Pictures from my latest helicopter flight

A lot of you write in asking for tips on Dubai real estate, sight seeing, etc. And my best advice to you all is take a helicopter flight around Dubai. There are around 3 companies offering this now - HeliDubai (approx $2000/ hour), Aero Gulf (approx $1000/ hour), and another one from the Dubai Festival City (I can't really remember the name of that company). There's also that odd sea plane doing the rounds.

Atlantis Nears Completion

The Palm Jumeirah's flagship Atlantis is almost complete. Situated on the top of the crescent, the mega resort recently imported sharks and dolphins from the bahamas for the famed water slide that takes one through a glass tube surrounded by hungry sharks.

The Atlantis opening party, which has been in works for the last 2 years is going to bring in some major names from Madonna, Elton John, Andrea Bocelli to David Beckham and Shah Rukh Khan.

Hotel rooms are already mostly booked for the first 3 months. My sources say you can get a hotel room in early 2009 but nothing will beat the view on New Year's eve 2008 when one of the most dazzling display of fireworks will herald the new year.

Atlantis will be the first of the 35 hotels on the ring of The Palm Jumeirah.

The Big Dubai Fire

Here are some pics I took from my car and yacht of the fire in Al Quoz.

Also check out the gulf news article here .








Oddly, there was another one in the following week wiping out the entire Deira Naif Souq, one of the oldest markets of Dubai. See here .