The worst winter in 40 years were the headlines in UK, yes we had some snow and the country came to a stand still, yet again. I only managed to pick up snippets on yahoo and msn as English TV channels are few and far between (I have a total of 5 in English from over 100 channels). News comes from CNN or BBC World and all they seem to talk about are the various crisis in Asia and the middle east, and with respect to Europe and America they only talk about business and finance. So the weather crisis in Britain was not an event really on these channels.
I received early morning photos from my son who decided to share his delight, seeing snow from his bedroom window, with me through his iPhone (paid from company allowance L), and I was so proud of technology at this moment that allowed me to share this delightful moment. My son says I have been working too long with technology that I now make such statements. Anyhow I digress, the reports of snow made me feel as though I was missing out, so Slaw and I weren’t going to be left out. We planned a weekend trip to Dubai, to the longest indoor ski run in the world (I think). Well it has to be, doesn’t it, it’s in Dubai? So off we went to a weekend excursion where we also managed to see the tallest building in the World, Burj al Dubai, or now named Burj al Khalifa, as the Abu Dhabi Emir bailed out Dubai from its financial crisis in return for Dubai assets and his name on the tallest building (so the tale goes). We saw the only 7 star hotel in the world the Burj al Arab, and it still looks as elegant as ever despite it being quite old now and has never been rivalled. We visited other places like Medinat Jumeirah, the Jumeirah Residence Park and some malls and some restaurants and and and .. .
The ski place is in a shopping mall. In the morning we put on jumpers and warm clothes (because we were going skiing) but found ourselves having breakfast outside in morning winter temperatures of about 22 degrees. So we had to strip to almost the string vests, then got dressed again to enter the mall. One fee gets you the ski suit, the ski pass, boots and ski suit. You have to get your own hat and gloves, so conveniently there is a shop selling these at extortionate prices. So we were measured, weighed, sized up, battled with lockers and in no time were fully clothed as skiers. So we set off for the slope, striding in ski boots on and off a regular escalator with skis on shoulder, quite an experience. The snow on the slope resembles what you would encounter in Scotland if it ever got snow, just at the verge of being slushy. A four man chair lift takes skiers and onlookers to the top of the slope. As you ride the chairlift there is TGI Friday’s in the background. Coming down on the chairlift (on the odd occasion) you will see locals wearing thobe’s (the white cloaks that Arab men wear) with an overcoat. They want to see and experience the atmosphere (and possibly the temperature (-4)) and just ride the lift up and down. As you get to the top of the slope you hear a Michael Jackson song playing. You set off down the slope, a bit nervous on the first run, but soon with confidence like an experienced skier. At the bottom of the slope there will be a different artist singing, Alexander Burke for example. The usual middle eastern greeting, hello maam as you arrive at the bottom ready to go up again. As there are only two main slopes of about 200m each you soon get a bit bored of it and the temperature starts to get to the bone. So the two hour ski pass is enough. A break on the mountain side cafe (half way up the slope) is a good place to sit, have a hot drink and warm up under patio heaters. To get to the entrance you have to climb up a spiral fire escape like stairs in ski boots (which would never pass any health and safety regulations in Europe, just like the escalator), but you have no choice and you brave it anyway. Here you see the tourists who have come to see what is like. I encounter a group of Nordic visitors in shorts who have hired coats and boots for the occasion, but are bare legged, quite a sight really.
The ending is just as surreal as the entrance to the skiing experience, you descend on the escalator replace the skis and boots on racks and discard your hired clothes in huge laundry bins, and walk out into the shopping mall browsing the shops as though you have not been skiing at all and it was all a dream.
I received early morning photos from my son who decided to share his delight, seeing snow from his bedroom window, with me through his iPhone (paid from company allowance L), and I was so proud of technology at this moment that allowed me to share this delightful moment. My son says I have been working too long with technology that I now make such statements. Anyhow I digress, the reports of snow made me feel as though I was missing out, so Slaw and I weren’t going to be left out. We planned a weekend trip to Dubai, to the longest indoor ski run in the world (I think). Well it has to be, doesn’t it, it’s in Dubai? So off we went to a weekend excursion where we also managed to see the tallest building in the World, Burj al Dubai, or now named Burj al Khalifa, as the Abu Dhabi Emir bailed out Dubai from its financial crisis in return for Dubai assets and his name on the tallest building (so the tale goes). We saw the only 7 star hotel in the world the Burj al Arab, and it still looks as elegant as ever despite it being quite old now and has never been rivalled. We visited other places like Medinat Jumeirah, the Jumeirah Residence Park and some malls and some restaurants and and and .. .
The ski place is in a shopping mall. In the morning we put on jumpers and warm clothes (because we were going skiing) but found ourselves having breakfast outside in morning winter temperatures of about 22 degrees. So we had to strip to almost the string vests, then got dressed again to enter the mall. One fee gets you the ski suit, the ski pass, boots and ski suit. You have to get your own hat and gloves, so conveniently there is a shop selling these at extortionate prices. So we were measured, weighed, sized up, battled with lockers and in no time were fully clothed as skiers. So we set off for the slope, striding in ski boots on and off a regular escalator with skis on shoulder, quite an experience. The snow on the slope resembles what you would encounter in Scotland if it ever got snow, just at the verge of being slushy. A four man chair lift takes skiers and onlookers to the top of the slope. As you ride the chairlift there is TGI Friday’s in the background. Coming down on the chairlift (on the odd occasion) you will see locals wearing thobe’s (the white cloaks that Arab men wear) with an overcoat. They want to see and experience the atmosphere (and possibly the temperature (-4)) and just ride the lift up and down. As you get to the top of the slope you hear a Michael Jackson song playing. You set off down the slope, a bit nervous on the first run, but soon with confidence like an experienced skier. At the bottom of the slope there will be a different artist singing, Alexander Burke for example. The usual middle eastern greeting, hello maam as you arrive at the bottom ready to go up again. As there are only two main slopes of about 200m each you soon get a bit bored of it and the temperature starts to get to the bone. So the two hour ski pass is enough. A break on the mountain side cafe (half way up the slope) is a good place to sit, have a hot drink and warm up under patio heaters. To get to the entrance you have to climb up a spiral fire escape like stairs in ski boots (which would never pass any health and safety regulations in Europe, just like the escalator), but you have no choice and you brave it anyway. Here you see the tourists who have come to see what is like. I encounter a group of Nordic visitors in shorts who have hired coats and boots for the occasion, but are bare legged, quite a sight really.
The ending is just as surreal as the entrance to the skiing experience, you descend on the escalator replace the skis and boots on racks and discard your hired clothes in huge laundry bins, and walk out into the shopping mall browsing the shops as though you have not been skiing at all and it was all a dream.
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