View from "Top of the World"

I decided at the last minute to spend Christmas in Dubai, visiting the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.  Although I had seen it from afar many times, I had not made the trek to see it up close.

What follows is a video clip, that could serve as an ad for the place, but it features some interesting facts.

http://www.burjkhalifa.ae

Access to this magnificent structure is through the Dubai Mall, which is the world's largest mall, with 1200 stores.  It's crazy big.  All of the top retails stores in the world have stores here, including, but certainly not limited to - Hermes, Versace, Rolex, Burberry - and on and on.

Back to the Burj Khalifa -

There is a fee of 100 dirhams, which is just over $27, to visit the observation deck on the 124th floor.  Or, if you choose not to wait in lines, you can purchase the 425 dirhams ($115) ticket and move to the front of each line.  It is best to purchase the tickets online, to avoid waiting in this line, too.

The elevator ride was the smoothest I've ever experienced.  We arrived on the 124th floor in a flash.  My ears popping was the only indication that we were going up or down, and moving really fast.  We arrived on the observation deck, that includes a terrace where you're outside, feeling the cool breeze.  It was a hazy day, but still the view was pretty amazing.

View from the car

View from a window on the way up

View of the city from the observation deck

Notice the shadow of the top of the building

Another amazing "straight up" view from the terrace

A better view of the shadow

The observation deck

Great view of the water, but not very clear in this photo.

This is the terrace.

My UAE brothers and sisters take extravagance to a whole new level.  For one of the smallest countries in the world, I wonder if this need for being recognized as the biggest and best is an effort on their part to be noticed by the world.  If so, they've succeeded.