Day 23 Dubai part 2

Day 23 Dubai

Hot; sand; exotic; palm trees; unbelievable: modern; hot; wealth; extravagance; hot; amazing; new; ….. Oh, did I mention the fact it was hot? 45C

A raising metropolis from a small Bedouin settlement in the 1950's, Dubai has been spurred on by the oil wealth of the 1970's and the then sheikh encouraged inward investment from around the world. There has been considerable investment on infrastructure i.e. freeways, canal systems, parks, business free zones, airports, railway system, ports and many more. Everything here is considered 'new', if no more than 2 years old, anything else is considered 'old' or traditional/heritage. The current 3 year old airport is about to be replaced by another bigger airport, which will be the biggest in the world. Four year old buildings are now 'old'.

The ship arrived in Dubai about 7.30pm on the 16^th June. Due to the rough seas out of Mumbai and three engines (still), we lost 5 ½ hours from the amended itinerary.  The revised port time had the ship docking in Dubai at 2pm, enabling us to drive to Abu Dhabi on a sightseeing tour; however the late arrival burnt this proposal. We were docked alongside the QE2 which still has a Captain and crew maintaining this proud liner at a cost of $60,000 a month. Dubai had purchased the QE2 with the plan to convert it to a 7 star hotel but since the 2008 GFC, property markets in Dubai have dropped 40% and finance has become limited.

We awoke early…well it was 6am for me. I raced down to the terminal to access some Dhs from the ATM so we had some local currency for our private tour. We went down to the terminal the previous night to see if we could change our $ but the money exchange was closed and the huge line-up for the ATM discouraged us from standing in line. There were quite a few people waiting to use the free internet sites in the terminal at that time as well.

The same 12 passengers joined Joanne and Gary on their private tour guided by Shehnaaz Mayet. The tour started at 9am and ended 7pm. I am fairly sure we managed to see most of the attractions of Dubai in the time we were there. Jumeirah Mosque, Souk Madinat Jumeirah which availed us the best position to view the dramatic, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, the artificial manmade islands, spectacular Atlantis Hotel and its 11 million litre aquarium boasting 65,000 exotic fish. We visited Miraaj Islamic Art Centre which sold some beautiful handicrafts. We had a brief stop at the Mall of the Emirates to see the indoor ski fields, and then headed off to Bastikiya, an older part of Dubai with its original Windtowers, for a traditional lunch. After lunch we toured what I would consider the best museum I have ever visited in regards to presentation, the Dubai Museum, to see the way Bedouins lived before the discovery of oil. We then crossed the Dubai Creek on an 'abra' (local water taxi) to visit the Spice and Gold Souks. Walking around the souks became uncomfortable due to the heat. Paul's shirt was soaked with perspiration. The tour ended at the Burj Khalifah, the largest shopping Mall in the world this is where we went up to the highest observation deck in the world, 124 stories high (the building is 2600 feet high) and took in the 360-degree panoramic view. After returning to ground level we watched the water fountain show at the base of the building.

By the time we arrived back to the ship we were happy to have a shower and dinner then crash (Oh no; I meant retire) for the night.

Is Dubai the new Aladdin of the desert? There are some amazing projects still happening in this Desert City. The skyscapers, island developments and a ski run in such a hot and inhospitable climate, are all incredible. We even saw the world's largest lolly shop!

 It is already unbearably hot for the first month of their summer. Our guide explained most people living in Dubai will leave for 3 months to escape the heat, leaving those who are unable, due to finances or work commitments, to suffer the heat. The Dawn Princess is the last cruise ship to visit Dubai, as was the case in Mumbai, till after the 3 months of summer.