Trip: Dubai, UAE · Oct 28, 2026 · solo · a 6h40m layover between Edinburgh and Chennai

My Emirates route from Edinburgh to Chennai had a 6 hour 40 minute connection in Dubai. That’s long enough that sitting at the gate felt like a waste, so I got out and went into the city.

Me and the Burj Khalifa. I did not go up.

Around the base there’s a big lake with the Dubai Fountain, surrounded by towers.

Walking around the lake at the foot of the Burj.

What I did

• Burj Khalifa. Obviously. I took an Uber straight there from the airport. I didn’t go up, because there wasn’t time, so I walked around the base and took far too many photos looking straight up. It’s ridiculous in person.
• The Wings of Mexico sculpture, a big pair of bronze wings you stand in front of for a photo. I did.
• A short walk through Souk Al Bahar, next to the fountain area.
• The Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, the old part of the city with narrow lanes and sand-coloured buildings with wind towers. It was a nice contrast with all the glass and steel.

It was very hot, even in late October, and completely worth it. Six hours turned into a whole extra city on the trip.

The Wings of Mexico, with the Burj behind.

Inside the souk.

Al Fahidi, the old quarter.

Getting out of the airport was easy. Because I have a US visa, I could get a UAE visa on arrival on my Indian passport, with no application in advance. I paid at the airport (AED 240 through Emirates) and walked out. I had fajitas at the Hard Rock Cafe (about AED 157).

The Uber ride

The part of Dubai I keep thinking about wasn’t a building. One of my Uber drivers was a woman from Kenya who has been working there for years without family nearby. She talked very openly about how hard it is to find a real relationship there. She said only about one in ten works out, and that most of the rest end with someone taking advantage of you in one way or another. She said it plainly, without self-pity. I’d just asked how long she’d been there, and she opened up. It stuck with me for the rest of the trip. People who move far from home for work are carrying a lot that you can’t see from the passenger seat.

Back at the airport I got some food and took a call with a friend who’s building a startup and wanted feedback. It was a strange, nice way to spend the last hour of a layover.

One more country

That makes about seven countries I’ve been to now, including India. And then it was back to the airport, and on to Chennai.

Notes to myself

• A 6h40m connection was just enough to see the Burj Khalifa area and Al Fahidi without stressing about the flight. Any shorter and I’d have stayed in the airport.
• Paid for the Ubers on the Wise card, like everything else on this trip.