Sunset at Jemeirah Beach

When you think of the desert, water is not really a part of those visualizations.  Undulating sand dunes surround your ideas of a vast wasteland.  The desert conjures reds and browns folding into the distance with silhouetted camels walking under date palms.  And off to the south and east of Dubai, where the roads turn into sand and the brown expanse swallows the panorama, this vision is exactly right.  Big desert, my friend.

But the really cool geographic aspect of Dubai is the fact that it is a port city on the Persian Gulf.  And because Dubai is on the stretch of the Arabian Peninsula that juts out north, the city actually faces west onto the Gulf, allowing for amazing sunsets.  The red ball of sun appears to drop into the calm water on the horizon.

 The sun on the Gulf...

dropping further into the sea.

 Like most trips around Dubai, we caravan with our friends, neighbors and colleagues: Jackie and Sean and their two children. Here is Jackie posing with Jaden and Rosie.

The water is perfect at sunset.

The Burj al-Arab Hotel

South of old Dubai and only a few kilometers from our villa, lies Jumeirah Beach and the famous seven star Burj Al-Arab Hotel.  The Burj is built like a sail.  Notice the heli-port near the top on the left.  Back in 1998, Jill and I stayed in the Jumeirah Beach Resort (not in picture) before most of the buildings that make our skyline here today even existed.  This is now our closest beach and it is a long strip extending for many kilometers.  Located 10 minutes away, we love going to the beach, especially for sunset.

Bella films Dubai.

Bella loving the beach!

Sunsets are an amazing time in the desert as the temperatures drop immediately and the cool air feels so refreshing.  It's also one of the five prayer calls a day in the Muslim world.  There is something really cool about the Maghrib prayer call.

Prayer call.

Walk on-in water.

The sun gave way to a full moon that sat between the new and the old, a perfect symbol of Dubai.

This picture shows the world's tallest building in the distance twinkling on the left, the timeless moon in the middle and a mosque on the right to complete the scene.  The classic ending to a our sunset beach excursion.  We headed out for dinner in our sandy Pajero.