Douglas Easton Travel Blog
December 28, 2007

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

John and I arrived yesterday evening in the Neverland that is Dubai.  No less than twenty-five percent of the world's cranes are being used to transform, seemingly overnight, a sleepy desert backwater into a world-class city.

This morning, we took a stroll along the Persion Gulf gawking at the astonishing architecture visible from the beach.  Several are particularly striking:  the Burj Tower, at 153 stories, the world's tallest building is still growing and can be seen from sixty miles away; the Mall of the Emirates, immediately recognizable by it's gargantuan tiled tube, which encloses the world's only indoor ski slope (you can ski in a parka even in summber when the temperatures top 100 degree farenheit); and the Emir's palace, which for its sheer mass alone is extraordinary.  Most famous of all, however, is the Burj-al-Arab, the world's tallest hotel.  Shaped to resemble the sail on a traditional dhow, the Burj dominates the coast with majesty and luminesant grace.

We walked several miles along the corniche, stopping en route for a cappucino at a pleasant coffee shop.  We ended our walk right in front of the Burj-al-Arab.  Craning our necks skyward, John and I watched enthralled as helicopters landed and alit from the Burj's landing pad suspended hundreds of feet above the sea.


Past Travel Blogs:
 06/08/10
 09/24/09
 09/09/09
 09/04/09
 08/27/09
 08/09/09
 07/19/09
 05/06/09
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 03/08/09
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 02/02/09
 11/18/08
 11/12/08
 11/10/08
 11/06/08
 10/30/08
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 05/30/08
 05/23/08
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 04/30/08
 04/20/08
 04/13/08
 04/08/08
 02/24/08
 02/16/08
 01/24/08
 01/08/08
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 01/01/08
 12/30/07
 12/29/07
 06/01/07
 05/26/07
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 05/02/07
 04/10/07
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 04/03/07
 04/01/07
 03/31/07
 03/30/07
 03/26/07
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 03/08/07
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 10/18/06
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Douglas Easton Travel (310) 657-0263 FAX (310) 657-0253 email - info@CelestielleGroup.com