'We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us...'
Hi guys, Holly here!
I've decided to blog my way around so that you can all keep up-to-date with what we get up to... hope you enjoy!
Our flight was really good, we flew on an Emirates a380 which, if you don't know what one looks like, google it now! I'm still trying to understand how something so big with so many people and luggage on can get into the air and stay up there!! I'm not the best flier but my brother had promised me the a380 was amazing to fly on and that it's so smooth and all in all, it was!
Check-in wasn't supposed to be until 2pm so we left our luggage in the storage room and went up to the rooftop pool for a dip. We then decided to go and get some lunch but as we were leaving the lady on reception informed us that our room was ready early, and not only that, we had been upgraded to a 2-bedroom suite because they had no studio rooms available... result!
After lunch we chilled out at the hotel and had a nap, then Chris ended up getting in touch with a man called Nitin who sorted us out with tickets to go up the Burj Khalifa and on a morning desert safari. Once that was sorted, we got ready and made our way to the Dubai Mall. Wowzers, it is big!! People must need several days to get around all of the shops in there, it's like a maze! We had a little walk around and checked out the aquarium inside the mall before going outside to watch the dancing fountains which were amazing! We then made our way to the Burj Khalifa. I would definitely recommend anyone visiting Dubai to go up, the views from the 125th floor were amazing, especially as it was night time and everywhere was lit up. I was really proud of Chris as well because he has a fear of heights but he didn't bat an eyelid and loved it! We headed down and made our way to the Cheesecake Factory for a late tea, delicious food and a great end to our first day in Dubai.
Our second and final day in Dubai ended up being very hectic and tiring but also amazing! We left the hotel at 8.30am for our Desert Safari in our own private car. The man took us dune bashing, we had a go at sand boarding (great fun until you have to make your way back up the dune... the thigh burn was real and in that heat by the time you made it up to the top you felt faint!), and then we had a little ride on a camel. The man handed me the rope so that he could take pictures of us on the camel and I pooped my pants, thought for sure the camel was going to do a runner with us on board but luckily he didn't! I'd been on a camel before and forgot how amusing it is getting on and off them, I nearly flew over the camel's head when he sat down!
When we got back to the hotel at lunch time Nitin text Chris again saying he had a deal for a night cruise around the marina and creek. Being the wheeler dealer that he is Chris managed to get him to throw in a tour around some of the famous sights before the cruise and knock him down about £60 on the price!
The tour couldn't have been more perfect, especially because it gave us the opportunity to see everything we wanted to in the short amount of time we had. We got picked up by a private chauffeur at 3.30pm and we ended up being driven around for 3 and a half hours, stopping off at sights including Skydive Dubai, Atlantis the Palm, the Burj Al Arab, the Madinat and the Water Canal where the man acted as our personal photographer.
We got back to the hotel with just enough time to have a quick shower before we were picked up and taken to the boat for our cruise. The cruise was lovely and included a buffet dinner and drinks. We also watched a man perform a river dance which basically involved him spinning around for like 5 minutes solid... made me dizzy just watching him! He ended up picking me out of the crowd to give it a go...despite my best efforts to avoid eye contact with him as he came to pick his victim! I basically had to put on a big heavy skirt and spin around in front of everyone. I didn't last that long because I went dizzy fast!
Highlight of the cruise had to be Chris getting sat next to a man from Tennessee and watching him turn to the man and say 'there's a chat up line about Tennessee isn't there... 'are you from Tennessee because you're the only 10 I see'... I definitely saw a tumble weed roll past!
All I can say is thank god for air-con! The best way I can describe the heat in Dubai is either by saying it's like permanently walking around a sauna or, as if you are in the scene from Hocus Pocus when the Sanderson sisters get locked inside the kiln at the high school haha.
I'll blog again after our 4 nights exploring Melbourne, before we head over to New Zealand, to let you know what we get up to and how we handle the jet lag!
Until the next post, lots of love #chollyontour xx
As many of you are aware, I made the decision to leave my job so that myself and Chris could take some time out from the real world to spend 4 and a half months travelling around New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. We were trying to nail adult life and save up for a mortgage for our first house together but hey, if we don't take the opportunity to do this now, we probably never would get to do it!
Firstly, apologies for the delay in getting my first blog post published... I'm sure those of you who knew I was going to be doing one have been waiting with bated breath! I did intend on writing my first post on our flight from Birmingham to Dubai, however a 7-hour flight can end up going really quick when you watch a film (Fist Fight), sleep for 3-4 hours and spend the rest of the time eating and helping Chris play 'Who wants to be a millionaire?' with little success! So here I am, currently on our epic 13-hour flight from Dubai - Melbourne, with approximately 3 hours 30 minutes remaining, about to fill you in on what we've been up to so far! (I probably won't be able to publish this until I get some decent wifi so bare with!)
The Goodbye
My mum and dad drove us to Birmingham airport and we had some food with them after we'd dropped our bags off before going through to the departure gates. Saying goodbye was really hard because I'm so close to my family, especially my mum who I normally speak to at least once a day on the phone! I know these days we have wifi and FaceTime to stay in touch but it's still sad knowing you're going to be on the other side of the world... even though I am very excited for our adventure! I cried from the moment we said goodbye, all the way through security and then as we walked around the shops in departures and even when we got to the gate I kept randomly breaking into tears... I'm sure everyone was looking at me thinking 'who is this unstable girl?!' and 'please God, don't tell me I'm sitting near her on the plane!'
Our flight was really good, we flew on an Emirates a380 which, if you don't know what one looks like, google it now! I'm still trying to understand how something so big with so many people and luggage on can get into the air and stay up there!! I'm not the best flier but my brother had promised me the a380 was amazing to fly on and that it's so smooth and all in all, it was!
Chris was in his element because it was the first flight he's ever been on where you get your own tv screen, so of course he barely slept! The food was yum, there was a choice between chicken with creamy mushroom sauce and braised beef with horseradish. Unfortunately when the air hostess got to us she didn't have any beef left, which is what I wanted so we both got given the chicken, but a few minutes later she returned saying she'd found a beef dish, so Chris ended up eating two chicken dishes!
Landing in Dubai was really cool because we could see the Burj Khalifa out of the window. They also have external cameras on the plane so you can see views from below the plane, from the top of the tail and from the front so you can literally watch the plane land.
Our Dubai Dash
We only spent 2 nights in Dubai and it was an absolute whirlwind because of everything we wanted to see and do. We landed around 7.30am and my brother had warned us not to get in a black taxi as they charge double so we ignored the very pushy men and got into a yellow taxi that took us to our hotel (Jannah Place Dubai Marina - would definitely recommend!).
Check-in wasn't supposed to be until 2pm so we left our luggage in the storage room and went up to the rooftop pool for a dip. We then decided to go and get some lunch but as we were leaving the lady on reception informed us that our room was ready early, and not only that, we had been upgraded to a 2-bedroom suite because they had no studio rooms available... result!
After lunch we chilled out at the hotel and had a nap, then Chris ended up getting in touch with a man called Nitin who sorted us out with tickets to go up the Burj Khalifa and on a morning desert safari. Once that was sorted, we got ready and made our way to the Dubai Mall. Wowzers, it is big!! People must need several days to get around all of the shops in there, it's like a maze! We had a little walk around and checked out the aquarium inside the mall before going outside to watch the dancing fountains which were amazing! We then made our way to the Burj Khalifa. I would definitely recommend anyone visiting Dubai to go up, the views from the 125th floor were amazing, especially as it was night time and everywhere was lit up. I was really proud of Chris as well because he has a fear of heights but he didn't bat an eyelid and loved it! We headed down and made our way to the Cheesecake Factory for a late tea, delicious food and a great end to our first day in Dubai.
Our second and final day in Dubai ended up being very hectic and tiring but also amazing! We left the hotel at 8.30am for our Desert Safari in our own private car. The man took us dune bashing, we had a go at sand boarding (great fun until you have to make your way back up the dune... the thigh burn was real and in that heat by the time you made it up to the top you felt faint!), and then we had a little ride on a camel. The man handed me the rope so that he could take pictures of us on the camel and I pooped my pants, thought for sure the camel was going to do a runner with us on board but luckily he didn't! I'd been on a camel before and forgot how amusing it is getting on and off them, I nearly flew over the camel's head when he sat down!
When we got back to the hotel at lunch time Nitin text Chris again saying he had a deal for a night cruise around the marina and creek. Being the wheeler dealer that he is Chris managed to get him to throw in a tour around some of the famous sights before the cruise and knock him down about £60 on the price!
The tour couldn't have been more perfect, especially because it gave us the opportunity to see everything we wanted to in the short amount of time we had. We got picked up by a private chauffeur at 3.30pm and we ended up being driven around for 3 and a half hours, stopping off at sights including Skydive Dubai, Atlantis the Palm, the Burj Al Arab, the Madinat and the Water Canal where the man acted as our personal photographer.
We got back to the hotel with just enough time to have a quick shower before we were picked up and taken to the boat for our cruise. The cruise was lovely and included a buffet dinner and drinks. We also watched a man perform a river dance which basically involved him spinning around for like 5 minutes solid... made me dizzy just watching him! He ended up picking me out of the crowd to give it a go...despite my best efforts to avoid eye contact with him as he came to pick his victim! I basically had to put on a big heavy skirt and spin around in front of everyone. I didn't last that long because I went dizzy fast!
I'll blog again after our 4 nights exploring Melbourne, before we head over to New Zealand, to let you know what we get up to and how we handle the jet lag!
Great blog boo, a great way to share your experiences with us. we are all missing you both and I am sure Enzo keeps saying wtf is CHolly X
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