Exotic Dubai and Abu Dhabi

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Monday, 24 March 2014 - Visited a camel ranch east of Abu Dhabi to see newborn camels and colorful corrals, then went on a desert "safari" through the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve spotting oryx, gazelles, and sweeping dunes, stopped at the Al Marmoum Camel Racetrack to see racing camels and trainers, explored downtown Dubai's skyline and skyscrapers including the twisted Cayan Tower and Burj Khalifa from the subway and streets, and finished with a romantic dinner at Pierchic overlooking the iconic Burj Al Arab.

dubai2014 — Another day with Virginia Ann in conference Cal heads out on an adventure. First a visit to a camel ranch about 45 minutes to the east of Abu Dhabi.

The ranch was rather nondescript - the girls were better looking than the boys. Here is one of the girls.

dubai2014 — The females are all together in a few large corrals and the males are in single stalls.

dubai2014 — We were fortunate to visit just after the birth of a little camel. The little guy is only 3-4 days old but already 5 feet tall. A little ungainly. He would not move away from mom or the fence to get a good portrait.

dubai2014 — Very pretty camels - but no rides.

dubai2014 — From the camel ranch Cal went on a "safari" in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. 250 square kilometers of desert have been fenced in and the desert rehabilitated to a natural state. Within the boundary are over 33 local mammal and reptile species.

A group (heard?) of Oryx were easy to photograph as they collect at feeding points in the park.

dubai2014 — The Oryx against the sand dunes were a good contrast. After stopping nearby in our four-wheel vehicle Cal stood very still crouching down to allow the Oryx to return nearby.

dubai2014 — A group of Oryx on a dune watching over a little Oryx

dubai2014 — Finally, (after about 30 minutes) the little one move toward Cal - very cute with the little horns.

dubai2014 — Now the adults are curious about the guy with the camera. I was lucky in that I was the only person in the four-wheel vehicle - so I could stay or go at my own rate. The guide was very informative as he was born and raised in Dubai.

dubai2014 — A few Oryz butt heads and horns.

We saw gazelles but they were too quick - by the time I exited the vehicle the little critters would race into the desert.

dubai2014 — The sand went on and on

dubai2014 — Wind blown dunes.

dubai2014 — Next was a visit to the camel track - Al Marmoum Camel Racetrack. This was not on the tour but the guide made a detour as the racetrack was on the road back to Dubai.

This is a trainer on the track with a race camel - hamming it up for the camera.

dubai2014 — The Camel logo of the Al Marmoum Camel Racetrack.

dubai2014 — Another trainer headed to the track with a camel. Originally young boys from Pakistan or India rode and guided the camels but they have been banned as the races are too dangerous. Today robots guide the racing camels.

dubai2014 — The Marina District of Dubai is about an hour from downtown. Spectacular skyscrapers and miles of marina walkway make for a very inviting place to live. All along the marina walk are restaurants and coffee shops.

The Princess Tower is the tallest building in the cluster of buildings - it is the tallest residential building in the world. 763 units in the building in 101 stories!!

dubai2014 — This strange skyscraper is the Cayan Tower, also known as Infinity Tower. Another record claimed by Dubai - the tallest building with a 90 degree twist - wonder how many it competes with. It is a residential building with extensive technology to mitigate the direct sun.

dubai2014 — A condo building in the Dubai Marina District.

dubai2014 — On the subway to the financial district to photograph the Dubai skyscrapers. Of course the first building to capture is Burj Khalifa the world's tallest building.

dubai2014 — Burj Khalifa is so tall it is rather hard to photograph so close. Maybe with a car I could have backed up enough for some perspective.

dubai2014 — From Burj Khalifa, I walked down the main street of the financial district taking pictures of the various skyscrapers.

Right off the subway and you see the Park Towers a twin tower residential building. Each tower is 46 stories with the first 5 stories of office space.

dubai2014 — The top of the Chelsea Tower - 49 story hotel and condo building.

dubai2014 — The Emirates Financial Towers has a unique hole through the center of two towers.

dubai2014 — Walkway connecting the 27 story towers of the Emirates Financial Towers. The walkway contains a food court.

dubai2014 — The Rose Tower - 72 stories - is an alcohol-free hotel with almost 500 rooms. For a while it was the tallest hotel in the world - now it is second tallest.

dubai2014 — Al Ameri Tower

dubai2014 — Dusit Thani Dubai is shaped like a tuning fork. It is a 40 story hotel. It is believed to have been constructed to resemble the wai - a Thai greeting. The left base contains apartments while the right base is hotel rooms. The area above the "join" is part of the hotel with a gym and open air swimming pool on the top floor.

dubai2014 — Al Attar Tower - 32 stories high and balconies like gold coins.

dubai2014 — Emirates Office Tower on the left and Emirates Tower Hotel on the right. They are built as two equilateral triangles. and are not exactly the same size.

dubai2014 — In the Emirates Office Tower are the private offices of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Also in the building are: Cartier, Rolls-Royce, and BMW.

dubai2014 — This is a pretty cool building - called the Maze this condo complex has a maze pattern made from the patios and windows of the building.

dubai2014 — Even the garage for the Maze condo building has a maze pattern.

dubai2014 — The Tower - that is its name - is 54 stories.

dubai2014 — Skyscrapers in the financial district.

dubai2014 — The subway was very modern and fast. Cal spent quite a bit of time on the subway to get around. The entrances and stations above ground are very cool. Like some sort of modern metal reptile.

dubai2014 — The subway is below ground only in the old city. It quickly climbs up and is an elevated train for most the route. It is a great way to see the city and suburbs.

dubai2014 — Subway station and entrance

dubai2014 — A subway entrance

dubai2014 — The elevated subway with the Emerits building in the financial district in the background

dubai2014 — In the evening Cal and Virginia Ann went to dinner at the most romantic restaurant in Dubai - Pierchic. Virginia Ann was excited because of the restaurant reputation but Cal was excited because it has a great angle on the Burj Al Arab hotel.

The Burj Al Arab hotel with a light rain shower

dubai2014 — Just could not stop taking pictures of the Burj Al Arab hotel - so iconic.

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