Friday, October 17, 2014

Burj Khalifa

#traveltuesday





The tallest of towers are often used as transmitters for broadcasting or communication purposes. So as an electronics/ communcations engineer, I can't help but develop a liking for visiting them. Besides, the view is always spectacular at the top! ;) 

So Burj Khalifa is officially the 3rd tower that I have visited after seeing Malaysia's Petronas and previous tallest tower record holder Taipei 101 (2004 to 2010). At 2,722 ft, this skyscraper which was previously known as Burj Dubai is now the tallest man-made structure in the world.

Because the tower holds a lot of other records and world-firsts, it deserves the local phrase of "Ikaw na". Haha! The purpose behind the construction is to diversify the oil-based economy into something tourism-related which I can say is realized especially after Dubai won the right to host the World Expo in 2020 just a month before my visit (Nov 2013).

The  observation deck is at the 124th floor and you will be whisked away by the record-holder (again!!!) elevator there in just a matter of 60-seconds! Best viewing time is during the sunset or sunrise I suppose but I didn't get that chance (it is always fully booked in advance) so I highly recommend to purchase your tickets online VERY early here.


The observation deck is 36 floors away from the topmost (160 stories in total) so I am really curious how it feels up there. Haha! Most of the pics from the deck would feature this prominent building below - this is The Address hotel by the Dubai mall - a 5-star hotel that is "always in vogue" according to their website. Haha!


It is said that on a clear day the tip of the spire can be seen by a person 95 km (60 miles) away. A person in the Observation Deck can see as far away as 80 km (50 miles).

Here's an instavideo I took during my visit,


They recommend a good one hour of lingering by the deck to take in the sight and learn more about other points of interests from the telescope. Or in my case, since I was traveling alone, to spot someone good enough to hold your camera and take a nice picture of you. Hahaha! The lady here was kind enough to take more than two or three shots. ;)



Even with my booked schedule of around 3 in the afternoon, I believe they are not strict enough that it is possible to stay 'til sunset (not really sure though). But my problem was how to kill time up there. So in the end I just decided to catch the number one attraction in Dubai (according to Tripadvisor) - the fountain show at Dubai mall which is located just below this tower. Lol. I will blog about it on the next. Meanwhile, here's a pic of me and the tower. =)


1 comment:

benards said...

Nice Post! The incredible Burj Khalifa indeed is one of the most impressive & enthralling attractions of Dubai. No wonder why millions of travel enthusiasts visit Dubai every year. A Dubai Visa Online is all that one needs to get to this ultra-modern desert city.