Episode 21: Moving to Dubai
Having never been to the Middle East at all, Dubai has been a lovely surprise.
This city is just as, if not more diverse than Toronto my hometown, but it’s very sunny, abnormally clean, and extraordinarily safe. Not to mention that there’s fresh juice sold everywhere, a thriving nightlife and cool flowy clothes?? I’m seriously in love.
So far, so good! Looks like leaving my loved ones has a silver lining after all.
My abuelita > your abuelita
In this week’s episode, I share my first stop: the Dubai Marina. I was so jet-lagged but my first day, I went to Smoky Beach in JBR right after arriving and unpacking and loved it. The feeling of walking through clean sand and floating in saltwater after a 16-hour flight? Priceless.
In the vlog, I go back to the beach with my roommate Ra’eesa from South Africa. We had a great time exploring, swimming, snacking, and even trying some watermelon shisha.
Check out the links below for more information on where we went, or watch the video of course. If you liked it, leave a comment to let me know what you think!
My Recommendations
Although I recommend these places, the Marina is very walkable via a long boardwalk. Head there with a friend for tons of food and entertainment options! During the day, it is very family friendly and at night, there are glamorous outfits and luxury cars readily on display.
The Dubai Marina
Walkable and popular, this district is especially popular over the weekend (Saturdays and Sundays).
ZouZou Lebanese and Turkish Restaurant (JBR) (LINK)
This was my first meal in Dubai and it was incredible. The menu is impressive and pages long, with a taste for everyone. Mocktails are popular in Dubai because drinking isn’t really accepted in Islam, and so fresh juice drinks, smoothies and so on are really good here.
I had a watermelon juice with some expertly cooked shrimp and a fresh Lebanese salad. The Kunefe dessert, which was Turkish, can be seen in the video and came with a machete show. Lots of drama and very delicious! Highly recommend ZouZou.
Yalseh Lounge (LINK)
Yalseh is already a go-to for me. After a day of moving out and about, it is really enjoyable to listen to music and catch up with a friend over some relaxing shisha. I’m not sure how it is perceived by locals (if it’s taboo or not) but since I don’t really smoke or drink often, I feel ok with the occasional relaxing shisha sesh. It is a chance to mellow out, and in the case of Yalseh, enjoy the scenic Marina sights like the Dubai Eye wheel’s light show.
Also, they have a great selection of snacks, sweets and drinks to choose from which is helpful because the shisha can get a little dehydrating without water or juice! There are many servers and they are all friendly and attentive. They come around to maintain the coals while you chat. Love Yalseh!
Click on the links above and check out these places the next time you’re in Dubai. Hopefully in future videos I’ll have even more to share!
And that’s it! I hope this video and article inspired you to visit Dubai, or at least opened your eyes to a new way of looking at the Middle East.
If you have any questions, comment on the video and I’ll get back to you!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my channel for more.
Best of luck to you and remember - dreams are supposed to come true!
