Tuesday 27 January 2009

dubai trafic

ubai-Sharjah rail project to kick off in 2015, says minister Dubai: Ministry of Public Works must look at ways to ease traffic congestion on Dubai-Sharjah road by building more roads and fast-tracking the trans-emirate train service, demanded members of the Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday.
Train service will help to ease traffic flow as it would reduce the number of cars on the road, said the lawmakers.
Roads in the northern emirates are so crowded that the problem has become unbearable, they added.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works, agreed that the train service would not only ease traffic congestion, but also reduce the cost of road maintenance and other projects.
Shaikh Hamdan said tenders for the project to run trains will be offered by 2015.
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Sunday 25 January 2009

RAK SNOW


Heavy snowfall on Ras Al Khaimah's Jebel Jais mountain cluster

Ras Al Khaimah: Snow fell heavily on the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah on Friday night, leaving the Jebel Jais range covered in a thick white blanket of snow.
The extreme cold spell brought the temperature on top of the Jebel Jais mountain cluster, situated at a height of 5,700 feet, to as low as -3 degree Celsius on Friday night, as the snow blanketed an area extending over 5kms.
Major Saeed Rashid Al Yamahi, Manager of the Air Wing of RAK Police, who flew a helicopter to the top of the Jebel Jais mountain, said that the entire area was covered with 10 cm of snow.

"The sight up there this morning was totally unbelievable with the snow-capped mountain and the entire area covered with fresh, dazzling white snow. The snowfall started at 3pm on Friday afternoon and heavy snowfall began at 8 pm and continued till midnight, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of snow," he said.
The temperature on top of the mountain cluster remained extremely cold during the daytime on Saturday with the temperature rising to just 1 degree Celsius in the afternoon. "Much of the snow was still there even when we flew back from the mountain this afternoon. It is still freezing cold up there and there are chances that it might snow again on Saturday night," Major Al Yamahi added.
M. V. Varghese, Observer at the RAK Airport Meteorological Office, said that there were scattered rains in Ras Al Khaimah on Friday night which brought the temperature down. "The rain along with the cold easterly winds and low-lying clouds could have bought the temperatures further down on the mountains," he said.
Plans for mountain resort
Ras Al Khaimah had experienced heavy snowing on Jebel Jais mountains four years ago on December 28, 2004. "I had flown there in 2004 when it snowed, but this time it was much bigger and the snowing lasted longer as well," said Major Al Yamahi.
The Jebel Jais mountain cluster is situated around 25kms from Ras Al Khaimah City and normally has significantly lower temperatures even during the peak summer months.
Ras Al Khaimah has plans to capitalise on the attractive climate and spectacular scenery of Jebel Jais by building a mountain resort and ski slope on top of the mountains.

dubai aiport

Another year of growth and success for Dubai Airports

Dubai International Airport recently announced a year-on-year increase of 9.01 per cent in passenger traffic and 9.38 per cent in freight. The airport handled a throughput of 37,441,440 passengers and 1,824,991 tonnes of cargo in 2008 as against 34,348,110 passengers and 1,668,505 tonnes of freight in 2007.
Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and Chairman of Dubai Airports, said the growth was impressive, especially considering the global economic downturn, the record high price of oil during 2008 and the impact of the overall situation on civil aviation and related sectors worldwide.

Describing the opening of Terminal 3, the world's largest terminal, as flawless and a model for airports all over the world to emulate, Sheikh Ahmed attributed the success of its launch to the team spirit among the staff of Dubai Airports, Emirates, and Dubai Duty Free and their cooperation with strategic partners such as the police, customs, and immigration.
In 2008, August was the busiest month for the airport in terms of passenger traffic with 3.36 million passengers, while February recorded the highest growth rate at 18.83 per cent. An average of three million passengers passed through Dubai International in 2008, with a daily average of 100,000 passengers.
Cargo movement continued its upward trend in 2008 with Dubai Cargo Village registering a growth of 9.38 per cent over 2007. September was the busiest month for the Cargo Village last year with 163,836 tonnes of cargo, up 12.70 per cent over the corresponding month in 2007.

Monday 19 January 2009

Mobile accommodation in Dubai soon.!!

Dubai longing accmodation on dubai

gulf today

Emir of Kuwait inaugurates Arab economic summit
Kuwait Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, inaugurated the Arab Economic, Development and Social Summit at Al Tahreer Palace on Monday.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan headed the UAE delegation to the inaugural session.
The Arab economic summit draft resolutions include a number of items, notably the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip and its repercussions.
The draft resolutions praised the efforts of the private sector in supporting joint Arab action and inviting the private sector to continue contributing to Arab economic development.
The resolutions called for supporting the private sector in its execution of national economic development projects and joint Arab projects to boost joint Arab economic action.

Friday 16 January 2009

A view to a thrill


A view to a thrill
If you live and work in Dubai like I do, sometimes it can feel like you spend most of your life staring at the car in front of you (usually a taxi) on the Shaikh Zayed Road.
You know there are fabulous buildings all around you, that technically you live in a desert, and that you are fortunate to be in one of the most fascinating destinations in the world — but it can all slip from your mind in the day-to-day grind.
Tour operators in the UAE are catching on to the fact that, when they do have some free time, many people want to enjoy some sort of ‘experience’ — rather than simply sitting on a beach all day or going for a brunch.
One such operator is Seawings, who organise seaplane trips over Dubai and the northern emirates.
When they offered me the chance to hop on board to get a different view of the city, I knew it would be just what the doctor ordered.
Sky-high demand
Seawings has carved a very successful niche in the travel ‘experiences’ sector and although it is only entering its second season, it currently flies an impressive 15,000 people per month in a fleet of three Cessna 208 Caravans.
So on a clear and bright morning, a friend and I bundled into a taxi down to Club Joumana in Jebel Ali Resort and Spa — the operating base for the fleet.
There we were greeted by the brains behind the venture, CEO Stewart Wheeler, who explained to us the company’s vision for expansion.
A couple of facts that caught me by surprise were that the operator had recently been placed at the top of the pile on the much-used tripadvisor.com and that the New York Times had last year voted a flight on a Seawings seaplane as the number one thing to do when in Dubai.
“Flying on a seaplane is something that few people have done; it is something very unique and a really dramatic way to see Dubai from the air,” enthused Wheeler.
“When you fly with us, the emphasis is on having an experience, not just transportation.”
Wheeler stressed that the aircraft are maintained by highly qualified engineers and that the company is regulated just like any other airline.
Even more reassuring was the fact that its pilots are amongst the world’s most skilled at flying seaplanes and between them have accrued thousands of hours of air time.
Hitting the water
For our trip that day we were scheduled to head over Dubai for a close-up aerial view of the famous landmarks, before heading down to Ras Al Khaimah for a sailing trip on the Arabian Gulf. It all sounded splendid.
With passport and boarding pass clutched in hand, my friend and I headed purposefully down to the marina ready for our flight.
Our chosen mode of transport looked so dainty as we shuffled down the boardwalk that it instantly reminded of the model aircraft kids often have suspended from their bedroom ceilings.
However, once on board and fastened securely to nice plush leather seats, I was raring to go.
What is odd at first is the realisation that you are in an aeroplane, sat on water, about to take off.
Your mind has to adjust, especially when you start heading towards the ‘runway’ — a.k.a. the sea.
Our friendly American pilot kept nerves calm however by explaining to us what was coming next and seemed so relaxed in his job, even the most edgy amongst us started to press our noses against the windows.
And then the roar of engines and take-off — and a lot of splashing water! But it is a real thrill — and much more bouncy than a normal aircraft, but in a fun, fairground ride kind of way.
There’s no getting around it, even on a day with good conditions like ours, there are a few bumps and drops when you’re up in the air in a seaplane.
I have no issues with flying, in fact I love it, but my friend went an interesting shade of green a few times and had trouble concentrating on her camera duties in between groans.
Jaw-dropping views
But despite a few lurches, I think all of us (the aircraft carries nine passengers) were unprepared for the amazing views we were about to be treated to.
“Look!” shrieked one passenger, “The Palm!”… and indeed it was, the under-construction Jebel Ali Palm spread out below us in all its glory, so close it felt unreal.
It is only at this point that you realise the sheer level of engineering skill and audacity the planners behind Dubai’s transformation must have.
And from then it was difficult to take it all in at once: Burj Dubai, The World Islands, Burj Al Arab, Dubai Marina (I admit I was gesticulating wildly that I could “see my flat!”) — it was all there in amazing detail.
If you think flying in a seaplane must be similar to passing over Dubai on a regular aeroplane, think again. This is the real deal.
Another Seawings seaplane was flying parallel to us on this trip and it was surprising to see how close they get to one another — all testimony to the skill of the pilots — but somewhat disconcerting when the plane next to you suddenly drops from sight only to reappear on the other side!
As we travelled along the coast, away from Dubai, past Sharjah and over the less developed emirates Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, the landscape in between changed and it was my first real opportunity to see the stark beauty of the UAE coastline; along with expanses of desert there was more greenery than I expected and patches of what looked from above like swamp.
Sailing in style
Eventually we approached our landing destination — the Hilton Resort & Spa Ras Al Khaimah, where we were to catch our next mode of transport for the day, a traditional Lejainie schooner.
Landing in the marina outside the Hilton was surprisingly gentle compared to the take off — much to the relief of the weak-of-stomach amongst us.
The Hilton at RAK is quite impressive and from a quick scan of the surrounding area it was clear the emirate has big plans.
Tell-tale skyscraper skeletons were dotted around us, but the overall ambience of the place is fairly laid-back and the few official tourism representatives we encountered were genuinely friendly and knowledgeable.
So, with only half an hour to get our land legs back, we were hopping on board the schooner for a few hours sailing.
I’m definitely going to start scouring my family tree for noted sailors or sea captains because not once during the entire trip did I feel motion sickness.
The same cannot be said for everyone onboard our boat (my ill-fated camera pal included) — so I guess it’s all in the genes — but most people seemed very happy.
Fine dining
What was startling was the elegance of the dining experience on the boat. I guess we were all expecting a few sandwiches, tea and coffee.
Not a bit of it. We were ushered to tastefully set tables and treated to a delicious three-course meal including homemade soup, a delicious buffet salad and fresh grilled fish.
The quality of the fare was made more impressive by the tiny size of the kitchen the chef had to work in.
After a pleasant couple of hours slicing through the waves, watching the crew unfurl and position the sails, and simply sitting back to take in the view of the Omani mountains, we made our way back to the marina just as it began to get dark.
A comfortable coach was waiting to take us on the final leg of the trip — a leisurely drive back to Dubai.
I was surprised how tired I suddenly felt. Probably the result of a lot of adrenaline and fresh air in one day after weeks of being harnessed to a desk.
And the best result of the day was, thanks to my seaplane experience, when we did finally arrive back to Dubai, I was delighted to see it.
PROFILE
The concept
Based in Dubai, Seawings is the Middle East’s only seaplane tour operator.
Starting with one Cessna 208 Caravan amphibious seaplane in 2007, the operator was launched with the idea to create a new and unique aerial sightseeing excursion across Dubai’s dramatic and ever-changing coastal skyline.
Its vision is to provide a bird’s eye view of the region’s natural beauty and Dubai’s extraordinary manmade structures.
Services include scenic flights, customised excursions, packages and exclusive aircraft charters. The company is expanding its offering to include various activity, sightseeing and cultural trips.
ECOLOGY
Seeing green
Seaplanes have proven to be environmentally friendly as they emit no contamination. Since the propeller, engine and exhaust are all above water there is no disturbance to marine life and there is no oil discharge into the water. They also have low external noise and excellent safety records.
OFFERS
Tour options
Seawings Pearl — Dh895per person Seawings Silver — Dh1125 per person Seawings Gold Lite — Dh6500 per charter Seawings Gold — Dh9500 per charter Seawings Diamond — Bespoke tour price on application SIGHTS
Jebel Ali Palm Burj Dubai The World Islands Jebel Ali Port Burj Al Arab Hotel Dubai Marina Palm Jumeirah Dubai Creek* Dubai Festival City*

DSF start in dubai


Acrobats steal the show on DSF opening night
Dubai A spectacular acrobatic show performed by the Chinese State Circus at the Dubai Festival City was one of the highlights of the opening day of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) on Thursday.
More than 30 world-class acrobats and martial arts masters stretched the limits of human endurance.
The shows will be held daily at 6pm and 9pm till February 15, except on Mondays.
VIP tickets cost Dh150, Dh100 for the Grandstand, while regular tickets cost Dh50. Tickets are available online from http://www.timeouttickets.com/ or the Time Out Tickets Hotline 800 4669.
Meanwhile, more than 300 performers gathered at Al Seef Street for a colourful extravaganza as the 14th edition of the DSF got underway.
Al Seef Street, one of the main venues and attractions of this year's DSF, is hosting the Dubai Carnivals till Saturday