Clearly I am not traveling enough.
I still have 77% to go … according to TravBuddy.com.
Create your own world map like this.
Category: travel
Chris in Dubai
Chris Baraniuk is coaching Cirque du Soleil’s first venture into the Middle East.
Infamous for brief, nay terse, (though prompt and reliable) email messages, his New Year’s letter home is insightful and most interesting:
Happy New Year. I hope you have a year of happiness.
Greetings from Dubai. As I sit at my laptop in my apartment, the noise of the construction on the building beside me is very loud. Construction stops only from 2 – 6 am.
Dubai has 15% of the world’s construction cranes. Judging from the brief travels I have taken, I do believe it. I have not seen an area that is not under construction.
Despite this, there are many fascinating things here in Dubai. Our apartments are almost on the beach. It is a tourist area with many hotels and apartments, and the beach is quite nice, blue clear water. Most of the tourists here are from Europe, and a large number of the new wealthy Russian class. Our apartments are considered 4 star, and are definitely luxury. I am not really sure how people can afford to come here as a tourist. But tourism and trade are the big money makers here.
Oil only accounts for about 10% of the economy. The leaders foresaw that the oil will run out, so they rapidly set the economy on a different path.
The buildings in Dubai are quite amazing, tall, slender, each seems unique. All seem at least 40 stories high. The world’s tallest building is under construction here, apparently it will be twice as high as the Empire State Building.
At Cirque we were told many things about how to dress, act, etc. while in Dubai. Most have proven to be false, as many people dress as they would in North America. Some women dress in traditional clothing. Very few women are covered except for their eyes. Of the people living here, only 10 % are from the Emirates. Everyone else is a foreign worker: either a labourer from India, Pakistan, Philippines, a hired professional expat, or a tourist.
There is shopping, shopping, and more shopping here. There are a large number of huge shopping malls. Our show site is on the parking lot of a big shopping mall. It has 5 different sections, each with a different geographical theme: Egypt, Persia, India, Tunisia and Andalusia. The Mall of the Emirates has an indoor downhill ski slope. It is probably worth trying….We are now in the middle of the Dubai Shopping Festival: 45 days of special sales….. Perhaps I can afford something if it is on sale…..
Yesterday I went to Dubai Creek, where the center of the city is and the older areas. There is an historic quarter with older houses that have wind towers to trap the air as a form of air conditioning. The weather now is quite pleasant: usually about 20-23. In the summer apparently it can get to about 40 – 45. In order to get to the older area, we took a boat across: about 33 cents. The boats are mostly for the workers to get back and forth. These are much more civilized that the boats that go across the river in Bangkok.
We visited the spice and gold souks yesterday: outdoor markets where you can buy spices: saffron, liquorice root, dried oranges, cinnamon sticks in big bags. Of course, all the vendors want you to buy from them: “for you, best price”. The gold market was row upon row of shops, an unbelievable assortment of usually over-the-top designs. Apparently gold is a good buy here. A friend looked at some diamond earrings. The vendor started at 2900 dirham, best price was 1900, and oh yes, best price again was 1700.
There are a huge assortment of cashmere scarves, shoes, and knock-off watches, handbags. The vendors on the street constantly in a low voice: fake watches, Rolex, handbags…. Two artists got pulled into a shop, the door locked and she left with a designer handbag for about $60.
It is interesting to see all the maps in books about Dubai. Most have all of these areas on the map, but it says u/c beside it, meaning under construction.
There are 3 big Palm Islands being constructed out in the ocean off the beaches. They dump sand in the ocean, let it settle and go from there. One of these is near out apartments. Unless you are very high up, you can’t really see that that is what is it is. You can however, from Google Earth. If you are interested…
Burj Al Arab: The world’s only “7 star” hotel. It gave itself the 7 stars. It apparently is a 5 star luxury. It is the shape of a sailboat. Taller than the Eiffel Tower, it is the world’s tallest hotel. It must be outrageously expensive. It is connected to the shore by a causeway. You have to pay about $ 100 just to walk across to see it. I doubt I will go.
There are numerous safari trips you can take out from the city: go riding camels, four wheeling, sand surfing, have an overnight trip.
So, so far Dubai has been a unique experience. I spent Christmas and New Year’s at Cirque parties by the beach, not at 20 below zero.
As unique as it is, I still miss home and all my friends. I hope you are doing well.
Take care
Chris
photos – New Year’s 2006 – Warren
Update: Warren posted a flickr set with MORE photos like these: New Years Eve 2006.
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Warren takes great photos.
Saskatoon had record snow this Fall. Aaron Reynolds decided to flood the lake in front of their Emma Lake cabin to make a smooth hockey rink. Warren captured this image:
See 69 of Warren’s photos from the fun fest that was the New Year’s weekend 2006 at Emma Lake, Saskatchewan.
Or check out Warren’s photos from LAST New Year’s weekend (2005).
I had a great time, as always. It was good to catch-up with many of my Saskatchewan friends.
Happy 2007!
Americans travelling less to Canada
Even though travellers entering the States by land won’t need a passport until March 2009, Lawley said the perception that one is already required has driven away many tourists.
And that will only get worse once passports are required to get into the country, since an estimated 75 per cent of Americans don’t have a passport, Lawley said.
“That has a very chilling effect on cross-border travel,” Lawley said. “That means up to 75 per cent of U.S. business is at risk.”
travel free while in Australia
My travel insurance affiliate is part of a promotion which pays for travellers to tool around Australia free for up to 6 weeks.
… hmmmm
WE WANT YOU ! to travel all over the Australian countryside, write about it, blog it, vodcast and podcast it on the World Nomads website – vehicle and technical requirements provided free of charge – and you could be on your way to a career as a travel writer. Or at least a travel tragic.
World Nomads is looking for a minimum of 16 ‘Adventure Ambassadors’ to share in a huge, two-year Aussie road trip. Travellers Auto Barn will provide the Ambassador van (which bears little resemblance to its Indian namesake) and if you make the grade and get selected as an Ambassador, you can drive off into the countryside, exploring the great Aussie continent at will, for up to six weeks.
it’s terrible to get old
But you wouldn’t know it to read Peter and Joyce Long’s Christmas card. (year in review with photos)
They’ve had an exhausting year of international travel and socializing. The biggest worries in retirement seem to be along the lines of, “The Parisians are so rude.”
I visited them in March at their new home in Florida.
Peter in kayak gear
Australia voted top travel destination
Lonely Planet’s 2007 “Bluelist” is a worldwide poll of 32,000 travellers who rank the top destinations:
NZ not blue about travel poll – Newstalk ZB
After last week’s record cold temperatures, I’m looking forward to departing for Australia January 9th.
larger photo – flickr
do you have a passport?
Passport Rules Changing – Gadling
Making my way to Canada this year to spend a week in the gloriously beautiful Canadian province of Newfoundland, I discovered a nasty little surprise. My wife and I got to the airport and discovered that Newfoundland requires Americans traveling there to bring a passport or birth certificate to enter by air from the United States. I had no idea.
For years living in Seattle I came and went to Canada and needed only to show my drivers’ license. I was pretty damn upset because no one told us that the rules had changed, and so we had to go back and get our passports and needless to say, we missed our plane.
Well my hardies, the rules HAVE changed, although they have not taken effect Canada-wide quite yet, and when they do take effect, they will cover Mexico as well. Yes, visitors to the NAFTA states North and South will soon have to bring along passports to cross the country’s borders…well, the key is really getting back in. The rules take effect December 31 for air travelers to and from the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada.
A year later, on Dec. 31, 2007, the requirement will be extended to all land-based border crossings as well.
Adventure – Namibia
I’ve had Namibia on my list-of-places to get to since I saw photos from when Jay Magnus lived there. Looks like they offer sand sports as they do in Peru.
Are you an adventure sports junky and are looking for a forlorn Decertified destination then Namibia’s weather-beaten west coast is the place for you.
Travelistic – online video
Those who feel YouTube is crappy should check Travelistic. It’s by far the best interface for online video I’ve seen.
It happens to be a travel site. But the format could be used for any specialty channel.
Top ranked series include The Thirsty Traveller and the scantily dressed GetOut Girls.
For a sample, try Travelistic: Switzerland: Jungfraujoch — a tour of the cog railway to the highest train station in Europe.
Rick McCharles 