I need to interrupt the regularly scheduled blogging to bring you this:Last night we went with a group from Mike's work to Mina Seyahi's Barasti on the beach for farewell cocktails for the Project Manager who is leaving us for Brazil. It was a fabulous night, with a view of the Atlantis (above, on the right), the newest, most over-the top hotel in Dubai. Over at the Atlantis they were throwing a 20 million dollar star-studded party. Yes, you read that correctly.
Somehow Mike and I didn't get invited to that one, which is good since we had this other party to go to anyway.
So we were on the beach you can see in the photograph above, among the palms and under the little thatched huts.We'd heard rumors there were going to be fireworks at midnight, but holy cow. It was absolutely amazing; the entire length of the palms, 11 kilometers, lit up with multitudes of fireworks like nothing we'd ever seen, the sound rumbling over the ocean to us from the Palm Jumirah Islands. (These are one of several man-made islands here...and they are, like everything else in Dubai, impressive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Jumeirah . The QE2 will have her final berth there, and I am excited to have a chance to dine on such a historic, romantic vessel).
The entire ocean was brilliant with reflected colors, the crowd was far beyond oohing and ahhing, screaming and exclaiming from the sands is more like it. People would get one phrase, be it "Wow", "Oh my God", or "no WAY!" (and of course less kid-friendly terms, imagine!) and repeat it over and over, so staggering was the sight. We were wildly impressed with the show, but from our perspective on the shore we couldn't realise the scope of what we were really seeing: the largest fireworks display in the world, ever. Ten times the Bejing Olympics one.
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzWA66D6Jpg
Photos below from Karim Sahib, Getty images and Joel Ryan, AP as seen on the Seattle Times website.
No photo can really do it justice. It was beyond words or pictures.
5 comments:
The video link is absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed the thought of pyrotechnic workmen going to each room of the hotel that had a balcony with the phrase "Pardon me sir or madam, but we'd like to put these fireworks on your balcony for tonight."
Over the top, indeed. There's nothing in Issaquah to match it. You may never want to come home. What a charmed life you all are living.
i sincerely enjoy these blogs of yours, natalie.
you make me want to save up for a trip to visit you.
and i might just! i told myself i would travel and this would be something well worth the undertaking.
We will definitely come home to stay eventually, though when, we do not know. All our loved ones are not only invited but encouraged to come out here and stay with us. I think we will come to visit the Pacific NW next August.
As for those pyrotechnic workmen, well, the Atlantis had quite the fire at the beginning of September; the smoke could be seen from quite a ways away! Here is the news article about it: http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/general/10241983.html
Hi:
My name is Carol. I am Cathy's Mom. I just wanted to let you know I think your blog is really great. I really loved looking at your pictures. I am so glad you and your family enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with my daughter and her family. I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. I would love to know when you update your blog.
Love
Carol Blum
My e-mail address is Carol1579@aol.com
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