Day 232 - Day at JBR Beach
Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Got up at 9:00am well rested. Now the only thing that was bothering me was my burn. The blister broke and the new skin is bright pink so it feels like someone is stretching my skin. Anyway, we took our time and had a big brunch then got ready to go to the beach. When we left, it was nice and sunny but when we made it to the beach (we took the metro, which was very clean and cheap but still took an hour) the weather was cloudy and the wind had picked up.
How can I describe Dubai? It seems like a very new and modern city. Everywhere I looked were tall, modern buildings with lots of glass. Everything is so new and clean that it looks fake. There is no litter -- maybe I saw a few cigarette butts but everything looks symmetrical and organized and it gives you the impression that you are in a dream city or a future city. I’m not sure if I like it because it looks unreal. I should appreciate the architecture and shapes of the many supertall buildings but it lacks something and I’m not sure what it is. [Gregory's note: soul and history.] I think that it might lack nature but on the other hand, there are many palm trees and many of the roundabouts or side streets are planted with colorful flowers. [Gregory's note: it reminded me of Las Vegas, without the casinos and the alcohol! Everything was new and felt fake. Like Vegas, it's an irrigated desert, which is impressive but not sustainable. And, like Vegas, the place is built with of thousands of ways to spend your money.]
I see Lili left out the meat of the day, the beach! So we took the metro to the beach stop. There is a lot of coastline in Dubai, but it's mostly private. There are 2 public beaches, and JBR is one of them. Everyone comes here.
The walk to the beach is through residential skyscrapers and their little family parks. On the walk from the station, the kids were overjoyed to find a 7-Eleven, so we stopped for Slurpees. The store also had prepacked meals that were quite affordable for future reference.
We crossed a bridge over the Dubai marina canal, which is surrounded by more glass high rises. It's a pleasant walk by the water, with lots of [pricey] restaurants and large yachts. We also saw some people ziplining over the marina, which Sunshine wanted to try (she looked it up later, it's $155 per person for the 2 minute ride).
This part of town felt a little like Via Rodeo, off Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills -- upscale, totally manufactured elegance. A few blocks later, we passed a Starbucks a Five Guys, a Baskin Robbins and a few more US franchises before coming to the Hilton and a roundabout filled with ice cream and more upscale eatieries which mark the entrance to the beach.
JBR beach is a small stretch of hard sand, and it is right up against a carnival ride, mini kids water park, and a black marble sitting area with a little bit of grass. It felt very busy and noisy, with music from the ride clashing with music from the Nissan exhibit. It was fairly crowded even on a cloudy day. To both sides were private beaches with lounge chairs and Arabian-night style cabanas.
I'm sure Lili wants to mention the range of attire we saw: from girls in thong bikinis to full-cover burkhas complete with a niqab over the face, and everything in between. Dubai is certainly international, and here was the proof. From the beach, we could see Atlantis at the end of Palm Island, and we could also see the world's largest Ferris wheel (again, everything in Dubai has to be the biggest). Looking inland, we counted over 3 dozen identical residence towers as well as top brand hotels just in this neighborhood.
The kids decided to try the water. I went with them. It was surprisingly chilly, considering where we were. I thought the least the Sheik could do was to heat the bay! Just kidding Sort of. At least the water was a stunning shade of turquoise and it was clear. There is supposed to be very good diving here, too -- well, not at this beach, but around the Gulf.
When the weather got too cool, we packed up and walked along the beach a while before heading back to the metro. Passing yet another 5-star hotel, Daniel was thrilled to see a McLaren and a Lamborghini parked in front. Conspicuous consumption, anyone?
OK, back to Lili's entry:
The metro station is very modern, big and clean. You walk long distances inside a building to get to the metro and when you get there, you can choose to travel in the women and children's section. [Gregory's note: well some of us could choose to. There is also a 1st class car, if you want to spend extra -- about 5x normal ticket price.] The closest metro was a 20-minute walk to our apartment. It is a big lie that it is in the center of the city.
Anyway, we made it back home by 6:00pm and we were very hungry. I made dinner and the kids made brownies. Gregory wanted to go out and I kind of did as well but in the end, we were happy to stay home. I caught up on the blog that I had said I wasn’t going to continue, and Gregory did research into what are we doing tomorrow. Everything here is so expensive!
How can I describe Dubai? It seems like a very new and modern city. Everywhere I looked were tall, modern buildings with lots of glass. Everything is so new and clean that it looks fake. There is no litter -- maybe I saw a few cigarette butts but everything looks symmetrical and organized and it gives you the impression that you are in a dream city or a future city. I’m not sure if I like it because it looks unreal. I should appreciate the architecture and shapes of the many supertall buildings but it lacks something and I’m not sure what it is. [Gregory's note: soul and history.] I think that it might lack nature but on the other hand, there are many palm trees and many of the roundabouts or side streets are planted with colorful flowers. [Gregory's note: it reminded me of Las Vegas, without the casinos and the alcohol! Everything was new and felt fake. Like Vegas, it's an irrigated desert, which is impressive but not sustainable. And, like Vegas, the place is built with of thousands of ways to spend your money.]
I see Lili left out the meat of the day, the beach! So we took the metro to the beach stop. There is a lot of coastline in Dubai, but it's mostly private. There are 2 public beaches, and JBR is one of them. Everyone comes here.
The walk to the beach is through residential skyscrapers and their little family parks. On the walk from the station, the kids were overjoyed to find a 7-Eleven, so we stopped for Slurpees. The store also had prepacked meals that were quite affordable for future reference.
We crossed a bridge over the Dubai marina canal, which is surrounded by more glass high rises. It's a pleasant walk by the water, with lots of [pricey] restaurants and large yachts. We also saw some people ziplining over the marina, which Sunshine wanted to try (she looked it up later, it's $155 per person for the 2 minute ride).
This part of town felt a little like Via Rodeo, off Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills -- upscale, totally manufactured elegance. A few blocks later, we passed a Starbucks a Five Guys, a Baskin Robbins and a few more US franchises before coming to the Hilton and a roundabout filled with ice cream and more upscale eatieries which mark the entrance to the beach.
JBR beach is a small stretch of hard sand, and it is right up against a carnival ride, mini kids water park, and a black marble sitting area with a little bit of grass. It felt very busy and noisy, with music from the ride clashing with music from the Nissan exhibit. It was fairly crowded even on a cloudy day. To both sides were private beaches with lounge chairs and Arabian-night style cabanas.
I'm sure Lili wants to mention the range of attire we saw: from girls in thong bikinis to full-cover burkhas complete with a niqab over the face, and everything in between. Dubai is certainly international, and here was the proof. From the beach, we could see Atlantis at the end of Palm Island, and we could also see the world's largest Ferris wheel (again, everything in Dubai has to be the biggest). Looking inland, we counted over 3 dozen identical residence towers as well as top brand hotels just in this neighborhood.
The kids decided to try the water. I went with them. It was surprisingly chilly, considering where we were. I thought the least the Sheik could do was to heat the bay! Just kidding Sort of. At least the water was a stunning shade of turquoise and it was clear. There is supposed to be very good diving here, too -- well, not at this beach, but around the Gulf.
When the weather got too cool, we packed up and walked along the beach a while before heading back to the metro. Passing yet another 5-star hotel, Daniel was thrilled to see a McLaren and a Lamborghini parked in front. Conspicuous consumption, anyone?
OK, back to Lili's entry:
The metro station is very modern, big and clean. You walk long distances inside a building to get to the metro and when you get there, you can choose to travel in the women and children's section. [Gregory's note: well some of us could choose to. There is also a 1st class car, if you want to spend extra -- about 5x normal ticket price.] The closest metro was a 20-minute walk to our apartment. It is a big lie that it is in the center of the city.
Anyway, we made it back home by 6:00pm and we were very hungry. I made dinner and the kids made brownies. Gregory wanted to go out and I kind of did as well but in the end, we were happy to stay home. I caught up on the blog that I had said I wasn’t going to continue, and Gregory did research into what are we doing tomorrow. Everything here is so expensive!
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