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Tidbart
11-18-2007, 02:39 PM
I got back from Dubai last weekend. Ranya and I were the there for 8 days + 2 travel days. I thought I would share some photos with you.
It has to be one of the most fascinating places in the world.

We time in Dubai and at a resort on the Indian Ocean, east coast, just south of Oman.

It is amazing how diverse this place is. The differences in geography, culture, and architecture are astounding.

In case you were wondering, we went there for a party. Ranya's sister got married a couple of months ago and wanted to have a gathering. So she planned it for some good weather and it gave everyone who would be coming from elsewhere time to plan. She got married in Cypress as the Muslim nation doesn't doesn't recognize civil or Christian marriages.

Return flight took us over Persian Gulf, Iran, Caspian Sea, Germany, Turkey, et al. Wish I had pictures of some of the geography. Fascinating.

Hope you like them.

Bob

LKSD
11-18-2007, 02:44 PM
Looks like it was a cool trip.. If I ever get to the Mid east I d' like to go to Dubai, Saudi arabia, Egypt, Israel & Jordan.. Did you get to the Islands that they are developing that look like palm trees in Dubai?? Jamie

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Tidbart
11-18-2007, 02:56 PM
I did get to the Palm Jumeirah. We drove out on it and took these photos, the first is when you enter onto the palm. There are condos lining both sides of the 'stem'. We drove about 1/4 mile and had to turn around as constuction was underway from there out on to the rest of the palm as you can see by the cranes. We never made it past the stem portion of the palm.
This thing must be huge!
B

LKSD
11-18-2007, 02:59 PM
Cool, It looks like a very clean ritzy place. I wonder how much coin the real estate there goes for?? Probably out of my budget, but it does look neat for a vaca.. :)

BTW: you should have Ranya post some more pics of her on the trip.. The pics of the trip are nice, but she is even prettier.:D . :) Jamie & Kristin

Tidbart
11-18-2007, 03:04 PM
This is as risque as they get. Muslim nation, you know.:wink::wink:

gcarter
11-18-2007, 03:09 PM
Thanks Bob.
Really fascinating.

LKSD
11-18-2007, 03:30 PM
This is as risque as they get. Muslim nation, you know.:wink::wink:

Wow!!... Sexy sexy... They dont knwo what they are missing.. :) J

Did you guys try the indoor skiing resort or just see it, that thing is awesome! J

Tidbart
11-18-2007, 03:40 PM
Just went by to see the ski area and the mall. I had enough gear with without bringing winter stuff to the desert.:)

Kinda neat concept though. Think I would get bored rather quickly having skiid the Alps, Rockies, etc.

B

LKSD
11-18-2007, 05:10 PM
I can understand that.. I can go on a trip & have 1 or 2 suitcases, Kristin on the other hand is one of the reasons I need an suv (to haul here luggage).. lol :D :) Jamie

Tony
11-18-2007, 10:02 PM
Palm Jemeirah, and the other similar developments, will double Dubai's 45 mile coastline. I saw a special on TV, and the engineering involved in this undertaking is unbelievable! Also, National Geographic had a nice article a while back, with pictures found here. (http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/feature3/gallery8.html)

Some people are calling it the Eighth Wonder of the World. Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Palm,_Jumeirah) is Wikipedia's description, also with pics.



A basic explanation of the early stages is attached below.


Creating the man-made Palm Islands in Dubai took planning and precise engineering. The Palm Jumeirah was the first of the Palm Islands to be built, and started with a crescent-shaped breakwater to protect the reclamation work from rough seas. At its deepest, the breakwater stands in 35 feet (11 meters) of the ocean and rises to 13 feet (4 meters) above sea level at low tide and is designed to protect The Palm against the worst sea conditions imaginable. Engineers placed openings on either side of the crescent to allow the seawater to be refreshed every 14 days in order to prevent the water trapped within the island fronds from becoming brackish.

The bottom of the crescent is a small hill of sand, taken from the sea and not the desert because, according to the engineers, the sea sand is more environmentally sustainable and more seismically stable. The engineers used a Differential Global Positioning System to check the accuracy of the sand placement to within one centimeter. A sheet of water-permeable geotextile over the sand ensures it remains in place and is not washed away.

On top of the sand lies a protective layer of "small" rocks, each weighing up to a ton. On the inside of the crescent lies a "toe" of rocks weighing between one and four tons which were lifted into place by a floating crane and then pushed and shaped with underwater excavators. Above the layer of smaller rocks are two more layers of "armor," made up of rocks weighing as much as six tons.

With the crescent securely in place, 173 million cubic feet (5 million cubic meters) of rock were positioned to create the foundation of the inner island. Dredgers then began working around the clock to transfer 3.25 billion cubic feet (91 million cubic meters) of sand to build up the landmass. Once the dredging was complete, it was vital to settle the sand before it was built on—a natural process that normally takes millions of years. So the sand underwent a process called vibro-compaction, which should mean that any further settlement should be less than one inch over the next 50 years.

—Marisa Larson