We arrived at the Sheraton Mall of the Emirates hotel at about 6:30am.
We didn’t want to take a chance of not being able to check in early, so we had pre-paid the previous night. We checked into our club floor room and after a quick freshen-up, headed downstairs for a very substantial buffet breakfast. The breakfast was great, with lots of western, middle eastern and sub-continental choices.
After napping for a couple of hours we headed out to explore Dubai. This was not our first visit. We had previously played tourist, doing the Bedouin camp thing and visiting the various souks.
So we continued with our transport themed weekend and set about to discover Dubai via the metro system. This mostly elevated rail system is a great way to get around in a very comfortable way. The temperature was in the high 30s Celsius but the metro system was beautifully cool, with air-conditioned walkways and stations.
We bought day Gold Passes for the metro for about AUD11 each. This entitled us to travel in the Gold section of the front (or rear) car, which was less crowded and more comfortable. It also allowed for great train-buff photos.
We visited the Dubai Mall, and also took the train to the end of the line.
Gold cabin – Dubai Metro
The end of the line - Creek Station
Literally the end of the line
View from our Hotel
It is very hard to fit this building in frame!
Mall of the Emirates (or is it Dubai mall?)
Rooftop pool – Sheraton Mall of the Emirates
On day two we relaxed around the pool and later in the day headed out to the airport by train, just to check it out. It was about 3pm and very quiet.
Massive terminal building
Taxiing A380
Deserted at 3pm
After dinner at an Iranian restaurant we had an early night, ready for the return flight on the A380 and the fulfilling of that shower dream.