Dubai

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Lunch at Dubai Marina with Zeb and Chanel

We animals are getting hungry.   So, let’s go to Dubai’s marina for lunch.

Dubai Marina

Remember, Dubai is a little short on coastline, so this marina was built, with canals offering more water front property.   The menu at Salsa’s Restaurant appeals to us.

Menu at Salsa Restaurant. Zeb and Chanel approve.

After ordering, we admire the view from our table.

Dubai Marina from Salsa Restaurant

Our food is here.   This is great.

Lunch at Salsa’s

The french fries are delicious and plentiful.   Look, we each received two sliders, or smaller hamburgers.   But they really aren’t very small.   So much food.   We appreciate the umbrella over our table, as it once again begins to drizzle.   In Dubai, we are in awe of the many skyscrapers, and the new, innovative architecture.   We believe the twisted buildings withstand higher winds without damage.

A water park. For a sunnier day.

Driving to the beach we hope to get a good view of what some say is the most luxurious hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab.   Here we are, but the fog and drizzle are still obstructing the view.   Through the haze, we admire Burj Al Arab.

Burj Al Arab

But wait, hey mom, I think she wants me.    Yep, that young girl wanted me.

Burj Al Arab and a narrow escape for Zeb the Duck

Now I feel sad that she is sad.   Mom puts me back in my traveling bag.   This hotel is designed from the sail of dhow ships, formerly the main boat in the Persian Gulf.   After the design was accepted, an island needed to be built, as a ship does not sail on land.   And more coastline was created.   We love beaches, so another photo of Dubai’s beach.

Beach

Riding these vehicles on the sand is so much fun.

Beach

But today the weather is not great for beach activities.   Mom seems fascinated by this building with windows resembling a staircase.

New, innovative building design

Dubai certainly shows so many new ideas.   We love this city.

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Driving from Abu Dhabi to Dubai with Zeb and Chanel

Scrambled eggs, variety of melon, sweet rolls and hot tea started our day.   Southern Sun Hotel in Abu Dhabi treated us to wonderful breakfast buffets each morning.   And we appreciated it.   Our suitcases have been collected and loaded on our bus.   Driving along the coast toward Dubai, we are reminded that Abu Dhabi planted thousand of palm trees, using hoses and pipes for irrigation.   Crossing into Dubai, we notice that Dubai did not plant trees.   This is a cool, overcast, windy day in mid February.   The wind is fairly strong, creating a small sandstorm.

Entering Dubai. Small sand storm and overcast day.  Reflections through bus window.

Visibility is very low; the Persian Gulf is barely visible from our bus.   Conditions do not change, unfortunately.   Our first glimpse of Dubai, even through haze, sand and light drizzle, still impresses.

Dubai. Impresses even through haze

We head to Palm Jumierah, or Palm Island.   This island, made of sand and rock, no concrete or steel, is the largest man made island.  This island was completed in 5 years and was a major engineering project.   Dubai became rich through oil, but that oil is expected to be gone by 2020.   The Sheikh, also the Emir of Dubai, wanted Dubai to be a world tourist mecca and trade center.   A major problem for tourism was a limited amount of coastline.   Building islands gives Dubai more coastline.   Jumierah Island added 75 kilometers of coastline.   This island features retail areas, business office space, luxury waterfront residential homes and hotels, including the Atlantis Hotel.   Driving to the island, the bridge is the base of the palm trunk. Sadly, the drizzle is becoming heavier now and the visibility even less.

Imagine this on a clear day. Can only imagine.

We head to the Atlantis Mall.

Inside mall

This luxury mall features exclusive shopping and our some of our favorite rest stops, such as Cold Stone Creamery.   We enjoy their ice cream creations frequently.

In the mall

Reminding us that we are in the United Arab Emirates, we spot this sign.

Sign in mall

We were given tickets to the aquarium.

Ticket

Seems everyone is enjoying indoor activities on this drizzly day.  This is some of what we see inside.

So many fish

 

Zeb and Chanel admire fish

 

Not our favorite swimming companion

 

Cute, but deadly

 

Interesting

 

Beautiful colors

To build this island, a large breaker was needed to reduce the damage by the sea.   The environment of this area of the Persian Gulf is changing.   Divers regularly evaluate these changes.   New species of fish are now living in these waters and new reefs are forming. Leaving Palm Island, we imagine the inside of these fabulous buildings.

Palm Island

We hope you visit Palm Jumierah on a sunny day, but even on a drizzly day it is impressive.