Dubai... the city under constuction

As i write this i am finally in Zurich! :) it's been a long time coming and very happy to finally set foot in Switzerland and be able to be with Stu for an extended period.

I flew out of the US on 20 May and into Jozi on 21 May where i met Stu, we then proceed to surprise friends and family but more importantly... my mom :) it was a very hectic and busy week, with loads of meeting, greeting and admin stuff but an enjoyable week... it was great to see everyone again and i'm happy that Stu got to meet all the important people in my life! :)

Enjoying a few refreshments in the oasis (pool bar)

On 29 May we boarded the plane for Dubai... a quick 2 day stop over on our way to Zurich! As i have a South African passport, i need a 96 hour transit visa for UAE and with no precise guildlines on how to acquire this visa... i was basically holding thumbs that things would work out. After going through the process of handing money over to 2 different people, waiting around and a conversation with an immigration officier following a misunderstanding... 90 minutes later i had my passport stamped and was allowed to proceed! :)

View from hotel room

Dubai is an interesting city... very hot (around 40C) and dusty and there is construction everywhere you look! Skyscrapers and cranes line the horizon as well as those famous landmarks, ie Burj Al Arab and Burj Dubai. The best part of Dubai was the pool bar at our hotel... we spent many hours in the pool cooling off and sipping of "softdrinks" :)

City of construction

Burj Dubai... topped out at just over 800m

On the surface the city looks amazing with all the development and some stunning architecture but when you take a closer look there are faults... some construction has come to a standstill and the buildings are falling apart, many buildings have been put up in a rush and workmenship is sloppy and some buildings are incomplete but are inhabited.

All in all it was an enjoyable 2 days and an eye opener... i can see why people have flocked to the city, i mean where else can you go skiing and half an hour later be tanning on the beach (all in a desert), but i wouldn't call it a holiday destination... from my point of view anyway!

Next stop... Zurich, Switzerland :)