Konnichiwa Japan

There are not many things to report upon our departure from Dubai, besides the fact that I've rarely seen an airport so lively at 2 in the morning. Actually, since it is the first time I am flying that early, it would be more appropriate to say that I have never seen any airport at 2 in the morning. And DXB is surely very active...between the pilgrims for Mecca, the Pakistani for Islamabad and the Australians for Sydney, you can easily imagine Hanna's level of excitement. I was also quite excited to fly again with the A380, till I tasted the "oriental vegetarian meal", which I had selected for our flight to Tokyo. I am not picky when it comes to food, but that was really nothing for me. Hanna, however, enjoyed her meal (and mine, as a matter of fact) very very much. 9 hours and 45 minutes (or so) later, Hanna and I landed in Narita international airport.

Whereas Dubai welcomed us with its warm and dry weather, Tokyo offered rain and wind to us. Our first contact with Japan was the custom officers. An unusual warm and friendly "welcome to Japan" later (that is quite some change with respect to the US and Dutch custom officers), we were ready to collect our luggages, exchange our vouchers for the Japan Rail Pass, buy the Suica pass for the Tokyo metro (we forbid you to travel in Tokyo without those passes) and finally board the Narita Express train to Tokyo Shinjuku station.

We'll be staying till next Monday at the Ibis hotel in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, which is well known for its restaurants, electronics shopping centers, and the nearby party zone of Kabuki-Cho. We thought that, since the hotel is conveniently located near the Shinjuku subway station, it would be a piece of cake to find it...Well, that was without considering the zillions of Japanese signs, which literally seem to point to all directions at the same time, plus the size of Shinjuku station, plus the weight of our luggages, plus the lack of sleep (and my hunger)...to sum up, we made it out of the train, and....got lost...Luckily, one gentleman, whose English was good enough to assist, walked us out of the station, almost all the way to the Ibis hotel.

The first thing that caught my eye is the number of people running (not walking..or at least walking fast) around you...The second thing is that you cannot stand on the right on an escalator... Or you'll block an entire column of overworked people standing quietly in line behind you...without complaining...till you realize something's wrong...and you quickly move (or try to...cause you forgot you have those bloody luggages with you on the escalator) to your left...Thus: STAY ON YOUR LEFT, WALK ON THE LEFT!!! The third thing is the amount of neon lights...feels like in a rainy Las Vegas.

Once at the hotel, we discover our room...huh...that's just for one person, right? Nope? Huh...ok then! At least, we have WiFi...!!! And a McDonald's under the hotel...and a great tiny sushi place across the street, where you can get green tea powder, on which you pour hot water coming from the wall....Gee...too many new things for us today...need to sleep...good night!

 

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Dubai day 4

Today's our last day before our departure for Tokyo. The plan is to chill out a bit in the afternoon around the pool, and leave around 3 pm for a desert safari. We'll then come back to the hotel, collect our luggages and leave for the airport where we are due for taking off at about 3 am.

After heading North towards Oman for about 30 minutes (just about 76 km away from Oman), Akbar, our driver, turns right into the desert and plunges our 4x4 Toyota into the sand dunes (after deflating the tires). The 45-minute long roller coaster left Hanna giggling (no real shouting noticed) and, if I am not mistaken, ready for another round (to my great astonishment). A convoy of cars over the dunes is always very impressive and one can only feel like Lawrence of Arabia at one point or another during the trip.

As Hanna rightfully pointed out, those desert safaris can only have been invented by bored cheikhs or emirs...the bad thing: I am always scared at the amount of trash left behind by tourists in the desert; the good point: where else on Earth can you get those sunset views?

The safari ends with a BBQ in the middle of the desert, a belly dancer (who, according to Hanna, comes from Eastern Europe), some camel tours for tourists willing to spend some money, and, last but not least, a return ride through the dunes, which left me speechless at Akbar's driving skills.

In a few hours, we'll be aboard my favorite plane again, en route to Tokyo, Japan. A good time hence to tell you, faithful reader, that Dubai is a great place to visit if you need sun, heat, relaxing time and luxurious hotels. The Sofitel may not be the most expensive hotel in the place, and may also not be the best looking one. But, what is the point of blowing 300 euros per night? At one point, too much luxe kills the luxe, and trust me, the Sofitel is luxurious enough. As for shopping, skip Dubai...really, any serious shopper would not consider Dubai as the place to be...the prices are comparable to those in The Netherlands, and even sometimes more expensive. As far as electronics is concerned, the choice is very limited and I cannot wait till we'll be in Japan to get my polarizing filters and extra lenses. The shopping malls are big...that I admit...and the airco works well in there (so well that Hanna got sick). But, honestly, go somewhere else...even the FNAC or Carrefour in France are cheaper. The IPhone 5 for 1300 euros...25% more expensive than in The Hague...Again, let us see what Japan has to offer.

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Dubai day 3

After enjoying a delicious breakfast in our hotel, we leave for the Jumeirah mosque, which is the only one opened to foreigners in the UAE (if part of an organized tour). Honestly, there's not much to say about the mosque, which is nothing like the mosques in Cairo and Istanbul. I'd advise to save the 10 dirhams and visit the above-mentioned ones instead, if you have the chance.

 

However, here is something you need to do if you are in Dubai: leave your shopping mall for half a day and pay a visit to the historic arabic Dubai, with the Grand Souk Bur Dubai, the creek frontage, and cross the Dubai creek aboard a water taxi, also called abra, to the Deira neighborhood. There, with the Grand souk Deira, the oldest and busiest textile bazaar, and the gold souk, you'll be able to fully appreciate the Arab Dubai, where few people speak English. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Mall of the Emirates, so as to finally see this indoor ski zone...Rather impressive, and surely nothing close to environmentally friendly tourism. If you're there, though, try the chocolate fondue at the St Moritz café...very awkward feeling to enjoy a fondue in the UAE, watching people ski next door.

In the evening, after breaking my glasses, Hanna and I went to the Souk Madinat Jumeirah, where we enjoyed a tasty, but overpriced, Iranian dinner, and took a small boat tour around the complex. You may consider this area to be too touristic, and I would agree with you. However, when it comes to restaurants, the Jumeirah beach area is not very attractive...Plus, the night view on the Burj Al Arab hotel from the Madinat is stunning...just for this reason, the Madinat is worth your visit!

 

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Dubai day 2

Who could imagine that we would find a French baker just a few hundred meters from our hotel in Dubai? one baker that serves tasty bread, great patisseries, and a great lemon iced tea...one name: Paul. Enough of free advertisements... Hanna got up earlier than me this morning (nothing unusual) and went to the swimming pool.. Just before noon, we took a private limo to the Dubai mall (I love those GS 2012 Lexus), where I had an appointment for a shark diving specialty course at the Dubai aquarium. 3 dives, a first orientation one, a second for underwater photography, and a third for shark feeding...water at 23 Celcius, unlimited visibility, 22 pounds on my lead belt, 5.5 mm neoprene wet suit...and tens of tiger sharks and sand sharks...I did not really get scared but I was also not really reassured when entering the water. Having a 4 meter-long tiger shark about 2 meters from your mask is not the most relaxing experience in the world, but it gives you a very nice tingling in your spine. The feeding of the sharks is also a once-in-a-lifetime thrilling event, where you come to realize that your fingers and toes would not stand long attached to the rest of your body, were you to forget whom you're dealing with. They are surely not cute and cuddly, rather powerful and silent hunters, for whom divers ought to have respect. As for the few sharks remaining in our oceans (we've already killed 95% of all sharks in the world), let us just leave them in peace. We, humans, do not after all belong to the oceans, we're merely paying them a few visits once in a while."Flipper the Dolphin" and "jaws" are definitely two movies, which did no favor to dolphins and sharks, respectively.

While Jeje was having fun making bubbles in a big acrylic water tank, Hanna was taking pictures, enjoying the Dubai mall and visiting the Cheesecake factory...

I am writing this short day overview from the third deck of our hotel, with an uplifting view onto a turquoise infinity pool, the Jumeirah palm island in the background, and a Mojito (and Hanna) next to me. What a great way of smoothly ending a beautiful day...and do not forget...do not blame the sharks!

 

 

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Dubai day 1

After a seven or so hour long flight, we arrived in Dubai. Before mentioning anything about the airport and its magnificent arrival hall, let me just emphasize how great, comfortable, spacious, silent the A380 is. I have flown many many planes, but this one is...wow. You do not know what flying is before you fly in an Airbus A380-800... Plus, Emirates is extremely customer-friendly and pays so much attention to details...Wish Emirates was the French official airline. That being said, back to DXB...once deboarded, you cross huge halls with waterfalls and, in the arrival hall, you are welcome by a matrix of glass-like pillars, which seem to support the entire airport structure. About 30 booths also welcome you...the passport control. A taxi ride will cost you about 100 AED (about 20 euros) to reach the Jumeirah beach hotel area, where we are staying till next Wednesday at the Sofitel.

When entering the room, macarons and a chocolate cake were waiting for us, as a congratulation gift for our wedding. Two thumbs up...though, at 2 in the morning, it is rather difficult to eat chocolate...macarons, however... Our room has a partial view on the sea...temperature outside: 31 degrees centigrade...

The problem, when you get up at noon, is that half of the day is gone. After spending a big part of the afternoon at the infinity pool, we left the hotel by cab in the direction of the tallest man-made structure in the world, the Burj Khalifa tower. Hanna had a great idea to book this sightseeing trip before my dive of Tuesday, cause, with its 800 meter height, one must wait 18 hours before visiting the tower after scuba diving. Getting up the 124 floors takes the elevator 1 minute...and when the doors open, an amazing view hits you in the face.

I have been on many observation decks, from the Eiffel tower in Paris to the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller center in New York...seriously, those towers are for kids...nothing compares to the Burj Khalifa, not even the unbeatable price for going up there (17 euros pp, if you book in advance on the web). You don't even feel the height, merely a gentle breeze...unforgettable and thrilling...If Dubai already owns the eight wonder or the world with the Jumeirah Palms island, I believe that Dubai also owns the ninth wonder of the world with the Burj Khalifa.

Back on earth, we had diner on the waterfront, at the bottom of the Burj Khalifa tower In a Lebanese restaurant, which is part of the Dubai Mall, while enjoying the famous Dubai dancing water fountain. A short taxi ride later, we were back in Jumeirah, ready to enjoy a last mint tea, before resting. Tomorrow's a big day for me as I will be diving with the sharks of the Dubai aquarium and underwater zoo, and as Hanna will be shopping till she (or her credit card) drops in the Dubai Mall.

 

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Dubai, here we come

Saturday, 13.10.2012. We are standing behind the security check point at Schiphol, gate G9. Boarding has started at 14:00 and should continue till 15:30...the size of the A380-800 explains the length of the procedure. As expected, Hanna gets all excited at the arrival of the flight attendants and, especially, at the arrival of the pilots. I guess I am very happy we are married now...

While the plane is getting prepared for its flight to Dubai International airport, many passengers, for whom it is the first flight aboard this giant, take pictures. I must admit I am rather excited about flying in this monsterous machine..just wondering how it can take off...and how much it costs...

Can you imagine that Emirates owns 27 of those Airbus A380-800?

Hanna and I are very happy to leave the Netherlands as it has been raining quite a lot in The Hague for the past 24 hours. actually, we are thrilled at the idea of finding the sun again...boarding is due in a couple of minutes...we are off to Dubai...our honeymoon can now start...yeeepee!

 

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To Dubai and Japan with love

Starting next week, Hanna and I are off to Dubai and Japan for our honeymoon...for those of you who did not know yet, we actually got married on September 22nd in France. We'll start our big trip in Dubai, where we'll stay for about 5 days; we'll then fly to Tokyo. After a few days there, the plan is to move West/South by train and end up our trip in Okinawa. We'll be off for about a month and will keep you updated of our progress via this blog. I bought a new blogging interface for the iPad, which will hopefully result in our trip being regularly updated, for once.

Hanna and I are both really excited about this trip, especially about the company and the plane we'll be flying from Amsterdam to Dubai, and later from Dubai to Tokyo... Emirates and the famous Airbus A380-800!

To those of you who could attend our wedding, thanks for coming and making this day a very special one! We hope we'll be able to keep the magic going on for a very long time, and we'll start by sharing this trip with you.

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