Looking out from the Mövenpick Hotel shuttle ride to the Palm, Dubai slowly revealed herself. The first impressions were not overly impressive, which is deceiving. A dull sand-coloured veil shrouded the city. The architecture wasn’t especially spectacular, neither ultra modern nor traditional. Except of course its most famous buildings – Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, still the world’s tallest building. I don’t know what I expected, maybe traffic congestion with bumper-to-bumper Hummers and wealth literally melting off the sides of the glitzy buildings like oil.

This was my first time in Dubai, a one-night stop-over from where I was glamping in the UK back to Singapore. It was July 2012, just days before the start of Ramadan. After the cold weather in the UK, my throat was feeling scratch and a cough was starting so the plan was just to take it easy – check out the beach and do a cursory night tour. I had less than 24 hours in the city.

Sitting in the Persian Gulf

The shuttle bus ride from the hotel to the beach itself took half an hour, allowing me to glimpse different parts of the city. Dubai is surprisingly expansive and spread out. Deira, where my hotel was, is nowhere near the Palm Jumeirah, where I was headed. Why was I going there? While the Palm is fascinating, I wanted to sit in the Persian Gulf. And I did. Not for long. The water was hotter than the air. It was like sitting in a bath. Just as I wondered if there were any fish, a little one darted to my toe then near my elbow, pausing briefly as if on cue to say “hello”. Seeing the fish made me smile and I replied “hello”.  And he was off.

I was amazed that life could exist at such a temperature. If I learned nothing else from the movies, it’s that “life finds a way”. Life is resilient. It’s unexpected. Full of surprises and wonder.

When I left the hotel, it was 47ºC. Yes, 47ºC.

It would climb into the 50s later that day.

I’ve never ever been in such a hot dry climate. I live in the 30s in Singapore, which is so very humid. And so fantastic for the skin and hair, by the way. So humid though that when I step outside, I just start dripping.

Swimming in the Persian Gulf – ticked.

Mission accomplished, I headed back to the club pool to cool off. Looking around, you wouldn’t know you were in a Muslim country. The pool was full of foreigners. To be fair, Dubai is even more international, with everything flown in, than even the famously/infamously international city of New York.

The waitstaff was also international – Philippines and somewhere in Africa. Later, I would find a lot of Pakistani nationals in Dubai. Like Singapore, Dubai is built with foreign workers.

With signing privileges at the Oceana Club that came with my stay at the Mövenpick, I decided some food was in order. A fruit platter and fries, somehow a comforting and welcomed combination. I hoped the salt would help with my throat’s scratchiness.

Sitting uncomfortably in the heat, I wondered how hot it really was, and how do you get used to it? Even after years of living in Singapore I have not acclimated to the heat nor humidity.

Dubai at Night

When daytime temperatures run up to the 50s, it’s no wonder the city comes alive at night. Heaviness and heat still weighed in the air for some time after sunset.

My first stop that evening was the souks. I was hunting for Iranian figs and frankincense resin. And there were a lot to choose from. The souks were generally disappointing and disappointedly small. I guess the upside is you know where to go to get what you want, whereas the souk in Morocco was a maze – a fun maze – to navigate, a surprise around every corner. The textile souk reminded me of Singapore’s Little India. The reviews about Dubai souks from Tripadvsior were spot on.

And the gold souk?

My guide insisted on taking me. Perhaps it’s their crowning glory, the souk of souks. It was glitzy and glittery. The lights meant to magnify this sparkle must have pushed the air temperature up a few degrees, just when the night air was starting to cool. Leaving the gold souk felt like I was leaving this strange glowing manifestation in the middle of, well, sand. A mirage that rose up from nowhere. I did love the jewelry’s intricate designs – simply stunning.

To be honest, the rest of the night was somewhat of a blur. Fatigue hit me like a brick wall soon after that. I had only gotten to bed around 3am, after a 7-hour flight from Heathrow.

I asked my driver to cut short the tour and fought to stay awake as he eagerly drove me to a couple more tourist spots. The point of hiring your own driver is flexibility. So I headed back to the hotel in relax in my ultra-comfortable room until my 12:30am airport shuttle.

24-Hour Check-In

Dubai has this fantastic option/service. Some hotels offer 24-hour check-in. This means that you get 24 hours in your hotel room, from whatever time of day you arrive.

I chose Mövenpick Deira because of this perk, perfect for arriving late and having a late night flight. I didn’t have to check out at the usual time, leave my luggage with the concierge and find something to do before my flight. Not every hotel and not every location of the same hotel chain offer this option.

(note: as the 24-hour check-in/out service is not the norm, the reception was rather confused and took some time to calculate and confirm my check-out time. I actually dealt with three different receptionists and my room key was de-activated at one point.)

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My first time in Dubai was a whirlwind and a great intro to this very intriguing part of the world. In less than 24 hours, I saw many of the major tourist sights, poked around in the souks, dipped in the Persian Gulf, and experienced 47º.

I also met some very interesting people. There’s nothing quite like speaking with a cross section of foreigners and people in the service industry. I had long conversations with three Pakistani nationals – taxi drivers and a dashing security guard. When I asked a Kenyan bartender what it was like being Christian in a Muslim country, he quickly dashed off.

In this super-short visit I barely saw what this city has to offer and with rapid change continuing apace I am certain my next visit would reveal a different place. Things next to try – falconry.

Cover Image : Christoph Schulz