Hot Air Ballon Ride

My neighbor wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride before his contract ends in June. He ended up arranging everything and a carload of us left Ras al Khaimah at 3:30a on a Friday on the one hour trek to Dubai. Our meeting point was at one of the malls in Dubai where we met Peter and his staff. There were three vans full of people who joined in the adventure. Peter was the owner of the company and our pilot for the flight. He was a high energy fellow who was intent on making sure his staff performed to a high standard. The pictures in this post were from our launching point which was about 90kms outside of Dubai. The support staff was preparing the balloons as we drove to the site.

Sunrise

We were there for the sunrise and it was very nice.

Ascending...

Before I could get the camera out and press the button, we were drifting into the air. It was a smooth liftoff as we eased into the sky. I don't know about the others in the basket, but I didn't feel a thing. I know this is the wrong order but the upload speeds are so painfully slow here, I wanted to do this first. If you want to watch this, I would suggest that you turn down the sound on your computer.

Various Shots While in the Air

Here are a few shots of the desert landscape. I was actually surprised to see any plant life at all. The other balloons were behind us. At this time, we were descending from our peak of 4000 feet.

Tracks

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While we were in the balloon, we were able to see desert gazelle sprinting across the sand. Unfortunately, my camera does not have the zoom capabilities to get a good shot. The best I could do is get a few pictures of the tracks. If you double click the picture, they will be easier to see.

Post-ride

When we landed, Peter asked the guys to pull the rope. This aided in the deflation process of the balloon. We were out there for 10 minutes or so as we waited for the support crew to arrive and finish the job. At this point, I was happy to be back on the desert floor following our exciting ride.

Cars

Following the return from the balloon ride in the desert, we went to breakfast at the mall. I would have taken pictures but the view was terrible. Sand is almost always in the sky and that makes the view look pretty nasty. Downstairs from the restaurant, there was a little artsy thing going on. There was a lot of spray paint involved but at least it was colorful. Only a few cars were on display and it looked much more appealing from the second floor restaurant where we were having breakfast.

Goats

I was expecting to see camels here...it just goes with the territory. What was surprising was seeing the goats which seem to roam in the residential areas. The pictures you see are taken outside of my villa as I was walking to the store around the corner. Since they are goats, they eat anything. This has become evident to my neighbor who has to put up a goat guard to protect his prized garden. If he didn't, the goats would feast on his plants. They are not strays, but are owned by someone in the area. Every night, they go home to relax after a hard day of eating the weeds in the area.

Welcome to a Camel Race

We went to the camel races this morning and you will be able to see what we did. Enjoy.

Cheap Crash Pad

Okay, the plan was to go to Global Village in Dubai. I took the bus from Ras Al Khaimah to the bus station in Dubai. Since the plan was to see Global Village, it may have been difficult to return that night so I decided to remain in Dubai since the event was open from 4p-1a. After walking a few blocks I found a bunch of hotels. All I was looking for was a cheap crash pad. Well, I found paradise at the Sweet Palace Hotel. The staff was actually pretty nice. For 200 dirhams ($54.50 USD) I scored this little gem. In Mexico or Central America, a place like this probably not cost more than twenty bucks. It is better than being homeless for a night. I think it will be difficult to find a place that is cheaper in the city.

A Day at Global Village

This is Global Village-Dubai. It is a 3-month event which showcases various cultures and goods from around the world. I guess it compares to a county fair without the barnyard animals. Thankfully they had a good international food court as well as snacks available with in the respective section for each participating country. The event attracted 4.4 million visitors in 2009. It felt like there were there that many on the day I visited. There was fun for the whole family.

Exhibitions

As you wander through Global Village, this is what the exhibitions look like during the day.

During the Day

They had a canal in the facility and a boats was taking passengers on a slow ride. Sorry, for not providing a picture of the boat. Every time a boat came by, my camera was turned off.

A Night at Global Village

This is what it looked like when the event was lit up at night. I think half of the population of the UAE was here.