"Dubai by day, Al Ain by night" Mannypantss photos around Dubai, United Arab Emirates (vacation)

Preview of Mannypantss blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mannypants/uae_jan2007/1168938420/tpod.html

This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator.

Entry from: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Entry Title: "Dubai by day, Al Ain by night"

Entry:

"So I only started to fall asleep at about 4am: 12 hr time zone change, jet lag, hard as rock mattress. Only to be jarred awake at about 5:30am by the morning call to prayer; did I mention those windtowers also have the mosque speakers on the side? This is even with those nifty earplugs you get on international flights. The prayers subsided around 5 minutes later only to start again at 6am, from a totally different mosque nearby. Pretty much each mosque has its own loudspeakers and there must be a wide variety of these recordings cause Im pretty sure I kept hearing different ones the whole time I was there. Sometimes youll have several mosques in the same area and they will all broadcast at the same time so you get this overlapping of very loud prayers. Its an eerie effect in the city as the sound reverberates between the building walls and such.
For an example turn up your speakers up really loud and go to this site .

After I dragged myself out of the room, I took breakfast in the courtyard of the XVA: fresh OJ, Moroccan mint tea, some yogurt, pita with haloumi cheese and some grapes. I left my luggage with the staff, checked out and headed towards the creek, a 5 minute walk.

I jumped on an abra at the Dubai Old Souq Station for .5 dirham and was scuttled across the water with about 15 other passengers. The abra driver sits in the middle with his feet dangling into a box below where the steering wheel lies and is navigated by expert barefoot action. We "docked" at the Al Sabkha Station by the Dhow cargo wharves. I use the term dock loosely, basically he drove the front of the abra right into the dock and kept the motor going forward so the tip kept hitting the dock over and over. We all then were expected to depart with a bit of a jump onto the dock.

The spice souq is a good 20 minute walk along the wharves and a very busy street. The smell of rotting garbage, the toxic air and constant car honking of all the delivery trucks leaving the wharves onto the busy adjacent avenue all made for a very unpleasant stroll. However, that must have been the trial one has to take before encountering the olfactory nirvana of the spice souq at the end.

Vapors of brewing tea, odors of anise, frankincense, dried garlic, dried ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, peppers and more saturated the air. The smells were all so commingled I couldnt tell what I was smelling until I saw the barrels containing the specific spices. I went into the first shop I saw. "Al salaam alaykum" I said to the shopkeeper behind the counter. "Hello" he said, probably seeing through my bad Arabic pronunciation.
"You are from USA?"
"Yes, and you?"
"I am Iranian. You know I love USA. We are not terrorists in Iran."

He introduced himself as Ibrahim and led me on a tour through all the spices I didnt recognize or he was proud of: mastic gum, star anise, real Ceylon cinnamon (1 to 2 ft long sticks) and others Ive forgotten already. I asked to take a picture of him and his shop and he called his brother, Aqeel, over from outside to take the picture of me with my "new friend." I bought my spices and parted ways with Ibrahim shouting back to me "Come back again next year." Why next year? What if I wanted to come back in a month?

I walked around the various shops in the spice souq for a little longer. But once they see youve made a purchase in one shop, they all want a piece of you. I kept having people say hello and grab my shoulder trying to lead me into their store. People would keep feeding me pistachios from Iran, cashews from India, mastic gum from Oman. After about 30 minutes I was dying of thirst. Everyone gives free samples of nuts and such but no one gave me anything to drink. Didnt I read about shopkeepers luring tourists and prospective buyers with offers of a cup of tea? Once I got back to the main roads I saw a street vendor with a large piece of cutlery, whacking away at a gourd or something. A closer look revealed boxes of huge ..."
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mannypants/uae_jan2007/1168938420/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. "Another abra crossing our path"
2. "Cargo dhows in the Deira shipyards"
3. "Cargo dhows in the Deira shipyards 2"
4. "Creek View Restaurant, Deira side"
5. "Deira shop signs"
6. "Exterior of one Spice Souq vendor"
7. "Free Jaguar*"
8. "Leaving Dubai"
9. "Real Baba Ganouj"
10. "View from abra"

See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-0126-95fe-511d?ytv4=1

"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

This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator.

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

A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Dubai, United Arab Emirates by TravelPod blogger Byrnedm titled "Under Construction"

Byrnedms travel blog 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, acquiring some cash and us hopping into a taxi) which, at 375AED a night (€66), is one of the cheapest places in town (but still a fortune to us two-days ..."
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

A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Dubai, United Arab Emirates by TravelPod blogger Erikontravel titled "Burj dubai"

Erikontravels travel blog 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 some dirham you can buy the photo (yes, there is even a photo print unit in the desert). If you want a photo of a man and his bird then you have to ..."
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

My trip to the United Arab Emirates

Um 15.00 Uhr mittags sind wir vom Frankfurt Flughafen (EDDF) mit einer Boing 747-400 von Lufthansa aus nach Dubai gestartet. Um 23.15 Uhr sind wir dann am Dubai International Airport angekommen.
Am nächsten Tag haben wir erstmal richtig ausgeschlafen und sind dannach gleich an den Strand, den man auf zwei Bildern sehen kann. ;)
Dies ging dann eigentlich so weiter, wie üblich für einen Strandurlaub. :)
Doch nach ein Paar Tagen gediegenen Strandtagen macht wir uns auf den Weg nach Dubai.
Das war eindeutig der Main Event der Dubai Reise. An diesem Tag besuchten wir das Burj Khalifa. Das mit 828 Metern höhe größte Bauwerk der Welt. (Man konnte Karten für die Aussichtsplattform reservieren. Ohne Reservierung ist der Besuch des Burj Khalifa nämlich unverschämt teuer. 400 UAE Dirham, dass sind umgerechnet ungefähr 85 Euro. Mit Reservierung ist es zwar mit 100 Dirham (ca. 21 Euro) zwar günstiger, aber immernoch ganz schön knackig.) Das war zu meiner Zeit leider noch nicht der Fall, aber für alle die sich dafür interesieren. ;)
Neben den Burj Khalifa befindet sich auch die Dubai Mal, das größte Einkaufszentrum der Welt. Wie das Atlantis Hotel besitzt auch die Dubai Mall ein riesiges Indoor Aquarium. Und dieses Aquarium besitzt (im Gegensatz zum Atlantis Aquarium) einen durchsichtigen Tunnel, durch den man die Fische betrachten kann. Der rest der Dubai Mall ist ... naja ne Mall halt. Man kann alles Mögliche einkaufen und in mehreren sogenannten Food Cornern Essen ergattern.
Nunja, dass war einige Highlights von meinem Urlaub aus Sharjah.
Zurück ging es dann wieder mit einer Boing 747-400 von Lufthansa.
Wenn ihr irgendwelche Fragen habt, fragt. ;)
Ich hoffe es gefällt euch. ;)