I didn't really have a place to add these pictures about the Mall of the Emirates, which was connected to the hotel we were staying at, but I need to show you that they have a ski lift in this mall! And it's cold! And there's snow! It's really mind blowing!
All I could think of when I saw this was... did they literally have to go out and buy all of those clothes JUST for this indoor ski place? Because you certainly don't need any of that here in Dubai!
DON'T worry... minus four means -4C. Not Fahrenheit.
Because you really can ski in Dubai!
I kind of feel like I'm down in Garmisch... only... I'm in a country where the current temperature is hotter than anything I've ever experienced!
It's like a winter wonderland! Now that they've made all of that snow... do they have to throw salt down on the stairs?
Look at the ski lift going up in the upper left corner!
This mall is really insane. If you go upstairs above the people skiing, you come across a bowling alley and a TGI Fridays.
TGI Friday's - in Arabic!
Look, I know that my fellow Americans often get to frequent places like the Cheesecake Factory. And I don't really love the Cheesecake Factory, except they do make a darn fine cheesecake. So when I spotted the CF in the Mall of the Emirates, I really wanted to go because who knows how long it will be before I get another chance to do this! My mom and I split the Cinnabon cheesecake and it was out of this world!
Maybe it's a peacock, maybe it's a turkey. Either way, the nice guy who made up our room everyday made us cute little towel animals - I felt like I was on a cruise ship!
After our "long" day of sleeping in, visiting the mall and checking out the skiers, we had to hit up our favorite hotel bar for a pre-dinner cruise drink. This view is actually from the floor above the lobby of the hotel.
Then it was back up to our favorite bar with it's two pools. There were never a lot of people up there, which is pretty much why we loved it.
Plus, the views were AMAZING.
AND we had the BEST bartender ever, Rikesh! He was from Nepal and he could slay a Stella Artois from the tap. He was so funny and so kind. We really had fun at this bar! He thought Mama was a gangsta!
Soon it was time to head out to downtown Dubai so we could do our Dubai River cruise. Hello tallest building in the world, up close at night! You're so tall my phone has a hard time focusing on you!
We had SUCH a problem getting there. There had been an accident on the E11 that backed up traffic for miles. And traffic in the evening (when we left for the cruise) is crazy anyway. We had to get all the way to the Al Seef area to get on the boat, but thankfully they waited for us! Because we were literally the last to get on. If I could go back to Dubai, I would definitely check out this area some more because it was really cute!
We set sail only about 2 minutes after we got on the boat.
It was really a beautiful night for sailing on the Dubai Creek. It weirdly reminded me of home (Indian Rocks Beach). The temperature was warm and the humidity was high. And my hair was very curly. There was food and drinks and dessert and music - which all made for a very relaxing evening.
My Mom and I thought it was really funny that all of the boats on the creek were lit up. It reminded us of the Indian Rocks Beach Christmas boat parade.
So, of course... we had to rate them all. And pick our favorites.
We went right under a two span bridge as everyone was enjoying their buffet dinner.
The skyline was beautiful, especially reflecting off the water. The air is so humid and thick that the lights from the buildings light up the entire sky surrounding them.
I'm the king of the world! OK, maybe I'm the queen. Or maybe my Mom is the queen and I'm still just a princess. A 43-year-old princess.
Between my Mom and I, there was a lot of "Oh no no... THIS is my favorite boat!" (You know... just like we would do in the IRB Christmas boat parade!)
Oh but wait... is THIS my favorite boat?
The Al Seef area is really beautiful. I won't talk about how it's going to be under water in 100 years. Or maybe I will because I just did.
This was really a very beautiful and very relaxing cruise. Dinner was good and our new friends were on our cruise, too! Thankfully there wasn't any rain (right, Dubai?) and the nice breeze of the boat was very enjoyable. Don't pass up this opportunity if you're ever in Dubai!
Until next time, Dubai River Creek cruise! I would certainly enjoy this again!
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