Dubai 2025 Day 2: Around Old & New Dubai

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Dubai 2025 Day 2: Around Old & New Dubai

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Dubai 2025 Day 2: Around Old & New Dubai

Dubai 2025 Day 2: 14th April (Monday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Dubai:
Day 2 - Around Dubai (UAE):

Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel>Marina Walk>Palm Jumeirah> Al Arab>Museum of the Future>Dubai Frame>Bur Dubai Marine Station>boat>Deira Old Souq Marine Station>walk>Dubai Spice Souk>walk>Dubai Gold Souk>Dubai Mall>walk>Dubai Mall Waterfalls>walk>Souk Al Bahar Bridge>Ibn Battuta Mall>walk>Persian Court>walk>Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel.

This is page 2 of a 3-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D1: KL-Dubai | Go to Other Days | D3: Bye Dubai >

Route recommendations, here are some tips on travelling in and around Dubai (UAE):

1. Traffic Directions!

Driving in Dubai is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side. Speed limits are between 25-40km/h (15-25mph) on residential roads and 100km/h (62mph) for major highways, which may have up to six to seven lanes on each side. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.

2. Immigration & Customs Requirements

For UAE, citizens of Malaysia do not need a visa to enter for travel purposes and can stay in the country for 90 days without a visa. Click here for visa requirements for other countries.

3. Getting to and around Dubai.

Dubai is easily accessible by air as most major airlines serve Dubai. We were mostly on a van-guided tour, about 1,300 UAE dirhams for 10 hours (700 dirhams for the driver and van, 600 dirhams for the guide). Self-travel was via the Uber ride-hailing app, do check the fare before getting down, as drivers have a tendency to add a self-tip.

4. Places & Things of Interest

Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
a. Palm Jumeirah (GPS: 25.11243, 55.13897), a man-made resort island shaped like a palm from an aerial view.
b. Dubai Harbour Marina Walk (GPS: 25.08491, 55.14874), near the Dubai Marina Dancing Fountain.

c. Palm Jumeirah (GPS: 25.11243, 55.13897), a man-made resort island shaped like a palm from an aerial view.
d. Burj Al Arab Building (GPS: 25.14119, 55.18524), one of the tallest hotels in the world.

e. Museum of the Future (GPS: 25.21920, 55.28193) (Museum of the Future website).
f. Hand Sculpture (GPS: 25.21962, 55.28189) in front of the Museum of the Future.
g. Dubai Frame (GPS: 25.23545, 55.30034) (Dubai Frame website).

h. Abra boat crossing of the Dubai Creek from the Bur Dubai Marine Transport Station (GPS: 25.26464, 55.29309) to the Deira Old Souq Marine Transport Station (GPS: 25.26709, 55.29782).

i. Dubai Spice Souk (GPS: 25.26763, 55.29646) (Dubai Spice Souk website).

j. Dubai Gold Souk (GPS: 25.27002, 55.29813) (Dubai Gold Souk website).
k. Downtown Dubai (GPS: 25.19498, 55.27841).
l. Dubai Mall (GPS: 25.19722, 55.27974) (Dubai Mall website).
m. Dubai Mall Waterfalls (GPS: 25.19493, 55.27932).
n. Dubai Fountain (GPS: 25.19515, 55.27515) (Dubai Fountain website).

viewed from the Souk Al Bahar Bridge (GPS: 25.19538, 55.27732).

o. Burj Khalifa (GPS: 25.19719, 55.27437) (Burj Khalifa website).
p. Persian Court (GPS: 25.04495, 55.12015) in the Ibn Battuta Mall (GPS: 25.04454, 55.12029) (Ibn Battuta Mall website).

5. Food

a. Breakfast:

Inclusive Western/Arabian hotel breakfast at Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel (GPS: 25.04572, 55.11815), Dubai.
b. Lunch:

Mandi style with chicken and Hamour fish, at Zam Zam Mandi Restaurant, Al Karama (GPS: 25.23838, 55.29907).
c. Afternoon Tea:
Coffee at Caffè Nero, Dubai Mall (GPS: 25.19662, 55.28011).
d. Dinner #1:

"Blah" Michelin Starred Wantan Noodles at Hawker Chan (GPS: 25.04666, 55.11807), Ibn Battuta Mall Metro Link Food Court.

e. Dinner #2:

Chinese Economy Rice at Golden Joy Express (GPS: 25.04641, 55.11804), Ibn Battuta Mall Metro Link Food Court.

6. Accommodations

Second of two nights at the Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel (GPS: 25.04572, 55.11815), Dubai. We managed to get good corporate rates through a friend; visit the hotel website here for hotel booking and rates.

7. Tour Costs & Arrangements

Air tickets bought at MYR 4430 for a return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai to Casablanca, and Casablanca to Kuala Lumpur with transit in Dubai.

The ground arrangements for a 10-hour guided tour package for six on the second day was at 1,300 dirham (700 dirham for a 10-passenger van with a driver, and 600 dirhams for the tour guide). Airport transfer from the airport to the hotel was at 350 dirhams, and from the hotel to the airport at 300 dirhams.
The guided tour included an Abra boat ride from the Bur Dubai Marine Transport Station (GPS: 25.26464, 55.29309) to the Deira Old Souq Marine Transport Station (GPS: 25.26709, 55.29782).

For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some AED dirhams while in Malaysia and brought along some USD and Euros too. As a contingency, we brought along our Wise debit cards.

8. Communicating with Each Other

When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest.
Upon arrival, one can get a free 1G sim card upon request from the immigration counter. This free sim is valid for twenty-four hours, and can be recharged online or at any of the respective telco stores.
Those who use Maxis as their telco can pre-purchase the Maxis Roaming Pass. Seven-Days APAC Data Pass with unlimited data covers the UAE cost RM69. The Pass can be bought before the trip with a designated starting time/date, BUT DO TURN OFF your data roaming just before the Roaming Pass expires OTHERWISE any subsequent usage will automatically trigger off the 1-Day Roaming Pass costing between RM29 to RM38 per day!

9. Communicating with Locals

At favourite tourist destinations, most locals speak fairly good English. At the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, and our local guide was most helpful in translating for us.

10. Weather

Average day and night temperatures in Dubai were 42°C and 29°C, partly cloudy with no rain.

Useful weather forecast sites for Dubai is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation

I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

Yesterday, we flew into Dubai from Kuala Lumpur. Arriving just after noon, we checked into our hotel, and after a short rest, we were out for an evening cruise of the Dubai Marina.
Today will be a full day in the city-state, and we will go on a 10-hour guided tour of both the new part of the city and the older part, i.e. the souk shopping district, etc. And of course, we will see the world's tallest building up close too!
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DAY 2: AROUND DUBAI

Guided Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Dubai:

Day 2- Around Dubai:

(Click here for the Dubai Day 2: Around Dubai Route Map)

Most posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first)

We kicked off the day with a very delicious hotel breakfast buffet. It had a wide range of Western dishes and some Asian dishes, including spicy Medu vada and Upma.

The good food pepped us up, and we will need the energy for today's busy schedule. We will be fitting in as many of Dubai tourist spots as possible.

As we were leaving, we met some lovely Japanese ladies, all donned up in beautiful kimonos. Made some new friends here 😊. They must be attending a cultural event.

We trooped into a 9-seater van that would take us on a guided tour of the city, accompanied by our guide, Mr. Shazat.

Our first stop - the Dubai Harbour Marina Walk, where the Dubai Marina Dancing Fountain is. It's daytime and the fountain is not operating yet, but there was an attractive blue-hearts sculpture for photo ops with majestic tall buildings in the background.

Next, we drove to the Palm Jumeirah Island and the Jumeirah Tunnel at the far end, it is a 1km undersea tunnel connecting the mainland. This island, together with the adjacent Palm Jebel Ali Island, are man-made and looks like palms from the sky. The tunnel makes the palms look unconnected.

Continuing along Palm Jumeirah Road.

Another photo stop, this time at the very easily recognisable Burj Al Arab Building, one of the tallest hotels in the world. It has also sometimes been described as "the world's only 'seven-star' hotel"

1:00pm - It's getting very, very hot here, with temperatures hitting a high of 42°C. Even the air-conditioned van was feeling uncomfortable; fortunately, nearby, there was an air-conditioned bus stop. Thank goodness for that, as we all comfortably took refuge from the angry Mr. Sun.

Adequately cooled, we continued on in the van and had a passing view of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. It's so tall that anywhere in Dubaii, one seems to be passing by it.

Just for note, my home country, Malaysia, is home to the Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world; and the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers and tallest building built in the 20th Century. Just feeling a bit of Kiasu here 😏😅.

At the Hand Sculpture next to the Museum of the Future. the extended thumb, forefinger, and middle finger of this 12-meter sculpture is a known three-finger salute among UAE citizens, which signifies W for Win, V for Victory and L for Love.

At the lobby of the Museum of the Future. Short of time, we didn't go in, just went to the lobby area to use the restrooms 😣.

At the world's largest photo frame, the Dubai Frame. The country seems to have many superlatives .... including the largest gold ring, which we will see later.

Passing by the Al Fahidi Historical area, which sets us into a traditional mood .....

..... for a Abra boat crossing the Dubai Creek from the Bur Dubai Marine Transport Station to the Deira Old Souq Marine Transport Station.

This takes us from the new part of the city to the old part, to the Al Souk Al Kabir, the Grand Souk. This souk has been a trading hub for decades, it still offers a unique shopping experience filled with history, culture, and amazing bargains with its many stalls selling goods like spices, textiles, and gold.

At the Dubai Spice Souk, bargaining for saffron. At USD$5,000 per kg or higher, saffron has long been the world's costliest spice by weight.

Finally, happiness for the missus - the world's largest gold ring at Kranz Dubai Jewellery in the Gold Souk. A beaming smile says everything, too bad it's beyond my reach, wonder whether they have a smaller replica? 😜

Gold gold GOLD! AND even MORE GOLD! At MG Global Bullion LLC at the Gold Souk.

After seeing all the gold, a precious rest on a Golden bench 😂.

Come lunchtime, it is Mandi style at Zam Zam Mandi Restaurant, in Al Karama.
Mandi was usually made from rice, meat (lamb, camel, goat or chicken), and a mixture of spices called hawaij. The main technique that differentiates mandi from other meat dishes is that the meat is cooked in the tannour, which is similar to a tandoor, used for cooking tandoori chicken.

It is traditionally served on large communal platters, which reminds me of the communal Makan Megibung lunch we had while on a 2018 cycling tour of Bali.

From the old, we go to the new for some shopping at the Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in Dubai. The mall is part of Downtown Dubai and is located adjacent to the Burj Khalifa. It includes over 1,200 shops. Though big, it's just the 29th biggest mall in the world.

Popped out for a view of Burj Khalifa from the Dubai Mall's Souk Al Bahar Bridge. We will be back later to view the fountain show.

Back inside, admiring the Divers at the Waterfalls within the Dubai Mall. Saw some similar divers at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Armenia.

It's a big mall with lots of walking, so it's time for a coffee break and a badly needed rest at Caffè Nero.

Dubai Fountain show with the Burj Khalifa in the background.

Video of Dubai Fountain.
It is a choreographed 275 m (902 ft) long light and sound fountain show on the 12-hectare artificial Burj Khalifa Lake, at Downtown Dubai. Illuminated by 6,600 lights and 25 colored projectors, it is and shoots water up to 500 ft into the air, accompanied by a range of classical to contemporary Arabic and world music. We were most impressed as the water and lights seemed to dance in waves and heights with the music.

Dinner: having the World's Most Affordable but Blah Michelin Starred Meal from Hawker Chan, Ibn Battuta Mall Metro Link Food Court. It's Wantan Noodles that didn't taste at all like it.

Just for note, there are more affordable Michelin-starred food in George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

Disappointed, unsatisfied and unsated with the "Blah" noodles, we went for Round Two with a more satisfying Chinese Economy Rice (Chap Fun aka "Cheap Fun") from Golden Joy Express at Ibn Battuta Mall Metro Link Food Court.

Beautiful Persian Architecture at Persian Court of the mall.

Giant Towel at Avani Avani Ibn Batuta Hotel.
This hotel must be catering for tall people, standing next to their bath towel 😂. It's as tall as me! Either that or I am short!