Dubai has become famous for its resorts, appealing to all kinds of travelers around the world. Realtraveler cessna152 visited there recently and, along with snapping the above photo of the day, wrote about it in his blog:
“To escape the temperatures, we walked to a nearby shopping mall called Madinat Jumeirah. On the way we couldn’t miss the world-famous Burj Al-Arab Hotel, a self-proclaimed seven-star hotel shaped like a traditional Middle-Eastern sailing boat known as a dhow. It certainly looked magnificent, but we headed onwards to the mall.
Re-created in the style of old Arabia, Angela and I wandered its souqs and galleries, before stopping for a drink in a waterfront café…
We decided to wander down to Dubai Creek, an inlet of the Arabian Sea that bisects the city down the middle. There were very few people about, only the water taxi drivers. “You want tour of Creek? Yes! I give you tour! Only 100 Dirham!” We decided to take him up on the offer, especially since we had to get across the Creek anyhow. So for the next thirty minutes, Angela and I had a tour of the creek aboard a rickety open-sided water taxi called an abra…the headwind on the water made the journey very pleasurable, a highlight of the trip in fact. And being the only passengers, we had the freedom to roam the small vessel at will, crossing side to side to see the best sights. Eventually we were dropped off on the other side, at a jetty near the Bastakiya district, our next port of call.
Up until the mid-90s, Bastakiya was a run down area with foreign workers crammed into poor accommodation. In 1996, restoration work began, transforming the area into a quaint little art district. Its wind towers are a famous feature, some rising to a height of almost 50ft. The open sides of the towers catch the wind, sending breezes into the rooms below. They were an early form of air conditioning…” (more…)
Read more of cessna152’s reflections on his many travels on his travel page, and visit these useful links to plan your own trip to Dubai:
Dubai Travel Guide
Dubai Hotels
Dubai Travel Deals
Middle East Travel Blogs
