"Dubai stopover" Tom_white_5588s photos around Dubai, United Arab Emirates (emirates exit row)

Preview of Tom_white_5588s blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tom_white_5588/1/1218179580/tpod.html

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Entry from: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Entry Title: "Dubai stopover"

Entry:

"Having the exit row was good because I got extra legroom but unfortunately there wasnt much to see out the window at either end. Also, it wasnt a galley exit row but rather a toilet exit row...not the nicest environment to sit in for 8hrs. I didnt really get as much sleep as I wanted to on the flight. I just kept dozing off and being woken continuously. Compared to my previous experience with Emirites, this experience was rather average. It was an old plane so there was no interactive entertainment system, the seats were small and uncomfortable and the staff seemed to respond to the inferior quality plane with equally inferior quality service. It seemed as though it was a different company to the Emirites we flew to NZ with. Anyway, when we arrived we got a futuristic bus to the arrival gate from the plane. It is designed to look as though it is floating - kinda cool really. When I got into the terminal I found myself completely lost. Eventually I figured out how to get out of the airport and got a taxi into the city and found my way to an Abra station. On my way to the Abra station I was absent mindedly walking along what I though was a pedestrian path when I heard a beep-beep, turned around, and got hit by a truck!!! It just clipped me with its mirrors so I was ok but I didnt hear it approaching so it came as a bit of a shock. For some reason I responded to this my shouting "Sorry mate" and the response came back "Shoo, shoo!". Hahaha what a crazy start to my time in Dubai. At about 6am I worked out the Abra system (you basically just get on the boat they point to and pay the driver 1 dirham) and caught the Abra across the Creek. Unfortunately, Friday happens to be Dubais version of Sunday so absolutely nothing was open on the other side of the Creek. I asked at an information desk and they said that shops would start to open around 8am. So I decided to go for a wander through the streets anyway and get the obligatory tourist snapshots out of the way. There were lots of Indian/Pakistani men sleeping on the streets and on park benches and wandering through the city. I couldnt see anyone who represented someone of "middle eastern appearance" so I guess they are the upper class and dont need to get up before 8am on a Friday. Throughout my whole time outside of the airport, I did not see another white person and only saw one touristy looking Asian couple. I was getting strange looks from all over the place but didnt take much notice of them. By this stage I was getting really hungry. It felt like I walked across the whole city by the time I found somewhere I could get some breakfast (well it was 2hrs worth of walking). Against my better judgement, I walked down an alley where I saw a couple of Indian men sitting outside a café style burger joint and ordered a chicken burger and a freshly squeezed orange juice. Im fairly sure that this place wouldnt comply with Australian health standards as there were flies everywhere and the floor was absolutely filthy. But I was hungry. The burger turned out to be quite small but really tasty. They serve it with chips inside the burger and it comes with a nice spicy tomato sauce. After refuelling, I crossed the Creek again and did the same tour of deserted streets I had done a couple of hours earlier, only this time the streets were quite busy with several market stalls opening up and setting out their wares. I bought a Dubai t-shirt and had a look at some sunglasses but couldnt find any good ones. Absolutely exhausted, I hailed a taxi and went back to the airport so that I could sit down in the air-conditioning and make use of the free wireless internet. I desperately need a shower & to brush my teeth...cant wait to get to Istanbul. In the mean time, Im going to go have a wander and explore Dubai International airport..."
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tom_white_5588/1/1218179580/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. "Creek and abras"
2. "Abra wharf"
3. "Sunrise over the creek"
4. "Sheik ay"
5. "Tourist attraction"
6. "Really old tourist attraction"
7. "Heritage village"
8. "Cats running around everywhere - so skinny"
9. "Empty gold souk"
10. "Me on an abra"
11. "Where i bought my t-shirt"
12. "Scene of the crime - hit & run"
13. "Where were the police when i got trucked???"
14. "Dubai international airport"

See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00bb-83d6-46a8?ytv4=1

"Under Construction" Byrnedms photos around Dubai, United Arab Emirates (photography)

Preview of Byrnedms blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/byrnedm/thehoneymoon/1207684800/tpod.html

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Entry from: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Entry Title: "Under Construction"

Entry:

"· Dubai, United Arab Emirates
· GMT +4:00hrs

"build it and they will come"
- Kevin Costner, Field of Dreams

Under construction
Dubai, the jewel of the Arab world, is one of the 7 emirates that make up the oil-rich Persian Gulf country, The United Arab Emirates. The tiny emirate, twice the size of London, is a kingdom built on the profits of its oil reserves and so one shouldnt be surprised to learn (we werent) that this is one of the richest places in the Arab world (one can positively smell the aroma of money wafting through the stifling air). But that hasnt always been the case. Nope, as little as 60 years ago Dubai was a small trading town built on a humble creek. But oh how things have changed. A complete turnabout face has totally transformed this place and today it is now famous for trade, gold and all things luxury. Oh, and of course its also famous for its oil... famous for now that is becasue its estimated that by 2016 the oil reserves will have run out, spelling disaster for the oil-dependent economy. With this knowledge Dubai has been forced to reinvent itself once again, and find new sources of income, and none other than the crown Prince himself is onto the task; he has a multibillion dollar plan to save his emirate, and thus the country, by rebranding it and transforming it into nothing less than the worlds number one luxury tourist destination. Yep, just like that. And with a plan in place for well over a decade now the Arabs certainly cant be accused of not giving it their best shot. They have gone to some outrageous, almost superhuman lengths in an attempt to put Dubai on the high rolling tourist map: they have constructed, or are constructing, world class golf courses, race tracks, legions of luxury hotels, multimillion dollar apartment complexes, shopping malls, massive manmade islands and, for good measure, the world tallest building. The aim is to attract some 15 million people annually to spend their money here, 3 times the present figure. But that in itself causes problems, namely problems of space. With only 72km of coastline, there wouldnt be enough room for all the extra people. So what do the Arabs do to solve this issue? Well, they build islands of course, huge cities at sea with not only more space for all to enjoy but with yet more shopping malls, restaurants, exculsive multimillion dollar private beach villas, marinas, water theme parks, health spas & luxury hotels. And thats what they have been doing 24/7, 365 days a year since August 2001; reclaiming land at an almost impossible rate and building massive offshore archipelagos in the process, 3 of which are in the shape of palm trees and another being an island mock-up of the globe (not content with putting Dubai on the map, they put the map on Dubai). The result of all this madness means that Dubai can now boast of having over 1500km of sun-drenched, white sand coastline, manmade or otherwise. Problem solved. Yes, build it and they will come, or so the Arabs hope.

Bling
Dubai really is quite the place. Unless you like shopping or are the sort of person who gets off on viewing large scale construction projects (both on and offshore) then there isnt much to do here, apart from sweat and spend money (and the more of the latter that you have the better). As noted, the whole place has been built, or is being built, to attract tourists and the tourist dollar. Yes, the city can trace its origins to a small 1830s fishing village but today Dubai is all about development, air-conditioned duty free shopping centres, jewellery shops, palm trees lining manicured sprinkled lawns, 5 star hotels, celebrity chief restaurants and chauffeur driven Arabs. Its all bling bling, Arab style.

Dubai... but why?
We got off the bus from Muscat at 10pm two nights ago. We had no idea where in the city we were (the outskirts we assumed), we had no map, we had no information on the city other than a hotel name and we had no local currency (the UAE dirham). Somehow we made it to The Piccadilly Hotel on Nasser Square (actually, it was as a result of Pat finding an ATM, ..."
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/byrnedm/thehoneymoon/1207684800/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. "Building islands in the sun"
2. ".1 Bigger & better"
3. "Gold Souk"
4. "Bling bling"
5. "Dhow"
6. "Home"
7. "Unfamiliar sight"
8. "U/C"
9. "7-star"
10. "No TATAs here"

See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00bb-af3c-6a42?ytv4=1

"Burj dubai" Erikontravels photos around Dubai, United Arab Emirates (room thermometer dubai)

Preview of Erikontravels blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/erikontravel/5/1262779267/tpod.html

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Entry from: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Entry Title: "Burj dubai"

Entry:

"Vanochtend voor mijn doen vroeg naar de Burj Dubai gegaan maar dat bleek niet onnodig. Er stond al een redelijk lange rij wachtenden. Om stipt 10 uur ging het gebeuren. Na wat controles (tickets, tassen e.d. door een scanner en zelf door een poortje) en een korte wandeling aangekomen bij de lift. In slechts een minuut ga je van de begane grond naar verdieping 124 (dit schijnt op 450 meter te zijn). Ik weet niet of het met het weer te maken heeft of met een constante smog (kan er me iets bij voorstellen) maar het uitzicht was goed maar niet super. De eilandengroepen (wereld en palm) waren bijvoorbeeld niet echt goed zichtbaar. Maar desalniettemin was het toch wel erg de moeite waard.

Na het bezoek aan de toren en voor de desert safari is er eigenlijk te weinig tijd om nog echt iets te gaan. Een mooi moment om nog eens een stukje te gaan *************derweg zie ik een thermometer die aangeeft dat het 25 graden is. Gevoelsmatig is het echter een stuk warmer. Nu ben ik wel blij met de luxe hier in Dubai. Het "rekken en strekken" in een bushokje met airconditioning is toch wel prettig.

Na een verfrissende douche moet ik nog snel effe pinnen om de desert safari te betalen. Aangekomen bij een pinautomaat die me niet weigert, heb ik te maken met een pratende geldautomaat. Met een zwaar engels accent wordt ik welkom geheten en wordt stap voor stap al pratend door het pinproces geleid.

De safari-meneer komt in een redelijk grote terreinwagen voorrijden en vraagt naar mister 324 (mijn kamernummer). Na nog wat mensen opgepikt te hebben gaat de rit naar een verzamelplaats in de woestijn waar een paar andere terreinwagens al staan te wachten. Een spectaculaire rit volgt met als eindbestemming een woestijnkamp. Hier kunnen de gasten "gratis" genieten van frisdrank, eten en een show van een buikdanseres. Bij binnenkomst wordt iedereen op de gevoelige plaat vastgelegd en terplekke kan je voor wat dirham de foto kopen (ja, ja, er is een foto-afdrukunit aanwezig in de woestijn). Ook als je op de foto wil met een man en zijn vogel dan moet je weer wat geld schuiven. Helaas iets te gemaakt en te commercieel. Een tegenvallertje (met uitzondering van de buikdanseres).

Morgen zit deze trip er weer op en vlieg ik weer terug naar huis.

--------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- ----------------

This morning I went quite early to the Burj Bubai but that was not unnecessary. There was already a long queue of people waiting to get up the tower. At exactly 10am it went on. After some checks (tickets, bags through a scanner and myself through a security gate) and a small walk I arrived at the elevator. In just a minute you go from the ground to floor 124 (it seems to be at a height of 450 metres). I do not know if it has to do with the weather or a constant smog (I can imagine something of that) but the view was good but not superb. The island groups (the world map and the palm tree) were not real good visible. But nonetheless it was real worthy.

After getting back from the tower and before the desert safari there is too less time to go somewhere. A good time to go out running. During the run I see a thermometer which shows 25 centigrades. Instinctively it is warmer. Now I am glad with all the luxury in Dubai. Stretching in a bus shelter with air conditioning is very pleasant.

After a refreshing shower I must get some money from an ATM to pay the desert safari. Finally found an ATM where I am able to get money, it is a speaking one. I am welcomed with a heavy English accent and guided through the process step by step.

The safari man arrives in a quite big SUV and is looking for mister 324 (my room number). After picking up some more people we reached a meeting place where some other SUVs are already waiting. A spectacular ride through the desert follows. Final destination is a desert camp. All guests enjoy "free" softdrinks, food and a show of a belly dancer. At arrival everyone is photographed and for ..."
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/erikontravel/5/1262779267/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. "Dubai - burj dubai 1"
2. "Dubai - burj dubai 2"
3. "Dubai - burj dubai 3"
4. "Dubai - burj dubai 4"
5. "Dubai - burj dubai 5"
6. "Dubai - burj dubai 6"
7. "Dubai - burj dubai 7"
8. "Desert safari 4"
9. "Desert safari 5"
10. "Desert safari 2"
11. "Desert safari 3"

See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00c0-236e-e66b?ytv4=1

Another Hindu Sister accepted Islam in Urdu programme of Dr. Zakir naik

Dr. Zakir Abdul kareem naik President islamic research foundation IRF. FOR MORE URDU SPEECHES PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK http://www.youtube.com/user/ZakirnaikURDU

Karim Ghandour Dubai TV interview about family succession and inheritance

Karim Ghandour interview on family succession and inheritance on Dubai TV Bil Dirham with Zeina Soufan May 2011

Hindu dharam aur mazhabe islam main yaksaniyat part 1/16 urdu lecture by Dr. Zakir naik

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN HINDUISM AND ISLAM Urdu speech by Dr. Zakir Abdul kareem naik (President & founder islamic research foundation IRF WEB:http://www.irf.net ). For more Urdu bayans of Dr. Zakir, please click here http://www.youtube.com/user/ZakirnaikURDU

HQ: Kya Aatankwad Musalmano Ki Virasat Hai part 1/13 urdu lecture by Dr. Zakir naik

HQ (HIGH QUALITY) IS TERRORISM A MUSLIM MONOPOLY Urdu speech by Dr. Zakir Abdul kareem naik (President islamic research foundation IRF) in india. FOR MORE URDU SPEECHES PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK http://www.youtube.com/user/ZakirnaikURDU

Development / History of Dubai, "from pearl divers to the Burj al Arab" (Compilation)

Dubai, once a sleeping village living from pearls and trade. Then oil was discovered and it gave the economy a huge boost. The sheik invested in numerous luxury hotels and attractions. This video shows the development of this amazing city, the discovery of oil and eventually the building of the Burj al Arab/Khalifa and other iconic landmarks. Enjoy!
*Note: I do not own any of these videos, they are all from YouTube!!!*

Linda Behringer interviews Tim Fox, Chief Economist at Emirates NBD, on 7NN at City7TV - 03/05/2011

b747 simulator in abu dhabi

Read the description please.

Hi everybody

just a quick video shows the b747 simulator in abu dhabi from mutahida simulators

i had two experiences with this simulator the last one was yesterday

No body came with me , so I could not have a video while flying

simulator information: system from project magenta , FSX and the panels from Flight Deck Solution

Fees: 350 UAE dirham per hour about 95.29 US dollar

location: abu dhabi , Al Bateen Executive Airport

for more information, booking and photos please visit

http://www.mutahida.net/

Money

We humans are insane...
Our inability to view ourselves as one human family (rather than as separate entities of race, culture or creed) is nothing less than madness... and that madness is clearly evident, in the division of peoples into groups of haves and have-nots.
Impoverished Nations ?...
Whole peoples living below the poverty line ?...
That is Insane !
All this garbage I keep hearing about a Financial Crisis in the world...
The only crisis is how insane we are !!!

We need to wake up...
Stop competing against each other...
Tear down the barriers that cause so much pain and suffering in the world.
There is no excuse for poverty...
We could all be living comfortable, dignified lives... and it is only our madness that is preventing us from doing so !
With so many Natural Disasters currently causing havoc throughout the world, there is no time better than the present, to end the madness of separate world currencies... and to develop a One World Currency that allows all members of our human family to live a dignified life !!!


Afghani, Lek, Algerian Dinar, US Dollar, Euro, Kwanza, East Caribbean Dollar, Norwegian Krone, Austral, Dram, Aruban Guilder, Australian Dollar, Azerbaijani Manat, Bahamian Dollar, Bahraini Dinar, Taka, Barbados Dollar, Belarusian Ruble, Belize Dollar, Franc de la Communauté financière africaine, Bermudian Dollar, Ngultrum, Boliviano, Convertible Mark, Pula, Norwegian Krone, Pound Sterling, Seychelles Rupee, Brunei Dollar, Lev, Burundi Franc, Riel, Canadian Dollar, Escudo Cabo-verdiano, Cayman Islands Dollar, Unidad de Fomento, Yuan Renminbi, Colombian Peso, Comorian Franc, New Zaïre, New Zealand Dollar, Costa Rican Colón, Kuna, Croatian Dinar, Cuban Peso, Czech Koruna, Danish Krone, Djibouti Franc, Dominican Republic Peso, Timor Escudo, Egyptian Pound, Eritrean Nakfa, Ethiopian Birr, Kroon, Falkland Pound, Danish Krone, Fiji Dollar, Franc des Comptoirs français du Pacifique, Dalasi, Lari, Cedi, Gibraltar Pound, Quetzal, Guinea Syli, Guinea-Bissau Peso, Guyana Dollar, Gourde, Lempira, Hong Kong Dollar, Forint, Icelandic Króna, Indian Rupee, Rupiah, Iranian Rial, Iraqi Dinar, Shekel, Jamaican Dollar, Yen, Jordanian Dinar, Tenge, Kenyan Shilling, North Korean Won, South Korean Won, Kuwaiti Dinar, Kyrgyzstani Som, Kip, Lats, Lebanese Pound, Loti, Liberian Dollar, Libyan Dinar, Swiss Franc, Litas, Pataca, Macedonian Dinar, Malagasy Franc, Malawian Kwacha, Ringgit, Rufiyaa, Ouguiya, Mauritius Rupee, Mexican New Peso, Moldovian Leu, Tugrik, Moroccan Dirham, Metical, Kyat, Namibia Dollar, Nepalese Rupee, Netherlands Antilles Guilder, New Zealand Dollar, Córdoba, West African Franc, Naira, Rial Omani, Pakistani Rupee, Balboa, Kina, Guarani, Inti, Philippines Peso, New Zloty, Qatari Riyal, Romanian Leu, Russian Federation Rouble, Rwanda Franc, Tala, Dobra, Saudi Riyal, Serbian Dinar, Seychelles Rupee, Leone, Singapore Dollar, Solomon Islands Dollar, Somali Shilling, Rand, Sri Lankan Rupee, St Helena Pound, Sudanese Pound, Surinam Guilder, Lilangeni, Swedish Krona, Syrian Pound, New Taiwan Dollar, Tajik Rouble, Tanzanian Shilling, Baht, Paanga, Trinidad and Tobago Dollar, Tunisian Dinar, New Turkish Lira, Turkmenistan Manat, Ugandan Shilling, Hryvna, Karbovanet, USSR Rouble, UAE Dirham, Uruguayan Peso, Uzbekistani Som, Vatu, Bolivar Fuerte, Dông, Riyal, Zambian Kwacha

Dirham Dreamz™

The(proposed) UAE version of the popular quiz game show- Who wants to be a Millionaire?

©2011 Prateek Dhariwal