After brunch with my parents and Briana’s sister at Cracker Barrel, we were finally beginning our international journey. We arrived at Orlando International Airport just before noon for our 2:20 flight. We traveled relatively light: one 40 lbs pack and a carry-on each. Our travel would be long— two very long flights with a 15 hour Dubai layover between Orlando and Seoul. This actually turned into a 17-hour layover, but it was intended as 15 so we’re going to call it that! 

Our 15 Hour Dubai Layover

Emirates Air For The Win

We flew with Emirates Airlines, which neither of us had been on before, and they were very hospitable.  Emirates was pretty luxurious as far as a plane can go – a nice blanket, a little pillow, and we were served 2 hot meals and a warm good-sized appetizer/snack on our first 14-hour flight.

We also had private TVs on the back of every seat, with a wide selection of movies and shows. So we managed to keep ourselves rather entertained. Briana watched Pitch Perfect 2, Spy, the Amy Winehouse documentary, and some Big Bang Theory while I watched San Andreas, Home, Dark Knight Rises, The Incredibles, Insurgent, Jurassic World, and a nature documentary. It was definitely the most tv/movies we have watched in quite some time but it was nice to just sit and watch and having the large selection. 

There were even cameras on the outside of the plane so we could watch in real time as we flew. I kept myself very entertained with these when I wasn’t watching a show. When the cabin lights were turned off for the “night”, there were lights mimicking stars on the ceiling.

We were also given complimentary packages containing socks, a toothbrush, and even headphones.

Landing In Dubai

I had thought that I would be able to get some work done in-transit, but that didn’t happen. The small space I had to work with just wasn’t anywhere near enough to be able to do any work efficiently as for my work it is more difficult without a mouse and whatnot. I also can’t sleep on a plane so I stayed awake through the entire flight, while Briana attempted to catch a few minutes of sleep – to little success.

It was interesting being able to see the incredibly rugged mountains and deserts of Iran, though. I made a point to watch the cameras that were looking down below in order to see the country. The flight path took us over Iran as we approached Dubai to avoid the airspace above Iraq and Syria. The plane finally landed around noon local time or 4:00 am EST.

Our 15 Hour Dubai Layover Begins

We were rather tired, but we had a 15 hour Dubai layover to enjoy, so we were going to make the most of it. The airport was quite large but simple enough to navigate. We didn’t want to be carrying much of anything while wandering Dubai, so we left my carry-on at left-luggage and then exchanged some currency before leaving the airport. The process took about an hour before we proceeded onto the Dubai Metro System to first visit the Gold and Spice Souks. 

Efficient Mass Transit

The transit system was very speedy and easy to navigate. Dubai is basically just a long strip along the coast, so it wasn’t too complicated. It took roughly twenty minutes before we arrived at the Al Ras district where the Souks were supposed to be. But we didn’t really know exactly where they were, so we just set out down the road.

We found the Gold Souk pretty quickly and wandered up and down it, there really was a lot of gold. But without the funds or intention to actually purchase any gold, our attention waned pretty quickly. A few touts tried to get us to come in, but we were actually surprised that most were ignoring us. In hindsight, it was probably because we didn’t look like we could afford to buy anything.

It didn’t help that it was in the mid-90s, rather humid, and we were dressed for Korea (and the airplane), not Dubai. I was wearing two shirts, one of which was longsleeved, so the sweltering heat was really getting to me. We headed back to the metro, hoping to come across the Spice Souk along the way. But we were on a tight schedule – we had already bought tickets for a specific time for the Burj Khalifa – and ultimately weren’t able to find it. We would later find out that we were very close to the spice souks, they were just down the street we were on in the opposite direction of the gold souks.

Burj Khalifa

We then took the metro to the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. Here was where things started to get a bit more exciting. From far off, you can see the Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world. Coming up to it really is quite indescribable at 830m tall, requiring you to crane your neck up just to see the top. There is a long gangway walk to it from the metro which takes you to the mall. At this point we were really starting to get tired and thirsty, so we stopped to get a coffee.

To the Top of the World

The coffee was the revitalization we needed to keep going. And I got complimented for apparently looking like Jesus with my long hair and beard. We sat down for a minute to rest and drink our coffee in the air-conditioned atrium of the mall, and then proceeded on to the Top of the World observation deck around 4:30.

We planned to stay until sunset which was just before 6:00. The observation deck was on the 108th floor, which takes a surprisingly short 1-minute exact elevator ride to the top. We got to the top and began to wander around the top and look around. 

The views from there were pretty fantastic. You could see out for about 30 miles, though the dusty haze probably cut that view down a little.

We could see the majority of Dubai including The Palm island, The World islands, and the Burj Al Arab. You wouldn’t think you could just sit for two hours looking down, but the time passed quickly.

Just before 6, the sun set into the Arabian Gulf and the city lights began to come to life. If timed correctly, you can actually watch the sunset twice from the Burj Khalifa: once on the ground, and then take the elevator up and watch it again. We obviously didn’t do this though.

An Awesome Fountain Show

From our perch, we could see the fountain show below us, and with dark steadily descending, we decided it was time to head on time and see it up close. Once down, we headed outside and were quickly reminded of how hot Dubai is even at night. The air was sticky and hot as we waited for the next show to begin.

The fountain show was pretty good. I can’t compare to the Vegas shows since I’ve never seen them in person, but they certainly give them a run for their money. The show almost seemed to be a welcome to our upcoming adventures.

We could also see the Burj Khalifa lit up from the outside.  

Dubai Mall

Once the show was complete, we then proceeded to the Dubai Mall and wandered around for the next couple hours to see what they had to offer. The mall is pretty grand, displaying the splendor that the U.A.E. clearly is trying to project for itself. 

A huge aquarium and aquatic zoo, ski slopes, ice rinks, waterfalls, grand atriums, and just about every shop and restaurant imaginable could be found. We wish that we could have had more time to explore, as it seemed that there was something special hiding in every nook and cranny.

Camel milk chocolate is a specialty here. It is a little expensive though, so we didn’t make a purchase, though I kind of wish that we had just so that we could have had the experience.

Maybe next time, Hello Kitty Spa. (Add-in from Briana. Kyle has no interest in the Hello Kitty Spa.) 

Back to the Airport

Our energy was waning and it was getting late so we began our trek back to the airport. We would like to see more of the city on a less rushed time-table or on more sleep. Maybe head out into the dunes for some camel riding, sand boarding, or seeing some of Old Dubai, but that will just have to wait for another visit.

As opposed to our earlier rides on the Metro, this time it was very full. But we got to really see just how diverse this international city really is. Arriving back to the airport, we got my luggage, proceeded to the terminal and ate our complimentary meal provided to us by Emirates. We had thought that we would be able to go to any restaurant we pleased, but we were limited to only a couple choices and a preset menu, but still – complimentary meal, can’t complain.

We then waited for our 3:40 am flight to Seoul – which ended up being delayed another hour. The wait seemed rather long, and we were dead tired. I was still unable to sleep in the bright lights, though Briana managed to catch almost an hour of sleep on the floor.

On To Seoul

We then boarded our (delayed) flight aboard the Airbus 880 and proceeded on to Seoul. The flight was much the same as the first, though thankfully only 8 hours this time. The highlight of the flight for me was the crossing over the Himalayas – the mountain range was truly huge, and reached up pretty close to the plane.

It just inspired me to want to hike them at some point.  The glacier and snow-capped mountains really were a sight to see out the windows. Briana managed to catch a few minutes of sleep, but I was still awake. Approaching 50 hours of being awake at this point! We then landed around 5:00 pm in Seoul, exhausted, but finally at our destination where we would begin our housesit.

Our 15 Hour Dubai Layover – Pin It!