From Rainforest to Desert

We left the beautiful and tropical island of Bali and flew overnight to Dubai! We didn’t expect to go here but this stop made it easier to get to our next destination.

Dubai is a new and ultra modern city surrounded by desert sand and ocean. There is every imaginable contemporary shaped building you can think of, including the Burj Khalifa at 2,717 feet tall it is the tallest building in the world and has been since 2008. At night it’s like driving through a movie set as many of the high rise buildings are recognizable and have light shows.

The air feels so dry compared to what we have been in, it’s hot in mid afternoon but cools off quickly when the sun goes down. In August it can get up to 54 degrees Celsius that almost 130 Fahrenheit.

We are staying in the Dubai Marina area. This is where the mega yachts are docked as well as water taxis, dinner cruises on elaborate wooden boats called Dhow boats that carved or parquet wood at the front and back of the wood hulls, and sightseeing tour boats.

Along the waterfront of the marina there are 7 km of cobblestone walking/biking trail with many restaurants, shops, hotels and high rise living spaces. Just beyond the marina area are white sand beaches, this is the area where the famous “palm tree island” are located. You need to be in the air to appreciate these, hopefully we will get a view when we fly out.