Palm Jumeirah Island-The Eighth Wonder of the World (Self-Declared)

Continues from The City of Skyscrapers

A visit to Palm Jumeirah Island was one of the must one in my Dubai travel itinerary. I’d heard so much about this self declared eighth wonder of the world and was once lucky enough to get a glimpse of it from the plane. However as we drove through the trunk of the palm island, I didn’t get the feeling that I am driving through a man-made island. On and off we could locate the tip of fond.  In any way, we couldn’t help marveling the drive to the crescent through the sub sea tunnel. Even a claustrophobic like me would stop worrying in this tunnel.

The Palm Island again is a signature for Dubai’s craze for architectural profligacy. The island mainly consists of signature villas, garden homes and Canal Cove town homes. Our host updated that the price of these apartments and flats had considerably fallen down after the recession. It seems these villas are easily accessible for even the upper middle class in the Indian society. However, apart from being a sightseeing location, Palm Island has lost its charm in many ways. (Here I remember hearing a rumor about Bollywood celebrities like Aishwarya Rai, Sharukh Khan & many more, who rushed to purchase villas in this island!)

As I had mentioned before, when you are in Palm Jumeirah Island, you won’t get the feel that you are walking on palm leaf shaped architecture. If you are particular to have an aerial view of the Palm Island, there are hot air balloons centers to take you for the tour.

In front of Atlantis

We stopped our car in front of the luxury hotel Atlantis. The five star hotel seems to offer a breathtaking view of the Island. The room rate starts from 1450AED (as per the present day) and there are people who stay one night at the hotel, just for the heck of it. Situated on 113 acres, the hotel comprises of a 42 acre water park, Zigguret, 11 acre Dolphin bay and an exotic underwater world. After taking a few snaps in front of the hotel, we drove to the edge of the crescent. The place was almost deserted where we can calmly enjoy the beauty of Palm Jumeirah.

A view from Marina Walk

We drove back via media city and reached Marina Walk. Luxurious yachts boasted the luxury of the place as soon as we entered into the walk. A new building in a crazy twisted shape is under construction at the opposite side of the walk. There is only one word that can attribute from my perception of the place-cozily posh! This is the apt place to enjoy a lazy evening in the posh Dubai.

We reached home back by early as 8p.m. There is an exciting day waiting for us tomorrow. As I was putting Shreya to bed, I couldn’t help thinking-Oh My God! There is so much money in this world. Dubai seems to give birth to an architectural wonder on each day. When so many babies go hungry each night, people do find time to waste money like this. 

(I admit that this is a finicky thought from the mind of person who spent the early years of life in a poor village in India. Please excuse me for not understanding the value of these architectural wonders.)

Continues in Animals and the Mountain