A Palm 🌴 like no other ...

This morning started overcast ☁️ and a few minutes of what looked and felt like rain 🌧 but as everyone knows, it doesn't rain in Dubai🤔; and if it did never, two mornings in a row. But there again, the Eckersall's are here!! 😅
After shower dodging, we took the tram and then monorail 🚝 and visited The Palm Jumeirah 🌴. It's purpose was to increase the coastline for tourists as Dubai is known for its sunny weather and beaches, but more than 72 km (45 miles) of coastline was needed to accommodate the goal of tripling the number of tourists to 15 million annually. The solution was to construct a massive island shaped like a palm tree, which, upon completion in 2006, would add 56 km (35 miles) to the coastline. The island is designed to be a city within itself, featuring shopping centres, restaurants, hotels, and residential properties. The island is built entirely from sand and rocks; no concrete or steel has been used during the construction process. This was done following the order of the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Using 5.5 million cubic metres of rock brought from over 16 quarries in Dubai.
94 million cubic metres of sand brought from deep sea beds 6 nautical miles from the coast of Dubai and 700 tons of limestone. The cost was in the region on 12 Billion US Dollars 💸 💸💸💸💰 - it might have been cheaper to invite the Eckersall's now and again to reduce the number of sunny days per year, thus keeping tourist numbers down! 🤔😅Read more