Dubai

So what were my favorite things to do in Dubai? I  loved what everyone falls in love with, the Burj Al Arab the Burj Khalifa.

The only way to gain entrance to the Burj Al Arab is to rent a room for a minimum $2,000 to $18,000 a night or to snag a reservation in one of their restaurants.  We had High Tea and it was delicious. www.exploredia.com/most-expensive-hotel-in-the-world/#more-2249

I spent $27 to take the elevator up to the 124th observation deck at the Burj Khalifa.  Amazing to be up so high. This is the tallest building in the world right now.

View from the 124th floor outdoor balcony



To give you an idea about how fast Dubai has grown picture a dirt road and camels, that's what it looked like in 1950 on the same road we traveled on today. Dubai has 400 skyscrapers. The Burj Khalifa is 180 stories high.  The condos go for $37,000 a sq foot and are sold out.  35,000 people live here. Dubai is clean, modern, and outrageously wealthy. The government gifts everyone a new home so you just don't see any poverty here. There is a hefty fine for littering. It is beautiful.  I love the buildings but it is sterile.  Everything so new it does not have the charm of Chicago,  none the less, your jaw hits the floor as you admire one building after another of the amazing architecture.  They even have gardens, grass and flowers in this scorching heat.

 

I made a spur of the moment decision to buy an early Christmas gift for Andy.  Thank goodness they take AMEX and thank goodness they deliver.  This baby is being wrapped as we speak and will be delivered shortly to Sheffield Ave, 1N.....  This aquarium is in Dubai Mall.  

The Dubai Mall is the largest mall in the world. I spent a few hours here walking around.  We had a tour less day as the ship boarded a whole new set of cruisers for the 6th segment of the World Cruise.  This segment has the fewest cruisers so far for a segment.  I am guessing many cancelled due to the ports we are heading towards. Anyway, at this mall there are over 1,000 stores and over 150 places to eat.  The mall is sectioned by areas.  One was all jewelry, one was for kids clothes, one for electronics etc.  Prices are 3x what you would pay in the US. A lookers paradise.

                                                        

 

                           

Where else but Dubai would you find Ruth's Chris and Chicago popcorn?

 One of the best things about cruising is coming back to the ship after a great day in Dubai, taking a shower,  sitting on my balcony while my hair dries ever so slightly, a glass of wine in hand,  the sun setting and watching as Dubai becomes but a small spec on the distant horizon.  I only have to think about two things: dinner and tomorrows port, Muscat, Oman.