Date: 10th April 2010
After a tiring previous day (and only hitting the bed at 4am), I got up early to receive my parents from Bur Dubai bus stand as they were visiting from Abu Dhabi. Since today and tomorrow were all going to be ‘family time,’ we were going to be staying with my father’s friend, in his nice, posh little flat in Karama.
Once we all landed at my father’s friend’s place post-lunch, we rested for some time before heading out.
It was back to Dubai Mall for me — but for my parents, despite having lived in Abu Dhabi for nearly an year, it was going to be their first time experiencing Dubai Aquarium and At The Top of Burj Khalifa.
![Dubai Aquarium little sting ray Acha touch Dubai Aquarium little sting ray Acha touch](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-aquarium-little-sting-ray-acha-touch.jpg)
![Dubai Aquarium under sting ray face Dubai Aquarium under sting ray face](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-aquarium-undern-stingray-face.jpg)
![Dubai Aquarium divers working Dubai Aquarium divers working](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-aquarium-divers-working.jpg)
For more photos and videos from inside Dubai Aquarium, check out my first post. Next up, we waited for our turn to go up the Burj Khalifa.
![Dubai Mall At The Top gift shop parents Dubai Mall At The Top gift shop parents](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-mall-at-the-top-gift-shop-parents.jpg)
![Burj Khalifa statistics Story in numbers facts figures Burj Khalifa statistics Story in numbers facts figures](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-a-story-in-numbers-facts-figures.jpg)
I had booked for an evening slot for the At The Top visit, hoping I could see Dubai all lit up. But as we got up, the sun was still very much above the horizon.
![Burj Khalifa parents At the Top view Burj Khalifa parents At the Top view](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-parents-at-the-top-view.jpg)
![Dubai Financial Center from Burj Khalifa evening Dubai Financial Center from Burj Khalifa evening](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-financial-center-from-burj-khalifa-evening.jpg)
![Burj Khalifa floors above At The Top Burj Khalifa floors above At The Top](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-above-at-the-top.jpg)
![Burj Khalifa sunset over The World islands Burj Khalifa sunset over The World islands](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-sunset-over-plam-the-world.jpg)
![Burj Khalifa tourists watching sunset Burj Khalifa tourists watching sunset](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-tourists-watching-sunset.jpg)
For more photos and videos from At The Top, check out my first post.
We finished our tour of Burj Khalifa, made our way out and to the Dubai Fountain site. The $200 million-plus Dubai Fountain is an attraction built on the artificial (duh) lake just outside Dubai Mall.
![Dubai Mall The Address hotel at night Dubai Mall The Address hotel at night](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/duba-mall-the-address-hotel-at-night.jpg)
![Dubai mall Dubai fountain site at night Dubai mall Dubai fountain site at night](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-mall-dubai-fountain-site-at-night.jpg)
Built by the same people behind the famous Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, Dubai obviously had to up the ante. So these fountains shoot water up higher, 500 feet high (150 metres)!
Shows are every half an hour between 6pm to 10pm. Here’s the show I saw:
Since it’s free, and since I can’t afford to go to Las Vegas just yet, this was great!![Burj Khalifa Mithun parents portrait Burj Khalifa Mithun parents portrait](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-mithun-parents-potrait.jpg)
After the show, we made our way to the buses that drop visitors to the metro station.
![Pink Porsche Dubai mall parking Pink Porsche Dubai mall parking](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/pink-porsche-dubai-mall-parking.jpg)
![Burj Khalifa glowing at night dubai Burj Khalifa glowing at night dubai](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/burj-khalifa-glowing-at-night-dubai.jpg)
The next day with my parents…
The next morning, I took my parents to Bur Dubai for some shopping and to show them around.
![Bur Dubai souk father pushing cart Bur Dubai souk father pushing cart](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/bur-dubai-souk-father-pushing-cart.jpg)
![Bur Dubai souk Chinese man with father Bur Dubai souk Chinese man with father](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/bur-dubai-souk-chinese-dude-with-father.jpg)
After showing them the souk station, I took them to the Hindu temple (photos of both can be seen in my first post).
![Bur Dubai souk park parents sitting Bur Dubai souk park parents sitting](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/bur-dubai-souk-park-parents-sitting.jpg)
![Bur Dubai creek morning pigeons Bur Dubai creek morning pigeons](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/bur-dubai-creek-morning-pigeons.jpg)
And with that, we were done. Took a taxi and headed back to my father’s colleague’s place. He offered to drop us off near Jebel Ali power station, where we had been invited for lunch by our relatives.
![Inside Mr. Nandakumar's Peugot car with sunroof Inside Mr. Nandakumar's Peugot car with sunroof](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/inside-nandakumar-peugot-car-sunroof.jpg)
Once again, it was a drive on Sheikh Zayed Road.
![Emirates Towers Dubai from car Emirates Towers Dubai from car](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/emirates-towers-dubai-from-car.jpg)
![Dubai Hard Rock cafe Sheikh Zayed road Dubai Hard Rock cafe Sheikh Zayed road](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dubai-hard-rock-cafe-sheikh-zayed-road.jpg)
![Jebel Ali station flat view Jebel Ali station flat view](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/jebel-ali-station-flat-view.jpg)
After lunch, we decided to check out Ibn Battuta Mall, which was nearby. This was the last major mall I had yet to see and the one my friends highly recommended, just because it was different.
The mall business in Dubai is, let’s just say, quite cut throat. For such a small state, Dubai has some of the largest malls in the world. And since just about every mall offers the same set of stores, mall operators come up with differentiators to draw the crowds in.
What’s the differentiator for Ibn Battuta Mall? For one (if you haven’t figured out already), it’s named after the great Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta. The entire mall is themed after his travels across China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Andalusia with a section dedicated to each zone.
We parked near the China entrance. Each of the sections have a lobby with a major attraction specific to that zone. This is what the China court looks like.
![Ibn Battuta mall China court panorama Ibn Battuta mall China court panorama](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ibn-battuta-mall-china-court-panorama.jpg)
The main attraction here being a replica of a Chinese sailing ship supposedly used by Ibn Battuta in his travels.
![Ibn Battuta mall Grand cinemas IMAX Ibn Battuta mall Grand cinemas IMAX](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ibn-battuta-mall-grand-cinemas-imax.jpg)
From China, we then moved on to India.
![Ibn Battuta India court elephant rider Ibn Battuta India court elephant rider](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ibn-Battuta-india-court-elephant-rider.jpg)
From India into Persia.
Persia Court’s big attraction is a replica of a Starbucks Coffee outlet*.
![Ibn Battuta Mall Persia court dome Starbucks Ibn Battuta Mall Persia court dome Starbucks](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ibn-Battuta-mall-persia-court-dome-starbucks.jpg)
From Persia, you have two paths to Egypt.
![Ibn Battuta Mall Egypt court street lamps Ibn Battuta Mall Egypt court street lamps](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ibn-Battuta-mall-egypt-court-street-lamps.jpg)
![Ibn Battuta mall Egypt court corridor Ibn Battuta mall Egypt court corridor](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ibn-Battuta-mall-egypt-court-corridor.jpg)
![Ibn Battuta Mall Andalusia court fountains Ibn Battuta Mall Andalusia court fountains](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ibn-Battuta-mall-andalusia-court-fountains.jpg)
With that, we had conquered all five regions of Ibn Battuta’s mall. So we made our journey back, passing by more displays.
![Ibn Battuta mall China hall pillars ceiling Ibn Battuta mall China hall pillars ceiling](http://mithunonthe.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Ibn-Battuta-china-hall-pillars_ceiling.jpg)
Ibn Battuta Mall truly is a must-see in my opinion. It was a good move on Nakheel Properties’ part to use a theme like this to set the mall apart from Dubai’s other shopping centers.
Once out of Ibn Battuta Mall, we wished our relatives goodbye and took the metro to Bur Dubai bus stand. I was heading back to Abu Dhabi.
And with this, ends my Dubai sojourn — for now.
Next posts in this series:
UAE 2010: From the desert sands of Abu Dhabi to the corniche
UAE 2010: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – Ferrari World and Yas Marina Circuit
Previous posts in this series:
UAE 2010: Heading back to the Gulf after 7 years
UAE 2010: Driving from Abu Dhabi to Dubai (& back)
UAE 2010: Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi
UAE 2010: Heading to Dubai by bus; checking out Bur Dubai
UAE 2010: Dubai Mall (Aquarium, Underwater Zoo & Gold Souk) – Part 1
UAE 2010: Burj Khalifa, At the Top (and Wafi Mall) – Part 2
UAE 2010: Driving around Dubai (Souk Madinat Jumeirah, The Atlantis & The Palm Islands) – Part 1
UAE 2010: Dubai Marina, Jumeirah, The Walk and David Guetta concert – Part 2