Seaplane ride over Dubai ... part 1 ... take off!

Tim and I splurged and did a seaplane ride over Dubai. Given the man-made islands and the crazy-tall buildings, we thought it would be a great way to see the city.

And we were right.

This adventure, however, took a little consideration on my part, because there are times that I still have trepidation over flying.  (Not too often any more! And you are thinking "well, I should hope not, given how far she has to fly now to get home!") 

When we were in Vancouver a couple of years ago, we had taken a seaplane from Vancouver, British Columbia to Victoria Island, and back. And we loved it. You fly low and slow enough that the view is amazing, and our flight in Vancouver was wonderfully smooth.

I did have a bit of an anxious time during parts of this Dubai flight, as the pilot -- in my opinion -- understated that we were going to have a bit of turbulence, especially when we would go "behind" (inland) the skyscrapers. But as freaked as I was several times, bouncing around, I was determined to make the most of this and not miss the amazing views.

With that, I took a lot of photos and videos, so I need to break this up into bite size blog posts. You will therefore have several posts about this to enjoy. (In addition to the fact that it is fantastic to have Tim here for visits, the bonus is that we go out and about and I get lots of material for this blog!)

Let's start at the beginning. For friends looking at maps online, you start from Dubai Creek, in the area of Deira. This is the old area of Dubai, where Tim and I took our 45-minute Abra ride before the flight. We take off from the Dubai Creek Golf Club, which is next to the Park Hyatt.

The plane seats 9 guests and the pilot. 3 pairs of single seats, 2 seats next to each other in the back, and 1 person sits next to the pilot. They supply cold water, an "in an emergency" sheet, a map of the route so you can know what you are seeing, and a bag for if you get sick.

Everyone gets a window.

Tim and I are in the second seats back.

The plane taxied for a distance on the Dubai Creek, and then off we go, into the wild blue  yonder.

The sail-shaped building in the video is part of the Dubai Creek Golf Club. The buildings that I can see out my window, we went near on our Abra boat cruise earlier.

We head toward the Gulf. It stays pretty hazy along the coast, between high humidity and sand in the air. But this gives you an idea of the colors ... they are amazingly vibrant in person. Here you see some harbor and breakwater where the Dubai Creek meets the Gulf.

Some dredging going on.

Next blog, a view of the World ... islands, that is.