Dubai Mall
A World In Itself
The Dubai Mall is massive. It’s the kind of place where you can genuinely get lost — in the endless shops, in the people-watching, in the sheer scale of it all. There are plenty of places to sit and relax if you just want to soak in the atmosphere without rushing to buy anything.
One of my favorite parts was catching a glimpse of the aquarium without even paying for a ticket. You can see the fish gliding past the glass, calm and unbothered. For a moment I felt a little bad that they were confined to a space, but then I thought maybe they’re cared for, fed well, and actually living a pretty peaceful life. Then there’s Kinokuniya, the bookstore of dreams. It has every genre, every subject you can think of, and you could easily lose yourself in there for hours. If you’re more into games, there’s a whole area for that too, but I personally love exploring for free when I travel, so I just walked the mall end to end, taking it all in. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mall this big — not even during the years I visited the US.
Dubai Mall isn’t just about shopping, it’s also a reflection of Dubai’s personality — glamorous, ambitious, and always striving for more. Here, you’re constantly reminded there’s always something newer, bigger, or more expensive to aspire to: a better car, a fancier apartment, a more extravagant meal. Maybe it’s designed that way to encourage people to earn more, build more, and keep the city buzzing with energy and growth.
Step outside and you’re face-to-face with the Burj Khalifa. At night, the fountain show is spectacular and completely free to watch. The world’s tallest building glows in different colors — blue, purple, pink — and it’s beautiful, almost hypnotic. Standing there, it’s easy to feel small in the best way. I found myself thinking: if there are people on every floor of this one building, and this is just one place in one city, then there are billions of people I’ll never meet in my lifetime. Life is short, yet we live like we’ll be here forever. Places like this make me remember how big the world is, and how small my own problems really are.
Inside the mall, my friend and I tried Haidilao Hot Pot, and it was an experience worth having. We picked two different soup bases, chose our meats and veggies, and cooked them at the table. There was a live sauce station where you could mix minced garlic, spring onion, and authentic Chinese sauces into something completely your own. I’ve had hot pot in New York before, but this was better — richer, more authentic flavors. They serve unlimited iced tea alongside to cool your throat if anything gets too spicy, and the service was excellent. The staff were attentive, ready to help if we looked even slightly confused about what to order.
I would go back to Dubai Mall again — not to shop, but to wander, browse the books, watch the fish, see the fountain show, and maybe have another hot pot night. For me, it’s not about collecting things. It’s about soaking in the scale, the energy, and the reminder that the world is vast and my little worries are just that — little.
