India and UAE
Dani and I visited India and the United Arab Emirates in 2013! We didn't plan India too well, and it was a little disappointing, but the UAE was amazing!
Locations
India
Delhi City Shots
New Delhi is the capital of India and seat of the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of the Government of India. It is also the centre of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi
Qutub Minar
Qutub Minar or Qutab Minar, is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj in Chappar Chiri at Mehrauli which stands 100 meters tall. Qutb Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in Delhi
Humayans Tomb
Humayun's Tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife Bega Begum in 1569-70. The complex encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun, which houses the graves of Bega Begum herself, Hamida Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat and Alamgir II.
Old Delhi
We visited Old Delhi in a Rickshaw, which was cool.. but we would have liked to wander around a bit more..
Agra City Shots
Agra is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Agra is the home of one of the Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.
Sikandra
Sikandra is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kanpur Dehat district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Sikandra is also spelled as Sikandara. It is the headquarters of the tehsil of the same name. Sikandra tehsil consists of Sandalpur and Rajpur Development Blocks.
Agra Red Fort
Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. The present-day structure was built by the Mughals, though a fort had stood there since at least the 11th century. Agra Fort was originally a brick fort known as Badalgarh, held by Raja Badal Singh Hindu Sikarwar Rajput king (c. 1475).
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal stands on the southern bank of the Yamuna River. The mausoleum is widely recognized as 'the jewel of Muslim art in India' and remains as one of the world’s most celebrated structures and a symbol of India’s rich history. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, Taj Mahal attracts some 3 million people a year for visit.
UAE
Abu Dhabi City
Abu Dhabi is the second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (the most populous being Dubai), and also capital of Abu Dha. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. The city proper had a population of 921,002 in 2013. Abu Dhabi is the fourth most expensive city for expatriate employees in the region, and in 2014 was the 68th most expensive big city in the world. Fortune magazine and CNN stated in 2007 that Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world, having been between $800 billion to approximately $875 billion USD. The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute puts the figure at US$773 billion .
Sheik Zayed Mosque
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is located in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates and is considered to be the key for worship in the country. As the country's grand mosque, it is the key place of worship for Friday gathering and Eid prayers. During Eid it can be visited by more than 40,000 people.
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, about 30 minutes from the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi. Yas Marina is the second Formula One track in the Middle East, with the first being in Bahrain. A two-day GP2 Asia Series test was held to officially open the circuit, which was held a week before the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It also hosted the opening event for the Australian V8 Supercars series, the Yas V8 400, in February 2010.
Ferrari World
Ferrari World is an amusement park located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It claims to be the largest indoor theme park in the world. Formula Rossa, the world's fastest roller coaster, is located here. The park is owned by Aldar Properties. It is also managed by Farah Leisure Parks Management LLC and Profun Management Group Inc. The foundation stone for the park was laid on 3 November 2007. It took three years to develop the park and it officially opened to the public on 4 November 2010. Ferrari World covers an area of 86,000 square metres.
Dubai City
Dubai is the most populous town and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the second largest emirate by territorial size after the capital, Abu Dhabi. Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is one of the seven emirates that make up the country. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline and heads up the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Dubai is to host World Expo 2020. As of 2012, Dubai is the 22nd most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city in the Middle East. In 2014, Dubai's hotel rooms were rated as the second most expensive in the world, after Geneva. Dubai was rated as one of the best places to live in the Middle East by American global consulting firm Mercer.
Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall recorded 60,000 tickets sold for the Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre in the first five days, following its opening. The Dubai Mall hosted over 37 million visitors in 2009, and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week. while in 2010 it hosted 47 million, and saw footfall increase by around 27 percent over 2009, despite the economic crisis. In 2012, Dubai Mall continued to hold title of world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination, and attracted more than 65 million visitors, an increase of more than 20 percent compared to the 54 million recorded in 2011. It attracted more visitors than New York City with over 52 million tourists in 2012, and Los Angeles with 41 million. The numbers also surpass visitor arrivals to all landmark leisure destinations and theme parks in the world including Times Square (39.2 million), Central Park (38 million), and Niagara Falls (22.5 million).
Dubai Desert Safari
Definitely something to do when in Dubai! Drifting on the golden dunes, in a customized 4×4 Land Cruiser is an out of the world experience. There is a lot to do on this tour other than the dune bashing. You can ski down the smaller dunes around the camp, take pictures and capture the sunset, ride a camel, get a henna tattoo, smoke sheesha, hold a falcon, ride a quad bike and partake of a fantastic Barbeque meal!



