After a much needed night’s sleep, it’s time to hit the
beach, the hotel shuttle bus takes 15 minutes to get there not because of
distance but due to road development works. The beach, like the rest of Dubai
is broad and flat golden sand with a calm waveless sea, perfect for swimming.
To one side of the beach there are some vast building works and on the other
side the edge of the Jumeriah Palm can be seen with speed boats going in all
directions out to sea and sea planes landing and taking off. The beach is busy,
but not overcrowded and always with plenty to look at. We set off in plenty
time to catch the shuttle bus back to The Pearl Marina Hotel as we haven’t
really got our bearings yet and I really don’t want a long walk!
For the afternoon we’ve decided to go to The Dubai Mall so
suitably cleaned up and dressed we set off to find the metro. The entrance to
the metro – which runs high above the 7 lane motorway – is very futuristic and
grand. It’s easy to buy tickets and find our way around, the ride to the Dubai
Mall gives us a great view of the expanse of Dubai, it’s impressive. Now the
walk to the Mall from the station is via air-conditioned walkways and goes on
for miles with travellators covering much of the distance!!! Then there’s the
Mall, shopping heaven for many vast, glitzy, impressive but that’s not really
why we’ve come here. First stop the Aquarium and Under Water Zoo. The tank is
visible from the shopping centre and at first we’re underwhelmed, yes the
tunnel through the Aquarium is impressive with 18cm thick glass and Tiger Sand
Sharks and Rays swimming round you but it can be seen from the outside. We’re
directed up 2 escalators to the Zoo and this is amazing, lots of great displays
(some a little small for big animals) and high level walkway. Now for the
second and third stops, The Dubai Fountains and The Burj Khalifa, we’ve decided
not to pay extortionate amounts to go up the Burj as it is not clear today and
the amount we would see would be limited. There are huge crowds of people round
the lake waiting for the lights and music display that happens each night every
half hour, we are just in time. The display starts and is amazing all with the
backdrop of the Burj complete with flashing lights. The Burj is so tall you
almost have to lie down to take a full picture of it. The whole are is awe
inspiring. A short meander through the Dubai Souk which in itself is amazing
and then back to see another display of
lights and music, this time at night, wow!
The walk back to the metro takes 40minutes! And so to our
evening meal at a local restaurant recommended by a local. The restaurant is a
vegetarian Indian and the food is incredible,
salad & poppadum’s to start, garlic & vegetable rice with Kadai
Paneer Punjabi, Channa Marsala and butter nan and to finish fresh fruit. We
finish the day with a drink at the Nell Gwynne pub within the Marina Byblos
Hotel, very bizarrely British except for the smoking inside. The attraction of
course was a live band and true to form they do 3 numbers before taking a
break, our timing has not improved during our travels!
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