onerideaway
U.A.E.
"Discovery is a pleasure as subtle and interesting as knowledge."
Jacques Lamarche
The United Arab Emirates has a delusions of grandeur worth discovering once in a lifetime. Everything is exaggerated, but we are still curious and admiring the architecture found there. Despite the wealth of this country, people remain very friendly and generous, even with travelers in "small" vans.
THINGS TO KNOW
DECEMBER 2022
VISA – Free 90-day visa on arrival
EXCHANGE - 4.18 AED/CHF
VEHICLE - CPD required and exit tax of 22 CHF / vehicle
SIM - 10 days unlimited / 100 CHF
22 GB / 58 CHF
DIESEL – 3.57 AED/L
INSURANCE - 15 days / 55 CHF
DOG - Relatively expensive procedures and restrictions concerning dog breeds, *additional information below.
* Import permit to be obtained from www.moccae.gov.ae/en/services/export-import-services/import-permit-pets.aspx 200 AED to pay in advance and 500 AED at customs. For countries with a low risk of rabies (see pet travel): Chip required; vaccination (rabies between 30 days and 1 year), health certificate <30 days required; Anti-rabies titration test necessary for certain countries; treatment against parasites mandatory (no checks were made when we entered the UAE).
Al Dhafra - Kite
For our first stop in the UAE, we are aiming for a beach that was recommended to us. We are packed even before arriving on site. Indeed, already from the main road, we see in the distance kites that seem to float above the sand. After several months without getting back on a board, we will finally be able to get back on the water.
Chloé is the first to jump into the water. It takes a bit of time to find its bearings, but once this first barrier is crossed, it pulls through like a leader and manages to tack on its way upwind.
When my turn came, I wasted no time in throwing myself into the water too. What a pleasure it gives me to kite on water that looks more like the water of a swimming pool than that of a sea, it is so turquoise!
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
We arrive in the middle of huge buildings, palm trees and beautiful cars. Of course, we are in another universe.
In the evening, we discover this huge mosque, which is also one of the largest mosques in the world. By day, it is a magnificent white and by night, it is rather blue, because it takes on the color of the spotlights which illuminate its facades.
The interior of the mosque is very different from what we have seen so far. Everything is huge, there is a part that fascinates us and another that we find too artificial. With the flowers represented on the marble floor, in high relief on the walls or on the glass doors that open automatically when we pass, this mosque touches us much less than other mosques that we have been able to visit.
Nevertheless, it remains impressive. Inside, in the central part of the mosque, which is its largest hall, is the largest chandelier and the largest handcrafted carpet in the world.
The Louvre - Abu Dhabi
From the outside, the Louvre attracts the eye, but it is only once inside the latter, or rather under its dome that we can apprehend the finesse and beauty of the whole.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a museum built between 2006 and 2017 by architect Jean Nouvel. It is made up of 55 very refined buildings, some of which seem to come straight out of the sea. The whole is covered with a steel and aluminum dome which filters the sunlight and casts its shadow on the volumes a pearly white that it overlooks. The whole creates a magnificent interplay of light and shadow which dresses the buildings which could, in another context, seem bland, but which here take on a completely different dimension, thus creating a simply sublime picture.
dubai
I never thought that one day I would set foot in this city. The delusions of grandeur and all this wealth usually scare me away. I must say that after the fact, despite the fact that we couldn't visit anything because it was so expensive, I was not disappointed to have made the detour. The architecture of the city is really crazy and it is an experience to have been able to see this once in my life.
We will visit the famous artificial peninsula of Dubai the Palm Jumeirah. Do you know how they built these islands whose shape is reminiscent of a palm tree? It took 150 million tons of sand dredged from the bottom of the Persian Gulf and deposited in the right places to create these islands. Hotel, seaside and tourist complexes and houses for wealthy people have been built on this land “stolen” from the sea.
We discover buildings more impressive than each other.
Burj Khalifa
We want to go see the sunset towards the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. The latter is 828 meters high and has 160 “habitable” floors. The tower can accommodate up to 35,000 people. It houses luxury hotels, apartments and offices.
We stay until nightfall in front of the tower and we watch the spectacle of projections on the facade of the tower and the jets of water which seem to dance in rhythm with the music.
Stop in the dunes
We find a spot in the middle of mountains and dunes, it's magic. The sand is red, brown and incredibly soft, it seems to slip under our feet. We walk to the top of one of the highest dunes to admire the sunset.
