One of the things you can do in Dubai is ride a hot air balloon. This is offered at Ibn Batuta Mall at a price of 60 Dirhams. The ride lasts for only 15 minutes which seemed very little at first but after experiencing it I think its just enough.

So last weekend we decided to go for the balloon ride. When we bought the tickets we found out that there was one hour wait time. So we decided to hang around in the mall. By the time it was our turn to board the balloon, the sun had already set and it was dark. Nevertheless, we had to take the ride because there was no option to return the tickets or book the ride for another day. You have to use the ride same day you buy the tickets.

The experience was not that bad in the end. You get to see a bird-eye view of Dubai. Places like Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeira (including the Atlantis hotel), Sheikh Zayed Road, and surrounding areas can be seen from a height. Plus it was quite windy that night so balancing yourself in the balloon was quite thrilling.

My only comment about this was that the location for the ride was not ideal. Ibn Batuta mall is on the edge of the city. There is not much sight seeing there. If these was offered in City Center or Dubai Mall, the view from top would have been amazing. I was not too excited to see Jebel Ali Indsutrial Area from the top. Plus things would have looked better in the day light then at night.

If you are visiting Dubai, I recommend the balloon ride to you. It is an experience in itself and it 60 bucks it’s not that expensive.

Here’s a summary of year 2008 in my life.

January

Moved to Dubai and started a new phase of my life. The first month felt pretty tough because I was at a new place, despite visiting it many times before. The month was mostly spent hunting for an apartment and getting my US diploma attested to get a UAE resident visa.

February

I moved into my apartment in Dubai. It was even tougher than previous month because I didn’t have a car or driver’s license so was totally dependent on friends and taxis to move around town. Nevertheless, I managed to get some furniture for my home and started living.

March

Got my UAE resident visa processed. This enabled me to get telephone and internet connection. Finally something to do at home.

April

Got registered in a driving school and started driving classes. A painful process starts that would last for three long months. Got most of the furniture and a 37 inch LCD TV in my home. Later in the month failed my first attempt to pass the road test. It was a heartbreaking experience as I considered myself a good driver but failed miserably.

May

Slowest month of the year. Not much happened except for additional driving lessons. Still without a car so taxis get most of my hard earned money.

June

Failed my second attempt to pass the road test. Visited Algeria and Morocco.

July

Finally passed the road test on third attempt. Got my UAE driver’s license. The timing just couldn’t be better because next month will be crucial. Rented out a car and set myself free of being slave of Dubai Taxi Network. Started hunting for a car to buy.

August

It’s a girl. Blessed with a baby girl and stepped into the world of fatherhood. Took some time off from work to spend with wife and the newborn. Launched my photoblog. Also went to Qatar for a day in the middle of all that.

September

Bought Honda CR-V. I am totally in love with my car. Started exploring Dubai with a new spirit.

October

Went to Hague, Netherlands, to attend a conference. Europe is amazing. Started getting busy at work. Visited Qatar again. Got more job responsibilities without any salary increment

November

Visited Oman. Got really busy at work. Work and family life negatively impacted posting frequency on my blog.

December

Went to Pakistan for a quick visit home. Baby turned four months old. She is growing up fast. Super busy at work. No official traveling this month.

2008 was a wonderful year for me, perhaps the best year of my adult life. It was an year of struggle, survival, hope, and success. I expect 2009 to be even better. Keep reading this blog for updates.

One of the side effects of winter in Dubai as a very think fog at nights and early mornings. The fog causes a number of road accidents and canceled flights. Of course road accidents has more to do with drivers driving carelessly under foggy conditions, but that’s a different discussion.

So this morning there was thick fog on Emirates road even at 8:30 am when the sun is fully out. The visibility was very poor with only a few meters ahead. Luckily the drivers were wise to slow down but some one them drove with hazard lights on. Now that’s a big misconception about driving in fog. You should never drive with hazard lights on because it can confuse other drivers as to whether you want to change lane or turn. They just have to keep guessing and this can result in a crash. Instead, a better approach is to turn the headlights on so the other drivers can spot your vehicle from the tail lights.

Drive safe everyone.

Roaming around in Dubai Mall last weekend, I spotted someone riding a Segway.

I believe Dubai is a huge market for Segway. The malls here are so big it makes perfect sense to use a segway to explore the malls. Take Dubai Mall for example. It has four levels full of shops and outlets. Other malls like Mall of Emirates and Festival Center are huge. A segway would greatly help to “walk” around the malls. Not only that, it is ideal for short commutes where the destination is not so long to deserve a drive but not so near to walk.

Dubai is full of rich people able to afford a segway. Add that to the willingness of doing crazy things, and no there is no reason it wont sell like hot cakes.

I posted the pictures of Dubai Mall a while ago. I finally got a chance to upload the video of the giant aquarium as well. I highly recommend you to visit the mall and see this first hand. The video hardly does justice with the magnitude of this thing.

Just before the entrance of Airport Tunnel from Bur Dubai, there is a huge digital display that tells the state of traffic in the tunnel. Most of the time it says “Airport tunnel congested” or “Traffic Jam Ahead”, as the picture above proves it.

I find this pretty funny because the display warns about congestion just when you are entering the airport tunnel. It’s too late at this point to do anything about it. Most of the time the congestion lingers way beyond the tunnel entrance so the warning is not really needed as you can see it with your own eyes that you are in the middle of a traffic jam.

Perhaps if the warning was displayed a few miles before the airport tunnel, drivers could have done something to avoid airport tunnel altogether and take a different route.

But then again, no matter which route you take to go from Bur Dubai to Diera and Sharjah, you will always find congestion in the rush hours.

So a warning is not really needed at first place, be it late or early. Instead they should show latest Britney Spears video on the display, so the drivers can at least be entertained.

So during my 36-hour stay in Muscat, I couldn’t help but compare Dubai and Muscat in every aspect.

When I landed in Muscat the first impression I got was that maybe I have landed in Quetta, a city in Pakistan which is also surrounded by mountains. The difference was that Muscat was cleaner, and less congested.

Other than that, from my discussions with people I met, I learned that Muscat is a much more laid back place compared to Dubai. There is no rush of life in Muscat, no one seems to be in a hurry, and people are generally relaxed. Above all, housing is pretty affordable.

The most remarkable thing was that the currency of Oman is very strong. One Omani Riyal is equal to almost 10 UAE Dirhams. And the prices of things reflected that. A bowl of soup costs 1 OR in Muscat, and in Dubai it costs around 15 AED.

Now that I have seen three different cities of Gulf, Dubai, Doha, and Muscat (and more planned in future like Kuwait, Riyadh, and Bahrain), I am often asked which place is the best to live.

The answer is not so simple. It really depends on your taste. Dubai is a very happening place with all the problems a big city can have. Doha is following the footsteps of Dubai but is still way behind. So things are a bit slow there. And Muscat is growing at it’s own speed, and is a much more peaceful place. So if you enjoy quiet, peaceful, relaxed lifestyle then maybe you should live in Muscat.

In my case, I have always lived in big cities with the all the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life. I can’t survive in small cities. So I can’t imagine living anywhere else but Dubai. It would get too boring for me.