A Day in Dubai Part 2
After I visited the Burj Khalifa on my trip to Dubai last weekend, I went to the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.
From visiting the CN Tower in Toronto earlier this year I learned to book ahead of time online to secure a time slot. As it turns out, booking online benefited my visit to both the Burj and The Aquarium. On MyConcierge.com I found a combo ticket for both for AED 180. The only restriction on the ticket was blacked out times at sunset--no problem for me since I was there during the day. Regular price for the Aquarium ticket is AED 100 (approx. $27) and around AED 125 (approx. $35).
That's a pretty decent savings, yes. But listen to this: when I looked up the price of a ticket to the Burj for that same day (while I was waiting in the endless line for the Aquarium), it was AED 500!!! That's $136!!!! So if you come to visit, you MUST tell me before we go that you want to go to the Burj!
Here are some highlights from the Aquarium, which is connected to the Dubai Mall which is also connected to the Burj Khalifa. One really awesome thing about visiting sights here is that big things are connected via air conditioned enclosures, be it a mall or a walkway or a skybridge. Not only do you stay out of the heat (and avoid your glasses fogging and getting chilled when you come back inside), directions to various sights with arrows are everywhere and easy to read and see. EVERYTHING is in English as well as Arabic, so language is not an issue. Furthermore, since I taxi everywhere, I just have to get a taxi to drop me off somewhere in the complex and I can walk to my destination without fear of getting lost.
Frankly, I was quite bothered by what I saw. When I worked at a foundation that works to save endangered raptors I handled the birds and learned what a stressed bird looks, sounds and behaves like. I am no expert, of course, but some of the animals I saw seemed to show some of the same symptoms. Take a look for yourself.
The aquarium was not really worth seeing, unless maybe you have kids. But the combo ticket made it worth in, even just to walk through the tunnel.
I felt lonely as I walked around the exhibits. Maybe it was the tiny enclosures these beautiful animals were in, maybe I was feeing their loneliness. Maybe it was the lack of sleep combined with being surrounded by families. Whatever the reason, I was almost in tears when I left and began wandering around the mall. Wandering around the 5th largest mall in the world is not the thing to do if you are feeling lonely.
But more on that in part 3.
P.S. If anyone can explain these animals' behaviour, I would be very grateful. I'd love to b wrong in my assessment that they are distressed.
From visiting the CN Tower in Toronto earlier this year I learned to book ahead of time online to secure a time slot. As it turns out, booking online benefited my visit to both the Burj and The Aquarium. On MyConcierge.com I found a combo ticket for both for AED 180. The only restriction on the ticket was blacked out times at sunset--no problem for me since I was there during the day. Regular price for the Aquarium ticket is AED 100 (approx. $27) and around AED 125 (approx. $35).
That's a pretty decent savings, yes. But listen to this: when I looked up the price of a ticket to the Burj for that same day (while I was waiting in the endless line for the Aquarium), it was AED 500!!! That's $136!!!! So if you come to visit, you MUST tell me before we go that you want to go to the Burj!
Here are some highlights from the Aquarium, which is connected to the Dubai Mall which is also connected to the Burj Khalifa. One really awesome thing about visiting sights here is that big things are connected via air conditioned enclosures, be it a mall or a walkway or a skybridge. Not only do you stay out of the heat (and avoid your glasses fogging and getting chilled when you come back inside), directions to various sights with arrows are everywhere and easy to read and see. EVERYTHING is in English as well as Arabic, so language is not an issue. Furthermore, since I taxi everywhere, I just have to get a taxi to drop me off somewhere in the complex and I can walk to my destination without fear of getting lost.
Frankly, I was quite bothered by what I saw. When I worked at a foundation that works to save endangered raptors I handled the birds and learned what a stressed bird looks, sounds and behaves like. I am no expert, of course, but some of the animals I saw seemed to show some of the same symptoms. Take a look for yourself.
The aquarium was not really worth seeing, unless maybe you have kids. But the combo ticket made it worth in, even just to walk through the tunnel.
I felt lonely as I walked around the exhibits. Maybe it was the tiny enclosures these beautiful animals were in, maybe I was feeing their loneliness. Maybe it was the lack of sleep combined with being surrounded by families. Whatever the reason, I was almost in tears when I left and began wandering around the mall. Wandering around the 5th largest mall in the world is not the thing to do if you are feeling lonely.
But more on that in part 3.
P.S. If anyone can explain these animals' behaviour, I would be very grateful. I'd love to b wrong in my assessment that they are distressed.
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