Today we have planned a trip to Dubai. As it is Ramadan, the timing of the day is important. If we leave too early we will be hungry and thirsty, too late and the roads are full of half crazed, hungry, thirsty drivers racing to get home for a meal. Aiming for a lunch time departure we head off in the heat, water bottles in the chilly bin in the boot.
First stop, Atlantis on the Palm. The engineering marvel that is The Palm is incredible. From there we view The Burj Al Arab, the sail shaped 7 star hotel. The heat was phenomenal, around 50 degrees, and as soon as we left the car our glasses fogged up immediately. Security was tight around the Atlantis so we stopped for photo shots on the side of the road. The wealth on The Palm was visible and we fantasised about which apartment block we would live in - money permitting. What a day to choose to visit Dubai when we couldn't visibly eat or drink.
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The telescopes gave you the image of what the landscape looked like before they began building. It is difficult to remember that there was nothing here not that many years ago yet Dubai has literally been created out of the desert.
After a lengthy stop outside in the humidity to watch several more sessions of the fountains (they play one song each half hour) we headed home around midnight. After a wrong turn that had me heading out on that blasted truck road to Al Ain, the navigator was sacked. The highway was bumper to bumper for the ride home - not that my passengers noticed as most of them were asleep.
First stop, Atlantis on the Palm. The engineering marvel that is The Palm is incredible. From there we view The Burj Al Arab, the sail shaped 7 star hotel. The heat was phenomenal, around 50 degrees, and as soon as we left the car our glasses fogged up immediately. Security was tight around the Atlantis so we stopped for photo shots on the side of the road. The wealth on The Palm was visible and we fantasised about which apartment block we would live in - money permitting. What a day to choose to visit Dubai when we couldn't visibly eat or drink.
Burj Al Arab
Close up of the imposing arch.
Atlantis on the Palm
Lua braving the heat outside the Atlantis gate.
Diane & Lua at Atlantis.
Next stop is Dubai Mall and a trip to 'The Top'. Any local knows what that means but for the uninitiated it is the top of The Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. Our tickets are booked for 8pm so we have time to browse the Mall, once again the biggest in the world. They like to do things on a grand scale here in Dubai. One bonus of Ramadan is that the locals don't come out to the Mall during the day but it gets extremely busy after Iftar (breaking of the fast). Luckily for us we get to view the majestic fountains with their accompanying musical number before we head up.
We eagerly await the call to prayer that signifies the end of fasting so we can buy some dinner. We join the many other people ordering from the food court before the call so that our food is ready to go as soon as we hear the sound. As we sit and wait we admire the restraint from those who have been fasting and feel part of the culture. It was an experience not forgotten.
At the appointed time we join the queue and head through security systems more intense than any airport. We begin our journey and move quickly to the top. What an experience!
AT THE TOP, BURJ KHALIFA EXPERIENCE
No building in modern history has aroused so much curiosity and intrigue as has Burj Khalifa. Your At the Top, Burj Khalifa visit will answer all your questions. From your vantage point on level 124 of the world’s tallest building, you will experience first-hand this modern architectural and engineering marvel and know at last what it is like to see the world from such a lofty height.
Your At the Top, Burj Khalifa visit begins in the reception area on the lower ground level of The Dubai Mall. Here and throughout your journey, you will be entertained and informed by a multi-media presentation that chronicles Dubai’s exotic history and the fascinating story of Burj Khalifa.
Leave the reception area aboard the 65-metre-long travelator on a trip that transports you through time, from the earliest days of Dubai to the present. Pause briefly at a unique viewing point for your first close-up view of the soaring Burj Khalifa, seen through a skylight framing its awe-inspiring height.
Begin your vertical ascent to the observation deck in a high-speed elevator, travelling at 10 metres per second. As the doors open, floor-to-ceiling glass walls provide a breath-taking unobstructed 360-degree view of the city, desert and ocean. By night, sparkling lights and stars compete for your attention.
Special telescopes provide virtual time-travel visions of the scenes beyond and below. You’ll see close-up real-time views as well as the past and the future, by day and by night. You can also walk the entire perimeter for the most comprehensive views. If you wish, adventure outside onto the open-air terrace to enjoy another perspective of the sweeping views below.
No one told us there were gaps in the glass!
Looking up from the outdoor observation deck.
Lua, Lochie & Diane.
Di & I - our selfie looking back over the city.
Selfie looking up!
Twin selfie looking up. You just can't resist taking more and more pictures as everyone is doing the same.
Diane hanging on for dear life.
My scarf is about to fly away.
View from the deck of the city.
Looking out the other side.
Me - looking back over the city.
The telescopes gave you the image of what the landscape looked like before they began building. It is difficult to remember that there was nothing here not that many years ago yet Dubai has literally been created out of the desert.
After a lengthy stop outside in the humidity to watch several more sessions of the fountains (they play one song each half hour) we headed home around midnight. After a wrong turn that had me heading out on that blasted truck road to Al Ain, the navigator was sacked. The highway was bumper to bumper for the ride home - not that my passengers noticed as most of them were asleep.
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