Monday, 18 November 2019
Tucson, AZ

I am finally getting back to my normal Tucson life after traveling for a month--I am all unpacked and have done all my laundry.  This morning I started my walking routine in the lovely low-humidity, upper 60-degree sunshine.  But it is time to take my readers back to Dubai for a few more blogs.

Sunday, 10 November 2019
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

After a hearty hotel breakfast, I walk to the closest metro station (the Dusit Thani is exactly equidistant between two stations) and ride one stop to the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa station.  The metro is quite popular with locals and tourists and is always crowded.  Although the station is called "Dubai Mall," I must walk through a maze of enclosed, air conditioned walkways and over bridges to reach the mall itself.  There are some moving walkways, but it is still a long trek from the metro to the mall.

I am here to take the high-speed elevators to the lookout terrace  at the top of the Burj Khalifa.  I am glad that I purchased an advance ticket on the internet, because the line for buying tickets is quite long.  There are two levels of tourist terraces, on the 125th (open air) and the 148th (glass enclosed) floors.  I opt for the lower terrace since it provides opportunity for better pictures, and does not involve a rather large additional cost.

Looking Up Toward the Top from the 125th Floor Terrace

The Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian D. Smith of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill.  It was constructed from 2004-2009 and rises 2,722 feet to the very top.  It contains 163 floors of office space, hotel rooms, and private residences.  In 2019 it remains the tallest structure in the world.  On clear days the visitor can get a 360-degree view of the entire city as it reaches out to the desert on the east and the sea on the west.

 

After being awed by all the futuristic architecture of Downtown Dubai, I take a Hop On-Hop Off bus to an older section of the city, Bur Dubai, to visit the Heritage Museum, a reminder of how the city began.

As I emerge from the museum, I experience one of the most rare and welcome events in Dubai--a thunderstorm with heavy rain.  I quickly find a taxi to take me back to the hotel, but the slow traffic and nasty weather make it the most expensive ride of my time in Dubai.

I have arranged a six-hour Desert Safari Excursion for 2pm today, but I decide to cancel since mud-bashing doesn't sound as appealing as the advertised dune-bashing.  And an evening barbecue in the rain sounds even less appetizing.

Instead I enjoy a lovely Chinese dinner in the hotel's restaurant on the 24th floor, served by a lovely waitress from Kenya, Rachel.  By dinner time the skies have cleared and I have a good view of the lights of Dubai that stretch in both directions up and down Sheikh Zayed Avenue.