Skydiving in Dubai

My eyes opened at 4:35am to the sound of my morning wake up call. The familiar voice on the other end apologetically coaxed me out of my comfy bed. After scanning the daily humidity levels, I crawled into a taxi and drove 30 minutes to the marina. This was my “morning routine” for three long days as I sat with bated breath, praying to make my way up the waitlist.

I have been wanting to skydive the Palm for more than two years now, ever since experiencing the intoxicating mix of adrenaline and pure panic achieved while hang gliding off a cliff in Rio de Janeiro. However, every time I’ve traveled to Dubai it was either last minute or on accident, which unfortunately doesn’t work well with the two month wait list to reserve a dive with Skydive Dubai.

The first day, jumps were postponed due to humidity (apparently when the air is humid it is counter-intuitively less dense making you fall/land faster **no thanks). Because of this unfortunate climate issue, the next day was completely overbooked leaving me down to the wire on my last and final day in Dubai. As luck would have it, there just so happened to be one spot left for me on the last flight out for the day. I filled out the “I promise I won’t sue you if shit goes south” form and began to get strapped in and ready for the jump. The next thing I knew, I was 13,000ft up in the air connected to my tandem partner Alex, looking down over the Palm.

It was by far one of the most thrilling things I have ever experienced in my life.  From my stomach dropping to my toes as we dove out of the plane, to the feeling of free falling through the sky. Both of these things, combined with the highly contrasting views of the futuristic skyline, crisp cerulean beaches, and the vast Arabian desert is something I will be remembering for the rest of my life.

My tips for skydiving in Dubai:

• Reserve as early as physically possible
• If you can’t pre-book/plan your dive (like me) get to Skydive Dubai around 5am the day you want to jump to insure you get a good spot on the waitlist
• Bring a snack with you (after getting there at 5am on an empty stomach I was dying by the time I actually got to dive which was around 11:15am)
• Wear good/comfortable shoes, **essential for a smooth landing

Soaking Up the Sun: Four Seasons Jumeriah

Reporting live from the pool at the Four Seasons in Jumeirah Beach… where I am lazily absorbing my daily dose of vitamin-d, working on my tan lines, and sipping on an avocado smoothie. Sounds like a hard day on the job... no? I am, however, also currently pitching a few new travel articles from my summer abroad... so there is a lot of research and editing going on from my side of the chaise lounge. ;)

I was inspired by the lush and tropical surroundings this morning at breakfast so I opted to match the scenery. My reversible bikini, that I bought from the San Lorenzo store in Malibu, could not have been more on-fleek for the occasion. I loved that I honestly got 4 bikinis for the price of one. Which is of course why I wore the bottoms on the green and the top on the printed side.

My sunhat was an incredible find, bought only a few weeks ago at the main marina in Newport, Rhode Island. Fear not… I will be posting all about that fabulous trip once I am back in the states.

I stayed hydrated all day with orange and cucumber infused water... Which was incredibly refreshing, especially since I often get bored of drinking plain-o-janeo water. I would've loved to have taken a photo of my avocado smoothie but it started losing its form rather quickly due to the extreme heat, so naturally I inhaled it to insure it didn't go to waste ;).

Lastly, as a lover of the sun and a total beach bunny... I always bring some form of SPF wherever I go. I absolutely love the smell of the Korres walnut and coconut oil spray that’s factor 20 and I secretly love that I end up smelling like a crispy coconut macaroon after a long day in the rays.

Xx

Breakfast in Dubai

Two days ago my fabulous plans to explore the islands of the Seychelles was swiftly detoured due to a huge storm over the Indian Ocean. I found myself trapped in Dubai after traveling for 17 hours from New York City. After waiting 4 hours, in a dodgy baggage claim center, I finally collected my long lost luggage and heading hopelessly to my hotel. 

Trying to make the most of this unfortunate change of plans, I have unapologetically indulged every morning in the incredible breakfast spread available at the Four Seasons in Jumeirah (where I am currently stationed).

Each morning I skip through the rows of tropical fruit, gathering the daily assortment, with a pitstop at the juice/smoothie station. Today I opted for their fresh papaya, pineapple, melon, berries, and blood orange (which I proceeded to eat like a grapefruit making a complete and chaotic mess ;)  Being a sucker for bananas & potassium, I also tried their fresh banana smoothie which was creamy and delicious. Jet-lag often leaves me feeling lazy and lethargic and I find that fresh fruit helps cleanse my system and refresh my insides.  

My eyes were then drawn to the sexy smoked salmon which of course helped me justify my mini bagel and cream cheese indulgence... all three beautiful things that must be devoured together. I then combed my way through the various meats and cheese from around the world and added them as well as local dates and figs delicately to my full plate. This combined with my tropical fruit assortment left me with a breakfast spread big enough for a family of four. However, I got to take the leftovers to go which will make for a perfect afternoon snack. 

Moral of the story is... when trapped in Dubai, make the little things count... (like the glutinous breakfast options most of the big hotels provide.) While Dubai may be lacking in culture, authenticity, and reality it does offer access to different tastes, flavors, and bites from around the world. 

Xx