Dubai: That’s not a water feature, this is a water feature!

That’s not a water feature, this is a water feature!

A three-story wall of water rushes down into a pool met by fountains to greet you inside the Dubai terminal. The glass lift gives you an unimpeded view as it whisks you down to the wide plaza that leads to the train that conveys you to the arrivals hall.

The hall is massive, spotlessly clean, uncrowded and unhurried, yet somewhat difficult to negotiate because Leon, on his South African passport, has to purchase a visa on arrival and we walk from one end of the vast hall to the other before we find the right counter. Even with it, he takes longer to get through customs than me and yet again, I’m grateful for my Aussie passport.

By the time we find it, all the luggage is gone from the assigned carousel but our bags are waiting for us on the floor nearby. We change some money,  follow the signs for taxis and exit … into a sauna. The heat hits like a wall, glasses fog up and you gasp.

There’s no line and plenty of cabs but in contrast to the flash building, they look a little old. Three smart, black-suited men step forward and guide as past the taxis towards shiny black limo-like vehicles. I’m a little worried about extra cost, we checked previously and the fare to our hotel, which is about 25 minutes drive is meant to be around 100 AED, about A$35. The driver assures me that the limos are metered and the enticingly cool, clean leather interior beckons. Our bags are stowed in the boot and we are off.

We’d noticed the haze as we landed, now the famed spires of the high-rise jewels loom like ghosts from the mist as we drive fast on the wide freeway into the city. They are likes works of art, glass towers, blue, gold, beige and orange. Leon, who has worked in construction all his life, says they are out of this world. In 1990, there was 1 skyscraper, now there are 900 and new ones going up everywhere. We glimpse the skyward pointing needle that is Burj Al Khalifa, the tallest building in the world and later the Burg Al Arab, the yacht sail-shaped icon on the Persian Gulf that is taller than the Eiffel Tower and has a helipad that juts out near the top.

Eventually, we arrive at our hotel. Because I booked on the Internet and its not a know chain, I was a little worried, especially as we approach passing many building sites. However, I’m reassured when we pull up, impressed in the lobby and delighted with our room.

Ann’s blog #9