Advertisement
Published: October 30th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Greetings from gorgeous Dubai!
We left Agra, India yesterday at about noon - flew to Dubai, arriving just after the supper hour. Some of you may have already seen one of my first photos, taken from the 50th floor of the Radisson Royal Hotel - where we all enjoyed a tremendous Japanese meal. YUM, indeed! Then, it was off to bed -
Well, let me just say this - I am pretty proficient at technology these days - really, I am. But, getting into this hotel room made me feel like stepping into the land of the Jetsons - or, rather, like the Clampett Family arriving in Dubai. Geez, Louise - the technology in the rooms is unbelievable (and I have travelled a fair bit!!!!). When you step into the room, the lights go on - the curtains open - all automatically. There are remotes for everything - plugs everywhere - and gadgets I have never seen before. Just had to take a picture to show you some of that, combined with all the technological 'stuff' that I travel with. It's enough to give one a headache. I will say, when taking a shower this morning (or, rather, attempting
to take a shower - because I couldn't figure out all the bells and whistles!!!! - let alone keeping the lights on, LOL) - I felt rather inept! But, it is fun and I am always willing to learn! We all had a great laugh about this at breakfast this morning!!!!
Then, on the bus and off to tour Dubai. I have been here 2x before and still love it (it's right up there, on the list, with Cambodia - just for different reasons). And Dubai has changed SOOOOOO much in the 4 years since I last visited. Last time, more than half of all the large cranes in the world were here for construction - now, barely a crane to be seen. So many new buildings - so many new things/adventures, etc. Wow. So worth a visit!!!!!
First stop, the Jumerei Hotel and the beach - I love that beach. The water had to be at least 20 degrees Celsius - and it's winter here. Just driving around the city causes one to go - WOW. So clean - so green - no power wires in sight (it's all underground).
We stopped at the Dubai Museum
- I really enjoy that place - saw a video of Dubai from 1980 through to 1990 - to 2000 and up to the present. Wow! Dubai will be 40 years old next year - can you imagine? So very new! Many of us were also commenting on how it felt to come from the desperate poverty of India yesterday morning to.........all this! Hard to believe there is such a difference in our world.
From there, we went on a water taxi to old Dubai and visited the Spice and Gold Souks (markets). Nicole Donaldson - I thought about you the whole time and am so sorry that you no longer live here - would have loved to visit with you today. We had a blast at the market - we had Brenda, the 'bargaining guru' with us! And she was amazing - it was funny to watch people in our group actually lining up at the different market stops for her assistance - Brenda lived in Saudi Arabia for a number of years and brings quite the confidence and expertise when it comes to shopping. Our people really appreciated it - and her - and, for me, following
along with the camera, it was just plain fun to see everyone else having so much fun.
Then, time for lunch! Lord knows we just don't eat enough or often, LOL. Lunch was on the 50th floor in the revolving restaurant of the Hyatt Hotel - fabulous - absolutely and totally fabulous! Many of us have craved salads and fresh fruit since we left home - it wasn't quite 'safe' to eat these things in the last few countries - so, eat we did. The choices at lunch were magnificent. Check out the photos - I just had to share most of them with you. As well, we had a 360 view of Dubai and beyond - you'll see that in the photos too. Enjoy!
I was amused by the fact that, when we drove in one direction, I got crystal clear, blue sky photos - when we turned in a different direction, it was very smoggy. And that's life here.
We stopped at a Mosque - gorgeous! We drove along the roads and saw the housing where newlyweds live - the Government provides them with housing - very nice homes, for sure!
So much to
see and do here. I love it! One of the last stops on the bus was at the Burj Kalifa - the tallest building in the world. It is breath-taking. Takes about 30 workers more than a month to clean the outside of the building - and then they get to do it all over again. (I believe I got those facts right!). Some of our passengers got off the bus there and headed into the mall -
Brenda and I, and many others, headed back to the hotel for an afternoon of rest. We'll head to the mall in the morning and enjoy a real traditional lunch, do some shopping, etc. - since we have a 'free' morning too.
In the afternoon, we head to the desert for a BBQ - and so much more. Another reason I love this stop around the world. Stay tuned - because the next blog entry will just be full of FUN! - you won't want to miss any of it.!!!!
(Thanks to many of you for your comments of concern about my Mom. An update from home tells me that she has had a fall, hit her head, has
gone to hospital - has a touch of pneumonia. My mom is a feisty Irish woman- I'm confident she will come through this. Please keep her in your prayers for me. - and thanks!)
Good night, Mom - I love you!
Happy Pat
Advertisement
Tot: 0.072s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0503s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Kim Maguire
non-member comment
Dad loving his paper!
I am positive that the newspaper photo was courtesy of Lorne Firman, master tracker of the English newspapers while traveling abroad! Good job, dad!