dubai/istanbul, a third time round
it has been a year since my last trip to dubai
and little has changed.
there were the usual chicken tikka inn/silver eagle meals,
the requisite visit (or two) to choc & nuts,
every building seemed to be under construction,
and my luggage got so heavy i dragged it like it was a stubborn mule.
this time though, i went on a special journey out to the jumeirah coast
to finally set eyes on, and enter, the burj al arab.
said to be the world's most luxurious 7 star hotel,
the burj al arab was postcard perfect from the moment its famous sail appeared before me,
framed by my taxi's window.
all white and shiny in the sunlight,
i soon learnt that it would give off a pearlescent glow at night.
ok i sound like a hotel brochure.
anyway, it was all gold and glitter when i stepped inside.
i was greeted by a dancing water feature,
gigantic chandeliers hung overhead,
christmas lighting twinkled,
the massive pillars loomed over me,
and many many floors of pretty colors shone down on me.
i made my way to the top floor
for my afternoon tea at the skyview bar
after too many stops for photo-taking.
the staff were warm and friendly
and the ones who served me were from indonesia and the philippines.
the food, served on a silverplatter sail,
was tasty but didn't cause much excitement;
the scones were served hot and fresh with homemade jams and cream,
and there were the more or less standard tea and coffee choices.
it was the view that made the difference.
the cab ride and terrible traffic back to my hotel
after that memorable first burj al arab visit
caused me to throw up most of my meal though.
that's more than USD100 down the toilet bowl. hrmph.
suite rates cost more than SGD3000 a night
and that is just for the standard one bedroom.
don't know if i will ever be so extravagant
but perhaps, someday, i will get to spend a night in one of them.
on to istanbul and it wasn't as cold as it was when i last set foot on turkish soil
so that was a huge relief.
went on my blue mosque/grand bazaar pilgrimage for the third time
coz it was a colleague's first time in istanbul
and three of us girls decided to be his guide.
we huddled up in a little cafe while he checked out ayasofya
and shisha-ed and apple tea-ed and camwhored.
did the touristy thing and paid for a dinner at istanbulin
where we ate the usual meatballs and chicken
and were entertained by belly dancers, a folk band,
and a singer who rasa sayang-ed us.
i am quite sure that last belly dancer WAS a guy.
it was a rather enjoyable night even though i was tired as hell
and we even got on stage to do a little boogie boogie with the dancers.
shall end with my favorite picture of that day:
i am severely jet-lagged which explains why i'm blogging at 3.30am.
*help*
it has been a year since my last trip to dubai
and little has changed.
there were the usual chicken tikka inn/silver eagle meals,
the requisite visit (or two) to choc & nuts,
every building seemed to be under construction,
and my luggage got so heavy i dragged it like it was a stubborn mule.
this time though, i went on a special journey out to the jumeirah coast
to finally set eyes on, and enter, the burj al arab.
said to be the world's most luxurious 7 star hotel,
the burj al arab was postcard perfect from the moment its famous sail appeared before me,
framed by my taxi's window.
all white and shiny in the sunlight,
i soon learnt that it would give off a pearlescent glow at night.
ok i sound like a hotel brochure.
anyway, it was all gold and glitter when i stepped inside.
i was greeted by a dancing water feature,
gigantic chandeliers hung overhead,
christmas lighting twinkled,
the massive pillars loomed over me,
and many many floors of pretty colors shone down on me.
i made my way to the top floor
for my afternoon tea at the skyview bar
after too many stops for photo-taking.
the staff were warm and friendly
and the ones who served me were from indonesia and the philippines.
the food, served on a silver
was tasty but didn't cause much excitement;
the scones were served hot and fresh with homemade jams and cream,
and there were the more or less standard tea and coffee choices.
it was the view that made the difference.
the cab ride and terrible traffic back to my hotel
after that memorable first burj al arab visit
caused me to throw up most of my meal though.
that's more than USD100 down the toilet bowl. hrmph.
suite rates cost more than SGD3000 a night
and that is just for the standard one bedroom.
don't know if i will ever be so extravagant
but perhaps, someday, i will get to spend a night in one of them.
on to istanbul and it wasn't as cold as it was when i last set foot on turkish soil
so that was a huge relief.
went on my blue mosque/grand bazaar pilgrimage for the third time
coz it was a colleague's first time in istanbul
and three of us girls decided to be his guide.
we huddled up in a little cafe while he checked out ayasofya
and shisha-ed and apple tea-ed and camwhored.
did the touristy thing and paid for a dinner at istanbulin
where we ate the usual meatballs and chicken
and were entertained by belly dancers, a folk band,
and a singer who rasa sayang-ed us.
i am quite sure that last belly dancer WAS a guy.
it was a rather enjoyable night even though i was tired as hell
and we even got on stage to do a little boogie boogie with the dancers.
shall end with my favorite picture of that day:
i am severely jet-lagged which explains why i'm blogging at 3.30am.
*help*
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