How Indiafied is Dubai? This much...

Dubai Niight

I hung out ont he massively busy Sheik Zayed road, almost on the median strip of the off-ramp, to take this pic, so you better appreciate it!!!
A bazaar as your alight from little boats which cross the creek...
The lights of another busy shopping district. They're not kidding when they say Dubai is great for shopping...there's one at every corner!
A nice sunset from the roof of the place where I was staying. Out that beyond the buildings is Dubai ports...

The Manhattan like skyline of Dubai out towards Sheik Zayed Rd

Dubai Day

So from the white snow of Rothang, I made it to Delhi and then quite unexpectedly to Bombay, before heading to the white sands of Dubai.

I think for me, this was the turning point of the trip. Thus far the scenery was mountainous and I'd fallen in love with the sunsets. The deep gorges and winding roads were awesome and I left only to complete a trip half done.

In between though, I had to leave the country and return, so I wouldn't overstay on my tourist visa. And so it was to Dubai. Apart from seeing what the hype was all about, the other reason to fly to the middle east was to revisit some family history. My dad moved moved to the less well known mid east country, Oman, in '75, and stayed untill '88.

So this trip, then was to see Dubai and the hype, but also rediscover where we lived, and where we went to school, where my folks went shopping, etc.

So I'll start with Dubai, and move to Muscat, Oman, a bit later on.

The construction of the Burj Dubai, eventually home to the worlds tallest building. Here's the finished version...

If you wanted to read in to this pic, you could say that it represents a nice blance of old and new, then you would be hopelessly wrong! This fort and its contents is really an oasis in the dessert!

The amazing Dubai skyline...apparently it plays host to 18% of the worlds cranes, mainly for different housing projects, but despite this, rents have increased manifold!

Abassi Uncle...

Golden sands, crystal clear water and the Burj al Arab on the far left

Rothang La

To get to the seemingly forbidden lands of Leh and Ladakh, one has to pass through the Rothang La (pass in local speak). The Pass to me, had mysterious feel to it...at 4000m, only the ardent could get through its formidable terrain and to the otherside lay the great Himalayas.

So imagine my eyes when the romanticism of Rothang manifested into the below...
...more a summer winter wonderland! Anyways, the following pics are of the journey. The picture below is of the snake of cars winding their way through the glacier. The authorities close the roads for a couple hours at a stretch to remove the snow and ice. So when the mad rush of cars and buses finnally settled into some order, you get the below...

Norbulingka II

The alter...

The above two pics are at another Bhuddist learning institute. Whereas Norbulingka is dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan art and culture, the monastry above is purely for teaching. I love the crimson coloured robes.





The position from where I took the pic is a bit theda, but his posture is almost perfect, just like the statue of Bhudda in the snactom sanctorium.

Norbulingka

Ok so this starts bottom up, so scroll to the bottom and work your way up...

The entrance to Norbulingka. I would rate this is place as the no 1 Bhuddist destination in the Dharamshala area. Sure, there is McLeod Ganj, but, to be honest, I really didn't enjoy that place, and beyond the views and the fact that it hosts the Dalai Lama's residence and temple, I wouldn't go there more than once.

Norbulingka, on the other hand, is a nice and peaceful, set at the end of a long uphill road, presumably to keep away everyone except the most sincere seeker. As the pics will show you, the environ is full of peace and tranquility.

More pics...what????

Though I am back, I want to put some pics of the places I visited after the Taj...