Dubai Fountain

Finally able to get Brian's video of the

Dubai Fountain.

Brian took this video while he was in Dubai the first part of November.

This particular presentation was only white sprays of water and unfamiliar music.

Many songs and displays of color are presented throughout the program.

Following is a presentation

from the internet. 

You may have seen this fountain when it was sent around in an email of facinating places to visit.

http://www.wimp.com/dubaifountain/

LeeAnn cannot wait

to see this fountain in person.
If you really like the fountain then try this link as well.
http://www.wimp.com/yetufountain/

Dubai From Brian's Camera

Brian took a trip to Dubai last week and was finally able to send me the pictures he took from his iPhone. The pictures from a previous post were from a friend's facebook page--posted with permission.
Dubai is straight east of where Brian lives, and is in the country of the United Arab Emirates.

Satellite view of Downtown Dubai.

In this view you can see the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) and its shadow just inside the top of the circular road called Emaar Blvd.

In the center you can see the Dubai Fountain, which is the mechanics of a huge water fountain. This fountain sprays water in various spurts and angles along with colored lights which all dance to the theme of the music that is playing.

To the right is the Dubai Mall. This is the mall that has the snow ski hill and large aquatic zoo.

 This is a replica of the Burj Khalifa.

Brian took this picture while looking down from above the entrance to the Burj Khalifa.

View of the mechanics of the Dubai Fountain. I was noticing how similar this photo is to the satellite view. Who needs a satellite if you can go up in the Burj Khalifa?

Here is the horizon from the Burj Khalifa. You can see the city just surrenders to a vast expanse of sand.

View from another direction of the Burj Khalifa. This shows the Arabian Sea.

This is one of the entrances into the Dubai Mall. Many of the people in the front have just come from watching the Dubai Fountain.

View of the mall walkways and domed ceiling.

Brian is standing in front of a window that separates the mall walkways from the mall ski resort. The resort is all enclosed and kept at about 28 degrees. All of the equipment and clothing is rented. The temperature outside was about 85 degrees.

There was also a sledding chute. Visitors could use the stairs as well as the ski lift. These photos are all of the bottom section, the resort goes way back and up to the left.

A view of the window that separates the resort from the mall hallways.

The Dubai mall has the world's largest single acrylic panel; They call it the Aquatic Underwater Zoo.

It is not very often that the Dubai Fountain is actually white. Usually there are colored lights shining through the water spurts. The water spirals and twirls along the pool surface while beautiful music is played into the night air.

Brian is standing on the edge of a man made island known as the Palm Jumeira. This is a huge island build by man in the shape of a palm leaf. These buildings are on the shore of Dubai and Brian is out on the island.

This is a satellite picture of the island Palm Jubeira. It is a little bigger than Downtown Dubai. Each frond has large villas and other buildings. Construction workers dredged the area and dumped sand in the shape of a palm frond. There is another larger one down the beach a few miles, but construction was ended before any buildings were built.

Close up of one of the fronds and the boat docks. This gives an idea of the size of each frond.

Many of you have seen the email about a tennis court on the top of a motel. It is the highest tennis court on earth--above the motel Burj Al Arab or Burj Dubai (I found it under both names). I wish I knew what "Burj" meant, they use that name often. Brian did not get a chance to go see it from the top, but he did get a picture of it from his motel.

Geography Lesson

This journey has been very educational for our family and we have not even left the country yet...well, most of us.

As the kids and I hear of their father's adventures we find ourselves drawn to a map to find out where he is.

Many names of countries have changed since we were in elementary school.

Here is a little geography lesson for those who were as uninformed as we were.

Our first view finds Brian on the other side of the world.

The red pin is in the center of Saudi Arabia.

Brian is in Al Khobar, just to the right of the pin along the Arabian Sea. It used to be called the Persian Gulf. We have also heard it called the Arabian Gulf.

As we zoom closer we find Saudi Arabia is the bulk of the peninsula. You can see the city of Manama which is actually in the island country of Bahrain. 

The country of Qatar is the small peninsula just to the left of the letter U in United Arab Emirates. Al Khobar is close to the sea near the dark area between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Iran is across the sea.

Close-up of the Arabian Sea.

You can barely see the island of Bahrain under it's title.

You can also see Dubai to the right in the United Arab Emirates.

Brian spent several days in Dubai.

We have a previous blog about his travels there as well as other blogs to come--with more pictures.

You can see the island of Bahrain a little better on this map.

You can also see Al Khobar.

The road between Bahrain and Al Khobar is called the Causeway, and Customs is on the Causeway somewhere out of Bahrain.

Many people fly into Bahrain and drive into Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

Here is a clearer map of Bahrain, the Causeway, and Al Khobar.

If I remember correctly the Causeway is about 20 miles long.

The compound we will live in, and where Brian lives now.

The compound walls touch either side of the photo and the compound is rectangular.

Satellite imagery never ceases to amaze me.

I could zoom in to our specific villa, but I am not positive which one it is.

I believe it is to the right of the center road that divides the compound in half.

Camels Out On The Saudi Desert

While 4-wheeling out in the desert, Brian came upon a herd of about 8 camels scattered about 50 yards from each other.

Turn up the volumn so you can hear them talking.

Make the video larger to get a better view.

Dubai has aluminum? Who knew?!!

Brian went to Dubai last week on a business / site seeing trip.

The purpose of the trip was to look at some other aluminum smelters.  

For those interested in the trivia--

Brian was able to visit Dubai Aluminum and Emirates Aluminum.

Dubai Aluminum produces the most aluminum of any single plant in the world,

putting out over 800,000 metric tons a year.

Riveting as that may be...it seems they had more fun site seeing with a former business associate of Steve's.

Art took them to Burj Khalifa; the tallest building in the world.

Brian, Steve, and Art on the Observation Deck of Burj Khalifa

I asked Brian why he looked so tense.

Was he nervous about being up so high?

He said, "as a matter of fact", that he was tense, but it was because there was a young couple on the deck with their small toddler. There are gaps in the glass so that tourists can take pictures.

There is a gap at the bottom close to the floor.

Apparently the parents did not see the gap and sat their little boy on the floor.

Brian said to the mother, "do you realize that there is an opening where the glass ends above the floor?"

She looked down, gasped, put her hand to her heart and called to her husband to grab the baby, thanked Brian, and they promptly left the deck.

View from the Observation Deck of the Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world. Looking down on the financial district of Dubai, and Sheikh Zayed Road.

The Observation Deck was not at the top of the building, but it was on the 123rd floor; about 1,800 feet high.

The elevator took them from the ground to the 123rd floor all in one motion. Brian commented that he could feel the pressure on his ears as they went up.

The Burj Khalifa is the red building.

You can find this picture on Wikipedia, world's tallest buildings

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/BurjKhalifaHeight.svg

Dubai is a very clean city. You will not see any trash along the streets. In fact you could be fined for spitting your gum on the side of the road.

Another view from the Observation Deck of Burj Khalifa.

This is called Address Hotel and Gold Souk and a beautiful pool that is about 2 meters deep.

Brian and Bork on Jumeihra Beach on the Arabian Sea at sunset.

Brian on the Jumeihra Beach on the Arabian Sea.

Brian said that the water on the sea was extremely salty. It was also very warm. October 1 is the start of the tourist season for Dubai and ends in March.

People come from all over the world.

Many different languages rolling through the breeze.

Thank you to Art for the pictures, names, and spelling!

Communication

The best way for us to communicate is thru Skype, and that leaves much to be desired.

Al Khobar and Wenatchee are 10 hours apart.

Sunday we will be 11 hours apart with Brian 11 hours ahead.

We are at the mercy of the time difference, internet availability and quality, and personal schedules.

We also email a lot.

This is how we see each other:

The Big Move

Brian moved to Saudi Arabia on October 2nd, 2011.
He left Wenatchee Washington with three suitcases hopefully holding all the belongings he would need until the family joins him in January 2012.
He started out living in a motel for a week and then moved into Bachelor's Quarters at Al Rushaid Compound for a few weeks.
He is now living all alone in our four bedroom villa.

Bachelor's Quarters

Villa

Villa Master Bedroom