Dubai. Camels. Catamaran.

This past week has been so full of adventures I feel like it should almost be split into two. But I'll do my best to sum it up nicely.

My 26th birthday was amazing. I got to spend it traveling and exploring somewhere new! Dubai was an amazing adventure. Like any first trip to a new city, I always like to do the touristy things first then do the more local things. In no particular order we saw the Burj Khafia, Burj Al Arab, traditional souk, indoor ski resort, and probably the nicest shopping mall on the planet. Thank goodness Laurie is blessed with a sense of direction because she got us all over the city with very few detours :)

The Burj Khafia is currently the tallest building in the world. 

Since drinking is only really allowed in hotels, we found the Jumeriah Beach Hotel for happy hour and sunset with the amazing view of the Burj al Arab. 

The next day we went on a Desert Safari. The adventure started out with sand duning, but it wasn't your average cruise along a beach it was 45 degree angle sliding down the biggest sand dunes I've ever seen!! 

After the camels we got to enjoy a traditional dinner buffet and try the shesha. 

Once we survived that (luckily) we stopped at a camel farm where we could pet and ride the camels.  The camels were quite amazing animals to see up close, each one had a comical look to them and moved almost cartoonish with their knobby knees. 

The desert always holds a little place in my heart since when I was little I always remember sitting out on the sand at night looking up at the stars. So when they turned off all the lights and we just sat there in the the middle of the Arabian desert looking at the stars, I felt connected to the past.

Next adventure was one of my favorite. We took a catamaran from the Emirate Palace around the bay to an island that appears depending on the tide. It was absolutely breath taking. I will share photos but  I just don't think they could possibly capture how beautiful it was.

All in all this was a beautiful week. I enjoyed it very much and it will probably go down in the books as one of the best yet! Cheers to the next 26 years!!

XO,

Jax