DEVELOPING WINGS FOR BURJ KHALIFA, DUBAI AND MORE

 

                        

                                

 

DEVELOPING WINGS FOR BURJ KHALIFA, DUBAI AND MORE

 

On an incredibly beautiful evening, I and my spouse traveled on an Emirates flight to Dubai to see what it boasts about.

We had a carefully researched itinerary and pre-booking done online for most of the places that we wanted to explore.  The itinerary had places to visit in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Jebel Ali.  Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Dubai is the commercial capital of the UAE with luxurious infrastructure and skyscrapers topped with Burj Khalifa.  

 

The Emirates flight had beautiful interiors and a cabin crew oozing radiance.  The flight duration was 3 hours and 15 minutes from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai (Bombay) to Dubai Airport.  Emirates and Singapore Airlines are two of the best airlines.  However, Qatar Airways is the world's number one airline.  I was listening to pop music throughout the journey from the TV screen in front of the seat.  At dinner time I took two shots of Amarula with ice cubes.  Amarula was served in miniature bottles and it had a 17% alcoholic content.  Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa.  It contains sugar, cream, and fruit of the African marula tree which is also locally called the elephant tree or marriage tree.  The Emirates flight offered a decent dinner.

 

                         

                                           Emirates Airlines Flight interiors

 

                                  

We avoided package tours and had our own car and a driver.  The driver spoke our mother tongue which was an added advantage.  After immigration, we collected our luggage and headed for the exit point.  The diligent driver who was waiting for us greeted us with a cheerful smile and a car in the parking zone.

 

After reaching the spacious Hotel room we refreshed ourselves with a shower and ordered a Burger from Hotel's restaurant.

The next day afternoon we visited 'Atlantis'  an iconic entertainment destination.  We strolled the place happily along with foreign tourists.  There was a magnificent  Aquarium and two world-class resorts.  We clicked countless numbers of photos at all the places we visited.

On the other side in front of the Atlantis was a creek.  We crossed the road on the zebra crossing and walked along the pathway doing video shooting with a mobile mounted on a selfie stick.  In Dubai, if we want to cross a road press a button on the post provided for that and the vehicles will have a sudden stop allowing you to cross the road.  I don't think there is any other place in the world where the pedestrians enjoy such a royal treatment.

Our next destination was Dubai Mall, one of the largest malls in size with international brands for shopping.  At the entrance lobby, we could see the elite Arabs and foreign tourists resting and relaxing on the couches and chairs.  They were fashionable, rich, fair, beautiful, and amazing.

 

We walked miles in the biggest mall and reached the adjoining "LULU" supermarket.  We did some shopping there picking up the choicest perfumes and dates along with other things.  We had 'Shwarma' and other Arabian foods for lunch in the food court attached to the supermarket.

We reached back to our Hotel room and relaxed for some time.  In the evening as per our itinerary, we set out for the Dhow Cruise at Marina Creek.  Dhow Cruise is very famous.  We encountered a Punjabi couple who joined our table and had a tete-a-tete to know each other.  We could see speeding private yachts making merry and enjoying the luxury cruise.  Also, one of the private yachts had a beautiful model or actress-like single girl atop the smaller yacht like a statue or tabloid wearing a red gown resembling a scene from a movie.  We could only feel envious of the rich and famous who were dancing and speeding fast enjoying the Dhow cruise.  Our cruise also had entertainment shows and a sumptuous buffet dinner.  

 

                            

 

The next day we visited DMG (Dubai Miracle Garden) with more than 150 million flowers in full bloom and scent and in various colors.  The world's largest garden with 72000 sqm area.  Every month new flowers and update new installations.  Two months back two horse head well-trimmed plant with a height of 30 ft. were installed in the garden.  The garden is a photographer's delight.  There is a vessel and an Emirates plane replica adorned with flowers.  There was also a peacock statue mounted on a wall studded with pink flowers. There are rest areas like a tent with chairs in the garden.  If you are tired you can rest and relax and continue your journey walking along.

 

 

                          

 

It was time for Desert Safari.  From DMG we headed for Dubai Desert Safari.  It was an adventurous roller-coaster ride up the hill and down the hill over the sand dunes.  It was an exciting experience.  There were clouds looming large on the horizon and rain predictions. The driver of the four-wheeler jeep was a Pakistani named Ali. In the Jeep seated next to me was an American.   After the sand dune drive Ali took us to another desert within a 15-minute drive for Desert Camp.  You can enjoy a Camel ride and take photographs in an Arab dress and a live Falcon resting on your hand or shoulder for a payment in UAE Dirhams.   United Arab Emirates currency is Dirham (1 Dirham = 22.58 Indian Rupees). In the Desert Camp, some entertainment programs were in the offing.  We were seated in the VIP pavilion with a vantage position to view the center-stage entertainment shows.  A pretty girl was dancing with a sword balanced on her body and head while making the dancing grooves. The next was a Fire show.  We enjoyed lip-smacking BBQ starters and a buffet dinner.  At the end of the show was belly dancing. 

 

There were weather forecasts about rain threats and TV and Media flashing news about Flash floods.  As predicted by the weather bureau there were heavy rains and flooding. Dubai roads were immersed in water within minutes.  It was also announced by the weather bureau that the rain will stop the next day 3'0 clock in the afternoon.  It was a blessing in disguise for me after hectic traveling I could use my Laptop computer to do some tasks left behind.  

 

We were given to understand by our driver that it happens in UAE during any part of the year as a result of cloud seeding.  These were man-made artificial rains.  It's a modern technology to challenge water scarcity by UAE scientists.  They identify suitable small clouds and send private planes to shower salt flakes into the clouds. The most common chemicals used for cloud seeding include silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice (solid carbon dioxide).

 

                            

                             

    

                                                      Cloud seeding aircraft

 

 

The morning next day was rainy.  Some roads were unworthy to ride.  Our driver and car were in a flooded area where he stays and he could not reach us to visit Burj Khalifa.  As per our itinerary pre-booking is done and allotted a slot in the morning.  We took a cab from our Hotel and reached Burj Khalifa.  We were guided to the 124th floor out of a total of 163 floors of Burj Khalifa.  Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. Its height is 828 metres (2716.5 feet). There were miniature models of Burj Khalifa inside the building and we took photos posing with it.  From the 124th floor, the view from Burj Khalifa was awesome.  But the vision was blurred due to the rainwater dripping from the outside of the glass French windows.  We enjoyed a complimentary Cafe Latte and snacks from their Cafeteria.  Due to bad weather conditions, we decided to return to our Hotel room.  The cabbies were not to be seen there.  We approached a lone taxi parked in the basement parking area and the Pakistani cab driver took us safely to our Hotel.

 

The rain stopped as per forecast at 3 pm next day and it was sunny and bright.  We decided to visit the 'Future Museum'.  It would have been a great loss if we missed the museum.  The Museum of the Future is a torus-shaped building located in Dubai. It's devoted to innovative and futuristic ideologies.  A Robot welcomed us near the hall entrance of the building.  We were given a wrist band and the guide explained to all of us the visitors, about what is in store in 2071 and the 22nd century on the threshold in 2100.  There will be drones controlling the sky and the electric cars can be recharged while in motion.  There were Amazon rainforests in 2021 and the woods are no more now.   There were different guides at different levels.  There was a meditation room as well.  The post is getting bigger a bit and I cannot explain much more in detail. 

 

                              

                               

                                         Dubai Future Museum

 

The next morning was bright and sunny and we traveled to Abu Dhabi in our car and with our driver.  Due to bad weather conditions on a rainy day, we missed 'Global Village' which showcase the world's best pavilions of countries such as Russia and others. Though the Global Village was closed due to rain, we could not get a refund as we booked an open ticket. 

In Abu Dhabi, we wanted to visit Qsar Al Watan Palace and the nearby famous mosque.  The entry ticket was available @ 11 am and we decided to do some shopping in the wholesale market which is reputed for the best quality dates.  We purchased enough dates and chocolates from the Abu Dhabi market.

 

Qsr Al Watan is the presidential palace, a unique testament to the spirits of the UAE people and its leaders.  Qsar Al Watan has a dome with a diameter of 37 m (127 ft.), and a chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal and several compartments.  It's a beautiful tall building with high rise roof and stunningly beautiful mosaic floors.

 

                        

                                          Qsr Al Watan Palace, Abu Dhabi

 

 

We have gone to visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, another tourist destination.  The Mosque is the largest in the UAE.  There were many escalators to reach to the top.  However, the tourists were not allowed to offer prayers in the Mosque which was restricted only for the Muslim community.  You are needed to wear full-covered attire.  My partner was stopped because she wore a Churidar Kurta (Indian traditional dress) without hand sleeves up to the wrist. We purchased gloves to cover up to the wrist and proceeded to the top.

 

We returned from Abu Dhabi after taking photos under the date palm tree and seeing handicrafts about Arabian art and culture. The developed Abu Dhabi skyscrapers were more than worth viewing.

 

On the final day before our departure, we visited Dubai Frame.  The Dubai Frame is an observatory, museum, and monument in Zabeel Park, Dubai. It holds the record for the largest frame in the world.  The building has a height of 150.24 meters and a width of 95.53 meters.  The tourists were photographed in family or groups at the entry point.  On top of the building, we can see Old Dubai and New Dubai with Burj Khalifa backdrop from the same floor on different sides.  While exiting they gave us a souvenir with our photograph.  I was looking stunning in the photo and knew there was no better photo in my hitherto lifetime.  They charged 100 Dirhams for the memento. 

                      

                                                 Dubai  Frame

                            

After doing our last leg of shopping, we checked out from the Hotel and proceeded to Terminal 3 of Dubai Airport where Emirates flights were operational.

 

We returned home with vast experience and lots of cherished memories.