October 13th, 2006 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

October 13, 2006
Dubai, UAE

Hope everyone has a lucky Friday the 13th!

This morning we woke up at 9:00 and quickly ate some breakfast and showered up. At 10:00 we left for a four-hour city tour. We were accompanied at couple from Malaysia (the woman was very annoying) and an older couple from India (who didn’t talk much). Our tourguide was also from India and was very nice.

He took us all around the city. We saw almost all of the famous sites. First we stopped along the Dubai creek (where B and I visited on our first day). We then made our way to a different part of the city. On the way we passed the awesome Dubai Clock Tower.

Next, we made a quick stop outside of a 500-year-old mosque. After taking a couple of photos we continued through the city. I was amazed at the amount of construction going on everywhere in the city. I have never seen so many things being built in one place. There must be more cranes here than anywhere else in the world.

We then stopped at a beach near the world’s only 7-star hotel (so I guess it is the nicest hotel in the world!), the Burj Al Arab. We felt compelled to touch the water. It was the warmest ocean water I have ever felt (90+). It was like a warm bath…

We got as close to the hotel as people without a reservation are allowed. We then learned that just to have coffee or tea at the hotel costs more than $100. Still, just at the gates to the hotel there is a large water park that B and I are thinking of visiting in the next couple of days.

The next stop on our tour was at a large mall that has a manmade lake at the center. We were surprised that almost nobody was there (until we realized that it was Ramadan). From the mall we cruised along the cost to an area of Dubai that is totally under construction. On the way we passed one of the famous Palm Islands. Unfortunately, the public is not allowed on the island and from the cost it is almost impossible to tell that it is shaped like a palm (therefore no pictures…).

Our last major stop of the day was the Mall of the Emirates. It was a very large mall with an indoor ski slope at one end! The slope was large than I imagined and looked like lots of fun. Sadly, we were not allowed into the snow area without paying (about $60 for 2 hours of skiing or boarding).

We returned to our hotel just after 14:00 and grabbed some lunch (choosing not to obey Ramadan today). We had a long relaxing lunch and then visited the pool. When we returned to our room I shaved for the first time in almost 3 weeks! No more beard…

We are both quite tired after a day out on the city. We will probably go to bed fairly early tonight and then figure out what we want to do tomorrow.