We spent a wonderful couple of days discovering Dubai and soaking up the last we would see of the sun for a while. Before we left home I had booked tickets for us to go up the Burj Khalifa tower, luckily a friend who used to live in Dubai had advised us to book in advance as if you turn up on the day to buy tickets its 3 or 4 times the price!! Something to remember if you ever visit! 
Burj Khalifa from the ground
The tower is the tallest building in the world, at over 828 metres high. The observation deck, on level 124 is where the high speed lifts whiz you up to from the ground. At a speed of 10m per second, so we were told. Now I must admit, that as someone who has trouble standing on a chair to put up the Christmas lights, I was slightly nervous about going quite so high! The odd thing is though, that when you get to the top and the lift doors open, the views are more like those from an airplane than from the top of a building, and it was strangely calm and not at all scary. We wandered around, taking photos and video for quite some time before heading back down to solid ground.
Views from the observation deck
On our second day we headed for the beach, a free bus from the hotel dropped us off at the gates to the beach park. There is a small fee to enter the park grounds which lead to the beach, all beautifully kept, clean and tidy. Soft white sand, clear blue sea. Bliss!
On our last afternoon we went on a Dune Safari. Jeeps take you out into the desert, and if you try not to think about all the fuel being used, the pollution and the 'tourist trap' side of it, it really is an amazing experience! :) Bouncing over the dunes, the drivers take great delight in showing off their skills tossing their passengers left and right as they skid sideways down dunes covering the car in sand before flying up the next one. We only saw one car that got stuck, but it was soon free and on it's way again.
After watching the sunset over the desert we were taken to the company's camp, where tents were set out with cushions and tables for us to sit at to eat. A free bar, henna painting, Shisha or Hubble bubble, camel rides, and belly dancers added to the atmosphere and made for a very enjoyable evening.
We really enjoyed our time in Dubai, it is such a different place, not like anywhere we have been before. Where else can you find enormous tower blocks and luxury hotels, right beside camels and gazelles gliding past in the desert? Very odd, and strangely compelling, I'd love to return and explore more one day.
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Thanks so much for sharing your adventures in Dubai Pam - a great read :) I have to ask - what is Hubble Bubble?
ReplyDeleteHi Mel, a Hubble Bubble is one of those big pipe contraptions that people smoke where the tobacco is drawn through water. That causes it to make the hubblebubble sound that gives it it's nick name. The ones at the camp were apple flavoured apparently, but I didn't try it!!
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