I visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time in January till April 2021 for 88 days. Jonas and I visited six out of seven emirates: all but Abu Dhabi. Below you can find some articles about the UAE that I wrote. I didn’t write about every emirate (yet), but I had a good time in pretty much all of them. I started in Dubai, traveled to Sharjah, did day trips to parts of Ajman, then went to Umm al Quwain, Ras al Khaimah, and Fujairah before returning to Sharjah. Once I hitchhiked with fellow tourists in Ras al Khaimah.
Next Time in the United Arab Emirates
These are the things I’d like to do upon a return trip to the United Arab Emirates. You can see it’s very Abu Dhabi-focused!
- Hitchhike with locals (and tourists), perhaps I can finally say something useful in Arabic
- Explore the capital Abu Dhabi (I heard good things)
- Level up from ice skating in Dubai and maybe go skiing? I don’t know, it has been a while
- Visit the really deserty parts with sand dunes, such as the Liwa Oasis
- Kayak in the mangroves of Abu Dhabi
- Visit the inland exclave of Hatta in Dubai emirate
- Visit some ghost towns, abandoned airports, abandoned aircraft, etc.
- Eat delicious vegetarian food at the many Indian eateries (I loved that during my first visit), same with Lebanese!
- Go hiking a bit more. I should visit only in November till March (note to self)
I might add more ideas to this later. For now, enjoy the posts I have about the UAE
If you know cool places and things to do in the UAE, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again once I start plotting my return!
Are you a travel blogger and do you have good posts about the United Arab Emirates? Drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
Two Weeks in Sharjah + Ajman (United Arab Emirates)
After two weeks in Dubai, we moved to another Emirate of the seven United Arab Emirates: Sharjah. It’s a short taxi ride away from Dubai, depending on where you stayed in Dubai. Sharjah surrounds the main portion of another Emirate called Ajman (pronounced: ADZH-man). ‘AED’ stands for their currency, the Dirham. Contents1 Things to Do in Sharjah2 Map of Things to Do in Sharjah3 13th February: Arriving in Sharjah for the First Time (14 Days)4 14th of February: Sharjah’s Al Noor Island5 15th of February: Indian Vegetarian Food6 16th of February: Central Souk of Sharjah7 17th of February: Museum ofContinue reading
Ajman in an Afternoon (United Arab Emirates)
During our stay in Sharjah, we decided to take a day trip to Ajman (pronounced: ADZH-man). This was our third emirate out of seven. Even though it’s the smallest emirate, I think Ajman has enough to offer for a couple of days, depending on one’s interests and ‘disposable’ income. We visited Ajman on Monday the 22nd of February, 2021 on this 4.6-kilometer long walk. Contents1 Sharjah to Ajman2 Walking Ajman Corniche3 To the Center of Ajman4 Ajman Heritage District5 Ajman’s Marina6 List of Things to Do in Ajman7 Map of our Trip to Ajman8 Good Intel? Save for Later orContinue reading
Two Weeks in Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
This is a diary-style post about what we did during our two weeks in Dubai before moving on to Sharjah within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I tried to make it a bit informative if you’re traveling to Dubai, but I usually don’t write about cities that are already well-written about. Everything written here happened in 2021. Jonas had already visited Dubai for three days back in 2010 and told me it was a very misunderstood place. Contents1 Saturday 30th January: Sleep2 Sunday 31st January: Walking to the Waterfront3 Monday 1st of February: Supermarket Time4 Tuesday 2nd of February: DowntownContinue reading
The Seven Emirates of the UAE and Their Borders—An Interactive Map
When I arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), I couldn’t find any good maps of the borders between the seven emirates. There are plenty of good maps of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but nothing about the lesser-known emirates such as Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah. I wanted to give them some attention in this post. All these emirates have their own rulers and their own borders. These function like state borders. They’re inherited from the predecessor country before 1971, called the Trucial States. During this year’s (2021) National Day, the UAE will celebrate itsContinue reading
Bonzur, Mahébourg?! Traveling from Istanbul to Mauritius (Semi-Live Blog)
On the 3rd of December 2021, we’re hopefully flying from Istanbul Airport (IST) in Turkey to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU aka Port Louis Airport) in Mauritius. I’m updating this post as we go. If you’re here for the documents checklist to enter Mauritius, click here. Contents1 Booking Mauritius2 Omicron Variant Enters the Stage3 PCR Test in Edirne + Onward Ticket4 Day of Departure to Mauritius4.1 Packing + Edirne bus station + ride to Istanbul Airport4.2 Can we have boarding tickets, please?4.3 Immigration and security4.4 Mandatory time-wasting before the Mauritius flight4.5 Gate reveal and boarding5 Flying toContinue reading
Sharjah’s Abandoned Airport—Al Mahatta Museum
On the 21st of April, 2021 we visited Al Mahatta Museum in Sharjah. The nearby King Abdul Aziz Street is the former runway of Sharjah’s old airport (RAF Sharjah). There’s an Abandoned Airport in the Middle of Sharjah You might already know that I really love visiting abandoned airports. Same for abandoned aircraft, which you can often find there. So when Jonas told me that there’s an abandoned airport right in my favorite city in the UAE, I knew I needed to go. The thing is, Sharjah’s appetite for growth already devoured this airport’s runway whole. It has been thisContinue reading
How the Pandemic Put Me in a Language Learning Crisis
I wonder if any people who love language learning and traveling to speak to people feel the same? Learning Portuguese for Timor-Leste It’s February 2020. I’ve been learning Portuguese on Duolingo for months already. And I picked up the pace again after traveling through Myanmar and losing my streak. I’m back in Thailand and Portuguese is useless here. Why am I learning it? Because in a few months, we’ll go to Timor-Leste. In that country, the two official languages are Portuguese and Tetum. The latter is based in part on colonizer language Portuguese combined with indigenous languages and Malay/Indonesian. PerhapsContinue reading
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Fujairah—How to Visit as a Non-Muslim
This article contains both a story of how we managed to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Fujairah (as non-Muslims) as well as actionable tips. We visited on Wednesday the 7th of April, 2021. To skip forward to the how-to, click here. Contents1 UAE Mosques that Allow Non-Muslim Visitors2 An Evening Visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque2.1 A Stunning Vista2.2 Employee of the Month3 Online Research into Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque4 A Guided Tour of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque4.1 Dressing for + Taxi to + Entering Fujairah Mosque4.2 On Tour with Aisha4.3 Many, Many Domes4.4 The Main Prayer Hall4.5Continue reading
Vaccine Tourism: Why I’ll Probably Get My COVID-19 Vaccines Abroad
As more and more people outside the risk groups are receiving vaccines, I’ve been thinking about how to get one myself. Vaccine tourism is becoming a better option than making a trip to the Netherlands and risking getting stuck there. This post is probably highly unrelatable unless you’re also a Dutch passport holder, nomadic, and in a relationship with someone with a different passport. Contents1 Where Am I?2 Medical Tourism is Great3 When Is it My Turn in the Netherlands?4 Old News: Vaccine Passports Are Coming5 Vaccine Diplomacy vs Nationalist Dumbfuckery6 Why I’ll Get Sinopharm or Sinovac (If I GetContinue reading
Manama, Ajman — Visiting the Inland Exclave + Al Dhaid as a Day Trip from Sharjah
On the 25th of February, 2021, Jonas and I traveled from Sharjah City to Manama in the United Arab Emirates. Manama is an exclave of the Emirate of Ajman. To travel there, we needed to take a bus from Sharjah’s bus station to Masafi and disembark halfway. We also visited the town of Al Dhaid in the Emirate of Sharjah. Contents1 Doing the Research on Manama2 Sharjah to Al Dhaid/Masafi by Bus3 Thoban to Manama by Spontaneous Taxi4 Manama’s Red Fort5 Manama’s White Fort6 Manama’s Claim to Fame: Stamps? Stamps.7 Biryani Lunch in Manama8 Manama to Al Dhaid—The Smaller Road9Continue reading