- Winter Escape 2017 - Sea Princess, Regal Princess, Hurtigruten Polarys: Dubai

Dubai - Part 1

We arrived into Dubai on time to a hot and dusty vista.

We were advised that we would have to have a face to face inspection with immigration in the port terminal on our arrival. Thankfully this was really just a walk by and took no time at all before we were released into the aromas of Dubai.

We eventually met up with our guide after sometime and made our way to the grand mosque in Abu Dhabi. This was about a 90 minute to 2 hour (fast) drive. We saw lots of beautifully designed buildings along the way and some desert. There are lots of new developments happening EVERYWHERE! The wealth in this country is unbelievable. All Emeratis get a free block of land a free house or the money (around 700,000) to build one, free education and schooling, free medical and the list goes on. Up until fairly recently (about 10 years ago) foreigners could not buy property. Now they can in selected areas and the first three blocks of units that were for sale sold out in 24 hours.... a bit like Newcastle!!

The Grand Mosque was unbelievable.... the carpet that was made in India took 2 jumbo jets to deliver. All the marble inlaid work was also done in India. The chandeliers are made from Swarovski crystal and are incredible. Even the toilets are worth a visit. Such an incredible masterpiece.

After our visit here we headed for the Corniche area of Dubai and specifically the Hilton Hotel for lunch. As it was Ramadan there were very little choices and even at the Hilton we were ferreted away into a back dining area that was all curtained off to the outside world! The food was very nice and the air con a welcome relief.

Back on the bus we headed back to Dubai for our 5pm time slot to scale the heights (in a very fast lift!) of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Enroute we travelled via Yas Island with a quick stop off at the Viceroy Hotel which stands over the Formula 1 track. Another display of architectural brilliance and an amazing view of the track but not much else around.

We arrived at the Burj Khalifa just on time to pick up our tickets and to get to the top in plenty of time for sunset. The building has 162 floors and is 828m high and is the tallest man made structure in the world. The view was amazing. We stayed till sunset which was a bit hohum. After sunset we made our way to the Fountain and light show at the base of the tower. These happen every 30 mins and last for 5 minutes. It is well worth seeing but better to get a good view position before the display starts. It is very much Las Vegas style shooting water 426 feet high which is as high as a 50 storey building!

By this time it was after 8pm so we made our way to the taxi rank through the Dubai Mall but not before checking out some of the exquisite shops, the waterfall which is a central piece and the aquarium wall.

All in all a fabulous but tiring day. I just love the mystique of this part of the world.

Next stop is Aqaba, Jordan.