Dubai Mall Fountain and At The Top, Burj Khalifa

If I were on the death row or living the last 24 hrs. of my life, the Dubai Mall Fountain would be my last wish to see. :). I can stay there for hours just looking at how beautiful and amazing this fountain is. When I first saw on TV the ones in Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, I told my self " I have to see that live" but its Dubai counterpart is even better. Designed by WET Design(the creators of the Bellagio fountains) and costs a whopping 200 million dollars. Oh, how I wish I can afford one.LOL.

Morning, I was at Ibn Battuta to watch Pirates of the Carribean 4 on IMAX. The movie sucks big time and the IMAX theater back at SM Mall of Asia is waaaaayyyyyyyyyy better than here.Very disappointing. I have watched a lot of movies in this format but the special effects done here were so flat. I was expecting fast or moving camera works, and something bursting like the ones in Harry Potter 4 and 5 and A Christmas Carol because that's where you would appreciate IMAX 3D.

Anyway, I ended my 2-day trip at the Dubai Mall for my 7 pm scheduled tour at At The Top, Burj Khalifa. and I thought it'd be interesting to include the fountain as well. So there I was outside waiting not minding the heat and humidity just for you.lol. I wanted to share to you my video on how this works but I'm having trouble uploading it. So it's better if you just Youtube it yourself. There are tons of them there. I specifically recommend the I will Always Love You and Con Te Partiro shows. Very beautiful and emotional. And if you want to see it live, show starts at 6 pm and runs every 30 minutes.

Here are some few outside shots of Burj Khalifa- the tallest building in the world

People, including I patiently waited for the first show at 6.

 This is how wide the fountain is

 

My ticket for the 7pm tour. At The Top is Burj Khalifa's 360 degrees observation deck for tourist who wants to see Dubai that way. It is on the 124th floor. Purchase your tickets online at their site for 105 AED(roughly 30 USD). Tickets at spot on cost 400 AED. Timing is every 30 minutes.

The best time to come here is between 6-7 pm(summer) so you can witness Dubai at daytime, sunset, and night. Come winter(Dec. to March), make it at 5-6.

The assembly point. Security is very airport-tight here. Everything is checked with x ray machines and metal detectors so avoid bringing anything that would  trigger the alarm.

There are 2 elevators going up and down the site which only has the 124th floor key. So if you're planning to escape at the 100th floor, it's not possible. The elevators also are very fast and steady. You can't feel it moving at all. The only thing that will tell you you're actually going up is when your ears start to pop. and the trip is less than a minute.

The open deck. This is one third of the whole floor. There is a small gap between the 2 glass barriers so you can take out your camera and take photos "reflectionless".

the fountain at work

the Dubai Mall

The Strip

This shot is taken on the closed deck.Noticed the reflection? It's bad taking photos here but the view is still very nice

if you want to use these telescope, it's 10 AED.

 I did not know the lake is this big

here's a short video i took of the fountain

the Dubai Mall fully lit at night

this is what's left of the tower from the 124th floor.

Sometimes I just hate my camera. Very blurred pics at night. the other third of the observation deck

Souvenir shop

 on my way to the exit

This is how it was conceptualized and designed

The people behind this building

I love this space

yes, there is one Gold "ATM" here. there is also one At The Top.

Original bolts used building this structure are for sale. Price? 4,900 AED. Forget it.

 At night

And see how people wait for the show regardless how humid it was that day.

here's another video of the fountain on ground before I left

outfit:

Eyewear:    Incognito pilot(in gold) Maison Martin Margiela
Stripe shirt:    Rykiel Homme
Backpack:    Eastpak x Christopher Shannon
Shorts:   Zara
Pull-tab bracelet:   Maison Martin Margiela
Hitops:    Alessandro dell' Acqua

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque- Abu Dhabi

If the word Grand will be ever used again, then it has to surpass what Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is. This capital AMAZING structure here in Abu Dhabi is by far the best I have ever seen yet. It may not boast the highest-tallest-whatever title, but it's all in the DETAILS and I mean details. It will take not just a glance to appreciate the true beauty of this building but a very careful and keen eye to ever be wowed. Artisans truely made this mosque a piece of art that no matter what faith you have, you will still be blown away by how beautiful everything was done here. Every smallest tiniest detail speaks of hard work, creativity, and dedication that were carefully assembled to define what is breathtaking.

Considered to be the 8th largest mosque in the world, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque also is a mausoleum for the late Sheikh Zayed, the former UAE president( which is not allowed to be photographed).

So the very bored me decided to make this trip final after a year plus of planning to visit this magnificent building. It was very hot that day that I almost evaporated, and stayed there for 5 hours because I wanted to cover it at daylight and night time.And if it weren't for my sandals, I would have stayed longer. This is by far I consider, of the 40 plus posts, the best photoblog I have ever created. And I think, this is the most extensive coverage of this mosque you can see online.

So let's start the journey. From Abu Dhabi city you can take any 3 digit bus to get here. The nearest bus stop is about 50 meters away. Women should wear abaya(they will lend you one) and strictly no PDA allowed, even touching your wife's shoulder for a photo op.

 Outside and ground shots

Let me now take you inside the mosque. The mosque is made up entirely of white marble. And this whole square is one big mosaic, yes it is a mosaic. And the mosque's main theme? FLOWER, it's everywhere: the design of its carvings, carpets, walls, columns, chandeliers, doors, etc.

its gate

this door opens to the mosque itself

and look at the details of the marble wal here in 3 dimensional. The carvings were carved and not glued, so this whole wall is a big puzzle.

Ok , this is the floor of the square, as I said earlier, this is a big mosaic. The flower details are fantastic and this time made of different colored marbles.Amazing.

this looks simple, right? Wrong. Up close these are actually marbles painstakingly cutted and formed into flowers. Each column has I think 6 sides and there are like a thousand of them. and what's more difficult? it is in 2D and as flat as the white marble

This is called South Ablution. I know, the name sounds like there is somebody to be beheaded here but according to my Oxford dictionary ablution means the act of washing yourself or simply called the toilet,lol.
and look at this handpainted tiles.

this is the place to wash their feet.

Drinking fountains are also scattered around the mosque with different designs such as this.

these are carvings on the ceiling in 3D

This part is now the inside of the mosque.This is the prayer area and visitors are only allowed on certain times. And you have to go barefooted to get in(which made me a little worried of losing my Jil Sander's,lol).
This is the entrance to Alice in Wonderland, look at the details on this chandelier and dome. Look at the Arabic calligraphy.All domes has one circling it.

the flower design on the walls are 3 dimentional.

look

up close

and here is the cream of the crop. this is inside the prayer area itself. This used to be the largest chandelier in the world(according to Wikipedia, the largest now is in Doha)

Visitors are only allowed on this third of the area. beyond that red thing is forbidden.

 Details, details, details

the columns here are now decorated with mother of pearl and the base are carved.

 there are three big chandeliers here

Don't be fooled by these lotus designs again. These were not painted but pieces of tiny tiles in color gradation. In short, these are mosaic. Its center is made of stained glass.

Now the carpet. This is the biggest in the world and was brought in here in one piece.Just look at the details here. It will take me forever to create one flower. And this is very soft.

Amazing. Isn't it?

This is not the floor, this is the ceiling, again in 3D

see that? Puts wallpaper to shame.

the Quran, this is also off limits

i love this shot. very "kaleidoscope-ish"

ok, i told you earlier i was here for 5 hours to wait until it gets dark.

and God said, "Let there be light.". The mosque becomes completely different at dark when the lights are turned on

I love how the marbles reflect light. Can you see the smoky grayish thing? That's it. So spectacular.

 And the columns are much more alive at night

I didn't know the designs are different on each dome. I just realized that when i got home looking at my pictures.

There is no adjective that can describe how beautiful this place is. The trip was so worth it.

Outfit:
I got this action shot with the help of a pillar where my camera is next to a bird poo,lol. Please don't get me wrong when I post my outfits on my entries. I started as a  fashion blog, that's the only connection in my posts.

Eyewear: Raf Simons x Linda Farrow
Color blocked shirt:  Jil Sander
Pants:  Zara
Bag:   Balenciaga
Sandals:   Jil Sander
Bracelet:   Maison Martin Margiela