Copthorne Hotel Dubai

... get my things done within time so that I didn't miss my 14.30 flight to Dubai. Despite my third aspirin on the flight, I somehow didn’t manage to get some sleep. Upon arrival in Dubai I felt like sleeping, but stuck to original plan to visit the city. Unfortunately it was not before I was close to the center of Dubai that I found out that there was an Islamic holiday that weekend and everything was closed ...

... partner. The accompanying literature we received upon entrance described these slides as a roller coaster on water, and it's a very apt description indeed.
Once you have mounted your tube you are shot uphill on a massive jet of water, hurtling around corners, dropping down slopes, until you splashdown into a landing pool. It is here where things become a little different. Instead of getting out and queuing for another ride, you remain in your tube and just move ...

... so another corona was out of the question! I just about afforded the taxi to the airport, and that was that. my trip to dubai.

points on dubai:

Amazing city, but very very busy. you have to drive to get around, which means the roads are manic, and the drivers know where the horn is!

It is amazing how much building is going on and what they are trying to do with the city. the architecture is spectacular! not that I know what I'm talking about ...

... found a great and oh-so-cheap Indian where I got a good deal for my British pound and subsequently we dined like Sultans. Then on to the gold souk. Oh, oh, oh was there gold. The interwining lanes glittered with the crude, yellow stuff. It came in all types; gold bracelets, necklaces, dummies (yip), brooches. Some were adorned with shiny jewels. I looked for a rich man to laden me with them, I clicked my fingers to summon a genie, but alas it ...

... en cours de démolition pour laisser place à un nouveau projet de plus haut standing. Contraste donc, toujours des projets (démesurés ?) pour l'avenir dont on ne peut que souhaiter les réussite, même si sur fond de début de crise économique mondiale on peut s'interroger sur leur réalisme. Course donc, sur une piste piétonne spécialement aménagée sur la plage. Le soleil commence rapidement à se faire sentir (il est à peine 7h du matin et on est au moins d ...

... out and walking about was not an option. However the malls do cater for the climate and are also mind and wallet blowing if you are into shopping. Ourselves, we cannot see how so many high class shops can survive. Leo did go shopping for some new shorts as his brand new pair of shorts from NZ split on day one!. No they were not too small. Just bloody bad construction (made in China). Friday being holy day both Chris and Jerry had the day off so we headed ...

... loudspeakers on the top of all mosques so you can hear the signing all over the city. It was very interesting to hear this singing - quite surreal. It really made you realize you were in an Islamic place. We were lucky to visit Dubai during "the cold season". Cold season is a very relative term since it was 36 and 37 degrees Celsius during our visit, which was nearly unbearable. I cannot even fathom how people survive in the ...

... that countries streets. One of the guys was telling me about how a girl from Am**ica actually went to Iraq last semest**, so taking his advice, I have booked my plane ticket and I leave for a quick trip to Baghdad next Friday... Is what I would be saying if I w**e crazy lol Last night I did some laundry and while I was waiting downstairs for my clothes to dry I got to a talking to anoth** study abroad student, Soubhi. He's not your typical study abroad ...

... walked through Dubai Souq which sells beautiful fabrics from Asia.






We caught an abra, small wooden boat with no sides where everyone sits on a platform in the middle. It cost 1d for both of us from Bur Dubai abra station to Deira Old Souq abra station. Went past the Dhow wharf – dhow bound for every port from Kuwait ...

... would take a picture of us having 'Afternoon Tea' but he refused saying although they were allowed to serve food and we were allowed to eat it, we were not allowed to take pictures of people eating food because of Ramadan, ok we get the picture, this is one confused place! Anyway Larry disappeared for a while so we just chilled there. When he eventually turned up we went to the 27th floor to find it was dark out, yep we could not see jack! So no pictures there! We then went to ...