The Neo Geo Society of Gentlemen Travelers: UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi -- pics & youtube)

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!


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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.

Downtown Dubai is the recent focus of people's attention because it centers
around the monumental Burj Khalifa, the massive Dubai Mall, etc.

One thing I will stay about the UAE, cabs are actually pretty cheap.

When we were dropped at the Dubai Mall (which is attached to the Burj Khalifa), it
was fun to see the cars parked out front.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé:


Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing with a couple of Ferraris parked behind it:


The Burj Khalifa (map) observation deck, At the Top, is on level 124 and is 4/5 indoors and 1/5 outdoor.


While level 124 is still taller than the actual roof (not spire) of the Sears Tower, it's
still well short of the building's top floor at 160. here is the view from the balcony
of the observation deck looking up:


Video of the view:


Panoramic of the development along Sheikh Zayed Road and the building's own shadow:


Looking down at the Dubai Mall, which is the largest mall in the world by total area
(the ones in China have more stores crammed in, but are not as massive):


Somebody told me this view reminded them of a toy model. You can see the
mechanisms for the Dubai Fountains, which are the highest in the world when
they operate to light/sound shows.


The elevator up and down goes at 40mph so it's a quick and pleasant ride
complete with soothing sound/light show. I thought it would've been funny if
they piped in the sound effect of a WWII bomb drop (the descending whistle
sound).:


One of the prettier atriums in the Dubai Mall:


Despite not fulfilling much of my ethnic stereotype, the Persian in me just couldn't
resist getting a drink here... The worlds first Armani Hotel is in the Burj Khalifa, but
I'm not that brand conscious.


Seriously though, this became one of my favorite non-alcoholic drink of all time, a
blend of orange juice and mint:


A few atriums in the Dubai Mall. Alas the mall is mostly just full of stuff you can find
in the US. With that said, I can understand the push for malls --the weather here
in the summer is horrific (100+ with humidity) so who wants to go outside to shop,
especially if you're a woman in an all black abaya? Coincidentally, the first malls in the US were built in Minnesota for weather reasons as well, just the
reverse sort of weather. And freezing Edmonton in Canada built the first "Worlds Biggest Mall" themselves for the same reason:



They tried to recreate a gold souk in the Dubai Mall, but it was a total dead zone.
It appears to be the victim of bad design, as they tried to create a warren of
passages to emulate the real life souks but it just made it hard to walk through
and it was in a weird position on the third floor of the mall:


The public side of the Dubai Mall's famous aquarium. It infamously sprang a leak
last year, but no fish were harmed:


The two largest coffee chains in the world were well represented. Here we see a
Starbucks topped by a Caribou (based right here in Minneapolis --yes, it's the
second largest chain in the world and I was just as surprised to find that out):


Holy cow, it's k'_127! We went out for Persian food.


Next: Abu Dhabi

While Abu Dhabi is much, much wealthier than Dubai, it's also taken a more
patient approach (because Dubai was running out of oil, they did their boom to try
and diversify their economy in a hurry). Abu Dhabi's development is much more
patient, not as flashy (yet), and methodical. At this point in time, it's a bit of a
snooze in comparison, but their plans for the future are quite impressive.

On the way out to Abu Dhabi we passed the equally massive Jebel Ali
development --still a part of Dubai and still building. Business reports during our
trip indicated that the economy has started to recover in favor of Dubai.


Outside of Abu Dhabi they recently finished "Ferrari World", the world's largest
indoor theme park. I admit I wasn't interested.


Yes, I wore the same shirt two days in a row.


Near Abu Dhabi's harbor there were a lot of guys running around and working:


The Corniche (map) in Abu Dhabi is the main drag.
Sheikh Zayed was the late Sheikh of Abu Dhabi who united the various Emirates into the UAE, served as its first president, and is viewed across the UAE as their George Washington.


As the capitol of the UAE, Abu Dhabi has the best outdoor museum, the Heritage Village (map) which shows how the UAE not all that long ago.


This is an example of the old houses made of palm fronds.


A house made of rock, native and coral (you have to love the skyscrapers being
built behind it):


All the camels I ran into were pretty chill:


While Dubai has the Burj Al Arab, Abu Dhabi went old school and built the simply
gargantuan Emirates Palace Hotel (map). This Grand Arch is the hotel's fancy gate for
very important guests who actually enter in a separate, secured entrance on an upper floor.


Not the greatest photo, but this is the front of the hotel:


The main atrium inside the hotel. As compared to the Burj Al Arab, this uses
classic marble and stone (it reminded me of how luxury hotels were designed in
the 70s-90s):


A finely appointed commode. The hose is for people who prefer to wash with
water. As a consequence, a lot of toilets in the Middle East tend to be wet.


Because Abu Dhabi is so much more wealthy, it's developing this long-term project
on Saadiyat Island, which is next to the island the current city is on, involving
several of the world's most famous architects being allowed to design key cultural
buildings. It's basically a high concept version of Dubai that will cost Abu Dhabi
over $25 billion and be finished in 2018. Here's the Google map of the island now:


I love architecture, and the Palace Hotel has an excellent display area on what's
going to be built (particularly the signature cultural buildings). All involve some of
the world's greatest architects designing major institutions on a grand scale. The
display is a bonanza of scale models. I've never seen this many on so many
differing scales.

Iraqi-British Zaha Hadid's design for the Performing Arts Center:


French architect Jean Nouvel's design for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, involving a
patterned dome over a scattering of buildings and water:



This is the Maritime Museum being built by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, whose
more minimalist style works well in this design:



Check out how the water works in this cutaway model (the boat will be a statue):


Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi:


Form high culture to low culture, Texas Chicken! A lot of regular buildings in the
UAE look like this.


Abu Dhabi decided to build the largest mosque in the UAE and constructed this,
the massive Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (map) --finished in 2007. What's striking is how well balanced and gorgeous it actually is. I was impressed.


Video of exterior. Named after Sheikh Zayed, he is also buried next to the
mosque, just to the back left from where this is filmed (photography and video of
his masoleum is prohibited... it's the only A/V restriction). The voice you hear is the
24/7 reading of the Quran that takes place at his mausoleum:


The courtyard. They oblige all female visitors to wear an abaya (the covering) and
provide them to visitors at the entrance.


The gorgeous entrance foyer:


Video of the foyer:


Detail of the foyer chandelier and dome. As you may know, in Islam it's forbidden
to display and animals and people (considered idolatry), so they use geometric
designs and plant motifs:


The main prayer room includes this massive chandelier, the biggest in the world at
the time it was completed, with a 33 ft diameter and 49 ft height with over a
million Swarovski crystals. The back wall, with the mihrab (the small alcove facing
Mecca), has the 99 names of God inscribed on it.



Video of the prayer room:


This prayer room also has the largest Persian rug in the world:


Lots of domes:


Next: The Desert, East Coast and more!

Passing back through Dubai, you still can't just be glued to the Burj Khalifa (which
was named after the current Sheikh of neighboring Abu Dhabi --who had, just
before opening, bailed out Dubai's economy):


On our way out into the desert we spotted this camel and baby:


Going out into the dunes just outside of the major cities of the UAE is a popular
tourist experience, and one we decided to check out:


When the vehicles reach the edge of the desert they deflate the tires a bit for
traction. Many of these vehicles have had their bumpers altered because of the
steep pivots that happen as you careen across the dunes (which is a pretty rad
ride --sort of like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland).

Here's the caravan at one of the stopping points:


The desert is pretty remarkable:



Bobak of Arabia:

Sunset:

This was the camp where they served a decent Arabic meal...

With belly dancing (slow exposure):

And free henna:


Next journeyed to the eastern Emirates over to the Gulf of Oman. On the way we
passed through this popular market in the middle of the Hajar Mountains.

The Friday Market (map) on the road to the east. Bananas out here (and the other places I visited) tasted about 100x more flavorful than the artificially ripened stuff we have in the States.


Goats atop a peak.


The Hajar Mountains. Stark, desolate and beautiful:


The main mosque in Dibba (map):


Dibba is actually split between two of the Emirates and the separate country of
Oman, whose border crossing is here (this part of the world has pretty interesting
boundaries as a legacy of post colonial map-making). The Musandam peninsula
starts in the background:


The original Arabic people of the UAE are Emiratis, who call themselves Nationals.
They have more rights than those not originally form the area and get the better
benefits (including free housing). Those who build their own homes tend to build
quite large structures like these --although they are full of family as people tend to
stay with their parents (and many siblings) in the same household:


Mmm... Coke with real sugar...


A pair of panoramic photos of the east coast of the UAE (map), where there are resorts and decent beaches:



The oldest mosque in the UAE, located at Al Badiyah (map). Because it was built only out of mud, there was no wood to radiocarbon-date, thus they can
only make the educated safe guess that it dates to the 1400s.

I climbed up to the tower behind it:


This gas station and the hill behind it are a part of the oddball geographic quirk
that are Madha and Narwa (map). Madha is a small part of Oman located in the middle of the UAE,
Narwa is an even smaller part of the UAE located within that bit of Oman. How did
it happen? The British went and asked tribes which leader they were closest to,
and it created these weird boundaries in this area where the influence wasn't
uniform. Oman has cheaper gas so this gas station is very popular in the area.


Fujairah Fort (map), an old fort in this eastern Emirate which was used by the Portuguese at one point:


And old graveyard. In countries on the Arabian peninsula, the graves are simple
and unmarked but for a stone at the head and foot of the body, which is buried in
a simple cloth. Even when the last king of Saudi Arabia died, he was buried in a
similar way.


The fort of the ancient inland oasis town of Al Bithnah (map).


Back in Dubai at the Deira City Centre (map) --another large, decent mall that has been overshadowed by all the
other major malls. At the time it was built in 1996, it was the biggest in the UAE. I
stopped here because it was right on Dubai's light rail.


Here's a video of the mall during the adnan (call to prayer) recited by a muezzin at
set times during the day.


Used the train to hop over to the more notable Mall of the Emirates (map), a pretty nice looking
mall that is smaller than the Dubai Mall but still enormous:



It's best known for Ski Dubai, the large indoor ski slope the built attached to the
mall (grey tube in the sat photo):


I get irked when I see Pinkberry out here but not in Minneapolis:


Found this nice restaurant for a delicious Arabic meal:

Appetizers of picked vegetables, hummus, awesome fresh baked bread and salad:

Various hot appetizers including falafel and other savory meat pastries:

Nice variety of lamb, chicken and beef kabobs:


And what would be a popular public gathering place in Dubai without sexy cars?
Here's a Bentley Continental GTC with a Mansory package:

A convertible Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

A Ferrari:


Burj Khalifa at night:



Next: Travel.

Holy crap, NICE pics. I lol'd at this one (my favorite):



I also love that Church's Chicken is Texas Chicken over there.

Surprisingly foggy on the morning I left. This old clock tower use to be one of the tallest buildings in the city in the old photos I've dug up on the web. Now it's quaint.


This is Emirates Airlines (Dubai's airline) new Terminal at the Dubai Airport (DXB). It's actually the largest building in the world now based on floor space. It's not as overwhelming as you'd think with that kind of title.


The only part that was sort of bleh (but absolutely massive) was the departure check-in area --which I spend way too much time in that morning.


--Let me jump back for a second--

I knew This was going to include the longest flight I've taken --16 hours non-stop between Atlanta and Dubai (not counting the 2.5 hour flight between MSP and ATL).

I don't ever pay for a first class seat, but I fly enough that I usually get upgraded on domestic flights. However they don't do that for international flights, and I usually fly coach on those trans-ocean flights (which isn't really a problem since coach on an international flight still provides food and often has individual video monitors for entertainment). However, given the extra-long flight here, I used some of the free upgrades I have to upgrade to business (most U.S. airlines have dropped "International First" off of their international flights for what can be described as "business plus". The "first class" on a domestic flight in the US is basically what's considered "business" on other airlines outside the country).

Since it's a newer route, Delta gave it a 777 (which have the extra range) and the business or first on these planes use the the diagonal orientation. i.e. seats are set like this:

/ aisle \ / aisle \
/ aisle \ / aisle \
/ aisle \ / aisle \

I guess its more space-efficient and lets them provide a lie-flat seat for the overnight flight. It's pretty decent, but as a bed it's always a hair narrower than I'd prefer for my shoulder width, so I end up sleeping on my side for most of what I can sleep (which is never much on a plane).



---Jump back to the this section---

I was nearly screwed by the airline because, as I now know from my Indian friends, flights to India on every airline are overbooked because they know people don't show up. So our coach tickets on Emirates weren't available and they wanted to move my departure from 9am to 10pm. That's a huge problem as I only had about 36 hours to see Mumbai, one of the world's largest cities.

After lots of pleading they were able to get me on the flight with a Business and First Class seat on the airline that is now considered a leader in luxury.

Well, score.

I gave my companion the First Class seat and took Business.

I chose the pre-flight champagne (check out the legroom):


The seat wasn't as wide as the ones on a Delta domestic business seat, but it had a lot more luxury and gadgets and could almost lie flat:


You have to love a seat that has so many comfort controls. That's real wood, btw. I've never seen so much on a plane before.


Lunch was a major affair. You forget that, long ago before deregulation, US airlines were like this. Airlines like Emirates aren't under the same pressure to turn a profit so you still get the royal treatment we all hear about from the 70s in the US. I love the wood tray table. Here way have a "Bombay mix" snack and a Kir Royal (a champagne cocktail I'm partial too).


Really nice custom china with the Emirates logo:


I picked the appetizer with lobster:


Since I was heading to Mumbai I picked the Indian option and I'll be damned if this food wasn't really good (and even had spiciness).


Desert and a glass of port:


To finish off the came around with boxes of Godiva chocolates. For the record, on the last leg of my return home, on a domestic first class flight on Delta, I was served cold cereal. Period:


Eating this while flying over some random part of the globe:


I confirmed with my companion that although first class had a wider seat that could fully recline with just ridiculous leg room (I could crouch in front of her without even brushing either her seat or the one behind me), they actually fed the business class passengers a lot more.

Next, when I get time to organizing it, Mumbai and beyond...

I'm envious, looks like you're having a good time. I can't wait til I can do some traveling again. Your next set of pictures from India should be interesting.

incredible photos. despite all the beauty, i can't help but feel exploited.
oh, resource based economy

Nice photos man. I haven't been to Dubai, since, well, fuck 2003 was it. It's been a while, I got to stop there a couple times in the Navy. Cool place.

Woah....that's a nice camel.


So white and fluffy, I would make a trip out there just to give it a hug.

Damn you Bobak I'm jealous because I've always wanted to go to the UAE. I almost sorta coulda had a chance in 2006 but I wasn't experienced enough to go on the trip(military mission). I miss middle eastern food too.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Bobak, love these threads. Keep up the great work. They're always a pleasure to read.

I love the photos of the more historic parts of the UAE. The contrast between old and new was interesting. Love that stone house with the sky scrapers in the background.

Simply amazing! Awesome pics and vids.

I'm honestly honored to have met you. I've always wanted to meet members from this site.

Can't wait to see the rest of your trip.

SPINMASTER X said:

Damn you Bobak I'm jealous because I've always wanted to go to the UAE. I almost sorta coulda had a chance in 2006 but I wasn't experienced enough to go on the trip(military mission). I miss middle eastern food too.

Thanks for sharing.

Click to expand...

What service? The Navy stops there all the time, how much fun it is... well that depends on who your big boss is and what sort of rules they have in place.

Spoon said:

Woah....that's a nice camel.


So white and fluffy, I would make a trip out there just to give it a hug.

Click to expand...

That camel looks like one I saw in National Geographic in an article about Saudi camel beauty pageants.

It was worth over a million.

Super nice photoblog Bobak. I couldnt help but think how funny you must look taking pictures of EVERYTHING on the plane. People probably think you just dont get out much, but in reality it is for our benefit. Thanks!

steve11 said:

What service? The Navy stops there all the time, how much fun it is... well that depends on who your big boss is and what sort of rules they have in place.

Click to expand...

Air Force.

In summer of 2006 our base was tasked with teaching the Emirati military how to use their new F-16's they just bought from the US. I couldn't go because I became an instructor right around the time the order came down and I hadn't had all of my instructor training.

I really missed out on some fun times because they said the Emiratis were lazy and often would tell the instructors they could go home because they were too tired to train. So my coworkers basically spent 2 months just fucking around, drinking and hanging out at the pool and getting payed to do it. Not to mention they were issued Hummers to drive around too. Fuckin assholes

You'd think since they make visiting women wear head scarves in the mosque, they'd also hand out fake beards for the men like in Men in Tights.

Awesome pics! That looks like one hell of a trip. I already wanted to visit the UAE, but now after seeing some of your pictures makes me want to go even more. Looks like there's quite a lot to see and do over there.

Nice to have you around Bobak too bad never got the chance to meet. Maybe next time!

I have flown with Emirates a few times now, once in business class. Great airline!

Makes me want to go travelling again! Jealous!!!

I'm debating about putting up the India videos I took since I have them ready to go and then getting around to the photos.

Popcorn Sutton said:

That camel looks like one I saw in National Geographic in an article about Saudi camel beauty pageants.

It was worth over a million.

Click to expand...

The camel thing is actually really interesting. Although they're not necessary anymore, because of their long history with the Emiratis, camels have become a hobby for many of them (like horses in the west). As you mentioned, people raise them for contests, race them (they have few popular tracks), make camel milk (fun fact: camel milk lacks the enzymes that would allow it to form cheese), and for nostalgia.

There's an old saying that, although God told man the 99 names of God, He told the 100th to the camels --and that's why they're smug and prideful.

Nesagwa said:

You'd think since they make visiting women wear head scarves in the mosque, they'd also hand out fake beards for the men like in Men in Tights.

Click to expand...

LOL. Actually, what they were handing out wasn't just a head scarf but a full body covering (which makes some sense in that some tourists came in shorts... in a lot of religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, it's considered impolite to go in shorts even as a guy). The abaya is the covering minus the face. If includes the mesh over the face too it would be a burqa; I didn't see anything like that in the Gulf as it's mostly seen in the crazed parts Afghanistan/Pakistan. You do see women with the niqab, which is the abaya with a face veil. Other cultures, especially those further from the Arabian peninsula, just wear the head scarf.

k'_127 said:

I'm honestly honored to have met you. I've always wanted to meet members from this site.

Click to expand...

Aww, I'm going to blush now! --The feeling was mutual!

Here's a Mumbai preview:



Mumbai's Dhobi Ghat, "the World's Largest Washing Machine" (or laundry). In this neighborhood most of the city's laundry is delivered, divided into colors, washed, pressed and returned to its owner (hotel, hospital, private residence, etc) with an amazingly low margin of error and low cost. What's striking isn't just the scale of the operation or the accuracy, but that they do it with no computers and little formal education. The system just works.

Well shit, son, that looks pretty fucking awesome. Glad to see that the Society has at least two active members.

I gotta tell you, it's really interesting to see the contrast between what you've shown us here and what I saw in Jordan and Israel. It's similar scenery, obviously, but that weird magic playland of the rich thing that the UAE has is pretty unmistakable. I also love the ridiculous contrast between our travel styles: you're there for a few days in a whirlwind tour, I stick around for a couple months and wear my welcome right the fuck out.

Anyways, looks awesome, as usual. It might be a while before I get to fuck off for parts unknown for a few weeks, as I like to do, but I'm hoping to squeeze a trip up to the Yukon in next year, and I'm still thinking about heading down to Vegas for a few days, too.

HeartlessNinny said:

Well shit, son, that looks pretty fucking awesome. Glad to see that the Society has at least two active members.

I gotta tell you, it's really interesting to see the contrast between what you've shown us here and what I saw in Jordan and Israel. It's similar scenery, obviously, but that weird magic playland of the rich thing that the UAE has is pretty unmistakable. I also love the ridiculous contrast between our travel styles: you're there for a few days in a whirlwind tour, I stick around for a couple months and wear my welcome right the fuck out.

Anyways, looks awesome, as usual. It might be a while before I get to fuck off for parts unknown for a few weeks, as I like to do, but I'm hoping to squeeze a trip up to the Yukon in next year, and I'm still thinking about heading down to Vegas for a few days, too.

Click to expand...

My Israeli adventure counts. I'm at least at the apprentice level in the Society.

I'm also going on an Western US adventure here soon with a focus on some of the remote places in the Tetons that people travel from the rest of the World to visit.

Also, HI!!