Yes, I spent a fantastic day in Dubai. More in a minute.
This is the second day in a row that I've come done early for breakfast, and the second day there has been a dining room with guys only. They're wearing a logo on their shirts. Probably contractors. When I'm down here later, it's mostly women - ADEC folks. Note to self: eat early, the view is much better.
A few more comments about my visit to the Grand Mosque yesterday. The beauty of this structure is extraordinary. It cost $545,000,000 to build. That white marble you see was imported from Italy. It's incredible! Now keep this in mind when I describe the ladies' restroom. It is located diagonally across the courtyard, closes to the prayer room that the ladies use. You take an escalator and go underground. You make a few turns and before you is a circular round of bidets. Must be at least 30. They're out in the open. No privacy at all. I can't imagine using one, and no one else down there with me did either. When I entered the stall, I was surprised to see a hole in the ground. A beautiful marble hole, but a hole nonetheless. There was also the hose that I'm so fond of, but the hole was a little oft-putting. In fact, I thought for a minute I was in the men's room by mistake. No, I was in the right place. So using the restroom was a colorful experience. Note to self: go before you visit again. I want this to be a one time experience.
The other thing worth nothing is that the daily prayers that I can hear are, in fact, heard all over the city. The prayers are prayed live at the Grand Mosque, and projected via satellite all over the city.
Our guide also shared that there are 8 million people in the UAE, with more than 7 million being expats. (Just googled it - 50%=Indian; 23%=Other Arabs & Iranians; 19%=Emirati Citizens; and 8%=Others including Europeans & East Asians). The influence of the expats is causing the natives to recognize that in order to keep their culture alive, they must make a conscious effort to do that. Hence, the wearing of the official garb while out in public.
Side note - There's a Will Smith movie playing in the dining room this morning - Independence Day. A few days ago it was Michael Jackson music, today Will Smith. I'm loving it.
Just went to the ADEC Office trying to get more info on my placement and the fact that I'm expected to visit this week. Still nothing yet. The person I need to see has been out since before the Founder's Day festivities and he is the keeper of all knowledge. The right hand not knowing what the left is doing is not unique to the bureaucrats in the US. It's reach is far and wide. In the mean time, I will decide what to do today.
I still have a ticket to tour Dubai, so off I go.
I take a bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, a two hour ride, about 80 miles up the coast. Being a woman was most helpful in boarding the bus. There were two lines. One super long for the men and a much shorter line for the women. There were three guys traveling with women who boarded with us. The bus holds about 40 people, so most of the guys were left to wait for the next bus and hope there were no women waiting.
The bus has two flat screens that broadcast the view from a front end camera, so that you can see what the driver sees. They're curtains to shade the sun, but I'm sitting where I can see outside on both sides. We're driving along the coast. The water is the most vibrant blue.
I need to be careful not to get whiplash from turning side to side, trying to see everything. I can't wait to get my own transportation so I can explore on my own.
Just passed camels grazing in a field.
The landscape is very sandy. If there was any doubt, you see that this is a desert. It looks barren with tumbleweed type vegetation.
We're here! I get off the bus. Go to the restroom in the bus station and . . . you guessed it. Another hole in the ground. Note to self: avoid the bus station restroom, too. Stopped by a little restaurant, and got a bite to eat. This was a spur of the moment trip, so I didn't plan for lunch. This place only had men, so I'm guessing I should have felt out of place, but I didn't. Had a great meal - chicken and rice - for a great price. Then I hailed a taxi to catch The Big Bus Tour.
Dubai . . . Oh My!!! It is spectacular!!! The grandeur, the glitz, the style, is over the top wonderful. My Arabian brothers know how to build a glamourous city. I'm reminded of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.
I immediately thought of New York City, Manhattan in particular, when we traveled through the commercial district of Dubai. Although the business section here rivals anything the financial district in New York has to offer. The beach area reminded me of South Beach in Miami. The place to be and be seen. There were expats in bikinis, but they were dwarfed by the locals, fully clothed, playing in the water.
The buildings and the architecture here defies the imagination. They're every shape, size and configuration imaginable.
The Atlantis Hotel sits at the top of one of the man-made palm islands. It is extraordinary! We were on the island before I realized it. It's so big, you can't tell that you're on an island. The homes along the way are phenomenal!
We left there and stopped by Dubai Mall, which has to be one of the largest in the world with 1200 stores! Through the mall is the way you access the pride and joy of Dubai and the whole UAE, the Barj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It looks like it's touching heaven!
The building that looks like a sail sits in the water all by itself and it is a sight to see! There is a magnificent view of it from one of the beaches, but you can see this building, wherever you are in the city. It is iconic.
I needed to pinch myself today, just to make sure what I was experiencing was real. Just a few days ago I was in Sacramento struggling to believe this move was going to happen, and being here now experiencing this is truly an incredible blessing.
I hope you're enjoying these posts as much as I am creating them.
This is the second day in a row that I've come done early for breakfast, and the second day there has been a dining room with guys only. They're wearing a logo on their shirts. Probably contractors. When I'm down here later, it's mostly women - ADEC folks. Note to self: eat early, the view is much better.
A few more comments about my visit to the Grand Mosque yesterday. The beauty of this structure is extraordinary. It cost $545,000,000 to build. That white marble you see was imported from Italy. It's incredible! Now keep this in mind when I describe the ladies' restroom. It is located diagonally across the courtyard, closes to the prayer room that the ladies use. You take an escalator and go underground. You make a few turns and before you is a circular round of bidets. Must be at least 30. They're out in the open. No privacy at all. I can't imagine using one, and no one else down there with me did either. When I entered the stall, I was surprised to see a hole in the ground. A beautiful marble hole, but a hole nonetheless. There was also the hose that I'm so fond of, but the hole was a little oft-putting. In fact, I thought for a minute I was in the men's room by mistake. No, I was in the right place. So using the restroom was a colorful experience. Note to self: go before you visit again. I want this to be a one time experience.
The other thing worth nothing is that the daily prayers that I can hear are, in fact, heard all over the city. The prayers are prayed live at the Grand Mosque, and projected via satellite all over the city.
Our guide also shared that there are 8 million people in the UAE, with more than 7 million being expats. (Just googled it - 50%=Indian; 23%=Other Arabs & Iranians; 19%=Emirati Citizens; and 8%=Others including Europeans & East Asians). The influence of the expats is causing the natives to recognize that in order to keep their culture alive, they must make a conscious effort to do that. Hence, the wearing of the official garb while out in public.
Side note - There's a Will Smith movie playing in the dining room this morning - Independence Day. A few days ago it was Michael Jackson music, today Will Smith. I'm loving it.
Just went to the ADEC Office trying to get more info on my placement and the fact that I'm expected to visit this week. Still nothing yet. The person I need to see has been out since before the Founder's Day festivities and he is the keeper of all knowledge. The right hand not knowing what the left is doing is not unique to the bureaucrats in the US. It's reach is far and wide. In the mean time, I will decide what to do today.
I still have a ticket to tour Dubai, so off I go.
I take a bus from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, a two hour ride, about 80 miles up the coast. Being a woman was most helpful in boarding the bus. There were two lines. One super long for the men and a much shorter line for the women. There were three guys traveling with women who boarded with us. The bus holds about 40 people, so most of the guys were left to wait for the next bus and hope there were no women waiting.
The bus has two flat screens that broadcast the view from a front end camera, so that you can see what the driver sees. They're curtains to shade the sun, but I'm sitting where I can see outside on both sides. We're driving along the coast. The water is the most vibrant blue.
I need to be careful not to get whiplash from turning side to side, trying to see everything. I can't wait to get my own transportation so I can explore on my own.
Just passed camels grazing in a field.
The landscape is very sandy. If there was any doubt, you see that this is a desert. It looks barren with tumbleweed type vegetation.
We're here! I get off the bus. Go to the restroom in the bus station and . . . you guessed it. Another hole in the ground. Note to self: avoid the bus station restroom, too. Stopped by a little restaurant, and got a bite to eat. This was a spur of the moment trip, so I didn't plan for lunch. This place only had men, so I'm guessing I should have felt out of place, but I didn't. Had a great meal - chicken and rice - for a great price. Then I hailed a taxi to catch The Big Bus Tour.
Dubai . . . Oh My!!! It is spectacular!!! The grandeur, the glitz, the style, is over the top wonderful. My Arabian brothers know how to build a glamourous city. I'm reminded of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.
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| Dubai Skyline |
I immediately thought of New York City, Manhattan in particular, when we traveled through the commercial district of Dubai. Although the business section here rivals anything the financial district in New York has to offer. The beach area reminded me of South Beach in Miami. The place to be and be seen. There were expats in bikinis, but they were dwarfed by the locals, fully clothed, playing in the water.
The buildings and the architecture here defies the imagination. They're every shape, size and configuration imaginable.
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| Sail motif building |
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| Same as above, in traffic |
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| Man-made island. Atlantis Dubai sits in the middle of the circle |
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| Professional photo of the Atlantis |
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| My photo of the Atlantis |
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| Homes on the Palm Dubai |
We left there and stopped by Dubai Mall, which has to be one of the largest in the world with 1200 stores! Through the mall is the way you access the pride and joy of Dubai and the whole UAE, the Barj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It looks like it's touching heaven!
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| Professional photo of the Barj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world |
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| My photo of the Barj Khalifa |
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| Professional picture of the Barj Al Arab |
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| My photo of the Barj al Arab |
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| Egyptian themed Wafi Mall |
I am most certainly enjoying the views. The bathrooms... not so much! I look forward to reading your blogs, and I appreciate your efforts to teach us here at home.
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