Cal and VA | Adventures | Dubai 2014

Previous Day Prev P

Next Day Next N

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.

Previous Day Prev P

Next Day Next N

Top

Top

Cal and VA | Adventures | Dubai 2014

© Cal and Virginia Ann Holman All Rights Reserved 2000-2025

Modified last on Aug 17, 2025, 6:37:42?PM