Abu Dhabi and Dubai Girls in August~ Go, Go, Go: An 8-Day Independent Trip for a Family of Three with Little English

The plane was scheduled to arrive at 11:30, and I thought it was only half an hour, so I activated data roaming one day late, meaning I wouldn’t have data until the 5th, and on the 4th I didn’t even have translation software. I hadn’t downloaded offline translation, so I couldn’t understand English. Who knew the plane would land at 10 o’clock? It was way too early. Getting off the plane, I just followed the crowd. We couldn’t understand a single word of English on the signs. The staff nearby all had big beards, and when they asked me something, I couldn’t even open my mouth. It was really awkward, haha. So I just followed the pictures and the crowd to the stamping counter. My husband was stopped, suspected of taking a photo with his phone. He opened his phone and showed the staff there were no photos, and the misunderstanding was cleared.

When we reached baggage claim, we saw our two suitcases waiting for us right away. Everyone else’s luggage had already been taken. So fast!

Since we hadn’t bought a hotel package with breakfast, we excitedly looked for a nearby place to eat in the morning.

Even though we were mentally prepared, we were still hit hard by the heat wave. After walking for 7 or 8 minutes, we were drenched in sweat. We quickly found an Indian restaurant and went inside.

Prices were all in Dirhams, basically 1 Dirham ≈ 1.9 RMB.

It was so hot; we took a taxi back to the hotel.

Then we had to think about what to eat for lunch. Luckily, there was a mall right next to the hotel with a supermarket in the basement, so we went for a stroll.

During lunch we discussed that ride-hailing apps were too expensive. We decided to try a metered taxi. The hotel staff helped us hail one, and sure enough, the metered taxi was cheaper. We could also pay with a VASA card.

The interior was very luxurious—how much did those lights cost? Such exquisite carvings and inlaid shells...

Both of today’s attractions were free, and the shuttle buses were also free. They departed when full, very friendly!

After eating, we checked out and planned to take a taxi to the Louvre. The hotel staff at the entrance was very kind. When he knew we were going to the Louvre, he asked if we had a reservation (of course I didn’t understand the words, but I understood the gesture, haha). I showed him the screenshot of my reservation, and he helped call a taxi.

Originally, we planned to go dune bashing today, but my husband gets carsick, my daughter had no energy, and I wasn’t interested in going alone, so we rested at the hotel.

Translation apps: My husband and I both have Huawei phones. I downloaded Youdao Translator, and I had him download Baidu Translate. Both worked very well. When we couldn’t understand something, we used voice translation and asked the other person to repeat. It translated quickly. When we couldn’t understand something in the supermarket, we used the photo translation feature.

Maps: Google Maps was practical. For some reason, I couldn’t download the app directly. I downloaded “Chujingyi” from the app store, which contains many apps useful abroad. I only used Google Maps from it. When taking a taxi, I showed the driver the specific address, and they understood at a glance. Chujingyi also had ride-hailing apps, but later we felt that the hotel staff hailing taxis was very convenient, so we never used those apps.

Since I couldn’t find cooking wine anywhere, I thought of buying beer as a substitute, but there was none either. In the end, I just added more ginger, green onion, and garlic. The shrimp I cooked turned out pretty tasty.

The tableware here was all forks and spoons. On the first day, it was inconvenient without chopsticks. There was an IKEA in the mall near the hotel, and my daughter said we should buy a pair there. It turned out they didn’t sell chopsticks. I later realized that since there’s no market for chopsticks here, shops definitely wouldn’t stock them. Later, near the third hotel, we found a Chinese restaurant and saw many disposable chopsticks, which instantly felt so familiar~

Travel Journal Index1. This is my first travel journal, just a daily record, please bear with me~2. August 4th3. August 5th4. August 6th5. August 7th6. August 8th7. August 9th8. August 10th9. August 11th10. A little summaryTourism InformationHotel IndexGuide IndexTicket IndexWebsite NavigationTravel IndexCruise IndexCorporate Travel IndexFranchise CooperationDistribution AllianceFriendship LinksCorporate Gift Card ProcurementInsurance AgencyPartner AgencyHotel FranchiseDestination & Venue CooperationMore PartnershipAbout CtripAbout CtripCtrip HotspotsContact UsCareersUser AgreementPrivacy PolicyBusiness LicenseSecurity CenterCtrip Content CenterIntellectual PropertyTrip.com Group Algorithm Disclosure