around and then got a taxi around the other side back to the Burj Khalifa- we attempted to walk but we were told it was too far - that gives you an idea how big the place was considering its only next door and we had a good half hour before our evenings booking! We went into the Burj Khalifa though the Armani Hotel and up in the speedy lift - our ears popped a good few times going up the fast lift to the top - it only took roughly 20 seconds (it's the worlds fastest lift). Our table which Antoni booked for us was right in the window and the view was spectacular! You can imagine how many photos we took! We spent time taking in the view of the city and beyond and just watching the sky get darker as the sun went down with all the buildings lights being turned on - amazing! 

 

 

We ordered cocktails (mojito and a strawberry daiquiri) our classic holiday drinks of choice with some nibbles (nuts and olives). We both enjoyed the most magnificent Steak we'd ever had for dinner previously (good job it was given the price) and we received a complimentary desert and box of chocolates as a celebration for our engagement which was a lovely touch (man points to Antoni for sorting it all out). The famous fountain show was on every half hour so we got a birds eye view of this right from our seats. 

 

After dinner we made our way down to the bottom and back towards the Dubai Mall - that lift is soooo fast! We went to watch the famous water fountain show from eye level - again amazing ....... dancing fountains and lights along to the music 'time to say goodbye' - found this pretty moving - it cooled us down a little too with the spray from the water although it was still hitting 36 degrees. We took some more pictures of the Burj Khalfia from here too. 

 

We headed back into the air conditioned mall and decided to go to the Dubai mall aquarium ........... The tanks were huge with so many sharks, stingrays and all sorts of fish. We went on a glass bottom boat and got to feed some of the fish. By this point it was 1am and despite knowing we were up early we were tempted and decided to go into the famous Cheesecake Factory opposite the aquarium and have some cheesecake woohoo! 

We only managed a few mouthfuls - the pieces were huge and it was washed down with strawberry and raspberry lemonade and of course a cup of tea as the portions were mega we asked them to box it up and we took it back with us. We didn't get home until after 2am so after a crazy busy day we finally made it to bed ........... now we just have to be up early for Carol's skydive .........

So with alarms blaring we were up at 6.30am (Thursday 17/07/14) to head out towards 'Skydive Dubai' on the coast on Jumeirah beach. This is something Carol has always wanted to do and Antoni booked this for her birthday. As expected despite a late night and early start Carol was super excited and giddy ..... Not nervous at all ...... We just wanted more sleep! We arrived at the skydive dubai centre and was given lots of paperwork for Carol to sign her life away! Carol then had a camera launched at her with the cameraman Alberto asking her questions and got set up with harnesses for the sky dive and a mini practice of what she needed to do when jumping out of the plane. All training done in about 45 seconds - it wasn't like this when Antoni did it in the UK!

Carol had a crazy Italian guy called Mas for her tandem - I think he knew Carol was feeling pretty chilled about it all (surprisingly) so he was trying to wind her up about the harness being too loose and failing but she wasn't having any of it ...... 

Carol was too excited to get nervous - I think she surprised herself to be honest - she thought she'd be pretty scared. Next minute she was whisked off on a buggy which took us to the runway to meet the plane. Carol went onto the plane first which meant she was jumping last. 

During the flight up the tandem guy Mas was yet again trying to scare Carol and make her nervous but it didn't work - the girl opposite looked soooo nervous and wasn't saying anything and looked like she wanted to back out whereas Carol was chatting and having a laugh and felt super excited! 

The view was amazing over the palm ........ I kept trying to look out of the small windows of the plane to see. Once we got up to the correct height the other 4 people with me in the plane did their jumps. As we were edging towards the door I thought I'd be feeling pretty nervous and think 'OMG what am I doing' but I didn't get any of that and next minute we were free falling .......... truly amazing!!!! 

I've never felt a feeling like it ........ It was the best feeling ever........as he pulled the parachute we could then fully see the full view over the whole of Dubai and the famous palm with the 'world', sky scraper buildings and dessert! Mas let me steer the parachute too because he said I seemed confident so I was spinning us around in circles which was ace ........ I got us going really fast as we came down to land I just had a feeling of amazement ....... I just wanted to go again!! I even think I said that on the video at the end! I was on such a high. We waited a little while for my photos and video of the skydive which we got to watch on the huge TV screen in the centre! 

 

 

 

(I've uploaded the skydive video and pictures for all to see on Facebook.)

Following this we headed to the metro and then went to meet the big bus to carry on with a tour of the older side of the city - the Red Tour. As part of this trip we stopped off at Al Hamriya to go on the Arabian Dhow Cruise down the river.

After a couple of hours around the city we decided to get the metro back to the hotel to catch the last few hours of sunshine by the pool where after a swim we promptly fell asleep on the sun loungers.
 

We did plan to go on the evening bus tour to see the light show in wafi but after a quick dinner and lack of taxis to get there due to Iftar we decided against it and decided to meet up for a few drinks with Johnny over at the Movenpick Hotel to a bar called Moroc. We met his friends Ashley and Simone and the five of us had a few drinks together and caught up. The bar also had shisha so the boys ordered apple. We eventually ended the night in a local take away where we found chips cheese and gravy - the Isle of Man lives on!

 

 

So after a late night we got up later than planned on Friday morning (18/07/14). We went down for breakfast and then came back to the room to pack everything as it was time to check out of our hotel. Thankfully the hotel were happy to keep our bags for us until the evening so we headed over to the Atlantis Hotel on the palm to head to aquaventure water park. We had a great time on the amazing water slides and lazy river. We bumped into Simone there which was cool but don't think Johnny made it due to the previous nights exploits! After waiting until after lunch it was time for the Tower of Poseidon ride which is a near vertical drop - Antoni nearly bottled it (in my defence there were loads of blokes much bigger and more masculine looking than me bottling it) but in the end the true Manc came forward and we both went on it! Adrenaline rush! Skydive one day, Tower of Poseidon the next - Carol is turning into an adrenaline junkie

 

Following the water park we went into the lost chambers aquarium in the Atlantis hotel to see more massive fish tanks and sea life (when it comes to fish the Arabs don't mess about). We could both sit there for hours watching but eventually left and had a wander around the rest of the hotel. 

 

Johnny come to meet us and picked us up from the Atlantis. He then, after taking us to pick up our bags from the hotel, took us to a bar on the beach at the marina called Barasti where we had few drinks and some food together. We then went back to his house and chilled for a little while. Carol called her grandad to wish him a quick happy birthday and then we chilled together for a little bit before having to head to the airport. 

Our flight was at 03:05 am. Upon arrival at the airport we were informed that the flight had been overbooked (something they always do on Emirates flights) and we now weren't on the flight despite pre booking our seats! They offered us to go on the next flight but as it was their mess up they would put us up in a hotel for the night and give us a free flight ........ we had to wait until the flight was closed for a decision but we wanted to travel on that flight as we'd made plans in Singapore - luckily they found us two seats on our planned flight so after racing through security and to the gate we got onto our flight - we got emergency exit seats with extra leg room so that was a bonus ........ pretty much slept the whole flight on and off and after 7 hours we arrived in Singapore.........

We just want to extend our thanks once again to Johnny who looked after us and showed us about - it was really nice to spend time with you and see your new place - We look forward to meeting up again soon, take care mush Xx

 

Until then .........

PS .... apologies for the crazy detail - we did do a lot in dubai in a short space of time ..... I'm sure these blogs will get shorter as time goes on but we want this to keep as a long term memory for us both so if you're still reading this and not got bored we're well impressed ......... and if you did get bored then get back to work ;)

 

Leaving on a jet plane....

Hey all....So here it is...the blog we've been saying we'd start

We wanted to write this blog as a memory for us both of our travels but also to keep everyone updated with our adventures along the way. I know it's been requested by many of you so we hope it makes you feel like you're having fun right here with us! We'll also include some photos (probably loads if Carol has anything to do with it). We'll also put some up on Facebook.

As many of you know we started thinking seriously about this trip last summer. After a few tough times we've had our views on life changed and that's when we decided to apply for our working holiday visas for both New Zealand and Australia (before we got too old - we only just made it!)

After getting engaged last August and thinking more about our long term future together one thing has led to another and we finally went ahead and booked our flights as New Year gifts to each other. 

Since making that decision our lives have been turned upside down, a little crazy even with all the planning as well as booking a wedding. Carol's been amazing completing the huge task of her Physio registration, then combine this with moving out of our home earlier than expected and moving in with Ants Mum and Dad, packing up all our belongings into storage, and leaving our jobs and all whilst trying to plan the trip of a lifetime....Crazy times! 

We've quite probably changed everything we possibly could in our lives right now! Exciting but scary times. It's been a bit of a whirlwind these last few months and we really don't know where time has gone....and it's mad to think that we're now sat on a plane leaving everything and everyone we know and love behind us.....

While we write this we're currently sitting on our first flight to Dubai from London Gatwick with a glass of champagne, red wine, fruit juice and just finished our in-flight meal with a cup of tea! :) Carol's listening to a bit of Rudimentals 'waiting all night' at the moment (found it on some music playlists on the inflight entertainment) and Antoni is watching....you've guessed it...Football! (I'm sure Ants a secret plane enthusiast as he's firing stats across at me about this A380-800 plane we're travelling on!)

We had an amazing leaving and engagement party a couple of weekends ago at Blackdog ballroom NWS. Thank you to everyone who could make it - it was a great party. Those of you who were there to help us celebrate and those who have seen the pictures will be able to tell how much fun was had! It was so nice to know everyone made such an effort to be there for us both to help us celebrate in style. It made us both realise how lucky we are to have such a great group of friends. It has been so hard saying goodbye to the people we love but we know we've got so much to look forward to and some very exciting times ahead. If you couldn't / didn't make it I'm sure from the pictures you've seen you know you missed out and we still love you all too.

We've also had some great family times with firstly and more recently Carol's mum spending a week in Manchester and then this weekend was spent with Antoni's family at Antoni's younger brother Marek's Wedding to the lovely Taryn. It was such a lovely weekend and wedding in the Cotswolds and great to see all the family but again unfortunately at the end there were more sad goodbyes ..........and tears.

We've got some really exciting things ahead of us in Dubai to start with....with a trip up the Burj with dinner in the Atmosphere restaurant on the 122nd floor of the tallest building in the world! Also one of us is doing a skydive this Thursday over the palm in Dubai (it's not Antoni) -crazy! We're also planning a trip to the water park at the Atlantis which is supposed to be amazing. 

We're going to try and get some sleep now before arriving in dubai-  only 2 hours left on the flight before arriving at 7am Dubai time (4am at home in the UK).

So we'll say goodbye for now and will write again after our few exciting days in Dubai....next stop after that is to Singapore to stay with friends Rach and Mo and also see our friend Pyn! 

Until then...