Wow it’s a meaningful quote and I agree wholeheartedly with Thomas Jefferson. A person really enjoys his travel when he is alone because he doesn’t waste time in a lot of chit chat. Every minute of his travel he enjoys a lot and also he gets a lot of time to reflect and frame his ideas.
The last day of our tour I dedicated to my adventurous yearnings. The Aqua venture water park beckoned us with the promise of the most exciting day out in Dubai. Going there by 10 am made a lot of sense as it is open right until sunset. The entry of £45 for adults and £35 seemed reasonable too for an entire day of delight. The cashless payment system of loading up the wristband by use of credit card or even by cash on arrival was the most convenient. The most wonderful part of this aqua adventure was the stunning beach front location at Atlantis. The tropical 42 acres seem to stretch on forever. I thought the best way to explore this wonderland, is to grab a tube and float your way around this park, by way of the mile long inter-connected waterway. We decided to spice up the day by braving the rapids and then got into Surge and viewed the skyline of Dubai. However later we went in for the Aquaconda which boasts of being the longest waterslide. The dual racing loops had us in loops. As we emerged out of them, we got into Poseidon’s Revenge which sends you plummeting down at the speed of 60 km per hour! What really took a lot of courage and coaxing from my family was getting into the centrepiece, called the Ziggurat. As soon as we got it immediately plunged us down the leap of Faith, an actual near vertical free-fall waterslide. We reminded each other, to keep our eyes open as its path was through shark-filled waters. Taking a break from the adrenalin pumping rides, I walked across the lost chambers aquarium which housed the best of marine life. The tropical waterfall caught my attention, but soon my attention by caught by the squeals of delight of my son and husband who were trying the rope bridges and water sprays and canons. Here we were in the city of Dubai! On our last day, enjoying a fun filled day drenched to the skin in this water park. This last day adventure made me decide that this is one place which we all need to come again and again, as I gazed at the stunning golden beach. Description - My love for cooking and travelling has given me a chance to try one of the famous delicacy known as Shawarma. This Arabic dish has meat as per your choice like lamb, chicken, turkey, beef or mixed meats. As a travel buff, If I plan to visit middle-east, the first things that I would like to do is have this amazing Shawarma.
We woke up in the morning and I decided that our visit today would to be a place of an architectural wonder, which is proof of a tall order that is a landmark across the globe. Craning our necks to look at the mega-tall skyscraper standing to a height 829.8m is an experience of a lifetime. This is when I realized how incorporating cutting edge-technology and cultural influences with a combination of modern and traditional architecture, an iconic structure can be built. My family and I looked at the Y-shape of the building wondering how this has resulted in providing maximum perimeter for windows in living spaces. This is what I call intelligent use of spaces in urban areas. My son watched open mouthed at the tapering tower rising. I explained that the setbacks occur at the ends of each wing that spirals upwards. This I said is responsible for decreasing the weight of the tower as the height increases. These setbacks were also introduced in the wind tunnel to lessen the force of winds. We were literally lost in the 2, 00,000 sq. area of the internal space of Burj Khalifa.What an overwhelming feeling it was! The interior space I got to know was planned first keeping in mind three goals-of recognizing to support the buildings height, for appreciating the local heritage, plus for integrating the structural and architectural rationale. Naturally my husband with his scientific questioning prowess discovered that the tower incorporated numerous fire safety enhancements including lifeboat evacuations during certain conditions, thereby decreasing evacuation by stairs by nearly 45%. Our hearts beat in high speed, while taking the high speed elevators to the top. We appreciated and celebrated the fact that we were in one of world’s fastest running elevators. And I stepped out onto the world’s highest public outdoor observation terrace, I breathed in the top of the world feeling. However I could help taking a closer look at the world, below with the high powered telescopes.
Booking online is better to avoid the rush at the last minute. However, we can gain an entry every 30 minutes. The building is so imposing that it can be spotted 95 km away! What a spectacular view of the skyline of this exotic city. Gurunanak Darbar Sikh Temple Dubai - I had heard a lot about the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Gurunanak Darbar Sikh Temple Dubai gave an opportunity to get a glimpse of it as it is modeled after the one in Amritsar. The beautiful shrine is visited and worshipped by 50,000 Sikhs residing in UAE. It is a must visit for anyone traveling to Dubai.
I felt an ideal holiday should always include intense sight-seeing, many activities but interspersed with pampering ourselves with the best luxuries too. I announced to my family that after visiting places where I had to walk miles and roughing it up, let us pamper ourselves by visiting a spa resort. As the name suggests, we can experience world class services here. On arrival at Bab Al Shams Desert Resort, I found the desert scene at its best. The setting itself is around the sand dunes. This desert resort and spa is built in traditional rustic Arabic style fort. What a change of scene in just 45 minutes from the main city centre!! Stepping in gave me a feel of actually being in days gone by, with courtyards, fountains, lush green gardens and stone alleyways. We were guided into our rooms. My husband and my son could not stop exclaiming in delight at the elegant rooms, decorated in true Arabic rural style. My son was very keen to get into the infinity pool which overlooked the desert. So before the starting off on the day we all jumped into the pool. The scene from the pool was awe-inspiring; imagine looking at miles and miles of sand dunes stretching ahead. After a large breakfast at one of the four restaurants we skipped happily towards the jeep, for exploring the surrounding desert and sand dunes. But we gave it up and opted instead to sit on camels! How very exciting. The desert air cooled our brows and the rocking movements of sitting on the camel’s back elicited giggles from us. On return I took the luxury of indulging myself by checking into the spa for a refreshing massage. Emerging out of the spa I saw that my son was trying his hand at archery with the help of expert guidance. I discovered there was falconry and croquet too, which he said he would try on his next visit. My husband had made arrangements at the open air-Al Hadheerah Desert Restaurant for a unique dining restaurant.
We promised that next time, we will try to spend two days here, as the resort offers world class luxury in original desert surroundings. The Lost Chambers Aquarium Dubai - It was a nice experience visiting The Lost Chambers Aquarium, Dubai. There is a huge transparent tank filled with blue water and multiple species of big, small to very small size fishes in different colors. Some of them were really beautiful. A look at these fishes makes you think, the artist in the creator of the universe was in the best of his mood to create such beauties!
An excellent way of pampering oneself is, of course, shop till you drop! And i am one person who does not miss an opportunity for indulging in this. I considered this an opportunity of a life time. Today, was my day at the Dubai Mall the world’s largest shopping mall. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, which I needed for energy as the day would involve me walking up and down visiting the 20-billion-dollar Downtown complex, with awesome 1,200 shops. As we stood in this Mall our eyes grew round in wonder at this huge sprawling shopping arena. What I gathered was the Mall keeps getting expansions in phases, keeping in mind the increasing annual visitor traffic to this Mecca of shopping. The personalized flagship stores of the world’s most renounced brands mesmerized us. The haute couture and the elegant brands offering discounts on clothes made our day. We could purchase a dress for me and a pair of shoes for my son. My husband smiled and opted to indulging in window shopping, instead. We discovered that to ease the millions and millions of visitors here an alternate avenue entrance has been set up with valet parking for a seamless visitor experience. And the good news was, all valet parking and valet services remain available all across the mall. What an exercise in managing such huge numbers effortlessly! Suddenly our stomachs growled with pangs of hunger. We stood deciding from the 150 outlets, from fine dining to casual eateries. The prices to suit all packets pleased us and soon we were tucking into Mediterranean salad and rich Lebanese shewarma’s. We ate in real style as the malls promenade that houses the restaurants offers views, overlooking Burj Khalifa Lake and Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest tower. Soon after the walk through the underwater zoo and aquarium felt as if we would be able to touch the animals. The acrylic panelling though 70mm thick gave the clearest view due to its high transparency. The Ice Rink and Sega Republic an indoor theme park gave me an idea about the high technological expertise that is in use here.
I was a not the least bit tired as we made our back from this larger than life experience of shopping at its best! |
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About Author
This is Diana, I consider myself as a passionate individual. I believe that everything in life should be given equal importance, be it your job, family or hobbies. You don’t have to make sacrifices, you can enjoy everything if you plan it well. I’m a working mom, I love cooking, travel/vacation and photography. Through this blog, I want to share my life experiences and management/planning skills. I just want my readers to follow their passion and live a happy life.
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