September page 2007

 RAMADAN KAREEM - we are now in the holy month of ramadan
       remember there are certain rules to be followed during Ramadan
            a salute marks the end of fasting every day
 All the hotels have special arrangements for iftar - the breaking of the fast
            
 Remember "Chillout"? The ice(d)bar that opened before the summer..here are more pictures from the newspaper:
      
 
 
 
We went for a Saturday drive to Madinat Jumeirahs super luxurious hotel: Al Qasr. The next text is how the hotel is described on their homepage:		  

"Elevated as if to emphasise its splendour, Al Qasr is the 'palace' at the heart of Madinat Jumeirah, The Arabian Resort - Dubai. Approached via a ceremonial causeway, this majestic mansion style hotel rises up to form the jewel in the crown of the world's most sublime Resort and authentic recreation of 'old Arabia'. Surrounded by water, Al Qasr forms a virtual island looking down upon a multitude of fascinating aspects: ancient windtowers, pools, meandering waterways and the superb two kilometre wide private beach."

www.madinatjumeirah.com/al_qasr

 

     
 The lobby boasts some beautiful chandeliers -  and a fountain flanked by carpet covered staircases  
not only is the hotel very nice inside but also the outdoors has been made very nice with lots of water features
 not to mention the fact that the hotel is situated within a complex that boasts 3,7km of waterways accesible only by abra (watertaxi)    
This is Ashok, who very kindly took us for the long ride round the canals and explained a lot of details we would otherwise not have noticed
 the water is seawater and through a pipesystem into the sea the water is renewed every 4 hours.    one of the 21 restaurants (Meat Co) in Souk Madinat, a copy of an old arabian souk, with access for the public
 childrens playground - Sinbad club (with lots of attendants of course)    
 Back on dry land this is the view from one of the reataurants in Al Qasr as are the next pictures    
 Just had to try a coffee in these beautiful surroundings.  as the hotel is considered a private space, they are allowed to serve during daylight hours even in ramadan  
 Exiting the hotel these golden horsestatues tells you a lot about arabian mentality - and certainly about their love for horses    
   On the 24th and 25th september Mr Maersk McKinney Moller visited Dubai. On the left is The report on the front page of Gulf News and on the right the picture on pg 3 of Khaleej Times.  
 As a part of the visit I was invited to join in some of the sightseeing which included a tour of the Palm Jumeirah and the Autodrome. This is a model of the Atlantis Hotel on the tip of the breakwater surrounding the Palm Jumeirah.  
Next to the hotel is a water park which will include a slide ending in a tube - because in the pool will be live sharks. 		 This is the boat which took us to see the Palm from the waterside
   In the background the developer Nakheels salesoffice  villas on one of the fronds (palmleaves)
   the last plot on each frond is sold to private buyers and they alone are allowed to build a house of their own design  
   in this space the Trump Tower will be built  
 Next stop: the Dubai Autodrome    
     This Italian driver kindly showed us the details of the speedcars
 the view from the pit  a few of our  party were allowed test drives with another driver from England  The paramedics are always on standby when there is any kind of activity on the course
 the entrance to the pit  
one of our party arriving back into the pit after an exciting experience 		 
 the facilities inside this pit  the crew on standby to tell us the ins and outs of motorracing  the safety room with all the surveillance cameras