Dubai - May 3



Burj Khalifa

metro station

Today’s emirate is Dubai and our tour visits the modern side of Dubai. We first start with a driving tour of various sites. The first thing I notice is how very modern it is. The streets and sidewalks seem to be only a few years old. Things are very clean and modern. As soon as we are only a few minutes from the port the huge modern buildings are in view. There is a main thoroughfare that runs through the middle of Dubai that is lined with tall building after tall building. This thoroughfare is at one point 7 lanes in each direction and there are cars everywhere.

more buildings

tea

The main attraction for this tour is high tea the Burj Al Arab Hotel. This hotel describes itself as 7 star and while I’m not an expert in hotels it is very opulent. It is built on an artificial island and designed to resemble the sail of a traditional Arabic dhow (boat). The tea experience was way OVER THE TOP. We had finger sandwiches, petit fours, salmon wellington, chocolates, Champagne, tea, scones, clotted cream and more that I am still too full to remember. This was a bit of an extravagance for us as this tour was not included as most of our others have been. The only way to access this hotel is to be a guest or to eat there. Everywhere you looked in the hotel and in the room where we had tea way up in the hotel was opulence.

more tea

Burg Dubai elevator

We then toured a modern version of a traditional souk (market) called the Madinat Souk, which is part of the famous Madinat Juemirah hotel complex. It is too bad we don’t have more time here – it is filled with small shops and restaurants that would be easy to spend time at. We wouldn’t be having a beer or glass of wine here thought…only hotels and very few other places if any serve alcohol in Dubai. In fact many passengers were going home from the ship in Dubai and are not allowed to take alcohol in their luggage. Lastly, we stopped for a photo of the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world and passed the Mall of the Emirates (indoor ski dome.)



hotel Burg Dubai lobby

windy Dubai

 Dubai almost seems artificial.  Things are so new and sparkly that they hardly look real.  There is construction everywhere even though things have significantly slowed down in the last few years.