Sun, sand...more sand....
Trip Start
Dec 16, 2001
1
11
15
Trip End
Ongoing
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
Saturday, October 9, 2004
For one of us on this trip the challenge was to actually get to Dubai... what day were you supposed to catch that plane mate?? :)
Not long ago phones around the world begin to humm in the offices of long frustrated architects. Rumour had it that bountiful riches of gold would allow their dreams to become reality......
Dubai is a city dotted with large shopping malls and large iconic buildings! A huge building development shaped like a palm tree stretches out in the ocean and as you drive down the road huge banners portray a new spire that will tower above the skyline in years to come.
The Burjal-Arab: A 7 star hotel(I didn't even know these existed!) resembling a huge sail, set on an island that can only be reached by a secure bridge
'wonder' where everyone are
. No hope of getting into that pool! The cost of the hotel has never been revealed.The Jumeira Beach Hotel: Shaped like a giant wave, this is apparently 6 stars. Worth a try, we walk in and through the lobby like we belong, so far so good! Out onto the rear paving, the beach and pool are in site.... keep moving confidently.... turn left..dead end and sprung! "Are we guests?" Um....yes. (damn that hesistation!).... Ok, guess the attempt here is over!
Never mind, we will just have to settle for the roof-top pool back at our humble abode! It was a welcome relief to just laze around for a few days and soak up the heat, jump in the pool and float around, soak up some more heat, do some more floating...you get the idea!
Go to Wild Wadi!! Water slides, lots of them! No walking up hills required here, jump into a rubber tube and a water jet will shoot you uphill.
The Deira region of Dubai is dotted with Souks (markets) that are well worth wandering around. The Gold Souk has gold literally draped in the windows, the place to go if you have a lady to impress and deep pockets! Follow your nose to the Spice Souk, small shops in which the trader sits behind a large desk surrounded by large hessian bags full of every spice imagineable
Burjal-Arab
. The markets stretch off for blocks and are a maze of little alleys selling just about everything. Great amounts of effort are expended on keeping small patches of greenery alive. The city continues to grow out of the desert and sand predominates anywhere that the water is not pumped onto. Through the middle of the day it's fairly quiet, people are asleep under any patch of available shade and just the stupid tourists are wandering about....that would be me!....and thanks to the 2 arabs guys who pointed at the sun and then at me and twirled their fingers around their head in that classic symbolism of craziness :)
With the end of my sun worshipping looming a faint hope arose that I may have an excuse to avoid a return to work! "Hello Debs. I'm really sorry(cough!), my plane can't seem to get off the ground! I guess I HAVE to stay longer." Twice we made a roundtrip from the terminal out to the end of the runway and each time we got there someone would start vomiting! It nearly happened a third time but for the space of minutes, but that guy had to spend the 7hr flight wrapped aorund the toilet.
Rumour has it they ate at the same bar in the airport...
And I have escaped just before Ramadan begins!
