Lagamorph's Dubai Adventure (Pic Heavy) (New stuff Pg 2!)

[Lagamorph]

The second Dubai adventure is now over (well, second this year, third trip to Dubai overall though) and as before there were pictures aplenty taken. I'll be putting them here and might possibly add them to the OP later on.
As before I'll be putting the pictures into spoiler boxes to keep scrolling to a minimum. Once again, apologies for my pretty poor photography skills at times (most of them).

The Hotel
Same hotel as last time, though this time the suite was up on the 30th floor rather than the 17th floor. Besides that however, the room itself was completely identical.


The Cars
Naturally, just as before there was no shortage of nice cars driving around the Marina area, most of them simply driving around in a big circle for sometimes hours at a time simply for the purpose of posing.

I recall seeing this 3 wheeler thing last time around, but one night it decided to turn up outside the hotel again and I decided to take a snap.


I've no idea why someone would do this to their car...



Custom paint jobs are really not that much of a rarity in Dubai.








Probably my favourite of the bunch. This was just sat out on the Marina one day. I'd hate

to have come back after a few hours of it just sitting in the sun though

Dubai Marina
The Marina is currently one of the busiest (non-business) parts of Dubai, and is home to some of the cities best hotels and apartments. There's quite a lot of construction going on along the beachfront at the moment unfortunately, but a lot of it is due to be complete later this year. There are also some new artificial islands being constructed, with plans for a new 5-star hotel on at least one of them.
Here we have a few shots from around the Marina, featuring both day and night shots.

This is a Panorama shot my dad took using his iPod, came out quite well I thought.

Shark Walking
The Dubai Mall features an aquarium with several attractions such as underwater zoo, glass bottom boat rides and an underwater tunnel. Ontop of this though they also offer 'Shark Walker' and 'Shark Scuba' experiences. The latter requires that you be a qualified scuba driver already (though they also offer packages including teaching you how to scuba dive in preperation for the Shark Scuba), however the Shark Walker experience is pretty much for anyone (provided they have no medical conditions that would be aggrevated by any kind of water pressure) even if you can't swim at all. The only other restriction is that you should neither fly, nor go up the Burj Khalifa for at least 12 hours afterwards.
The tank itself is the main tank of the aquarium, home to fish, sharks, rays and various other marine life.
Basically, you get a 15 minute orientation where you learn a bit about what lives in the tank and most importantly of all the hand signs that can be used on the dive by your guide, or by yourself to indicate if you're ok or if there's a problem, then you slip on a wetsuit (over your swimming clothes), then a weight belt to keep you down in the water, then get into a cage in the water. At this point a large bubble helmet gets lowered onto your head (though it doesn't get actually secured to you, so you need to keep hold of it) and you're ready to go. The cage will then lower to 5 metres below the surface, and on the way down you need to keep equalizing the pressure in your body. This is usually achieved by reaching your hand up through the bottom of the helmet and pinching your nose, then blowing gently. Unfortunately, I have a larger than average head which prevented me from doing this, so the scuba guide gave me an alternative technique which was to basically nod your head forward quickly whilst swallowing. Wiggling your jaw also helps. You need to be careful not to actually lean forwards though, as if you do this then your helmet may start filling with water. If this happens though then by just returning to an upright position the water will drain back out due to the constant inflow of air.
The scuba guide will also take some recordings of your time in the cage, using an underwater HD camera of course, with the footage available afterwards for an additional 200DHS provided on a Micro SD Card with adapter. I've put some of the video here, but I only uploaded a 2 minute/430MB segment. The whole thing comes in at nearly 3GB.
There's normally 2 people in the cage at a time, with each person restricted to their side only, no swapping allowed, otherwise there is a risk of the air hoses becoming tangled which runs the risk of the air flow being cut off. However since I was the only person going in at the time, I could move around the cage freely.

A shot of some scuba divers in the main tank.


A closer shot of the tank.


That's me on the left, the guy on the right the scuba guide that goes down with every dive.


A 2 minute video of me under the water just to prove I actually did it.

Desert Safari
We decided to hit the Dunes again on a Desert Safari excursion, though unlike last time we opted for the morning trip which involved heading out to the desert, stopping for some Quad Biking and Camel rides then heading straight back, unlike the evening excursion which also included a stop at a camp with a meal after sunset. The meal itself was pretty crap in all honesty which is why we opted against it this time around.

A shot of the desert when we stopped for photographs.


As we were tearing around the dunes, we came across this guy just wandering around the middle of the desert. He seemed fine so we just carried on.


Lagamorph (left) and Lagadad (right) going up on the back of a camel. If you're not holding on then you will fall off.


Up safely. It's getting back down after this that you need to be worried about.

Yacht Charter
Around the Marina there are plenty of yachts and to go with that there are plenty of places where you can charter a yacht (and crew) for a few hours. Prices are quoted per hour, but in the small print you need to be aware that there's a 2 hour minimum. Included in the price is all insurance and a 2-person crew, along with unlimited soft drinks, water and ice. You can bring your own alcohol aboard if you'd like, along with some food that can be cooked on the upper deck BBQ. We opted for 3 hours as we decided to stop partway through for a BBQ and to take a swim in the Persian Gulf whilst anchored offshore. The water in the Gulf was actually very warm and pleasant, though the currents were surprisingly strong. If you're not a half-decent swimmer at the very least then it's probably not recommended to take a dip. A life belt is thrown from the yacht into the water just incase you need it, but the boat spins around the anchor quite a bit from the currents so you can find it very quickly pulled away from you if you're not careful.

This was the yacht we chartered, 55 feet in length. We did mean to take some shots of the interior but in all honesty we were enjoying the trip so much that we just completely forgot.


A shot of both the Burj Al Arab (the worlds first 7-star hotel) and the Jumeirah Beach hotel taken as we sailed past.

The Souk
Out near Dubai Creek is the Gold Souk, a street filled with jewellery shops big and small selling gold where the prices vary day by day. This is because the prices are never listed on items, only the gold weight and diamond carot, with the price based on the value of gold/diamonds that day. Also, this is a place where the stores are completely open to haggling so it's quite easy to knock over 1000DHS off the asking price, if not more.
Besides that, as you walk down the street you can guarantee that at least once per minute you'll be approached by someone offering you fake watches and/or handbags at stores in little side streets. Apparently some of these copies can be very good quality and look virtually identical to the genuine article, though if you do go off with them then be careful. Once they have you then it's very difficult to get away without buying something. If you try the old "Well I saw it cheaper at store x", then they will send a runner to buy it there for you (for less than what you saw it for and less than what they're asking for it) and then they'll sell it to you at the price you said it was.

A shot taken from the top of the street.






A selection of shop windows. This was pretty typical of most of them with gold displayed like this. The different styles are all grouped together, and if you see something you like you just head inside and ask to see a particular rack.


Yes, those are necklaces.


One of the few non-gold items on sale at the Souk.


Can't decide between buying gold or clothes? Then just buy some clothes made from gold!


This was the world record holder for the heaviest (or it might have been biggest) gold ring in the world.

Dinner at the Burj Al Arab
As it was my parents wedding anniversary, we made a reservation for dinner at the 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel, opting to eat in the Al Muntaha restaurant on the 27th floor. We were lucky enough to even get a window seat without requesting it in one of the best spots in the place.

Check in desk once inside the hotel


The fountain in the lobby, pretty much the first thing you see when walking in.


There are fish tanks like this on either side of the fountain, with the escalators heading up the first floor which is where the hotel itself really begins.


Another fountain on the first floor lobby.


A shot up the center of the hotel from the first floor.


The rather surprising entryway to the restaurant on the 27th floor. I expected something rather fancy from a 7-star hotel, not to feel like I was walking into a Borg Cube.



Some shots of the restaurant itself, looking more like you'd expect.


The view from our table once the sun had gone down.


Leaving the Burj Al Arab via the exit/entry bridge, at WARP SPEED.

A few final shots
Just a few random snaps I picked up whilst out and about.

These boats are basically taxis that go back and forth across Dubai Creek. You just climb on at a dock, passengers sitting on that bench in the middle until there's basically no more room and off you go. The guy in the middle is the one in control and to see where he's going he basically has to stand with one foot on the engine and another foot on the steering column and steer with his feet.


A new toy store had just opened in the Dubai Mall, so there was a Blue Stormtrooper enticing people inside by threatening them with his blaster.


A shot of the Atlantis hotel at night, taken from one of the balconies in the hotel room.

On the very last day I headed off to the Burj Khalifa with the intention of taking a trip to the top, unfortunately I fell into their little trap. I just assumed you could turn up, pay on the door and off you go. Whilst you can do this, it costs 400DHS per-person to do it this way (that's about £75). On the other hand, if you book in advance for a specific day/time then the cost is less than a third at only 125DHS (about £24). Whilst I would've liked to go up, it certainly wasn't worth £75 so this is top of the list if I head back.
I'm also considering taking some Scuba lessons so that, in the event that I do go back, I can take part in Scuba dives with Dolphins and Sharks.

[Steve]

Great pictures!!

[Dark Ritual]

Awesome.

[Lime]

I'm off to Dubai at the end of next month on a business trip for a week, hoping to take some time out in the evenings to check out the sights.

I won't risk calling it an adventure, but if I take any pictures that add to the Dubai experience of this thread I'll add them here!

[Lagamorph]

Since they don't really fit into my Underwater Photography thread (since it's not me taking the pictures or anything) then I'll just put the photos of my other scuba expedition in Dubai's Atlantis Hotel Dolphin bay from the last week or so here,

After previously swimming with the dolphins, I decided to put my newly acquired Scuba license to good use and get in some diving with the dolphins instead,

Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what I was supposed to be doing here. It looks like I'm basically bro-fisting with the dolphin though


Time for hugs. Underwater hugs.


And where there's hugs, there have to be kisses.


OMG fast! Seriously, it's pretty unusual to be moving that quickly underwater.

[Bacon]

Love that aquarium/fishtank on the escalator! looks like you're having a quality time !

[jamcc]

Did you bang any hot Dubianeese ladies?

Isn't Dubai one of those places they'll chop off your head for holding hands with a girl.

They throw around that kinda crap in the Canadian media too?

Laga, are you going to Abu Dhabi at any point?

[Lagamorph]

Laga, are you going to Abu Dhabi at any point?

Possibly at some point, though it's about an hour away from where we usually stay. Might have to hire a car again if I go over there again and spend a day in Abu Dhabi, or just get one of the bus tours that runs from Dubai and goes on a full day tour of Abu Dhabi.
Technically I have been, but it was only to my dads office when he had to go in one time whilst I was over there, so I went along with him and we went for a little drive around a part of the city afterwards.

[jamcc]

Right, well, I grew up in Al Ain (an hour and a half inland from Dubai / Abu Dhabi), so I know both cities well.

Abu Dhabi is less developed than Dubai, though it's catching up. If you do go to Abu Dhabi, I recommend going to the Lebanese Flower. It's my favourite restaurant in the world. Sit outside on a nice warm evening and get served incredible Lebanese food for a pathetically small amount of money and you can smoke shisha too. If you do go, make sure you get hummus, tabbouleh (mint salad) and arayes (lamb stuffed pittas), with toum (thick garlic sauce). So bloody tasty. There's a sweet bakery next door called the Lebanon Flower, where they do an absurdly huge variety of the best baklava I've ever had.

Just ask a taxi driver to take you there. They'll know where it is.

[Lagamorph]

I did try Shisha whilst I was in Dubai, but I didn't really enjoy it at all, wouldn't bother with it again.

[Buffalo]

...what?

[Skarjo]

I think Lucien may have just quietly lost his mind.

[Lagamorph]

...what?

[Moggy]

It's cool if you're nihilistic and don't care, but you don't take a holiday in North Korea if you're not. Dubai is a decadent shitfest.

I wouldn't say I was nihilistic and I would love to go and visit North Korea. The cost and my cowardliness is probably the only thing that stops me as I think it would be fascinating to see inside a country like that (even if it is only what “they” want you to see).

[jamcc]

Don't post, Lucien.