Day 16–Dubai

Today’s adventures in Dubai started in the enormous Dubai Mall. Why? Because there are few places like it but mainly because it was air conditioned.

Just about every brand name you can think of has a dedicated shop here covering four floors.

My next destination was the 148th observation deck of the Burj Khalifa building, the tallest in the world. In doing so I made a wrong turn and ended up outside the mall. As you can see from the above shot, I tried to take some photos but couldn’t work out why the camera wouldn’t focus. Then I realise it was because my camera was complaining that it had just come from the nice air conditioned inside to the boiling hot outside and was all fogged up.

Looks much better once you let the tempreture of the camera equalise with the outside environment eh?

My aim was to get to the top but the more I walked around the base outside, sweating profusely, the more I came to realise I had made a (terrible) mistake.

The good thing I wasn’t the only one that had been fooled by the signage as someone asked whether I had found the the way to the top. When I said ‘no’, we troop back to the exit we had emerged from and found not more than 20 metres further on the admissions area. See what the tempreture here does to you? And it was about to repeat the dosage.

Now here’s where it get interesting (or I where I got confused should I say). So, I go up to the desk and say that I want to go to the ‘top’. To the attendant that means I want to go to the highest level observation deck on the 148th floor. That is considered a ‘premium’ ticket.

However, I had no idea that there are other ‘cheaper’ observation decks on the 124th and 125th floors, so I grab my ticket and go charging off to the elevators.

I’m stopped before the turnstiles by another attendant who wants me to go into a ‘waiting room’ for coffee. Why would I want coffee I think? I just wanna go up to the observation deck. He then offers to take a picture of me with a model of the building that is nearby. He jokingly asks for $5 for this? Instantly my ‘scammer’ alert goes off and I make a break for the turnstiles again.

I get to the turnstiles but get turned back by another attendant who tells me I have to go to the ‘waiting room’ and have coffee. Defeated, I slink back to the ‘waiting room’, past the previous attendant waggling his finger at me and into the ‘waiting room’.

I go inside the nice ‘waiting room’ where I accept water and some Arabic ‘coffee’ (more like tea actually I reckon personally). I am still puzzled as to when I actually get to go up the tower but for now I’m resigned to my fate, doing what I’m told, in the ‘waiting room’ drinking coffee.

Some other tourists now enter the ‘waiting room’ looking as perplexed as me a few minutes ago. They are offered water and coffee like me but before the attendant can return they have made a bee line for the door and are out in what is obviously a foolish attempt to breech the turnstiles. I sip my Arabian coffee in full knowledge that they will be back.

After having this sequenced repeated with half a dozen or so other tourists, a guide arrives and informs us that she is here to take us to the top observation deck. Finally, I get what I paid for, even though I remain somewhat puzzled as to why only a handful of us got the ‘waiting room’ treatment. At least I go something to drink I suppose.

With her leading the way we all make it through the turnstile barrier and are soon in a high speed lift to the 125th floor. Here we change for the lift to the 148th observation deck.

When the doors open at this level it finally dawns on me what’s going on as an army of attendants rush to greet us with drinks, snacksand warm welcomes. Ah, yes. I see now. I’ve paid for the ‘premium’ viewing experience. Ah ha. A few more signs at the entry point might help guys as I’m obviously not the only tourist who was fooled. Now that my world makes sense again things begin to flow.

It’s a bit like a flight lounge up here. Chairs, waiters, private bathrooms and the like. Ah ha, I get it now.

However, the view is what you really come for an it is amazing to think how high up we are.

There is also an outside observation deck were you can not only get a great view but also sweat in the heat. I can vouch for the fact that it is as hot up here as it is on the ground floor. I soon beat a hasty retreat back to the comfort of the air conditioning.

Once you have finished in the rarefied air that is the 148th floor you proceed back down to the 125th and back with those who elected to take the ‘economy’ observation experience.

This level is combined with the 124th and also has an external viewing platform (which is still just as hot as the one as the one on the 148th).

After returning to terra firma, I grab a coffee and something to eat and jump on the tourist bus for a lap around Dubai before my ‘desert experience’ this afternoon.

Dubai is divided into an ‘old’ and ‘new’ area.

After about 2 hours on the bus I loop back to the Dubai Mall entrance and grab a taxi back to my hotel, with some time to spare before my ‘desert experience’. More about that soon.