Dubai, UAE, Oman and India

DUBAI (UAE):  The tallest building in the world (828 meters), the Middle East’s only indoor ski slope, a “7-star hotel”(Burj al Arab), enormous residential areas created by filling the ocean with sand (The Palm Jumeriah), a great night life and no crime – all in Dubai.  My 24 hour visit was a whirlwind of sightseeing: In addition to seeing the aforementioned sights, I also visited the traditional gold souks and met my buddy’s friend from Sweden; she works on Sheik Mohammed’s yacht as a babysitter/activity partner for his two daughters.  I watched the sunset from her 60^th floor apartment overlooking the water before heading out to experience the city’s nightlife.  All in all, a great day in Dubai.

MUSCAT, OMAN:  The first thing I noticed in Muscat was how immaculate it was- Every street was maintained with flowers and landscaping, trash was non existent, and roadways looked almost new.  Our taxi cab driver said it was all the oil money: they only pay .50 cents per liter here!  I spent the day swimming in the Arabic Sea and relaxing at a beach club / dive center.  Notice in the picture below how far out the tide is!  Other than the Dead Sea, it was easily the saltiest water I had ever swam in.

COCHIN, INDIA:

I was very lucky to get off the ship India.  I was one of less than 20 crew members out of over 1200 that were allowed off the ship in India, simply because I happened to have the proper paperwork: a “Seamen’s Book,” from my trip to Brazil in 2008.  I escorted a tour that stopped at the first Christian church in India (also burial place of Vasco da Gama), a history museum for this region, a spice market, and meandered along the water in a fishing village, where they use a intriguing system of counterweights to lift huge fishing nets from the water every few minutes (I’ll upload a video to youtube/facebook soon).  The other highlight was seeing a traditional Indian dance performance at a swanky 5 star hotel overlooking the water at sunset.  I enjoyed a local Kingfisher beer before returning to the ship.

Next post:  Kula Lumpur, Malaysia and Singapore!  Coming soon!

Happy Holiday's everyone! 

Burj al Arab (7 star hotel) (Dubai)

Burj Kalifa, 828 meters, tallest building, tallest observation deck

The Directory for the mall around the Burj Kalifa- over 800 stores!

The view from the observation deck of the Burj Kalifa - look how small the cars are!

Lavish jewelry at the Gold Souks (Dubai)

Dubai at Night

Touk-Touks to get around in India!

Fishing village in India

Being exposed to the less glossy side of India

Drinks and snacks at a 5 star hotel (Cochin, India)

Main performer from a traditional dance performance (India)

The perfectly manicured streets of Muscat, Oman.

Notice how far out the tide is (Arabic Sea) (Oman)