Monday, December 04, 2023

Sharjah and the Burj Khalifa

Day 33 - It can fairly confidently say I had not been in Sharjah for thirty years. Even during the five years I worked in Dubai, trips to the adjoining emirate were pretty rare. Today, we found that there's a great bus station at Union Station. We boarded a double-decker and sat in the air-conditioned interior for about five minutes. Then, we were on our way. The bus took a route near the corniche and took approximately 45 minutes to arrive at the Sharjah Bus Station. It is not far from the Souk buildings that were completed at least three decades ago. 

Sharjah was not an amazing place but I could see the beauty of living in the new buildings along one of the lagoons.
  Day 33 - Sharjah

Day 33 - Sharjah

Day 33 - Sharjah

In the evening, we felt practically obligated to return to the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.  It is a magnet we'd not seen since last in Dubai eighteen months ago.  I was again reminded of the poor transit planning when walking what seemed like two kilometers through the Metro access corridors.  Damn.  It is too far when one's been doing a lot of walking over the last week!

Day 33 - Dubai Mall & Fountain

Day 33 - Dubai Mall & Fountain

Day 33 - Dubai Mall & Fountain

The fountain is still amazing and we stayed for the 6:30 and 7:00 PM shows. The backdrop of the world's largest building still impresses, even after prior visits. The first fountain song was The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.  We cannot seem to avoid Celine wherever on the planet we are!  The second tune was a local Arabic song.

We did end up walking through the entire mall and seeing the sites:  the water fountain wall, the ice skating rink, and the glass aquarium wall.  

Of course, we didn't have seats on the overcrowded Metro in either direction.  We got back tired.  Tomorrow will be a rest day.


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