Middle Eastern hotel operator Rotana Hotel and Resorts has opened the new Rose Rayhaan by Rotana this week in Dubai. The 333-meter tall hotel inherits the title of world’s tallest hotel from the iconic Burj al Arab located nearby.

Located on Sheikh Zayed Road next to the DIFC metro station, the Rose Rayhaan is in the vicinity of the Dubai International Financial Center and World Trade Center. The hotel is easily accessible from Dubai International Airport situated 15 kilometers away, as well as Dubai Media City, Internet City and major shopping malls such as the Dubai Mall.

The Rose Rayhaan’s 482 rooms and suites in the 72-storey tower feature contemporary design with modern amenities. Each room offers views of the surrounding cityscape and is furnished with a luxury bed, spacious bathroom, LCD television with satellite programming, high-speed internet access, IP telephone, workdesk, in-room safe, minibar and coffee-/tea-making facilities.

Dining at the hotel is provided for at its 3 casual dining outlets, which do not offer any alcohol in-line with its sister Rayhaan properties across the Middle East. Petals is an informal all-day dining restaurant serving international buffet fare, while the Cafe Rose located in the lobby offers light refreshments and afternoon tea in a relaxed, comfortable setting. Aquarius, the pool cafe, lets guests indulge in light snacks and an array of refreshments, including mocktails and healthy juices.

With its close proximity to Dubai’s financial district, the Rose Rayhaan features a conference area with 8 meeting rooms spread across 2 storeys. The highly versatile venues, ranging from the 25.5-square meter Primrose room to the 88-square meter Orchid 2 room, can be arranged in a variety of layouts to suit different requirements. Expansive windows allow natural light in, while the latest audio-visual technology together with the hotel’s full-fledged business center supports guests and meeting planners. After a day of meetings, guests can relax in the temperature-controlled swimming pool or with a hearty workout at the fitness center.

The Rose Rayhann joins 12 other Rotana properties in Dubai, including the Al Bustan Rotana and the Jumeira Rotana. For more information, visit www.rotana.com.

The following is a press release from Azamara Cruises, detailing the re-launch of its destination-focused cruise line.  I am excited to share these updates with you, and I believe these changes and enhancements will be much appreciated by seasoned travelers and those with a keen interest in exploring their destinations.

The Azamara Club Cruises Overview flyer provides information on the cruise line’s new features, amenities, and other enhancements.  Contact our agency to book your cruise vacation today!

AZAMARA CRUISES BECOMES “AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES”

Newly refined brand unveils multiple new attributes for upmarket travelers Azamara Cruises – the two-ship brand launched in 2007 with the 694-guest Azamara Journey and sister ship Azamara Quest – today became “Azamara Club Cruises,” with a newly refined focus, and a series of new attributes designed for upmarket, experienced travelers.

“This isn’t a strategy of going ‘from good to great’,” said Azamara Club Cruises President & CEO Larry Pimentel. “This is about taking an already great product and making it exceptional.”

Tapped to take the helm of Azamara Cruises in July of this year, Pimentel spent several weeks talking with travel agents, past guests and press to determine how to make his great-to-exceptional goal a reality.  He also tapped a small new team focused 100 percent on Azamara, including VP of Sales & Marketing Edie Bornstein, AVP of Hotel Operations Bert Van Middendorp, Director of Marketing Signe Bjorndal, Director of National Accounts Michelle Nevin, and an eight-member field sales team dedicated solely to Azamara.

Together, Pimentel and team shaped the new Azamara Club Cruises, whose most distinguishing new attributes will be in effect by April 2010.

“Today’s cruisers have incredible new vacation options – like Celebrity’s stunning Solstice Class, and Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas,” said Pimentel. “Azamara Club Cruises will distinguish itself by delivering the destination like no other line.”

Azamara Club Cruises will visit 140 ports in 50 countries in 2010, with itineraries featuring more overnight stays to allow guests to immerse themselves in communities and cultures.  Among the overnight locations are Istanbul, Turkey; Sorrento, Italy, which offers a host of tour options along the Amalfi Coast and Capri; a full three days and two nights in St. Peters burg, Russia on Azamara’s Scandinavia and Russia itineraries; and multiple overnight stays in Azamara’s Southeast Asia region, including Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“We’re going to slow down the tempo, and allow our guests to not just see the destination, but to live it,” said Pimentel. “Consider destinations like St. Tropez or St. Petersburg, Russia.  If you’ve experienced them only by day, you haven’t really experienced them.  With Azamara, through more overnight stays and late-night stays, you can.”

The destination focus of Azamara Club Cruises inspired the brand’s new tagline – “You’ll love where we take you” – and will extend to its shore excursions, too, an essential ingredient to allow guests to truly experience a community and its culture.

Azamara has created distinctive two-day packages tailored to the overnight destinations, to make it easy for guests to immerse themselves in each location, whether it’s Dubrovnik, Croatia; Odessa, Ukraine; Livorno (Florence), Italy, Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany, or London, in addition to Sorrento and St. Petersburg.  Azamara also will offer experiences such as a two-night package from Bangkok to Laos; an overnight tour from Hiroshima to Osaka via bullet train; a three-night experience from Mumbai including a visit to the Taj Mahal; overnight tours in Israel between Ashdod and Cairo, and a Grand Egypt tour featuring the best of both Luxor and Cairo.

Among Azamara’s specialty tours include a Ferrari driving tour in Civitavecchia, Italy; a walk down memory lane in Liverpool with the “In the steps of The Beatles” tour; a private demonstration of chocolate flavors in Dubrovnik; a “Theatre A La Carte” evening in London; Croatian liqueur tasting in Zadar; an Imperial Russian Court evening at Tsarskoye Selo in St. Petersburg; an evening gondola serenade in Venice; and high tea at the Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai.

Praised for its dining experience since its founding, Azamara will continue to place a heavy emphasis on fine cuisine, and will expand its focus on wine to include vintages from boutique wineries around the world.  Guests will have the opportunity to taste high quality wines that may be unavailable at home, because the selected vineyards produce a strictly limited quantity each year, distributed primarily locally. The featured wines will be offered complimentary at lunches and dinners on every sailing.

Wellness and vigor will be a core component of the Azamara Club Cruises experience, too, with onboard and land-based experiences designed to help guests feel and look healthier and more youthful. Azamara’s aim in wellness and vigor is to help guests balance their physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual needs through massages, facials and other spa treatments, as well as acupuncture, yoga, Pilates, and enrichment programs.

The newly refined brand also is intensely focused on offering an intangible attribute essential to a successful upmarket product: exceptional service.

“Extraordinary service is paramount with Azamara Club Cruises,” said Pimentel. “We know every travel and hospitality organization proclaims it’s committed to great service, so what will make Azamara stand out?  First, our butlers will be trained to be true English butlers, to offer that fine balance of anticipatory, pampering, yet non-intrusive service to guests in every suite.”

Guests in staterooms will be served by the line’s host of experienced stateroom attendants.

Azamara Club Cruises also will offer many inclusive amenities, with the following included in the cruise fare beginning with the first voyages in April 2010 on Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest:  a specific brand of bottled water offered at no charge throughout the voyage, whether in public venues or in staterooms; specialty coffees and teas; housekeeping and dining gratuities; shuttlebus service to/from port communities, where available; destination-influenced entertainment and enrichment programs; most meals and room service; house wine at lunches and dinners; and self-service laundry. Specialty dining in Azamara’s intimate Prime C steakhouse and the Mediterranean-influenced Aqualina will be complimentary for suite guests for the duration of their cruise.

Cruisers who can’t get enough of Azamara will be invited to join the line’s new loyalty program, “Le Club Voyage,” with specific features and benefits yet to be announced.

The Burj Al Arab is one of the most iconic buildings in Dubai, and is recognised all over the world. The hotel was opened on December 1, 1999, after five years of construction. Construction of the Burj Al Arab began in 1994, on an artificial island 280 metres out from Jumeirah Beach. The idea behind the architecture was that the hotel should resemble the sail of a dhow. More information click this link

A beautiful sunset in front of the Burj Al Arab during my recent visit to Dubai

Στα πάρκινγκ του αεροδρομίου, ήδη εδώ και αρκετό καιρό μαζεύουν σκόνη πολλά αυτοκίνητα εξαιρετικής πολυτέλειας. Η άμμος, που έχει καλύψει τα παρμπρίζ , είναι κολλημένη και δημιουργεί μια ξερή λάσπη που δύσκολα θα φύγει. Του συνεργάτη μας (tvxs) από την Κύπρο Γιώργου Πήττα.

Σε αρκετά αυτοκίνητα, τα ελαστικά έχουν αρχίζει να ρυτιδιάζουν και να σκάνε καθώς ο συνδυασμός των υψηλών ημερήσιων θερμοκρασιών με των ψυχρών νυχτερινών και τις απίστευτες υγρασίες, δίνουν στη φθορά μεγάλη ταχύτητα.

Οι λεηλασίες δειλές ακόμα, αλλά έχουν ξεκινήσει. Βλέπεις αυτοκίνητα με σπασμένα τζάμια και μέσα τους, τις θέσεις των στερεοφωνικών και των τηλεοράσεων ξεκοιλιασμένες.

Κάποια, έχουν μεταβληθεί σε πρόχειρα καταλύματα απολυμένων εργατών που απλήρωτοι εδώ και μήνες διώχθηκαν κακήν κακώς χωρίς καν το εισιτήριο της επιστροφής στην Ινδία και το Πακιστάν.

Πλάνητες, ανέστιοι, πένητες. Αυτό είναι το αποτέλεσμα της βάναυσα σκληρής δουλειάς για χρόνια στο ερμαφρόδιτο οικοδόμημα της Ανατολής, στον βωμό της έπαρσης χιλιάδων ατσαλάκωτων με τα χαμόγελα τύπου Colgate.

Τα αυτοκίνητα πάντως δεν ήταν άδεια. Βρήκαν, εκτός από πρόχειρο κατάλυμα, και πολλά ρούχα, τσάντες, φωτογραφικές μηχανές.
Μόνο που πια, δεν υπάρχει σχεδόν κανείς να αγοράσει έστω σε τιμή ευκαιρίας.

Πάντως, τα παρατημένα πολυτελή αυτοκίνητα, αποδείχθηκαν πολύ καλύτερος χώρος διαμονής από τους τρισάθλιους χώρους φιλοξενίας που το Εμιράτο είχε προβλέψει για τους εργάτες.

Ήταν πριν από ένα δυο χρόνια, καθώς είχα αρχίσει να εκνευρίζομαι με την μούρλα που έπαθαν διάφοροι για το Dubai, και, δεν ξέρω πως, αλλά μπήκα στο Google γράφοντας στην Αναζήτηση τη φράση «Dubai Labour» .

Ήθελα να δω ποιοι είναι αυτοί που οικοδομούν το «θαύμα της ανατολής». Είχε τόσο πολύ πήξει το κεφάλι μου από τους ενθουσιασμένους που έβλεπαν στην περιοχή το «μέλλον», που αναρωτήθηκα κάποια στιγμή αν πράγματι, το «θαύμα» αγγίζει αναλογικά όλους.

Παρακολουθούσα για καιρό ανθρώπους που μιλούσαν για τη Νέα Υόρκη της Ανατολής, για το αριστούργημα του μέλλοντος, για τον τόπο που όλα είναι «τέλεια» κλπ.

Είχα αρχίσει να γεμίζω με τεράστιες επιφυλάξεις καθώς έβλεπα στην τηλεόραση τα τερατώδη κτίρια, τις απίστευτες παρεμβάσεις στη φύση με τη δημιουργία τεχνητών νησιών, είχα αρχίσει να νιώθω κάπου μέσα μου. πως δεν μπορεί, όλο αυτό το «πράγμα» κάποια στιγμή θα στομώσει, θα φτάσει σε αδιέξοδο, θα καταρρεύσει γιατί, είναι αν μη τι άλλο βιασμός παρά φύση. Και μάλιστα, κατ’ εξακολούθηση.

Η χυδαιότερη έκφραση θαρρώ του Καπιταλισμού βρήκε την ιδανική της έκφραση στο «θαύμα του Dubai». Και είναι η χυδαιότερη, γιατί από πολλούς αντιμετωπίστηκε ως «νέα πρόταση για την ανάπτυξη του 21ου αιώνα».

Ανεξέλεγκτη μεσαιωνική εκμετάλλευση ανθρώπων, ανεξέλεγκτες παρεμβάσεις στη φύση, αρχιτεκτονικά τερατουργήματα που εισβάλλουν με θράσος στον ουρανό για να επιδείξουν την μηχανική επικυριαρχία, τεχνητά νησιά, τεχνητά ποτάμια, τεχνητές πίστες χιονιού για σκι, τεχνητές παραλίες, και εν τέλει τεχνητοί άνθρωποι που είδαν όλα αυτά σαν πρόταση και μοντέλο για το μέλλον του κόσμου.

Dubai, ο ορισμός του υπερθετικού:
Το πολυτελέστερο ξενοδοχείο του πλανήτη ( Burj Al Arab)
Το ψηλότερο κτίριο του πλανήτη ( Burj Dubai)

Και, κάπου 250.000 εργάτες που δούλευαν στις κατασκευές για λιγότερο από 10 δολάρια την ημέρα.

Ο επισκέπτης βέβαια, ποτέ δεν έρχονταν σε επαφή με τους εργάτες.
Καλά κρυμμένοι, σε φρουρούμενα και περιφραγμένα παραπήγματα που φέρνουν στο νου στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης, στοιβαγμένοι κυριολεκτικά ο ένας πάνω στον άλλον χωρίς στοιχειώδεις χώρους υγιεινής και εστίασης, μεταφερόντουσαν στις οικοδομές με ειδικά λεωφορεία και με αυτά επέστρεφαν.

Οποιαδήποτε επαφή με τουρίστες, ήταν απαγορευμένη δια ροπάλου.

Είναι εξαιρετικά χαρακτηριστική η απέραντη μυστικότητα με την οποία για χρόνια τυλίχθηκε αυτή η πλευρά του οικονομικού «θαύματος». Και είναι ακόμα πιο χαρακτηριστική η ευκολία με την οποία οι δυτικοί επισκέπτες ή και μόνιμα εγκατεστημένοι εκεί ως στελέχη μεγάλων επιχειρήσεων, έθαβαν στα τρίσβαθα του μυαλού τους μια πραγματικότητα που τους χαλούσε την εικόνα του ιδανικού κόσμου.

Δεκάδες διαφημιστικά φυλλάδια και σποτάκια που προβάλλονταν αποκλειστικά σε χώρες όπως το Πακιστάν καλούσαν τις πανστρατιές των έτσι και αλλιώς εξαθλιωμένων του 3ου κόσμου να έρθουν στη γη της επαγγελίας και να πάρουν γερά μεροκάματα. Χιλιάδες ήταν αυτοί που ανταποκρίθηκαν.

Κάτω από τη μύτη μας, μπροστά στο αλλήθωρο βλέμμα μας, περνούσαν ολάκερα καραβάνια σκλάβων που έφθαναν εκεί και έβλεπαν σε λίγες ώρες τις υποσχέσεις των ατζέντηδων φτηνής εργασίας να γίνονται σκόνη.

Η εικόνα, είναι πια σουρεαλιστική.
Οι βίλες των πραγματικά πλουσίων και διάσημων παραμένουν.
Μόνο που μοιάζουν πια σαν φωτάκια που αναβοσβήνουν σε ένα καμένο χριστουγεννιάτικο δέντρο.

Τεράστια ημιτελή οικοδομήματα παρατημένα, πάμπολλα κλειστά μαγαζιά, άδεια εμπορικά κέντρα και οι μηχανές του τεχνητού χιονιού άνεργες, κινδυνεύουν να σκουριάσουν.

Οι παρατημένες Ferrari στο αεροδρόμιο, τα άδεια καζίνο, αρκετά μεσαία στελέχη που εγκατέλειψαν τις ευρωπαϊκές πατρίδες τους ελπίζοντας σε γρήγορη ανέλιξη και πλουτισμό και που τώρα βρέθηκαν χωρίς δουλειά, είναι τα φαντάσματα, ο αντίλαλος του πιο προκλητικού πάρτι που στήθηκε εδώ και δεκαετίες.

Ένα πάρτι που τέλειωσε όπως του έπρεπε.
Προσθέτοντας όμως ακόμα μεγαλύτερη απόγνωση σε αυτούς που τώρα ψάχνουν να βρουν πως θα επιστρέψουν σε κάποιο Μπανγκλαντές σε κάποιο Πακιστάν…

Και καθώς αυτοί προσπαθούν πρόσκαιρα να βολευτούν σε κάποιο Cayenne, ο Εμίρης του Dubai (που πάντως δεν πρόκειται να γίνει κακομοίρης) ψάχνει να δει πως θα καλύψει την μαύρη τρύπα των 90 περίπου δισεκατομμυρίων δολαρίων.

Είτε τα καταφέρει πάντως είτε όχι, τα πολυώροφα φαντάσματα των μισοτελειωμένων σύγχρονων πύργων δεν έχουν καμία ελπίδα να ολοκληρωθούν, και κάποια στιγμή είτε θα διαλυθούν στα εξ ων συνετέθησαν είτε θα γίνουν «πάσης φύσεως υλικά προς πώληση».

Δεν θα κρύψω τα αισθήματά μου. Κάθε φορά που βλέπω την αλαζονεία να συντρίβεται, χαίρομαι. Μόνο που πάντα αυτή η χαρά είναι φορτωμένη και φιλτραρισμένη με μια πικρή γεύση. Γιατί, οι αλαζόνες κατά το μάλλον ή το ήττον θα βρουν τρόπο να συνεχίσουν. Ενώ αυτοί που θα έχουν συντριβεί από το οικοδόμημα της αλαζονείας τους χάνονται στο πιο πυκνό σκοτάδι.

Δεν ξέρω, από χτες στο μυαλό τριγυρνά εκείνο το παλιό τραγουδάκι: «είναι κακό στην άμμο να χτίζεις παλάτια, ο βοριάς θα στα κάνει συντρίμμια κομμάτια»

Και το Dubai, έχει πολύ άμμο. Μα πάρα πολύ άμμο.
Και ζούμε σε εποχές ισχυρών ανέμων.

Πηγή: tvxs.gr

Dubai local weather conditions: Fine, 23°C-28°C

Today was pretty much the picture-taking day. After breakfast I went back to the Dubai Mall and took some pictures of some of the stores, the ice rink, and outside. I got more pictures of the Burj Dubai with my camera (I was using a phone camera before). It’s still damn impressive.

Next step was the Dubai Marina, which is a relatively new section of the city. Actually that whole part of the city is called New Dubai, and there is so much construction that if you look up you can see more cranes than buildings. My taxi driver was a Bangladeshi man that had lived in Dubai since 1981, and between talking about cricket (every taxi driver has told me they still think Australia is number 1, by the way) he was able to tell me how new or old the various towers were.

New Dubai is 30 minutes away from Downtown Burj Dubai, and while driving there you can really notice the spread-out, unplanned nature of the city. There are several clusters of towering buildings throughout Dubai, with desert and old houses in between. There doesn’t seem to be a CBD like there is in the Australian cities; instead there are 3 or 4, with some huge buildings sticking out by themselves. Maybe there is so master plan in the making that won’t be obvious for a few years, but right now it seems like the vertical sprawl is out of control.

Close to the marina is the Jumeirah beach area. This is the first time I’ve seen an ocean besides the Pacific, so I was keen so have a look at the Gulf (it’s called the Arabian Gulf over here, as opposed to the Persian Gulf. Apparently it’s quite controversial in the Arab world). I took some pictures and walked in the water for a bit, and I have to say, it was pretty much like every other beach I’ve seen.

After wandering around Jumeirah for a few hours (I saw two more Starbucks, I think the total now is six), I grabbed another taxi and went past the Burj Al Arab, the most expensive hotel in the world. To get in to have a look requires a booking, so I just took some pictures outside with about 20 other peasants, and then headed back to the hotel. My trip to Dubai is almost over – I fly out tomorrow.

 Dubai Mall and Burj Dubai:

View Full Album

Marina, Beach and Burj Al Arab:

View Full Album

Upon entering from your private elevator, you’ll see a rotating four-post canopy bed which allows you to keep an eye on every piece of exquisite mahogany furniture in the two-story Royal Suite. But the $19,000 CAD a night accommodation isn’t just for staying in and enjoying your own private cinema or the Hermes bathroom products. If you decide to venture out of your palace, two chauffeurs are waiting with your own Rolls-Royce. There’s also a private helicopter in case you feel like an evening spin over Dubai.

SOURCE: Travel | MSN

(Stefano’s hotel… SARA’ [YEAH! SURE!])

3 days till Dubai Big Five exhibition.

From Monday the 23rd a complete report by DORO Design

http://www.thebig5exhibition.com/

Burj Al Arab

Leaving behind the spark of a five star hotel or a luxury hotel, Dubai has a seven star hotel, Burj Al Arab which has surpassed the definition of being ‘Sumptuous’. This masterpiece is envied by most of the top notch hotels of the region for its celebrity status in hospitality industry throughout the world.

Location

The Burj Al Arab is located on an artificial island which is 280 m from Jumeirah Beach. It is connected to the main land through a private curved bridge.

Architecture

The construction of the hotel 1,090 ft high started in 1994 and was completed in 2000. This iconic structure was designed to imitate the sail of the boat and to signify Dubai’s urban transformation. Designed by Tom Wright, the building resembles the sail of a dhow which is a type of Arabian vessel. The synonymous of the city, Burj Al Arab has two wings spread in a V to articulate a vast mast. The space between them is enclosed in a colossal porch. The architect and engineering consultant for the project was UK’s largest consultancy, Atkins.

Features

The features of Burj Al Arab required multifarious engineering accomplishments to be achieved. Since the building rests on an artificial island built 280m offshore, the builders drove 23040m long concrete piles into sand to secure a foundation. The foundation is further protected from erosion through the creation of a surface layer of large rocks looped with a concrete honeycomb pattern. It had taken three years to retrieve the land from the sea.

The atrium inside the building is 590 ft tall.

Restaurants

Al Muntaha

Located 660 ft. above the Persian Gulf, the restaurant offers a ecstatic view of Dubai. The main chef, Edah Semahj Leachim owns the restaurant in agreement with the hotel.

Al Mahara

Conde Nast Traveler voted the restaurant among the top ten best restaurants of the world. It features a huge seawater aquarium.

Mir ist aufgefallen, dass ich noch gar nie das Burj al Arab Hotel gebloggt habe. Da es ja inzwischen quasi zum Wahrzeichen von Dubai wurde, musste es irgenwann auch mal in dieses Blog

Foto vom vergangenen Wochenende:

Phallic-Head Plate, 1536 and Cucuteni Phalus representaion, 3000 BC

PHALLUS

The phallus can refer to a penis, or to anything shaped like one. The ancient Egyptians have Osiris, the Greeks have Hermes, ancient Japan have the Mara Kannon Shrine (麻羅観音) in Nagato, ancient Romans have the talismans, ancient Scandinavia the Norse god Freyr, and ancient India have Shiva -phallic structures symbolized wellness and good health in many ancient cultures, Dubai nowadays has more than one, and they should add that to the list of its achievements in the “most” highest of this, and the “most” tallest of that, the “most” hottest of this, and the “most” modern city of the world -it’s also now the “most” cluttered city with phallic symbols that will surely make the Pharaohs and the greek gods blush.

NO MAN NEEDS NOTHING

“I think you are another of these desert-loving English: Doughty, Stanhope, Gordon of Khartoum. No Arab loves the desert. We love water and green trees, there is nothing in the desert. No man needs nothing.” quoting Prince Feisal played by Alec Guinness in 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia, an epic film about a flamboyant and controversial British military figure T.E. Lawrence in Saudi Arabia. A great film by David Lean that reminds me how flamboyant the desert could be if you let the Brits use your city as a blank canvas for their architectural playground.

Besides missing the best Pakistani dish I ever had, the sprawling nightlife, and warm Dubai hospitality, having lived there for 2 years, I miss also how quickly Dubai skyline changes every time my eyes blink, it’s a “closet-gay-man’s-Disneyland-filled-with man-made-penis-buildings”. Reaching a record high 512.1m (1,680 ft) 141 storeys, Burj Dubai is the tallest building in the world now and according to EMAAR Chairman Alabbar “A human achievement without equal”, I would like to add to that Mr. Chairman… Dubai is the city of men where homosexuality is illegal and now “the most visible male genitalia in outer space” without equal (size queens!).

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, 1990, 2003 and present.

Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world)

Al Burj

Palm Trump Hotel in Dubai

Al Rostamini Headquarters

The Lighthouse

P-17

Anara Tower

Floating Houseboat in Dubai Marina and Dubai Opera House

Burj Al Arab and The Palm

ALEXANDRIA, Egito, 9 de novembro de 2009 (CDN) – O blogueiro cristão copta e assistente social Hani Nazeer, de 28 anos, informou hoje através de seu advogado que começará uma greve de fome na prisão de Burj al-Arab, em Alexandria, no Egito. O blogueiro está preso há um ano sem acusação ou processo e esta semana teve negado seu ultimo pedido de liberdade da prisão.

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Seus advogados disseram que vão entrar com novo pedido amanhã. O ministério do interior não informou as razões para a recusa em libertar o cristão, de acordo com o dr. Rawda Ahamad, advogado de defesa de Nazeer. No dia 3 de outubro de 2008, o blogueiro Hani Nazeer foi preso pela Polícia de Segurança do Estado do Egito (SSI) e enviado para a terrível prisão de Burj al-Arab. O motive da prisão: um grupo de adolescentes visitou seu website e clicou num link para uma cópia online da novela “A cabra de Azazil em Meca” que faz críticas à religião muçulmana. Esse livro foi escrito em resposta a outro livro intitulado “Azazil”, uma novela de Yusuf Zidane que critica o cristianismo. Nazeer disse que as autoridades estão pressionando-o para que renegue a fé cristã e se torne muçulmano. Seu advogado disse: “Ele não é um criminoso. Ele deve ser libertado imediatamente”.

Mais detalhes sobre o blogueiro cristão Hani Nazeer aqui.

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Fonte: Forbes

Per l’anno 2009 l’illustre rivista Forbes ha giudicato Villa d’Este a Cernobbio l’albergo più bello del mondo, scegliendo fra gli 800 migliori hotel del pianeta. La notizia è stata pubblicata sul sito Forbes Travel, conosciuto in tutto il mondo per le sue influenti classifiche sul mondo del turismo.

La giuria che ha decretato per la prima volta come vincitore un hotel in Italia, era composta da venti celebrità fra attori, scrittori, giornalisti, presentatori televisivi e chef famosi, che in comune hanno il fatto di soggiornare ogni anno in parecchi hotel extralusso, a quando una classifica stilata da caslinghe, muratori, bidelli e clochard?

V° Burj al Arab di Dubai

(L’unico hotel a 7 stelle del mondo..)

IV° Four Seasons George V di Parigi

III° Landmark Mandarin Oriental di Hong Kong

II° Peninsula di Bangkok

I° Villa d’Este

Why should I go?

It’s a few years since I last visited Abu Dhabi, and from what I have read and seen the expansion – and the opulence – has continued apace.  Dubai’s lesser-known neighbour, Abu Dhabi is a great place for a break at any time of the year, but particularly in the winter.  Its benefits are two-fold; the weather is warm throughout the year (October is an especially good time to go, in my experience) and the flight is only six hours.  The four-hour time difference means you’re not jet-lagged and it’s short enough to get over there for a long weekend.  Perfect.

Its other key advantage lies in the fact that it is not Dubai.  Abu Dhabi has everything Dubai does – the trendy shopping malls with brands like Gucci and Prada; the spectacular five-, six-, and seven-star hotels; beautiful beaches with watersports – but without the tacky, over-commercialised feel that Dubai has.  If Dubai is the playground of the rich and famous, Abu Dhabi is their well-furnished living room; spectacular, fashionable, and oozing glamour and class.

The lobby of one of the Hilton Hotels in Abu Dhabi

What’s it like?

Driving in on the immaculate roads, everything looks a little bit unreal.  That’s because it is; it’s not so long ago that Abu Dhabi was effectively a small fishing port on the outer rim of the desert.  Then the oil was discovered and the rest, as they say, is history.  Palm trees line the streets, and everything is pristine and new.  Most people seem to drive shiny 4×4s (which are, like the petrol, incredibly cheap) and wander about looking like they’ve just stepped out of Vogue.

Relishing the warmth of the sea

The hotels compete with one another to look increasingly spectacular, and they certainly succeed.  But on the inside, they are even better.  Aside from the wonderful facilities, they serve exceptional food.  Each hotel generally has two or three different restaurants and bars, so the variety of choice will suit any palate – Italian, Indian, Chinese, American and English dishes are all on the menu.

But if you go out into the city itself you can eat a sumptuous meal for just a couple of pounds as the restaurants cannot afford an alcohol licence and therefore use rock-bottom prices to tempt in punters.  I went out in a group of eight or nine and I think a very good curry (two courses with sides and soft drinks) set us back £24 altogether.

Holding on for dear life - the seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel is in the background

 What do I do for entertainment?

There are a vast range of watersports such as tubing, parasailing, banana boating and water-skiing to try, and they are exceptionally good fun.  The fact that the sea is warm makes the experience of falling in somewhat less unpleasant…  When I was there last I did have the misfortune to be on a banana boat which broke down about a mile into the middle of the bay and we had no radio, so I spent a long time standing on the front of a speedboat trying to rock it to get the dregs of the fuel through.  We ended up spending about 40 minutes cooking in the sun before someone finally noticed we were missing!

The most unmissable attraction, though, is the opportunity to do a bit of dune-driving.  You pile into a Toyota Landcruiser and a slightly crazy driver takes you out into the desert.  You jump out and visit a camel farmer for 10 minutes while the 4×4 drivers let all the air out of the tyres before you get back in for the ride of your life.  They race up 60 feet high dunes and then just let the jeep slide down sideways – you feel like you’re going to topple, but the flat tyres and the fact that the sand gives means you don’t. 

A new Lawrence of Arabia?

The adrenaline rush is unbelievable, and you can try it out in yourself when you reach the camp in the desert with a bit of quad-biking through the dunes.  At first it’s really hard to trust that it won’t just roll over and crush you but as soon as you get used to the sensation of sliding down the dunes uncontrollably it is absolutely fantastic.  The more timid can be content with the camel riding…

The camp is next to an enormous dune which you can use a snowboard or skis to travel down at breakneck speed (and end up in a sandy heap at the bottom).  The food is lovely, with a range of meats – including the chewy but tasty camel kebab – and curries on offer, as a belly dancer entertains everybody. 

Little does he realise he is dinner...

Then the staff get everyone to lie on their backs and switch off all of the lights in the camp; the view of the stars is just breathtaking, and the feeling of remoteness and solitude is very relaxing.  Then it’s either a retreat to the tents for those who are spending the night in the desert or a trip back in the Landcruisers for those who need a raturn to the creature comforts.

Can you tell by our faces who is enjoying this?

Dubai is a worthwhile day out, but only if you’re in Abu Dhabi for more than four or five days.  The Wild Wadi Water Park at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (next to the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab) is a great place to spend a few hours, and it is worth getting there as early as possible to avoid the queues.  The interconnected rides in the two-person rings are the most fun, but that is another story altogether…

Every so often something comes along which knocks you sideways, out of your ordinary day and – even if only for a few minutes – into a place of wonder. I don’t intend this blog to be a regurgitation of stuff I happened to come across online, but today I’m making an exception.

The image on the right – of the famous Burj Al-Arab “seven-star” hotel in Dubai – was taken by French photographer Martin Becka, using a 150-year-old camera, with techniques of developing and printing that date from the earliest days of photography. I’m not a specialist, and I don’t understand the processes – but the images speak for themselves. They are ethereal, exceptional – pushing our familiar 21st-century world back into not just the appearance of the 19th-century but, somehow, its mindset too. I look at these buildings and structures in the same way that I look at grainy, 19th-century images of people and places – as museum-pieces, detached from my life – but then I can also simultaneously hold the knowledge of Dubai’s colour, clarity and life in my head, because I’ve seen it! Being presented with such carefully mannered “old” depictions of buildings and places I have seen with my own eyes – and also touched, heard, smelled and felt – asks fascinating questions about how I interpret images of places I have NOT seen, as well as about what photography does to the people and places it depicts.

Becka’s images, somehow, show as much of the behind-the-lens world of the photographer as they do of the front-of-lens world of Dubai.

They are like painting, depicting a complete reality with far greater insight than the sharpest, clearest modern photograph.

I’ll never look at a musty, fuzzy old 19th-century photo in the same way again!

I’ll stop there. For more, see this news story on CNN, this website of Becka’s images – and google for plenty more.

UPDATE 5th November – I should have put this 3rd image (of the Dubai metro under construction) into the original post. Now, especially after Helena’s comment today mentioning Metropolis, it simply has to go in. Enjoy…

ISTAMBUL, 31 de outubro de 2009 (CDN) – um blogueiro que defendia a fé cristã na Internet está começando seu segundo ano de prisão sem processo e está sendo pressionado para se converter em muçulmano, em troca da sua liberdade, disse seu advogado.

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No dia 3 de outubro de 2008, o blogueiro Hani Nazeer de 28 anos e que também é um assistente social escolar na cidade de Qina, no Egito e autor do blog “Karz El Hob” (“Cerejas do Amor”), foi preso pela polícia de segurança do Estado e enviado para a prisão de Burj Al-Arab. O Sr. Gamel Eid, diretor executivo da Rede Árabe pelos Direitos Humanos, disse que Nazeer causou irritação às autoridades muçulmanas ao criticar a islamização radical crescente no Egito. Os policiais detiveram ilegalmente dois irmãos de Nazeer e alguns dias depois, voltaram à sua casa e prenderam suas duas irmãs.

Os familiares de Nazeer ficaram presos numa delegacia de polícia e ameaçaram mantê-los presos até que o blogueiro se entregasse. Nazeer foi até a delegacia de polícia em outubro de 2008 e até agora está preso sem acusação ou processo.

Em setembro de 2009, Nazeer conseguiu informar às organizações de direitos humanos que como ele se recusava a se tornar muçulmano, os oficiais da prisão começaram a torturá-lo junto com outros presos.

Outros dois blogueiros egípcios estão presos, um deles Karim Amer, já cumpriu dois terços de sua pena mas o Ministério do Interior do Egito não vai libertá-lo mediante sursis.

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Burj Al Arab 7 Star Hotel one of The Best Projects Ever Made in UAE