(L-r): Kempinski The Boulevard Dubai and The Burj Khalifa shine as midnight inched closer. (All photos: Janam A. Gupta/Siliconeer)  

 

A trip to India granted me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go see the New Year’s fireworks at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. American greed led to an experience of a lifetime at the Dubai’s desert safari. This is the tale of making the most of layovers.

Touchdown. 8-hour layover. Busy, crowded city. New Year’s Eve night. I should stay at the airport. It’s a beautiful airport, massive. I’m sure I can stay entertained. But it’s New Year’s Eve. No, I should stay here; the Metro gets overcrowded, and I might miss my flight. Then came the GOAT of mottos: you only live once.

“Should I go see the Burj Khalifa fireworks?” Every local I asked shook their head. “Too crowded, too risky,” they said. I decided being logical is boring.

Lights, camera, action! As we exited the airport, we were bombarded with big bright screens wishing us a happy new year. A grandiose welcome; I expected nothing less.

The Dubai Metro is worthy of a shoutout. Clean, quiet, and effortless. BART, take notes. We got off at the Financial District stop and made our way towards a very tall concrete and steel structure, the tallest in fact. The Burj Khalifa.

An hour remained until midnight, so we grabbed some chai from a little shack, New Delma, and waited as the crowd rolled and the Burj Khalifa glimmered about.

The Burj Khalifa lit up with fireworks.

10, 9… 3, 2, 1. The behemoth of a building lit up red, white, and green – the colors of the UAE flag – it was time. It wasn’t just fireworks. To call it a spectacle doesn’t even do it justice. It’s vivid. It’s intense. It’s magical. The Burj Khalifa shapeshifted into something out of a dream. Words just don’t cut it. Seven minutes of bliss.

The fairy tale is short-lived. Three hours until our flight, we returned to the metro station, only to see it barricaded off for crowd control. Panic set in. The line looked endless. This is it; we are missing our flight. Worst part? Had we simply gone to the other side, we’d already be through.

This was easily the longest 15 minutes of my life. Yep, in 15 minutes we were in the metro, a sigh of relief escaped us. Turns out women and families are blessed with a separate fast-tracked line. Dubai Metro: 10, BART: 0.

Time was not on our side as we approached the largest airport terminal in the world. Our walk to the gate seemed to endless; my watch asked me if I was working out. Somehow, we reached our gate with nearly an hour to spare.

So, 8-hour layover. New Year’s Eve. Stupid? To an extent, yes. Worth it? A thousand percent.

But there was another layover on my way back, this time with 22 hours.

So once again, I set forth into the “city of gold.” First stop: the Burj Khalifa. With about 20 minutes to spare, I paid my respects to the Dubai Mall and got a closer glimpse of the Burj Khalifa. Still surreal. However, another adventure lay ahead.

The so-called “middle of nowhere.”

I was picked up at the Gevora Hotel, and we took off for an hour-long ride to the middle of nowhere. Though ‘middle of nowhere’ isn’t quite right; it was the world-renowned desert safari.

A Peregrine Falcon was brought around and there was an option to hold it as well.

The ATV ride stole the show. We could channel a full-blown Bollywood moment—wind in your hair, sand kicking up, and power under your right thumb. It’s easy to get carried away when the nine-year-old in you takes the wheel. That didn’t stop me from gunning it and pulling a few reckless drifts. Nearly flew off.

Sand hurled by Desert Safari shenanigans.

My 30 minutes were over and it was time for the main event. Tires deflated; we plunged into the desert. Our driver showed no mercy, hammering into each dune. We all flew through the cabin, with lo-fi Bollywood romance beats. How fitting! The dune bashing concluded with a serene picture point and some sand surfing.

Camel awaiting their next passenger.

Famished, I was ready for dinner. Little did I know a monstrous buffet awaited us, comprising Indian delicacies. We were treated to a short camel ride. Upon entering the venue, I felt like I crashed an Indian wedding.

A fire show to accompany dinner.

I dove into sizzling tandoori meats and chased it with a steaming cup of chai. Bliss. What an ending, or so I thought. Turns out Dubai had other plans. There was still a performance, consisting of a fire show, a belly dancing show, and some cultural programs. Dubai wasn’t done showing off.

Finally, it was time to come back to Earth. We headed back to the city with a spectacular view of the skyline. With roughly ten hours to spare, I leisurely explored the depths of Dubai Airport’s duty-free collection. Nearly no luxury good in the world that can’t be found. With ample time to spare, I indulged in some dates and the TikTok famous Dubai chocolate.

Turns out, playing with fire makes for the best travel stories. After all, you only live once… and if you’re lucky, maybe twice through Dubai. Hats off to the Dubai Metro – an unsung hero in this adventure.