aria
Former Moderator
- Joined
- Dec 4, 1977
- Posts
- 39,546
Time for another chapter is this series by the various members who are willing to
share travel photos (HeartlessNinny, where ever you are, I hope you're travelling).
[Have you been somewhere? Create a thread and share photos! ]
This time it's the UAE (for a start) with various photos, videos and a cameo!
------------------------------------------------------------
It was my first time to the Gulf States, and it was very interesting --I had 4 days in
the UAE so I went with my preferred style of "go-go-go" while trying to learn as
much as I can...
Given the politics of the region, it was interesting to see we flew right over the
center of Iraq and into the Persian Gulf, avoiding Iranian airspace (there's a tragic story why)
but also allowing me to take this photo of Iran's southern coast:
This is the Deira neighborhood of Dubai --the older commercial district that's right
next to the Dubai Creek where the city developed before it really boomed.
Specifically, this is Baniyas Square (Google Map). The building with the round top is
the Deira Tower, of no note anymore but I found it sort of fascinating as a bit of
what was commercial Dubai before anyone realized how big it would become.
Dubai Creek was the raison d'être for the founding of the Emirate of Dubai: the
ancestors of the current Sheikh (the Al Maktoum family) came from the inland
oasis's that were the early power centers in the trade routes (along with their
relatives who founded Abu Dhabi) to settle the creek near the mouth to the
Persian Gulf and participate better in trade and develop the Gulf's original
commodity: Pearls. While they were not historically wealthy emirates, it allowed
for a modest kingdom. The pearl market collapsed after the Japanese developed
cultured pearls in the 1920s, but the oil was discovered a few decades later and
bailed them out big time.
These little boats are the most popular way to cross the creek and are very
cheap: one dirham, which is about a US quarter. The boat has a small raised
platform on which everyone sits and the captain is in a small cockpit in the center.
They're quick, efficient and a pretty interesting look the old times.
The sheer size of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) is apparent
here on the horizon to the left. You really don't comprehend how tall it is until you
see it lurking above the rest of the city.
This is the Dubai Fort (map), now home to the Dubai Museum. Once the royal residence, as you can see,
it's not particularly big or imposing --but that ties into the modest means of Emirati
history. This area was Dubai's old town.
Nearby is the historic and well preserved Al Bastakiya neighborhood (map). The square towers are
windcatchers, an ancient form of air-conditioning, originally brought to Dubai by Persian merchants.
A courtyard in Al Bastakiya
Most old buildings in the area were built using coral rocks: essentially rocks that
were broken off reefs off the coast. There is still some good snorkeling off of parts
of the Gulf States.
One of the old city's many souks (bazaars). This one is the textile souk.
The view aboard one of the little boats photographed earlier:
These boats, called dhows, are still used for trading --mostly with Iran (people
tend to import things from Iran in trade for things that are prohibited by the
Iranian theocracy). When you see their cargo being delivered you realize that
these are basically the semi-trucks of the Gulf.
Dubai's noted Gold Souk where, if you know how to bargain you can get some
pretty good deals per-ounce on high quality gold. Protip: From what we
discovered, Russians get charged more than non-Russians (must be the "wealthy
nouveau-riche Russian" stereotype). Some of the jewelry is pretty over the top.
The Emirates Towers (map), finished in 2000, are a slightly landmark where Dubai's more modern developments begin along Sheikh Zayed Road.
There she is, the Burj Al Arab (map), Dubai's first
international icon, finished in 2001. Built to look like the sail of a dhow, the 1000 ft
structure sits on a small man-made island just off the mainland in the Gulf.
On the little bridge that connects it to the mainland. They actually control access
to the hotel and you can only go if you're a guest or have a restaurant reservation
--I originally thought it was just to be elitist, but I quickly realized this hotel has
the smallest driveway (relative to the size of hotel) that I've ever seen and
even with the access control there's always a circus of traffic-direction happening
there. It's simply not designed to have lots of tourists pouring through. I did
have a reservation so this is past the gate on the mainland:
This is the Jumeirah Beach Hotel which sits on the mainland right behind the Burj
Al Arab. The whole area was originally called Chicago Beach, based on old floating
oil storage tankers (long since removed) that were made by the Chicago Bridge &
Iron Company. When they demolished the old Chicago Beach Hotel to make the
Burj al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, they renamed the area. Both hotels are
owned by the company Jumeirah, which is owned by the gov't of Dubai --and the
popular understanding is these hotels, the Burj Al Arab in particular, were built
with the aim of not making an immediate profit but to bring attention to the area.
People are allowed to dress in bikinis on beaches like this. BTW, you can still see
the distant spike that is the Burj Khalifa on the horizon (left) of this photo.
These two Rolls Royce Phantoms belong to the Burj Al Arab and were sitting in the driveway.
So that little horizontal beam at the top of the Burj Al Arab is actually the Skyview
Bar which hosts a famous High Tea (an old English tradition that includes
sandwiches, desert, etc --at the Burj it's like a good meal). The view is great. Here
is The World:
Here is a YouTube shot I made of the view from our seat. From the beginning you
can see The World, then a pan over to the right we see the skyline of Sheikh
Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai --with the spectacular Burj Khalifa (tallest
building in the world) at the center. The Jumeirah Beach Hotel is viewable
immediately below:
Jumeirah, etc:
A close up of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Burj Khalifa dominating over all:
This is the middle section of High Tea at the Burj, you have to love that the serving
tray is shaped like the Burj. They would keep replenishing the food until you were
satiated.
This is a panorama of the view on the other side. You can see the developments
of Jebel Ali and the Dubai Marina on the mainland, and then the actual Palm
Jumeirah (map) with the Atlantis Hotel on the tip (right).
This was one of two stores in the lobby of the Burj Al Arab... I dunno, as someone
from LA I just find this sort of funny and tacky.
The Burj Al Arab has the world's tallest atrium (590 ft), visible here from the lobby
(the largest is still the Luxor in Vegas) :
I was curious so I checked out the room price, the lowest I could find was still over
$700. Screw that. Their marketing pretends that they somehow broke the 5-star
model and went to "7-star", but I hate that kind of marketing BS. Still a pretty
hotel, though I would say that the better hotels in Vegas are just as good if not
better in some areas.
This giant fish tank flanks the main escalators and also goes back to one of their
restaurants:
Main entrance:
I do like the design, but I wonder if the colors will look dated in a decade or so...
Next stop, Downtown Dubai.
share travel photos (HeartlessNinny, where ever you are, I hope you're travelling).
[Have you been somewhere? Create a thread and share photos! ]
This time it's the UAE (for a start) with various photos, videos and a cameo!
------------------------------------------------------------
It was my first time to the Gulf States, and it was very interesting --I had 4 days in
the UAE so I went with my preferred style of "go-go-go" while trying to learn as
much as I can...
Given the politics of the region, it was interesting to see we flew right over the
center of Iraq and into the Persian Gulf, avoiding Iranian airspace (there's a tragic story why)
but also allowing me to take this photo of Iran's southern coast:
This is the Deira neighborhood of Dubai --the older commercial district that's right
next to the Dubai Creek where the city developed before it really boomed.
Specifically, this is Baniyas Square (Google Map). The building with the round top is
the Deira Tower, of no note anymore but I found it sort of fascinating as a bit of
what was commercial Dubai before anyone realized how big it would become.
Dubai Creek was the raison d'être for the founding of the Emirate of Dubai: the
ancestors of the current Sheikh (the Al Maktoum family) came from the inland
oasis's that were the early power centers in the trade routes (along with their
relatives who founded Abu Dhabi) to settle the creek near the mouth to the
Persian Gulf and participate better in trade and develop the Gulf's original
commodity: Pearls. While they were not historically wealthy emirates, it allowed
for a modest kingdom. The pearl market collapsed after the Japanese developed
cultured pearls in the 1920s, but the oil was discovered a few decades later and
bailed them out big time.
These little boats are the most popular way to cross the creek and are very
cheap: one dirham, which is about a US quarter. The boat has a small raised
platform on which everyone sits and the captain is in a small cockpit in the center.
They're quick, efficient and a pretty interesting look the old times.
The sheer size of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) is apparent
here on the horizon to the left. You really don't comprehend how tall it is until you
see it lurking above the rest of the city.
This is the Dubai Fort (map), now home to the Dubai Museum. Once the royal residence, as you can see,
it's not particularly big or imposing --but that ties into the modest means of Emirati
history. This area was Dubai's old town.
Nearby is the historic and well preserved Al Bastakiya neighborhood (map). The square towers are
windcatchers, an ancient form of air-conditioning, originally brought to Dubai by Persian merchants.
A courtyard in Al Bastakiya
Most old buildings in the area were built using coral rocks: essentially rocks that
were broken off reefs off the coast. There is still some good snorkeling off of parts
of the Gulf States.
One of the old city's many souks (bazaars). This one is the textile souk.
The view aboard one of the little boats photographed earlier:
These boats, called dhows, are still used for trading --mostly with Iran (people
tend to import things from Iran in trade for things that are prohibited by the
Iranian theocracy). When you see their cargo being delivered you realize that
these are basically the semi-trucks of the Gulf.
Dubai's noted Gold Souk where, if you know how to bargain you can get some
pretty good deals per-ounce on high quality gold. Protip: From what we
discovered, Russians get charged more than non-Russians (must be the "wealthy
nouveau-riche Russian" stereotype). Some of the jewelry is pretty over the top.
The Emirates Towers (map), finished in 2000, are a slightly landmark where Dubai's more modern developments begin along Sheikh Zayed Road.
There she is, the Burj Al Arab (map), Dubai's first
international icon, finished in 2001. Built to look like the sail of a dhow, the 1000 ft
structure sits on a small man-made island just off the mainland in the Gulf.
On the little bridge that connects it to the mainland. They actually control access
to the hotel and you can only go if you're a guest or have a restaurant reservation
--I originally thought it was just to be elitist, but I quickly realized this hotel has
the smallest driveway (relative to the size of hotel) that I've ever seen and
even with the access control there's always a circus of traffic-direction happening
there. It's simply not designed to have lots of tourists pouring through. I did
have a reservation so this is past the gate on the mainland:
This is the Jumeirah Beach Hotel which sits on the mainland right behind the Burj
Al Arab. The whole area was originally called Chicago Beach, based on old floating
oil storage tankers (long since removed) that were made by the Chicago Bridge &
Iron Company. When they demolished the old Chicago Beach Hotel to make the
Burj al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, they renamed the area. Both hotels are
owned by the company Jumeirah, which is owned by the gov't of Dubai --and the
popular understanding is these hotels, the Burj Al Arab in particular, were built
with the aim of not making an immediate profit but to bring attention to the area.
People are allowed to dress in bikinis on beaches like this. BTW, you can still see
the distant spike that is the Burj Khalifa on the horizon (left) of this photo.
These two Rolls Royce Phantoms belong to the Burj Al Arab and were sitting in the driveway.
So that little horizontal beam at the top of the Burj Al Arab is actually the Skyview
Bar which hosts a famous High Tea (an old English tradition that includes
sandwiches, desert, etc --at the Burj it's like a good meal). The view is great. Here
is The World:
Here is a YouTube shot I made of the view from our seat. From the beginning you
can see The World, then a pan over to the right we see the skyline of Sheikh
Zayed Road and Downtown Dubai --with the spectacular Burj Khalifa (tallest
building in the world) at the center. The Jumeirah Beach Hotel is viewable
immediately below:
Jumeirah, etc:
A close up of Sheikh Zayed Road and the Burj Khalifa dominating over all:
This is the middle section of High Tea at the Burj, you have to love that the serving
tray is shaped like the Burj. They would keep replenishing the food until you were
satiated.
This is a panorama of the view on the other side. You can see the developments
of Jebel Ali and the Dubai Marina on the mainland, and then the actual Palm
Jumeirah (map) with the Atlantis Hotel on the tip (right).
This was one of two stores in the lobby of the Burj Al Arab... I dunno, as someone
from LA I just find this sort of funny and tacky.
The Burj Al Arab has the world's tallest atrium (590 ft), visible here from the lobby
(the largest is still the Luxor in Vegas) :
I was curious so I checked out the room price, the lowest I could find was still over
$700. Screw that. Their marketing pretends that they somehow broke the 5-star
model and went to "7-star", but I hate that kind of marketing BS. Still a pretty
hotel, though I would say that the better hotels in Vegas are just as good if not
better in some areas.
This giant fish tank flanks the main escalators and also goes back to one of their
restaurants:
Main entrance:
I do like the design, but I wonder if the colors will look dated in a decade or so...
Next stop, Downtown Dubai.