Blogs from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East - page 94

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Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 29th 2008

Well we went to the Dubai World Cup on the weekend. And it was a complete and utter shambles. The day started to go to pieces when we hit traffic on the way to the races. Last year you were able to be dropped off at your entry gate to the races directly. But no, not this year. This year you had to drive all the way to a distant parking lot and be dropped off and then catch a shuttle bus to the gate. Well of course there were queues to get onto the shuttle buses. And then the shuttle buses dropped us at the most massive queue to actually get into the event. We couldn't believe how long the queue was. We joined it at 4:00 and didn't get into the races until nearly ... read more
Sascha and Jessie
Leanne and Steve
Sascha

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 28th 2008

Well today we continued our quest for the perfect spa. And by jove we may have found it. We went to the Amara Spa at the Park Hyatt on the Creek in Dubai. And it was amazing. From the moment that you first pull up outside you know that you are in for something pretty special. There is nothing assuming or fancy about the entrance. In fact it is positively understated in its elegance and I think that is part of the charm. The gentleman who was sitting behin the front desk was a picture of courtesy and showed me through to the pool bar area in a very pleasantly efficient manner. And it was there that I got to sit in total relaxation until my spa partners (Jessie, Leanne, Linda and Mary) arrived. The view ... read more
entry way
The pool
Jessie

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 27th 2008

After another marathon flight from Sydney, via Bangkok (17 hours) we were grateful to land in Dubai. Astrid and the kids were incredibly jet lagged. The airport like the whole city, is under construction. We had to take an infield bus to the terminal. The ride with three jet lagged kids was interminable. After finally reaching the terminal we had to wait another 40 minutes to get through the customs line. It was probably close to 2 hours before we were out of the airport. In Dubai we were very fortunate to stay at a friend’s apartment. He is currently living on the 28th floor in the Dubai Fairmont but ironically was back in Canada during our visit. The facilities were what you would expect at a Fairmont property - perfect. Among other things, the Internet ... read more

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 26th 2008

There was a massive fire in Dubai the other day. It was just enormous. It turned out that somehow a fire started in a warehouse in one of the industrial areas of Dubai called Al Quoz and unfortunately this fire hit a warehouse that was illegally storing fireworks and crackers and there was apparently the most almighty explosion. It happened at about 7am in the morning, which luckily for me was just after I was driving past that part of town on the way to work. We could hear all the sirens going past from the office as our office is on Sheikh Zayed Road. And when we looked out the window of the office there was the most enormous black cloud rising up into the sky. As time wore on bits of ash and paper ... read more
Fire2
Fire later

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 24th 2008

Nun heute soll es dann endlich nach Dubai Stadt gehen, nachdem ich mich ja bisher erfolgreich davor gedrückt habe. Wir starten an der Mall of Emirates (die Tatsache, dass man Einkaufszentren als Sehenswürdigkeiten vermarktet, sagt einiges über die Emirate aus). Fazit: Nett, aber nichts besonderes, auch wenn es lustig ist, die Emiratis den „Skihang“ in der hiesigen Skihalle runtersausen zu sehen. Ansonsten verirrt man sich in diesem Zentrum höchstens, aber das ist wohl Sinn der Sache. Nachmittags fahren wir dann noch in die „Altstadt“ von Dubai, wobei es eher ein altes Dorf ist, das Hatta verblüffend ähnlich sieht. Allerdings wirkt es wie ausgestorben. Kein Vergleich zur lebendigen Altstadt von Damaskus also. Den Abend lassen wir in Jumeirah am Strand ausklingen, mit Hummus aus dem Supermarkt und wunderbaren Blick auf das Burj al Arab. Die Fahrt ... read more
Das "alte" Dubai
Dubai Creek

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 22nd 2008

Nach einer eher schlechten und wieder mal viel zu kurzen Nacht im Flugzeug bin ich Samstag früh in Dubai gelandet. Dort habe ich unsere Karre in Empfang genommen (Chevrolet Aveo, Automatik… brr) und anschließend Daniel aus seinem Hotel in Dubai Stadt abgeholt, irrwitziger weise habe ich das sofort gefunden ohne auf die Karte zu gucken. Bis zu unserem Abflug um 22 Uhr wollten wir weiter die Emirate abgrasen und an die Grenze zum Oman. Erster Stopp war Hatta, einer Wüstenoase, wo ein altes Beduinendorf als Museum gezeigt wird. Das war mit Abstand das kulturtechnisch interessanteste, was ich in den VAE gesehen habe. Nun gings zur Grnze an den Oman (wobei wir, um nach Hatta zu kommen, auch schon 20 km durch den Oman fuhren, das zählt aber nicht, weil Transitstrecke ;) ). Das mit dem Passstempel ... read more
Its a long way to Salalah
Netter Bergbewohner
Drivebystrand

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 22nd 2008

We actually did something cultural recently. Yesterday we went to Jumeira Mosque and learnt all about Islam. The Sheikh here runs a cultural understanding program and as part of that they offer tours through one of the mosques in Dubai. It is all about breaking down barriers and understanding what other people are thinking and what they are doing. It was actually very interesting. The tour took about two hours and the tour guide took us all through the different elements of Islam and what they actually do when they pray, what the five pillars of islam are, what the words of the call to prayer mean and all sorts of cool things. It was good to get an understanding about what the Muslim religion means. Obviously I had picked up quite a bit having ... read more
Jumeira Mosque
At the footwash
Inside the mosque

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 19th 2008

March 18,2008 March 15 we had a travel day to Mumbai via Colombo and spent the night in Mumbai before flying today to Dubai, UAE. We arrived late evening to get a night view of this amazing “Construction Zone” . It is really unbelievable what is going on here in terms of new construction. March 16 - 18, 2008 We spent March 17 and 18 in Dubai and enjoyed a nice city tour and a relaxing afternoon at the pool one day and a visit to The Mall of The Emirates and a desert safari trip the next day. The city tour included a visit to one of the “palm tree” shaped man-made islands that are being developed for high end housing and marinas. There are three of these marina developments under construction along with several ... read more
P1100083
Worlds Tallest Building
P1100084

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 15th 2008

Wednesday we skipped the conference altogether and had a leisurely morning getting breakfast at the hotel, hung out by the pool on the top of the annex building where there was a nice view of the city and the desert (despite the smog), and took our time getting motivated. We then caught a city tour bus to the old souks near the waterfront. First we stopped for lunch, since it was a sort of siesta time through the hottest hours of the afternoon anyway and most shops were closed. We found this little hole-in-the-wall falafel/shwarma place, which usually has the best food. The two tables inside were taken, and the guy running the place was going to make some locals get up in the middle of their meal so that we could sit down. But we ... read more
Dubai
Dubai
Dubai

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai March 14th 2008

A 10 hour flight and a five hour time change later, we find ourselves in an incredible place like no other…Dubai. We’ve transported ourselves from the land of OZ, to the land of shopping, opulence, outrageous construction projects, and the Muslim religion. Each morning at about 5 AM, the call to prayer is heard across the city courtesy of the many mosques. We get up and open the window to hear the chanting from the loudspeakers. It’s the signal for all worshippers to get ready to face the east and pray. The chanting only lasts about five minutes, but we enjoy it for it reminds us where we are. It is quiet for another 10 minutes and then we can hear the chanting or singing for another 5 minutes. At this hour of the morning the ... read more
Lovely Landscaping around the city
Hidden Faces
Dubai Businessman




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