Well, not much.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I exercised a bit of restraint on this trip. Dubai is really a tax-free shopping paradise. From the air-conditioned super malls like Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates, to the bazaars of Karama, there are things to buy at all prices.
In my case, I was heading to Pakistan that next week, so in anticipation of that trip, I saved all my excess cash and stuck to a super tight budget.
My first purchase was a Starbucks UAE mug. My partner's sister is obsessed with collecting and trading Starbucks mugs, which got me onto the idea that I ought to start a small collection of mugs to represent the places I have been. Surprisingly, not many Starbucks actually sold these mugs. At the gorgeous Starbucks in Jumeirah, I found this mug from the Emirates, but it was impossible to find the Dubai mug. Impossible.
At the Dubai Airport in Terminal 1, they sell Sharjah and Abu Dhabi mugs, but I didn't even go to those Emirates, so I felt kind of silly coming home with those mugs.
One of my few and favorite purchases was a recommendation from my Dubai expat friend: scented oil. When she first moved to Dubai, she sat next to a woman on the train who smelled amazing, and the woman told her that she bought all her oil from this shop in the Diera City Center.
So, in search of this practical souvenir, I made that little trip to Diera, and mixed my own special scent from their selection of oils. My original scent is actually a combination of two of the store's own creations. This oil is very potent, so I only use a few drops on my wrists and neck. This hugh bottle, of my own original scent, only costs about $40 USD.
A deal!
Lastly, I usually don't like to buy touristy items, but after visiting Pakistan and seeing tiny Burj Khalifas and Burj al Arabs in everyone's living room, I decided that our bookshelf at home needed a miniature Burj, I picked up this figurine at the Airport just before boarding a plane home.
Now the Burj Khalifa has a home on our "philosophy" book shelf in our living room in Portland.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I exercised a bit of restraint on this trip. Dubai is really a tax-free shopping paradise. From the air-conditioned super malls like Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates, to the bazaars of Karama, there are things to buy at all prices.
In my case, I was heading to Pakistan that next week, so in anticipation of that trip, I saved all my excess cash and stuck to a super tight budget.
My first purchase was a Starbucks UAE mug. My partner's sister is obsessed with collecting and trading Starbucks mugs, which got me onto the idea that I ought to start a small collection of mugs to represent the places I have been. Surprisingly, not many Starbucks actually sold these mugs. At the gorgeous Starbucks in Jumeirah, I found this mug from the Emirates, but it was impossible to find the Dubai mug. Impossible.
At the Dubai Airport in Terminal 1, they sell Sharjah and Abu Dhabi mugs, but I didn't even go to those Emirates, so I felt kind of silly coming home with those mugs.
One of my few and favorite purchases was a recommendation from my Dubai expat friend: scented oil. When she first moved to Dubai, she sat next to a woman on the train who smelled amazing, and the woman told her that she bought all her oil from this shop in the Diera City Center.
So, in search of this practical souvenir, I made that little trip to Diera, and mixed my own special scent from their selection of oils. My original scent is actually a combination of two of the store's own creations. This oil is very potent, so I only use a few drops on my wrists and neck. This hugh bottle, of my own original scent, only costs about $40 USD.
A deal!
Lastly, I usually don't like to buy touristy items, but after visiting Pakistan and seeing tiny Burj Khalifas and Burj al Arabs in everyone's living room, I decided that our bookshelf at home needed a miniature Burj, I picked up this figurine at the Airport just before boarding a plane home.
Now the Burj Khalifa has a home on our "philosophy" book shelf in our living room in Portland.
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