Ultimate Check-in of the Lavish UAE: Classic Self-Guided Tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi

For us, the Middle East UAE has always been a mysterious and distant existence: oil-rich lavish families, handsome men and beautiful women with big eyes and high noses, gold and diamonds everywhere, a city of miracles in the desert... Everything is so curious and alluring that it thrilled me, who hadn't taken a long-haul flight in five years. This trip was basically a classic route, with per person cost under 15,000 RMB. You can refer to the itinerary, and since there were some work commitments, the actual sightseeing was only about 5 days in total. The rest were hotel expenses. If you want to save money, you can choose budget hotels or use the metro, and the per person cost can be controlled within 10,000 RMB.

The UAE offers visa on arrival. All you need is a passport and a plane ticket, and you can go. I basically set off without much preparation. After a smooth entry at Dubai Airport, I withdrew 500 AED (about 1,000 RMB) from an ATM. It turned out to be enough; we even had some cash left to tip the driver. Almost everything else could be paid by card, VISA and JCB both accepted.

Taxis in Dubai are really expensive. Almost every ride cost more than 150 RMB, even from city center to city center started at 60 RMB: Uber was the most expensive, using Lexus or Tesla models; Careem or hailing a cab on the street was about 20 RMB cheaper, but you had to pay in cash... My heart couldn't take it anymore, so I opted for a private car charter at 1,300 RMB per day, free to go anywhere in the city.

Dubai's winter temperature is very suitable for southerners—around 30°C, and it doesn't feel hot in the shade. However, when I went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast in shorts and a T-shirt, I felt a bit out of place because there are very few Chinese in Dubai. Most hotel guests are from India, Pakistan, or Middle Eastern Muslims, dressed relatively conservatively. That scared me into finishing my meal quickly, going back to my room to change into a long skirt before heading out. Looking out the window at the pool, it was easy to see that it was mostly a men's paradise. Occasionally, a few women in revealing swimsuits were Caucasian Europeans or Americans, while the mothers of Muslim children playing in the water were covered from head to toe.

Our first stop was the Dubai Mall area in downtown Dubai. We took a taxi to the Palace Downtown Hotel as our starting point. This hotel completely matched my aesthetic: the Emirati palace-style exterior, the azure pool water, and the unique backdrop of the Burj Khalifa—any photo looked like a masterpiece. Parked outside the hotel was a super cool Barbie-pink 10-meter stretched GMC. Our Uber driver told us it was actually a taxi, renting for about 1,500 RMB per hour. Well, thanks but no thanks~ The legendary Dubai Mall is said to be the size of fifty football fields. Whether that's true or not, it's definitely enough to wear out your legs. Basically, any internationally known brand can be found here. If you have money, you can buy whatever you want, and you can even try indoor scuba diving at the aquarium. There are many sky bars near the base of the Burj Khalifa, offering close-up views of the tower and the evening fountain show. Afternoon tea costs about 150 RMB per person, which is quite comfortable for chilling. If your budget allows, you could also try the Armani Cafe in the mall, but we didn't want to splurge on that. I noticed that there are very few Chinese people here. Most shoppers in the mall are Europeans, Americans, or Indians. Probably tour groups don't come here, and also the prices are too high (the China Town in the mall felt familiar, but a cup of milk tea cost 52 RMB, which instantly made me lose interest). Not necessary.

As the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa stands over 800 meters high. Dubai's ability to build such a skyscraper in the middle of desert and sea truly deserves the title of City of Miracles. Since we were there, we had to go to the top for the sake of the 'world's tallest' title. Tickets at the venue are extremely expensive; you must buy them in advance on the app—290 RMB each. Let's go! The view from the top reminded me a bit of the Empire State Building. You can clearly see the panoramic view of the miracle city rising from the desert. Unfortunately, you can't see the Palm Islands. Whether it's worth it depends on personal opinion.

At Dubai Mall, we ate at Five Guys from the American West. No special reason—it was cheap. A set meal was about 80 RMB, and the burgers were really delicious. I have to complain about Middle Eastern food here. I'm usually curious on trips and like to try things I've never seen before, but those paste-like substances were no joke. I can hardly describe their taste; I spat out each bite. In the end, I found that Western food (Caucasian food) was more acceptable... The only delicious thing I could confirm was the meat. Grilled meat looked charred black, but it was full of spices and not dry at all. The lamb rice had very tender lamb, generous portions, and long-grain rice that was pretty bland. The best meal was at an Indian restaurant near our hotel. At first, I didn't know it was a vegetarian restaurant, but later I discovered that vegetarian food could be so tasty!! They were really skilled at making bread, and paired with coconut chutney, it was superb!

Later, we gradually realized that Dubai's 'streets paved with gold' only applies to locals: Foreign workers here have low salaries and can never enjoy the same benefits as locals, even if they marry a local (unless they have a child—the child can be a local, but the mother herself is not). A small restaurant can employ ten to twenty staff, which shows that foreign labor is relatively cheap. Delivery drivers, who in China earn more as they work more, earn at most 7,000-8,000 RMB per month locally. Even Chinese drivers working for Chinese-owned companies here earn less than 10,000 RMB per month... So for China, perhaps expanding businesses to the UAE is a good option, but leaving home to work there is really not necessary.

In the UAE, there is a city even more luxurious than Dubai—Abu Dhabi. Compared to Dubai, it is more low-key and opulent, and more conservative. If Dubai is Shanghai—a flashy business card China shows the world—then Abu Dhabi is like Beijing—solemn and dignified, representing the official side. From Dubai to Abu Dhabi, without traffic, it takes about two hours (but traffic is almost always terrible; Dubai's traffic conditions were surprisingly horrific).

Our first stop was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the third-largest mosque in the world. Even though I had seen many beautiful mosques with different aesthetics, her beauty still firmly held a place in my heart—pure white, dazzling exterior like a palace, like a fairy tale world, radiating purity and transparency, showing the power of faith. The interior is even more luxurious: pure marble columns, the world's largest Swarovski crystal chandelier, the world's largest hand-woven wool carpet weighing 40 tons. It's hard to imagine that this is just a place of worship. However, beneath the extravagant beauty lies great restraint on human nature: Muslims believe in the 'afterlife theory,' which preaches that people must accept restraint and suffering in this life to enter paradise, after which they no longer need to follow these rules. Therefore, every Muslim strictly adheres to the doctrines, generation after generation, consistently.

For foreigners like us, maybe it's just a change of clothes—a bit troublesome, but we still show respect. But as a woman, I truly feel fortunate that I was not born in this land. The constraints on women's lives here are unimaginable to me for a lifetime: freedom of marriage is never an innate right; arranged marriages where women can never marry outside; obeying their father before marriage and their husband after marriage; being an accessory from birth to death with no self. From the age of nine, they cannot show their full face; they must cover from head to toe. No matter how beautiful their face or accessories, they can only admire themselves. They even need their husband's permission and accompaniment to go out. They must accept their husband taking three other wives at any time, while they themselves must avoid occasions where other men appear in the house... Thinking of this, the citizen's monthly government subsidy of 3,000 USD suddenly didn't seem so appealing—freedom is more valuable.

Leaving the slightly oppressive mosque, we went to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. As someone with no artistic sense, my interest in art museums is quite limited, especially since these exhibits are rented from overseas—it seems more like the UAE showing off its power, essentially gifting a 1 billion euro deal to France. Truly, money makes the world go round. But to be fair, the building itself is really beautiful, designed by the French. It's great for photos; the play of light and shadow is exquisite. Indeed, money can make the devil work.

Our last stop in Abu Dhabi was the Presidential Palace, the most luxurious national palace in the world. The exterior has many similarities to the mosque, but the interior is wrapped in countless amounts of gold—truly resplendent. For the first time, I felt aesthetic fatigue from gold, haha. Honestly, Islamic architecture here is full of Arabic characteristics and really appeals to my aesthetic, but the interior... a bit too lavish and somewhat repetitive.

Similarly, back in Dubai, visiting the legendary Burj Al Arab and the top-floor royal suite that once cost 600,000 RMB per night gave me a similar feeling: the main colors of the room were red and gold, with interiors featuring Arabian desert themes, looking very luxurious. But what was more captivating was the beautiful beach view outside the window—the azure sea and golden sand were truly refreshing. The Burj Al Arab no longer holds its former unattainable status at the top of the global hotel industry. After all, the new surpasses the old. It has now 'fallen from grace', selling sightseeing tickets for about 400 RMB (plus a cup of coffee for 700 RMB). It's worth seeing as a tourist attraction.

In the afternoon, we joined a group for desert dune bashing. The driver was a cheerful Pakistani young man whose grandfather moved to Dubai. But as mentioned above, local benefits are very good, so the definition of 'local' is very strict—bloodline is the only key to citizenship. To maintain 'pure blood', a man's first wife cannot be a foreigner, and they even resort to consanguineous marriage, which is why there are so many beautiful offspring. Since the government treats citizens so well—giving a double-story house with a garage upon marriage and 3,000 USD per month for each family member—most locals don't want to work. Of course, if they do want to work, the government rewards their 'diligence' by setting local civil servant salaries about three times higher than foreign applicants. That is, if a foreigner wants to become a civil servant, they need to know more than three languages and pass numerous tests to have a chance at a monthly salary of 10,000-30,000 AED. Meanwhile, a Dubai local with just their ID can easily earn 30,000-90,000 AED per month...

I had been to deserts before, but dune bashing in a 4x4 was my first time. Our driver, with 11 years of experience, showed off various tricks, which was quite thrilling. The desert at sunset was vast yet romantic, with the afterglow in the sand intoxicating. I just regretted that the sunset was too short. Soon we arrived at the camp in Sharjah. This camp was quite peculiar—it felt like a big market. From the entrance, we were constantly being sold things: entering the VIP area cost 120 RMB per person—okay, that included a dedicated barbecue and a two-seater sofa; taking a photo with a falcon cost 40 RMB—I had never played with a bird, so I took a bunch of photos, just a tourist thing; camel riding, a ride plus photos cost 200 RMB—thanks but no thanks, just a free walk around was fine. There were also hand-painted patterns, fridge magnets, fruits, and many other strange things being sold every few minutes. Unfortunately, we didn't bring enough cash or cards (the driver said not to bring too many things for dune bashing, as they could get lost in the sand and never come back), so we couldn't buy anything, haha~ To be fair, the grilled meat was one of the things in the Middle East that our Chinese stomachs could accept best. Maybe because of the VIP treatment, the meat here was big and delicious. I probably ate three or four skewers myself. After the meal, there was a performance including fire-breathing, which was quite impressive. Some belly dancers were said to be from Egypt, dressed sexy, creating a good atmosphere.

To get a full picture of Dubai, of course we visited the Gold Souk, Spice Souk, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood (Iranian town), and Jumeirah Al Qasr area. These places are full of Arabian charm. For me, this was the real Middle East: gold, spices, gauze, wool carpets, camels... remote and mysterious Arabian lands. Most of the people in this area are from outside the region, selling very local items. Besides, it's a great place for photos! The famous world's most beautiful Starbucks is nothing special; instead, the surrounding neighborhoods are scenic at every step, like entering the world of One Thousand and One Nights, following Aladdin's steps for a slow exploration. Unfortunately, I didn't have time; otherwise, I would have changed into a nice dress for photos. Well, to take photos and quench my thirst, I bought a cup of Starbucks and a cup of Costa, totaling over 150 RMB. That bill will be remembered for a lifetime %￥#@&*...

Our last stop in Dubai was the Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis, The Palm. Our driver dropped us off at the monorail station, and we took the monorail. The monorail still couldn't give a full view of the Palm Islands because it wasn't high enough, but we could see beautiful palm trees, sandy beaches, and hot air balloons. We rode from start to end, and the last stop was the entrance to the Atlantis Hotel. I had never been interested in aquariums, thinking they were for kids, and there was also a big aquarium in Dubai Mall, so I initially thought it would be repetitive. But when I actually walked into the 'Lost Chambers' aquarium, I realized I was too shallow... The aquarium, true to its name, uses the theme of a lost ancient civilization and deep-sea mysteries, showing visitors a fantastic underwater world. Standing in front of the aquarium glass, it felt like diving into the ruins of a sunken civilization, dancing with countless schools of fish—truly stunning.

With this, our UAE trip came to an end: We witnessed the power of money, but also shattered the fantasy of striking it rich. We experienced a foreign religion, but became even more steadfast in our love for freedom. The only constant is the meaning of travel—seeing more different landscapes, feeling different vibes, and gaining more thoughts and insights. In the end, home is the warmest place. Shenzhen, China, we're back!