Camel rides at Dubai Mall? World’s tallest building Burj Khalifa, largest fountain & aquarium.
I tried hard to ride a camel in Dubai... Due to a series of fiascos (I won’t go into detail, but it involved getting lost in the desert), this is the closest I got to one!
In this post, I’ll share my visit to the world’s tallest tower, largest aquarium, and glitziest mall.
Dubai Mall, at over 12 million sq ft, ranks among the largest shopping centers in the world. (The New South China mall is number one, but with 99% of stores vacant, I say it doesn’t really count.)
In contrast, Dubai Mall holds every imaginable international clothing and fast food chain, even Sweden’s Max Burger and the retro Rainforest Cafe.
The “souk” part of the mall has more traditional garments and Majlis, a cafe for camel milk confectioneries. The real souk, or Arabian marketplace, is in a different part of Dubai and covered in this post.
You could buy camel milk chocolates, shaped like the animal and wrapped in gold foil. To celebrate “hump day,” my film crew and I tried a saffron camel milk milkshake (not so good) and ice cream (tasted like regular fro-yo).
The mall has a skating rink, and a waterfall fountain with diving men statues.
Plus the world’s largest indoor aquarium and underwater zoo. Doesn’t my hat look like a flounder? Ten seconds after Melissa took this photo, the security guard shooed me away.
Luxury brands are in this area of Dubai Mall.
Outside is the world’s largest choreographed fountain and highest building, Burj Khalifa. Sensing a theme here?
The best and cheapest way to get to the top: reserve tickets in advance. We asked our Fairmont The Palm concierge to make the arrangements; tickets are around $35 US, and worth it for this circuit-city view.
Isn’t Dubai an extraordinary city? The twisty-building is my favorite. Here are more photos of the crazy architecture, souk, and high fashion.
I leave you with my camel and outfit details. What do you think of this coordinate?
Extra large sun hat: San Diego Hat Company
Purple cardigan: Muji
Goth tank top: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child Harajuku
Striped lavender skirt: Peace Now, from Closet Child Ikebukuro
Summer sandals: Camper
PS: my travel team and I are putting the finishing touches on our United Arab Emirates travel video… keep your eyes peeled, as it’ll be published shortly. (Photography by Melissa Rundle & Eric Bergemann.)
PPS: I invite you to add me on Google Plus, as I’ll be posting bonus material here.
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Budapest Hipster District VII: Ruin pubs & young nightlife. Szimpla bar, graffiti walls, hip cafes.
With a toss of hair, my Eurail-Vision coverage begins! As you’ll recall, Eurail.com sent my filmmakers and me around Eastern Europe by train. We’re thrilled to share our first-hand finds: underground bars, concept boutiques, music festivals and more.
Let’s start with Budapest, Hungary. I’ve wanted to visit this city for years, and it lived up to its cool reputation.
We were traveling during a heatwave, can you tell? I wore:
Banned Apparel sugar skull dress: gifted by Little Wicked’s Emporium, a wonderful indie online shop for dark fashion, based in the UK. Brands include Hell Bunny and Too Fast. You can order the same style (and more) here.
Red leopard print hair bows: gifted by Sourpuss Clothing
Photography by Melissa Rundle.
Our favorite neighborhood was District VII (Elizabeth Town), the traditional Jewish quarter. Today, it’s known for gritty ruin pubs like Koleves Kert.
Ruin pubs or “romkocsma” are run-down, abandoned buildings that have been converted into hip, young bars. The first and most famous is Szimpla.
Szimpla Kert was my favorite among the ruin pubs we visited in this area. The exterior hardly reveals what awaits inside…
… a hipster free-for-all. Multiple floors and rooms, jammed with bizarre decorations like antique dolls and water bottle sculptures.
That night, the largest section (filled with lights and mismatched chairs) had a retro 60s band, film projections, and random girl selling carrots!
I felt at home in the 90s-cyber computer room. My glass of blackberry wine cost about $1.
In addition to ruinpubs, District 7 is the best place to see graffiti. My filmmakers and I couldn’t shop shooting material here.
Budapest’s fascinating history over the centuries (from the Austro-Hungarian empire to Communism) has left old-school architecture at every turn.
It contrasts with the modern street art that now covers these old surfaces.
So many secrets and layers in District VII, the current youth neighborhood.
Budapest has a creative energy, more so than in most European cities I’ve visited.
I recommend wandering around Kazinczy Street, the Jewish center that contains many historic buildings.
On Király Street you will find youth hostels, cool cafes and design shops.
The VAM Design Center is the top contemporary art and fashion museum in Hungary.
A row of sunflowers cleverly announced a Van Gogh exhibit.
The modern industrial design of this cafe is typical for Kiraly St. Everything’s very affordable in Hungary, so spend your forints (note: they don’t use Euros).
Inside a souvenir shop, I found Alphonse Mucha postcards. (I reviewed his Art Nouveau exhibit in Tokyo.)
District I is another good place to stroll. The area’s more touristy, but contains beautiful historical buildings and sculptures. I stumbled upon this Michal Negrin boutique…
Love the colored jewelry and Rococo-patterned clothing by the Israeli designer.
(My cross nail art is by Glam Nail Studio.)
That’s only the start of my Budapest journey. Coming up: a food tour and Sziget music festival.
Thanks to Eurail.com for making our reports possible. You can find out more about their various train pass packages on their Facebook.
Were you surprised by the scene in Budapest, Hungary? Have you heard about Ruin Pubs or visited any?
LA CARMINA
