On my second trip to visit Moustafa in Dubai, we got a chance to really explore this incredibly modern city and many of its spectacular sights. It was also the first time I got to meet his youngest sister, her husband, and their two sons, thereby fully rounding out the meeting of his entire immediate family.
On this trip, Moustafa took me to the Dubai Mall, which stands at the base of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. The Mall is packed with incredible features, including a full sized aquarium, indoor ice rink, and three story waterfall fountain, amongst all the shops. The boutiques included everything from H&M to your premium retailers, like Channel, Dior, Balenciaga and more. There is even an entire section of high end designer children's stores! These kids are more fashionable than we are.
At the base of Burj Khalifa is a large water feature and fountain. We had visited this spot for first time at the end of 2018, around the U.A.E. National Holiday, and had seen the most spectacular fountain, light and music show, along with the LED projection show on the Burj itself. The show put any similar experiences in Las Vegas to shame. We were treated during our second visit to the fountain show with an entirely new experience.
In Dubai, there is no going small on anything, larger than life buildings, monuments, and experiential shows are the norm, and leave a lasting impression. Experiencing all these wonders by the side of my love, was the most thrilling part of it all.
True to form, on every visit we have had, Moustafa has run into a friend, family member, or former colleague. This time, we ran into the CEO of his former company, who still remembered Moustafa and the impression he had made in his time working under him. Moustafa has an incredible knack with people, always leaving a great lasting impression. We still joke that everywhere we go, we will meet someone he knows....which has ultimately held true, even when we were in Europe together. The world is truly a small place with Moustafa by my side, one where friends and family are always around the next corner.