Dubai 2015 - Chasing For Sunrise, Literally!
I am not always late. Not when it comes to holiday and anything fun but as we came close to the end of the trip, I was so beat from going to the souk for last minute shopping - because I just wanted to get rid of my dirhams, did not want to bring home too much of it. I got back to the hotel at about 2am, thinking that I could nap till about 4am, and be on time for Burj Khalifa because we wanted to catch the sunrise. I guess my aim was higher than Burj Khalifa, I woke at 5am, only had half an hour to get ready and be there! So much for napping... Really...
You have no idea how jolted I was when I was woken up and found out it was 5am!
I ran to the toilet and suddenly became confused on what I should do first. Should I shave? Should I shower? Should I? Should I do what? I was so confused at that moment because it's like switching on a cold engine and ramp to a full speed without warming up. I was not prepared for that!
I should have just worn what I wanted to wear to Burj Khalifa, wake up and make a move to Downtown Dubai. Keyword, should have.
I grabbed whatever I need and rushed down. Thankfully the lift was fast at that hour because we were at level 30-something. With so many units in the hotel that serve up to 50 plus floors, even with 8 lifts, the average waiting time could just be 10 minutes or more. Ran to the cab - luckily the cab was already there and I took the time in cab to recollect myself because that was the most dramatic 15 minutes of my life. Laugh all you want now, it was not at all funny when it happened!
Fortunately there was no jam along the way to Burj Khalifa, we alighted from the cab and quickly ran to the entrance of At The Top. Like for once, I know the whereabouts in The Dubai Mall. Maybe that was the reason why fate brought me to the Dubai Mall no matter how much I tried to avoid going to the same place over and over again. Really got to be grateful for that!
You know, Dubai Mall is so huge you can get lost because everywhere looks the same! Especially for newbies like me when I arrived, I was not to say dwarfed but rather a little terrified knowing that a 800m tower is looming over the mall.
We were in time for our slot which we had booked - for AED250 (if I remember correctly), you get to go up to level 124 (yeah and that's only half way through the tower), about 400 meters up to have a sweeping view of Dubai. It's up to you whether you want to see the sunrise or sunset because the difference is in the direction of the sun. The reason I chose sunrise because I find it more cooling, and less crowded as compared to sunset. Same price, different timing!
It was spectacular to see the sun peeking from the horizon in the wee hours of the morning. There were many with cool gadgets to take time lapse and stuff. While putting the camera on the tripod stand, it's interesting to read the facts and figures that were displayed around the viewing gallery. How man-hours utilized to build this mammoth? What was the name of Burj Khalifa before it was renamed? And many more...
During that hour too you get to see the first fountain show of the day. You can't really see it up close, duh, but you get to see how the city wakes up once the sun shows up. Sunrise is quite underrated because nobody wants to wake up such wee hours for it but for me, it's beautiful in a way you are up there, knowing the sun is up, overlooking everyone in the city starting their day.
I felt really lucky to be able to see the sunrise because the timing was quite limited too. I guess there was no demand for sunrise watchers or perhaps, nobody wants to wake up that early! Nevertheless, it was not only satisfying. It was experiential to rise for sunrise before people even go to work!
Stay tuned for my final Dubai update!
You have no idea how jolted I was when I was woken up and found out it was 5am!
I ran to the toilet and suddenly became confused on what I should do first. Should I shave? Should I shower? Should I? Should I do what? I was so confused at that moment because it's like switching on a cold engine and ramp to a full speed without warming up. I was not prepared for that!
I should have just worn what I wanted to wear to Burj Khalifa, wake up and make a move to Downtown Dubai. Keyword, should have.
I grabbed whatever I need and rushed down. Thankfully the lift was fast at that hour because we were at level 30-something. With so many units in the hotel that serve up to 50 plus floors, even with 8 lifts, the average waiting time could just be 10 minutes or more. Ran to the cab - luckily the cab was already there and I took the time in cab to recollect myself because that was the most dramatic 15 minutes of my life. Laugh all you want now, it was not at all funny when it happened!
Fortunately there was no jam along the way to Burj Khalifa, we alighted from the cab and quickly ran to the entrance of At The Top. Like for once, I know the whereabouts in The Dubai Mall. Maybe that was the reason why fate brought me to the Dubai Mall no matter how much I tried to avoid going to the same place over and over again. Really got to be grateful for that!
You know, Dubai Mall is so huge you can get lost because everywhere looks the same! Especially for newbies like me when I arrived, I was not to say dwarfed but rather a little terrified knowing that a 800m tower is looming over the mall.
We were in time for our slot which we had booked - for AED250 (if I remember correctly), you get to go up to level 124 (yeah and that's only half way through the tower), about 400 meters up to have a sweeping view of Dubai. It's up to you whether you want to see the sunrise or sunset because the difference is in the direction of the sun. The reason I chose sunrise because I find it more cooling, and less crowded as compared to sunset. Same price, different timing!
 |
| The sun is crowning... |
 |
| And now we are seeing it's fully headed up! |
 |
| And a new day is born! |
It was spectacular to see the sun peeking from the horizon in the wee hours of the morning. There were many with cool gadgets to take time lapse and stuff. While putting the camera on the tripod stand, it's interesting to read the facts and figures that were displayed around the viewing gallery. How man-hours utilized to build this mammoth? What was the name of Burj Khalifa before it was renamed? And many more...
During that hour too you get to see the first fountain show of the day. You can't really see it up close, duh, but you get to see how the city wakes up once the sun shows up. Sunrise is quite underrated because nobody wants to wake up such wee hours for it but for me, it's beautiful in a way you are up there, knowing the sun is up, overlooking everyone in the city starting their day.
I felt really lucky to be able to see the sunrise because the timing was quite limited too. I guess there was no demand for sunrise watchers or perhaps, nobody wants to wake up that early! Nevertheless, it was not only satisfying. It was experiential to rise for sunrise before people even go to work!
Stay tuned for my final Dubai update!
