Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Singapore, Republic of Singapore (day 24)

 Day 24 - January 30, 2023

Finished packing up and ironed out a few details for the next step of my trip by 12pm. Took a taxi over to the Palm Jumeirah and the View at the Palm, a tower that overlooks the palm below. It was a bit smoggy today, so the views weren't quite what they could have been, but still quite the site to see. The palm was built using rock brought in from quarries nearby and then sand was added which they pulled from the Arabian Gulf around it. The sand was compacted overtop of the rocks to dramatically accelerate the natural sand settlement process. They started with the outside ring first to use as a seawall to protect the palm leaves they added next. On each side of the outer seawall, they left openings to allow the water on the inner part of the ring to keep fresh. The entire project took six years to complete.

The View at the Palm brings you to the 52nd and 54th floors. The 52nd has a glass screen in front of you, but if you pay extra you get access to the 54th floor which is the top of the building open to the air all around. Definitely worth paying the extra to go to the very top!

Spot of cappuccino at the top 

Sun is setting on my time here in Dubai. I am writing this one from the airport, ready to leave for rainy Singapore in about an hour. If all goes well, I should be landing in Singapore after a seven hour flight. Dubai has been really great! I would really recommend this place as a travel destination. Friendly people and lots of wonderful architecture to explore. Different culture here, but it is easy to get help if you need. Rove Hotel was a great place to stay, right in the heart of the downtown. Talking with my taxi driver today, he said the hottest months are June, July, and August. Do not come here then, most of the attractions are shut down because the temperatures can get to 45-50 Celsius! Peak tourist season is October to January 2 and then again in March. Early January after New Years to mid February were recommended as there are less tourists, but still good time to be here. Most attractions close at the end of March for the summer.   

In case you missed it from yesterday (I added after I posted), here is a link to my scootering through the streets of Dubai :D

An Afternoon Scoot in Dubai

Also the light show at Burj Kahlifa Lake:

Burj Kahlifa Lake - Light Show

See you on the other side!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (day 23)

 Day 23 - January 30, 2023

This morning I made my way through an area called City Walk. There are lots of residential homes and beautiful streets to explore. I was told by one of the security officers that I couldn't take pictures with my 'professional' camera, only with a phone. Not sure how he got professional by looking at me :D I wanted to tell him that I do not fall under that category yet. Listened to a sermon which I heard the first time I made it back to church after my car accident in 2018. It really hit me back then with what I had been dealing with. Momentary light affliction and the eternal weight of glory that is to come (2 Corinthians 4). Always a very good reminder of what is in store for us!

Eventually wandered my way to the Green Planet, a rainforest exhibit with lots of birds, reptiles, fish, and a few other animals. You can get right up close to the colorful birds which fly around you singing away. There is a bat cave where some smaller bats fly around in the same room as you, flying just over your head or through your legs. 

Walked to the mall again to find some lunch. I cannot recommend the restaurant Tribes (an African themed restaurant) enough! Really great food, excellent service, and a sweet view of the Burj Kahlifa Lake below. Had some Moroccan spiced lamb with some garlic sauce. The staff was really friendly, and I decided to reserve a table for the evening after they told me about the light show that would happen at 8pm.

Went through the mall some more and then out through the Souk Al Bahar. There are a bunch of restaurants and some spice stalls in this souk. The building smelled of burning incense from a few of the stalls that were filled with the smokey burners. 

After the souk, I went for a bit of a joyride for a couple hours on an electric scooter :D Tried to make my way to the beach with it, but there was all sorts of construction going on, so I went around the circular area around the Burj Kahlifa and the Dubai Mall. Really nice weather today, in the low 70s made for a great time :)

Little time lapse here:

An Afternoon Scoot

After creating a little scooter gang :D, my work was finished for the afternoon and I went back to the hotel for a quick nap. Spent some time researching how to better take photos at night, it's a whole different ballgame. Made my way back to Tribes for some Jamaican lemon chicken and the light show. By now the mall was more packed than I have seen so far. So many people packed around the lake to watch the show. I could watch from the balcony as I ate dinner, away from the ruthless selfie taking mobs below :D

Link to one of the light shows I filmed:

Burj Kahlifa Lake - light show

There are so many cool places to take photos throughout the mall!

The city is full of all sorts of expensive cars, all that oil money they have here helps.

  Tomorrow will be the last day here. I fly out in the evening for Singapore. Got some housekeeping items to catch up on in the morning first, such a rough life :D Have a good night!