Sunday 25 April 2010

Dubai

On our way home from Mauritius, we planned a 3 day stopover in Dubai. We wanted to show the boys a few of the sites they'd seen on the Internet back in 2007 when there was a possibility we were moving there instead of Scotland. And Scott needed to be there for work which was perfect for all of us. Our 3 days turned into 10 days due to the ash cloud and we were able to see much more of the city than we expected.

Dubai is NUTS! It's full of concrete, traffic and materialism unlike anything I've ever seen. I am amazed that they continue to build all over the city. I am amazed that they can sell the condos. I am amazed that they can fill their hotels. Of course their economy is hurting right now. But there is still so much construction and so many people!

Scott was first there in 1995 and I first saw it in 2000. So much has changed in these 15 years. It's really astonishing. If you think of every big brand that you can think of, of every big corporation name you can think of, and every hotel chain you can think of, it's in Dubai; CNN, SIEMENS, Coca~Cola, Intel, Microsoft, Armani, Pottery Barn, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, McDonald's, Krispy Kreme, and more. Almost every sign on every building is a recognisable name. It's wild. I suppose because of the location of Dubai, and the drive to build the city to sustain itself after their oil runs dry, it's a one stop shop. Most major US and European corporations have offices here. Even since 2007, when I was last there, the amount of new retail is WILD! And the local people, do not know what to do with themselves. There is so much wealth in a place where there was very little 30 years ago. It's really hard to describe.

Never-the-less, we LOVED being stranded with Scott while he was working. We found things to do that we'd never done before. And ultimately, I think the boys had a terrific time!

Here are a few of the things we experienced and/or saw:


We stayed in the Marina area of Dubai. When we arrived from Mauritius, we just needed to recover from the overnight flight. Ethan and Christopher didn't sleep a wink. So after lunch by the pool, they sat down and within seconds were sound asleep!


We could see the Atlantis Palm from our hotel and we drove by the famous Burj Al Arab everyday.



This is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Surrounding the building is a lagoon with a fountain show designed by the Bellagio, Las Vegas Fountain designers. And surrounding the lagoon is a "new downtown" with a very fancy mall, an Arabian souk and many restaurants. On the night we went to see it, we sat outside and watched the fountains while we enjoyed our dinner. And the boys tried and tried to get the whole building in one picture. It's too big!

One of the highlights for the boys each day was arriving back at the hotel to discover what cars were parked at the front door. They were hilarious naming each one and determining which one was the best in their eyes. Thanks to Top Gear, a British TV show about cars, our boys are well versed in all things CAR! And maybe thanks to their car obsessed father!



Stay tuned, more tomorrow!