I’m losing my blogging mojo. I’ve posted once a week now for 4 years, which I think is pretty good going. Whilst over the last year, I’ve struggled to engage with Instagram and seen no growth for ages, my blog has continued to grow and I’ve never struggled to write a blog post. I guess everyone probably has these moments and sometimes it’s good to have a break. I actually found myself planning a trip thinking about how I’d maximise blog posts and had to tell myself off for trying to fit too much in… that was the proverbial straw and the jolt I needed to refocus myself. Work is absolute madness, I want to spend time in my garden, and pursue a couple of other projects, so as I head on another trip next week, I intend to rest and go with the flow, rather than worrying about what I’ll write afterwards!
So, honestly, the next few weeks are just going to be my scheduled posts. I probably won’t reply to comments straight away, but as always I appreciate your time, readership and thoughts.
This week’s scheduled post takes us to Aya Universe – one of Dubai’s hottest new experiences. Opened in December 2022, it promises to be ‘a trip to a beautiful universe’. Whilst I think that’s probably overmarketing it (!), it was a fun experience that was a lot of fun. Here’s what to expect!
What is Aya Universe
Aya Universe is effectively a series of rooms, each with a different theme, that are filled with light, shape, noise and video art installations. It bills itself as interactive, which it is to a degree, but I’d say it’s more immersive than interactive.
It’s made up of 12 different unique ‘worlds’ (basically different rooms and themes) to explore. You can explore them in around 1hr. Overall I really enjoyed the trip as something a bit different but it was a sensory overload and I was glad for some peace and quiet afterwards!
Important Information about Aya Universe
- Aya Universe is located within the Mall at Wafi City. Wafi City is quite cool to visit anyway as it’s all Egyptian themed, with a pyramid shaped shopping mall, Obelisk, various Egyptian themed hotels (e.g. Raffles as a giant pyramid), an Egyptian spa, lots of food choices and of course a Souk. You can even wile away the hours on the ‘lazy river’, hiring a sun bed sitting by the pool. You can easily spend a full day there, with Aya just as a part of the day.
- Aya costs 125 AED (£27) per person (under 3 and People of Determination* are free)
- It takes around 1hr to visit all of the worlds in Aya Universe, probably a bit longer if it’s super busy and/or you have children with you
* People of Determination is the term used across Dubai to refer to what is traditionally labelled ‘disabled’ in the west. You’ll see this on toilets, discounted ticket prices and special mobility entrances/exits. I liked it.
What to see at Aya Universe
Each world offers something a bit different. You start off in the Source which is full of flowers and the large sphere of life. You move through to Harmonia, which is a large room full of mirrors and glitter balls with the lights constantly changing colour.
Then comes Flora, one of my favourite rooms, with a huge tree of lights and shimmering grass. Tides then comes and assaults your sense of reality with huge light tubes to get lost amongst with mirrors reflecting everywhere.
After that it’s on to The Pool, Waterfall and River. The waterfall uses actual water to create a circle of water you can step in to the middle of – the water then lights up to make it a bit trippy!
On to Celestia, which is galaxy themed as the planets whirl around you, followed by Outland which is some sort of ocean themed art.
To finish the visit off came two of my favourite rooms – Luna, filled with huge mirror balls and then Drift where you lie down on the soft grass and watch the art work on the ceiling move and contort in to shapes and colours.
So there you have it – the weird and totally crazy world of Aya. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to do something a little bit different to do in Dubai, though also be prepared for a sensory overload. Thanks for reading – stay safe and happy travelling!
Barney Travel Technologies
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