The Burj and Ski Dubai

After my dad and I awoke from our slumber it was time to eat.  We were in a strange city and didn't know where to eat so late so we opted to eat at Gordan Ramsey's restaurant which was located on the top floor of the hotel.  Although what exactly we ate escapes me, I remember it being good.  After dinner it was time to again hit the sack, the next day we had a big day which included the Burj Al Arab and Ski Dubai.

Burj Al Arab

This is the worlds only six star hotel.  My dad and I knew that if we were gonna be half way around the world we might as well try as hard as we could to get into this hotel for lunch or dinner.  Above is a picture of me frowning in front of one of the most spectacular buildings.  The cool thing about the beach behind me is that the sand is cooled by pipes running along underneath.

My dad and I decided that we would eat lunch at the top of the Burj hoping that the sky would clear up so that we would have a view of the Gulf.  Walking into the Burj was like walking into a palace, the colors were fantastic and the intricate details were astounding.  Just take a look at these pictures.

Fountains at the Entrance 

These are the balconies going up the walls and in the middle is the atrium.  The colors get warmer and warmer as they reach to the top of the building.  

This is a picture of the view from the top.  This is looking down on the beach where I have the first picture from. 

This is a picture of the restaurant.  This is also an illegal picture as photography was not allowed.  

Ski Dubai

This is one of the most marvelous creations that I have ever been inside.  This monstrosity rises from the Mall of the Emirates, glinting in the burning sun that shines down on the desert.  In the picture you can see that it is the giant silver thing. Once inside it is like a ski resort.  They have state of the art equipment and machines that make moving around on your ski's very easy.  

As bad as this may sound, one of the funniest things that I remember from this trip to Ski Dubai is how bad the native people are at skiing.  I would assume it comes from the fact that the nearest place with weather below 100 is a plane ride away.  As I was going up the ski lift it was quite amusing to watch the Arabs fall down the ski slope often loosing ski's in the process. 

These are pictures from the midpoint looking up and down the ski slope.  

And now its off to bed.  

-max

Dubai

My first views of Dubai were at 4,000 ft when the A340-300 we were in broke the clouds.  I did not see a glittering city but instead I saw fog.  Little did I but this fog was to persist the entire two days that we were in Dubai.  This fog did nothing to affect my opinion of this magnificent city.

Getting off the plane was quite an adventure.  Due to the Dubai Airport being renovated there was not enough gates for all the planes and we were one of the unfortunate ones that had to deplane into buses.  As I begrudgingly left my comfy seat and started towards the front of the aircraft I became aware that it was getting hotter and hotter.  Once I stepped out of the aircraft the full force of 115 degree Fahrenheit, 0% humidity hit me.  Dubai literally feels like the air that blows towards you when you open an oven.  Luckily it was only about 30 feet to the bus which was very well air conditioned.  Going through Dubai customs was very easy and in no time we were at the cab.  The cab was to take us to our Hotel, the Hilton Dubai Creek.  (Shown to the right).

Due to the time our plane got in and the check in/out time at the hotel we ended up waiting over an hour for our room.  This wouldn't have been so bad had I managed to get any sleep during the flight over.  Too bad I was playing with the IFE (in flight entertainment system).

When we finally got into the room my dad and I laid down to rest our eyes promising that we would get up in a couple of hours to check out the silk market.  Unfortunately that didn't happen.  This just gives me a reason to go back to this fantastic place.

In my next post I will talk about the Burj Al Arab and the indoor skiing at the mall of the Emirates.


-max

Downtown Zurich and the Airport

Today Domingo, my dad, and I went into Zurich to experience the city.  Our friend Domingo lives in Zurich and he works for a bank (what else do you do in Switzerland).  His job requires that he travels a lot which is what has allowed him to reach the Executive Platinum on American Airlines.  He has almost flown three million miles which is a goal of mine, whether in the cockpit or as a passenger.

Here is a picture of me and Domingo standing with Lake Zurich in the background.  (Yes I realize my eyes are closed.)

After we spent time walking around Zurich and seeing all of the things one would not normally see in a city stateside, we went to the Zurich Airport.  I find this airport to be fantastic for watching planes.  You are allowed to go on top of the terminal buildings and watch planes take off and land.  While this may not appeal to some, I could spend hours watching planes.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Singapore Airlines 777-300ER

Thai Airways A340-600 (Longest plane in the world)

Singapore Airlines plane taking off for a long flight to Singapore. 

Thai Airways beginning to rotate. 

Thai Airways fighting for altitude on its way to Bangkok.  

As you could see it was a very rainy in Zurich, but it did not put me off to the city whatsoever.  I loved the countryside where Domingo lives and being able to look around and see the Swiss Alps is just amazing.  

The next evening we were to get on our plane to Dubai. So here is a picture of our plane that would take us to Dubai and then I will pick up with that tomorrow.  

-max

Zurich

When our easyJet flight landed at Basel-Mulhouse airport we quickly deplaned and went into the terminal.  The cool thing about this airport is it serves two countries as it lies inside of France but is joint operated by France and Switzerland.  The German town of Freiburg is also close by.  When exiting this airport one must be very careful that you are exiting through customs for the right country.  There is a separate line for those going to Germany, France, and Switzerland.  We managed to follow signs and directions and we got through to the Swiss side without a hitch.  There our friend Domingo was waiting for us, we would be staying with him and his wife and their kids for the next two days before continuing on to Dubai.  The rest of today consisted of driving from the town of Basel to Zurich.  The next day we went and explored the Zurich airport and things that would be taboo in the United States.  

-max