Sin City (Dubai)

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai

Marina Walk, Dubai

Just thought of sharing some new photos that I took recently...
Also check
http://blog.basilkhleif.com for more pics.

Quest for the Holy Chocolate Grail

Some of you may have seen magazine articles about the new Galler chocolate cafe "on Sheikh Zayed road". Well that's not a very helpful location instruction. Nor is Time Out Dubai's description of it as "Ghaya Residence, behind the Dusit". After - no kidding - one hour and a half of driving round SZR and asking for directions (a huge thank you to the guy in Axiom Cafe who let me do a Google search on his laptop) I finally found it.

Anyone who has been to the Galler cafe in Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall will understand why it was so vital to find the Dubai one. The menu is wonderful: fresh salads, burgers, crepes, with lots of imaginative use of chocolate, and the most amazing home made ice cream and sorbet in the UAE. Plus of course rich, foaming hot chocolate like you have never tasted it before.



So how to get there? Well, Ghaya residence is nowhere near the Dusit. It's half way up SZR nearer to the Emirates Towers end. It has Commercial Bank of Dubai at the bottom facing SZR, and the Galler cafe is round the back (north east corner - ie the Emirates Towers side). Click these images to enlarge:

Slow Down!

RTA is soon lowering the maximum speed limit from 120kph to 100kph:
~ between Interchanges 2 & 5 on Sheikh Zayed Road
~ on the Al Khail Road

The minimum limit of 60kph will remain.

Speed reductions are also being considered on other 100kph roads down to 80kph.

Excerpts from the article in Gulf News:
~ "We are in the process of revising speed limits on most of Dubai roads in order to reduce fatal accidents, because speeding is the main killer," said Badr Al Siri, Director of Traffic Department at Roads and Traffic Agency in RTA.

~ "The measures are being taken after extensive studies," he said.

~ Motorists are allowed to drive at least 20km above the given speed limit before they are caught by radars and cameras.

~ 240 out of 312 people were killed in accidents caused by speeding last year. Around 45 people were killed and 273 got injured in 122 accidents last year on Shaikh Zayed Road alone.

~ Some 136 people have been killed on Dubai roads during the first six months of this year.

Read the whole article here.

Defence Roundabout in 2001

Long-time residents of Dubai often post fascinating photos of a couple of decades ago, and we all express amazement about how much the city has just sprung out of the sand in a few years.

Now, amazingly, it's my turn:



I found this photo while going through some old back up CDs. The date on it is 2002, but I believe - due to "HP" in the title - that it may date from summer 2001, as that is the only time I had an HP camera. I am not even 100% certain I took this photo, I don't remember taking it, but it was in a folder with some others of former colleagues that I definitely did take. You can click the photo to see a much bigger version.

I am not sure exactly where I took this from, but it looks like the Dusit. If I get a chance, I plan to take a comparison shot some time. Or if anyone else lives in the area and can take one, please do.