2 days in Dubai and on to Cairo
Tuesday morning we spent checking out our surrounds a little more and had a quiet lunch in the hotel grounds on the beach front - absolutely delightful there - the weather has been very kind to us whilst away and similar to home without the humidity.
Pickup time for the City tour was 2.30pm - we were taken to the main tour start point right under the nose of the Burj Al Arab - what we all know as the 'Sail' hotel in Dubai. Most people are not able to get very close to it at all and as such our tour buses all met in an allotment across the road but still in good view of the hotel so we could take those compulsory snaps!.
It certainly is a fascinating building and one of 3 hotels in that location all owned by the current Sheik Mohammed. The Burj Al Arab as it is known here, is fascniating because of it's height and shape but the 2 hotels either side of it, the Medina Jumeriah and the Jumeriah Beach Hotel are both spectacular in their own rights. It is a 5 star deluxe notel (not 7 star as some people believe), built on a man made island and is 3 metres shorter than Eiffel Tower. All rooms are suites
The Medina is 3 hotels in one all joined by canals on which guests are transported to and from their rooms. At one stage our little bus dropped some people home there in the evening and the entrance was full of giant gold horse statues all up the driveway - just a case of shaking our heads and going "Wow"!
Anyway, on with the City Tour – we were all loaded into relevant ‘language speaking' buses, the English bus only having 6 – the Germans had about 20! Then there was a Portugese and a French speaking tour group. All of course doing the same tour!
First stop to the first and oldest house in Dubai - has been restored a million times and obviously nowhere near it's original look but a single room 'mejlis" - (or something) that the first Sheik lived in some 30 years ago.
Dubai is itself only 38 years old – festivities and Public Holiday tomorrow!!!! Whew! We’re outta here! The place is already going crazy with cars decorated in green, red and white streamers, stickers and flags. It’s a very ‘young’ city as such and to believe that all this growth and money has been put into this landscape in that short period of time is amazing. I have now bought myself a book which I hope to read on how Dubai has come from nothing to something in that rapid period. The whole area is still a construction zone and a HUGE construction zone! We think we’ve got roadwork – nah!!!! Apparently the government has decided that all infrastructure needs upgrading and renewing so they are pulling everything down and starting again – or adding more! A whole 52km long cheap, driverless metro train system opened a month ago – driverless??? Every station looks like a giant bug but like all other infrastructure in this place (and this amazes us!) is done and paid for by the government.
For the local Emirati people (and all expats), there are no taxes here – no income tax, no company tax, no sales taxes, nothing. All health care is free to the local Emirati people, if a young married couple cannot afford to start life in their own home, they apply to the government and they are given one – free for life! No charge, no rates, ever, and it’s a brand new home. It’s not a little hovel but a lovely new home. Any local Emirati lady is entitled to a full dowry upon marriage which the government provides – approx $20,000 AUD, jewellery, wardrobe, furnishings etc – it is their RIGHT to be afforded all this luxury, as an Emirati lady. Wow! The total population throughout the Emirates is 80% ex-pats and 20% local Emirati.
Anyway, some facts I tapped away into my PDA whilst listening to our tour guide.....
• Dubai Marina is the newest residential area in Dubai - 120 skyscrapers- all freehold units
• The World group of islands has 300 islands, 30 percent were sold out 18 mths ago.
• Media city has 350 media companies within. Internet City is another area on it’s own with all the Microsofts, Intel’s etc in the one city.
• Palm Jumeriah is one of 3 palm island groups and has a 10 lane roadway in and out of the palm.
• Knowledge Village has 12 universities from around the world.
• A full tram system is being built to compliment the metro network.
• Ruling families in Dubai have summer palaces spread along the Jumeriah coastline.
• The Emirates Region is made up of 7 emirates each with a ruler - arrived in 1971- Abu Dhabi is the capital of the Emirates. 6 million population with 80 percent being expats, 50 percent of those being from SE Asia.
• 1.6 million is population of Dubai, oil is only 7 percent of economy 75 percent of gdp is re-exports.
• Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Shajar are the 3 rich Emirates.
• There are 1200 mosques in Dubai
• Emirati ladies receive large dowry from govt as their right.
• Dubai Mall is largest shopping mall in world but within 5 years will be outdone by The Arabian City on the outskirts of Dubai.
Another massive project is Global Village – to be 2 – 3 times bigger than Disneyland and of the same concept.
• Water is supplied to Dubai via 6 desalination plants with a 7th in the early stage of construction at present.
• Dubai Creek is the older area of Dubai and divides north from south. The creek is a 14km long saltwater inlet. Traditional dhow ships used to transport spices.
Our city tour included a trip across the creek on a local water taxi and over to the Spice Souk (market) then into the Gold Souk. The Gold Souk is the local gold market with a million (well ok, not really!) jewellery stores all plying their gold, silver and diamonds.
I would love to have bought a couple of things but the place was just so overwhelming that I came away with nothing!!!
Eventually back to the hotel and – crash – missed dinner again!! The 6hr jetlag still kicking in. It is making it cheaper for us to live on only 2 meals a day though! Haven’t had any of our expensive meals as yet.
Next morning (Tue) I wanted to visit the Dubai Mall adjacent to the Burj Dubai – that big pin type building being the highest in the world. The Dubai Mall in itself was amazing – basically a 4 lane highway into the carpark!!! Taxis have their own dedicated laneways and buses are another of the very systematic methods of transport around this place.
This particular mall has the 2nd largest aquarium in the world within, an ice-skating ring, gold souk and all the high class shops you could want for. I couldn’t find any K-Mart or Woolies type stores or a $2 shop lookalike anywhere!!!
Outside the mall is the Burj Dubai and it really is taaaallllll!!!!!! Took a couple of great photos and only just fitted the whole structure into the frame. The building is due to open on January 4, 2010 so there was a flurry of workmen doing anything and everything at the base – couldn’t see what was happening up higher though! The base of the Burj is a full on lake basically and apparently displays a nightly lights fountain show – of course is supposed to be spectacular but didn’t manage to get that into the schedule.
This afternoon we headed off on a Desert Safari and 4 wheel drive expedition through the sand dunes. All very exciting especially for the 2 little girls we had in the back seat of our car – they laughed and giggled all the way across the dunes at every bump and slide – made the trip a lot of fun. We travelled with their mums – both local Saudi ladies all decked out in their black but very nice ladies.
The sand dune drive started with 36, 4 wheel drive vehicles in our convoy!!!! Tyre pressures are all let down to 16ps (whatever) whilst vehicle occupants all go and pat the camels ?. How nice! The camels are quietly sitting, bags over their mouths so they can’t bite or spit and it’s photo heaven for one and all!! Well for those that have never seen a camel before, I suppose it is.
Anyway off on the dune ride, it’s a wonder these vehicles don’t tip over the way they drive up and down and spin sideways in the sand. Asked our driver how long he had be doing it – first day he says – yeah right, he’s been doing it for 9 years and never tipped over once. Only problem today was one vehicle got itself caught literally on the top of a dune, front wheel base one side and rear wheels the other side. I think the backup vehicle had to tow him over the hump to get the car out.
Ten minutes or so and it was a drinks stop (thank goodness say the stomachs) then back into the vehicles for another 10 minutes before the sunset stop where one and all take photos of the sunset in the desert. There’s something to be said though for sunsets over water – can’t beat that!
Back in the vehicles and on to a fully set up Bedouin camp, I guess you could call it. 150 of us for dinner – plate of entree – breads, wraps, chicken something, main (tiniest lamb chops I’ve ever seen), plus heaps of curry, salads, marinated chicken – all very yummy. AND wine!!! Surprise, surprise! So we indulged of course.
Realised that half the previous days city tour people were also on this tour – obviously all fitting in the same things in a few short tourist days.
Back to the hotel about 9.30pm ready for a 6am wakeup call for the next leg of our trip to Cairo.
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More Photos - Desert Safari