Day 2 - From the earth to the sky

Dubai has to be the dream of many architects. Because one who says Dubai says spectacular skyscrapers, innovative ideas and a futuristic atmosphere.

Just recently, the Gevora hotel opened its doors as the world's tallest hotel, a title that it took from another hotel located in Dubai. They all want to be the biggest and the highest there 😀.
The most spectacular building, and for the time being the tallest building in the world, is the Burj Khalifa, which was opened in early 2010 with spectacular fireworks and finished at a whopping 828 meters. They had been working on this building for 6 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The financial crisis almost ruined the plans. Dubai was hit hard and construction was about to stop. Help came from an unexpected side. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, Emir of Abu Dhabi and also president of the United Arab Emirates paid the outstanding bills to help finish the tower. Initially it was the intention to call the tower Burj Dubai (Tower of Dubai), but as a thank you, the name was at the last minute replaced by Burj Khalifa (and thus named after the president).

Being the highest was not enough for the designers. The tower has the highest bar, the highest mosque, the highest swimming pool and the fastest lift in the world. You are indeed being lifted at a dazzling speed. In just 1 minute  and at a speed of 42 km/h you end up on the 124th floor where there is a viewing platform, with the misleading name 'At the top'. Because you are not really 'at the top'.

You are only at 456 m altitude. High enough in any case to enjoy the panoramic views .... except today.

Since Christmas, extreme fog has kept Dubai in its grip. At certain times it was so bad that flights could no longer land at the airport and had to be diverted to Abu Dhabi. Even today, a combination of fog and sand surprises us and we see the surroundings in a dark, brown haze. It is extremely hazy. Fortunately, we are above all that fog and the sun shines on us. Does it feel like the tower is moving? Oh yes, the tower is made to move, about 2 meter. The other tall buildings, each of which deserves the title of skyscraper, lie humbly at the feet of the Khalifa. They look like towers made out of children’s toys. But all designed with a unique architecture. Dubai, the Walhalla of the architects. With a clear vision and constructions consisting of glass, stone, steel and concrete, they design unique artworks, one more successful than the other, but a city built to withstand the future.

Even the metro is an automated monorail, intended to reinforce the futuristic character. That metro was inaugurated on September 9, 2009 at 9h09m09s.

The Burj consists of a total of 160 floors, of which the first 24 are occupied by the Giorgio Armani hotel, the only Armani hotel in the world. Then there are floors with offices, followed by apartments that were sold in a few hours. Then of course there are a few technical areas, including water supply, which turned out to be a challenge in this giant tower. There are more apartments above that.
The tower is about to lose its record as the tallest building in the world to a tower that is being finalized in Saudi Arabia. As visionary as the people are, Dubai is already building a new 'tallest' building. The tower, which will be called Dubai Creek Tower, is designed in the shape of a rocket and will be about 1100 m high and should be ready by 2020, the year that Dubai organizes the world exhibition.

Even though much is being built up in the air, Dubai is struggling with enough space, especially on the coastline. Solution: the construction of artificial islands off the coast. These 'palm islands' look like palm trees from the sky : a trunk and leaves on which the megalomaniac villas of the millionaires are built. And palm islands without palm trees is just not done, so there are green palms everywhere. At Palm Jumeirah, the first of these islands, among others, the luxurious Palm Hotel and the Atlantis were built.

Another iconic building is the famous Burj Al Arab hotel that looks like a sail. Iconic because of its architecture, but also iconic because of its service. 1,000 employees are ready to provide the guests with everything their heart desires. Those who wish to enter the hotel must be able to submit a reservation for an overnight stay, a booking for the restaurant or bar. The design of the hotel is an ode to the pearl fishermen who used to maintain the economy in this region. In very primitive circumstances they made deep dives with only a nose clip, leather protection for their fingers, a woven basket, a 5 kg stone to lower them and a rope to get back up. Each dive took about 3 minutes and about 50 dives were recorded per fisherman per day. Not that they made big money; that was reserved for the pearl traders. With the arrival of the cultivated Japanese pearls, the pearl fishery in the Emirates came to an end.

But the symbolism does not stop there. The hotel also has a height of 321 m, the speed of a falcon, the symbol of the Emirates and the favorite animal of Sheikh Zayed.

To enter the Burj Al Arab you need a reservation. You can do this in different ways: you can book an overnight stay. One problem: the Burj has no rooms ... only suites and they come with a price. The cheapest is a suite of 170m2. Only 7,500 euros per night, a bargain price I would say. The larger the suite, the higher the price, of course. Anyone who wants to stay in the largest suite of approximately 1,500m2 will put around 66,000 euros on the table. Not everyone can afford that. Then maybe drink something in the bar? It is always the cheapest way to visit an expensive hotel. This is also possible here but please note: during sunset you pay for a cappuccino (the cheapest on the menu) 350 euros for a seat with sea view. You can stay 40 minutes while having one drink. If 350 euros is a lot, you can also opt for the side with a view of the city. This costs 200 euros.

But for that money you will of course get top service worth 7 stars, lavish gilded decorations and you will live in a dream for a while. For the super-rich who arrive by helicopter, a special helipad has been set up  on which in 2005 the highest tennis match ever was played between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi.

Between all this glass and steel, it is sometimes difficult to imagine that you are in the desert and that this tallest city in the world used to be nothing more than a fishing village with about 300 inhabitants. Fortunately, there is also something left of the old city with a maze of small, narrow streets, meant to chase the wind through as a ventilation stream and to bring shade. Here is also the oldest building in Dubai located, the old defense fort in  which houses the Dubai Museum.

Via the old wooden ferries, the so-called 'abra' or water taxi, we cross The Creek in five minutes. The Creek is a sea arm that separates two older districts in the city. We are brought to the old souk. Goods are delivered mainly from Iran via the large wooden dhows. These goods are in turn sold in the adjacent souk. The boats bring everything, ranging from small pots of Iranian Beluga caviar to large refrigerators. We are attracted by the colored spices, fragrant perfumes, the fruity aroma of tea and the blingbling of the gold market.

In this place you really  feel the vibe of the Middle East. Away from the modern feeling of Dubai, away from all kinds of designs in glass and steel. Away from amusement parks, artificial islands, lush yachts (including the yacht of Abramovich, owner of Chelsea football club and the world's largest yacht), away from fancy luxury hotels and luxury in general. But the fragrances and colors of the Middle East, men and women in traditional clothing, the call to prayer by the muezzin with a beautiful clear-sounding voice that resounds from the many mosques, the warmth of the desert, the bargaining on the market and Arabic music that reaches up to the sky.