One of my resolutions for 2016 is to be more up to date with my personal work and travel photography. I’d like to start by sharing these images from an unforgettable trip I had almost exactly a year ago. I was invited by a friend to visit her in UAE. I never ever thought I would travel to the Middle East so soon because there were places that were much higher on my “top places to visit” list:) But the idea of visiting my friend there and having someone introduce me to the culture was enticing and I couldn’t say no!
We arrived in Al Ain and spent the week exploring local culture and the mountain. January in Al Ain (and UAE in general) has mildly warm days and cold nights which is normal for deserts, but it was certainly a new thing for me and I had to always carry a sweater with me! Surprisingly, we happened to experience the first rainfall in almost a year while we were there.
Our next stop was Dubai which was everything we expected and more! There is certainly a nice mix of cultures and things to do in Dubai. From the biggest mall in the world to some of the nicest beaches, we had a nice balance between exploring the city and chilling on the beach:) Since the sun sets early in January we had a good amount of time to explore the city at night. The Dubai Mall and the nearby Burj Khalifa were impressive. Honestly, I much prefer to look at Burj Khalifa from below than spending an hour waiting in line to see the city view from the top. It’s always a great idea to grab a table in a nearby cafe balcony in the Mall and watch the fountain show in front of Burj Khalifa.
Our journey took us to Abu Dhabi where we saw Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I was blown away by its beauty and grandeur. 
After visiting the mosque we went on a jeep desert adventure complete with sand boarding, delicious food, belly dancing and hookah. By the way, hookah is something almost every house has in UAE so I found myself surrounded by smoke almost every day we spent there:)
One of my favorite areas in Dubai is Marina District. It’s heavily influenced by Western culture and has primarily expats living in the area. It is a beautiful spot to grab lunch and walk along the water and, compared to Dubai Mall, doesn’t have that many tourists at all. 
Elvira Kalviste Photography 