HOW DUBAI WORKS The story behind the city’s superstructures
DISTRICT 3 CAMBODIA Discovering calm amidst the chaos of Saigon Iconic train journey now boarding from CAPTAIN AMERICA ON BOSTON Phnom Penh. Sense A travel guide by Chris Evans exclusively for Open Skies of adventure essential
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EDITOR-IN- MANAGING PARTNER & EDITORIAL CHIEF GROUP EDITOR DIRECTOR OBAID HUMAID AL TAYER IAN FAIRSERVICE GINA JOHNSON [email protected]
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INTRO
12 16 22 24 28 30 36 38 43 EXPERIENCE STAY TRAVEL DISPATCH EXPO 2020 NEIGHBOURHOOD THE YEAR LUNCH DOM ESSENTIAL OF ZAYED WITH JOLY FEATURES
46 58 HOW DUBAI WAS BUILT BACK ON TRACK BRIEFING
68 72 74 76 82 88 90 NEWS INSIDE DESTINATION SMART GATE, ROUTE THE CELEBRITY EMIRATES VISA AND COMFORT MAP FLEET DIRECTIONS
OPEN SKIES / 7
EDITOR’S NOTE ON THE COVER
HOW DUBAI WORKS This month’s cover looks at the inner workings of Dubai’s superstructures.
In most cities around the world, you’ll find a fairly organised collection of buildings making up the skyline. There’ll often be an overarching style or symmetry that makes it instantly recognisable – the whitewashed cubical houses of Santorini, the pastel shaded homes of southern Italy or the high-rise urban sprawl of New York City, Those places usually feature a high number of neutral buildings punctuated by an architectural gem; a standout building that becomes a magnet for tourists. In Dubai, things are a little different. Here, neutral buildings provide the punctuation between some of the most ambitious architectural feats in the world. SOCIAL MEDIA From Burj Al Arab to Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Frame to Palm Jumeirah,
it’s often hard to keep up with the wondrous creations rising from the facebook.com/ desert, and even harder to predict just how fantastical the next ones openskiesmag will be – tip: be sure to keep an eye on the progress of Dynamic Tower
designed by David Fisher, an 80-storey building with rotating floors. twitter.com/ Perhaps the best is yet to come. Santiago Calatrava – the architect openskiesmag behind the UAE pavilion at the Expo 2020 site – describes his plans for
Dubai Creek Tower – that could eventually replace Burj Khalifa as the instagram.com/ world’s tallest building – as, “a symbol of an abiding belief and progress.” openskiesmag It’s perhaps a line that could be used equally well to describe Dubai itself.
ANDREW NAGY ALSO AVAILABLE SENIOR EDITOR ON YOUR IPAD
OPEN SKIES / 9 Programmes offered are outside Dubai and KHDA bears no responsibility for the same. IntroNEIGHBOURHOOD
EXPERIENCE • STAY • INTRO DISPATCH • EXPO 2020 • NEIGHBOURHOOD
MAY 19 THE EMIRATES FA CUP FINAL May is traditionally a month of cup finals, but none are bigger than the 137th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world at Wembley Stadium.
LONDON, ENGLAND | THEFA.COM
Turn over to plan your month EXPERIENCE
THE PLAN Events to aim for this month
MAY 1-7 THE ILLUSIONISTS Award-winning escapologist Krendl Magic talks going through the pain barrier, brushes with death and how what you see on stage is real
WORDS: Andrew Nagy
What makes this show so different? that it’s fake. Make no mistake, The main thing is in collaborating I am holding my breath for real, with some of the best illusionists in real water, and going through from around the world and then real pain to push past what bringing them together on one everyone believes is possible. stage. Most shows have one or two, There is nothing more powerful we have seven. than the mind. What’s your favourite moment? What was the first escape trick For me, honestly, it’s when I get you perfected? out of the Water Torture Cell trick The very first one for me alive. No matter how many times was the Milk Can Escape, I go in the tank, not once has it made infamous by Houdini come easy to me. The pain I go performing it as the first water through nightly is real and getting escape on stage in history. It my first breath of air after holding was years later before I ever it for three minutes when I escape thought or contemplated doing is nothing short of ecstasy. the Water Torture Cell. How dangerous are your stunts? What happened to using a word I’m very fortunate to have the when performing a trick? support staff that I do and there are You know, I’m in awe of the procedures in place on how to deal word abracadabra. While I with anything that could go wrong. realise it’s kind of lost it’s That said, I’ve had several close symbolism and been way calls in my history with the Water over-used at children’s parties, Cell. I’ve vomited many times from there is a history to it that getting water in my lungs and suggests otherwise. The word have passed out twice in my career abracadabra originated from while in the tank. It’s hard for the the Aramaic language and it audience, sometimes, to accept means, ‘What I speak is what what they are seeing is real and I create.’ Cool, right? In the mood for some magic? Catch all eight dangerous. People like to believe Harry Potter movies now showing on ice. because it’s happening in a show DUBAI, UAE | THEILLUSIONISTSLIVE.COM
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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION…
MAY 2-5 SPAMALOT The Tony Award-winning musical comes to Dubai Opera this month. Expect misfit knights, killer rabbits, dancing nuns and ferocious Frenchmen, in a show lovingly ‘borrowed’ from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and written by former Python, Eric Idle.
DUBAI, UAE | DUBAIOPERA.COM
MAY 8-19 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL From a delayed launch in 1946 – it was meant to be 1939 but the Second World War broke out – to the showbiz scandals of the ’50s to now. Cannes may not be the world’s oldest film festival – that’s Venice – but it’s undeniably the most influential, all set to a stunning French Riviera backdrop.
CANNES, FRANCE | FESTIVAL-CANNES.COM
MAY 11 STEREOPHONICS This could be the last chance to enjoy an open-air gig in Dubai before the thermometers push past the too-hot-to- dance setting. It’s now 20 years since Stereophonics’ debut album Word Gets Around was released, so expect some classics along with tracks from their current album, Scream Above The Sounds.
DUBAI, UAE | DUBAI.PLATINUMLIST.NET
MAY 16-JUNE 14 RAMADAN The Holy Month sees Muslims around the world observe the ninth month of the Islamic calendar by praying and fasting from sunrise to sunset. This is a time for family and friends, who celebrate by coming together each day for the breaking of the fast during Suhoor and Iftar.
GLOBAL
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MAY 6 PHILIPPE COUTINHO One of the most expensive footballers of all time on this month’s El Clasico (his first) and Brazil’s chances in the World Cup
I’ve settled very quickly in Barcelona My teammates have been great. There are a lot of Latin American players in the dressing room – that really helps. I do miss Liverpool Liverpool is a city with soul, with heart and with character; they are not people who will be beaten. Things are different now, but also the same Every club and every coach is different – the way they train, the way they prepare for matches. But apart from learning a few new things, it’s also similar in the sense that I’m still playing for a big club under a very intelligent coach, just like I did at Liverpool. I love the city The fans, the weather and the food are great. It has been very easy to adapt to living here. My first El Clasico [Barcelona vs. Real Madrid] this month won’t decide the title, but I can’t wait for it A GUIDE TO MAY Follow a plan of activity based loosely on the career of Coutinho Maybe the two clubs are not as close in the league as usual, but it’s still the biggest game in the world and one you dream of playing in when you are growing up. The world will be watching – but ultimately I suppose it’s just a chance to win another three points. We could have played Liverpool in the Champions League this month
RIO DE JANEIRO LIVERPOOL BARCELONA That would have been strange, but also quite (birthplace, 1992) (games: 152, goals: 41) (games: 10, goals: 2) special – the club will always be close to my heart. Getúlio Damado makes art Double Fantasy – John and The Spanish Grand Prix, Brazil can win the World Cup this summer from disused items then Yoko. An exhibition at the one of the oldest F1 races displays them in a tram. Museum of Liverpool. in the world. There are at least five or six teams who will YEAR-ROUND EXHIBITION, FROM MAY 18, MAY 13, think the same, but we know we have the ability 15, RUE LEOPOLDO FROIS LIVERPOOLMUSEUMS.ORG.UK CIRCUITCAT.COM and players – we just have to make it count when it matters. Emirates flies twice daily to Barcelona.
BARCELONA VS. REAL MADRID, CAMP NOU, BARCELONA, SPAIN
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WORDS: Andrew Nagy IMAGES: Lapita
If you were told, as a Markedly different from
child, that you weren’t anything that you might find in just going to a theme the city, expect contemporary DUBAI 55.2708° E 55.2708° 25.2048° N N 25.2048° park for the day but Polynesian design throughout were spending an – from its 504 rooms and suites entire holiday at one, there’s every to its five onsite restaurants. chance that it would have caused Fans lazily whir below traditional a minor breakdown. Young minds thatched roofs, intricately carved are not hardwired to handle such details adorn the walls and news. With that in mind, it’s authentic voyaging canoes hang probably best to keep any bookings from the ceiling. It really does take at Lapita reasonably quiet with you out of the Middle East before the family until the last minute. you’ve even negotiated the lobby. Nestled in the middle of Dubai But Lapita isn’t just for those THEME Parks and Resorts – a mega theme here on holiday. Experience a park that’s home to Motiongate decadent Friday at its Daycation YOUR DAY Take advantage Dubai, Legoland Dubai, Legoland brunch – one of the most popular of your unique Water Park, Bollywood Parks in the city – and kick back with location and enjoy Dubai and Riverland Dubai full pool and children’s club everything that – this Polynesian-themed access and a huge selection Dubai Parks and boutique hotel by Marriott offers of classic Polynesian dishes Resorts has to a tropical island-style escape and cocktails. Lapita, you see, offer. With five interconnecting from the high-octane thrill- is for kids of all ages. theme parks making seeking going on all around it. LAPITAHOTEL.COM up the resort, there’s no reason that you can’t spend your day being a Ghostbuster, hanging out at the Smurf Village and For more on Dubai’s world-class hotels, listen to the Dubai Hotels podcast on channel 1905 on ice. learning how to make a Bollywood blockbuster.
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OPEN SKIES / 17 USA ZEN CITY A sleek and stylish hotel in the biggest party city in the world, the Mandarin Oriental is a gamble that pays off handsomely
WORDS: Andrew Nagy IMAGES: Mandarin Oriental
Although it’s located the most exciting cities on the in a prime spot on planet, don’t be in too much of the Las Vegas Strip, a rush to head out. Start the day 36.1699° N N 36.1699° LAS VEGAS
115.1398° W 115.1398° you won’t find any with a free yoga session, hit the card tables or roulette nicely secluded pool for a few wheels in this hotel. Not your lengths and then take high tea typical Vegas establishment, the (literally) on the 23rd floor. For Mandarin Oriental could well dinner, you have one of the best be the safest bet in the city. restaurants in Las Vegas on site. Perhaps it’s the symbolism Twist is superstar chef Pierre of taking the elevator that Gagnaire’s only US restaurant, does it. Lifting you from The and the contemporary French Strip to the rarefied elegance menu here is something you’ll of the lobby, it swaps packed need to book well in advance for. streets and stag parties for Of course, in this city, the Chinese art, marble floors and party is rarely far away. For stylishly curved installations those days, we suggest you in a matter of seconds. Once start in style – in the lobby checked in – a startlingly fast with a mini bottle of Moët & procedure – you’ll find 400 Chandon from the brand’s only large rooms with a subtle public vending machine in the contemporary Asian design. US. You see this is still Vegas; While you might be in one of it’s just the VIP edition.
Discover Las Vegas and over 70 other destinations in the US, Caribbean and Latin America, with Emirates and Jet Blue. Members of Emirates Skywards earn Miles on JetBlue flights. Members of JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty programme can also earn points for Emirates-operated flights.
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HEAD DOWNTOWN Downtown Las Vegas was where the action took place before The Strip even existed. Not the most desirable part of town for many years, the area has been transformed beyond all recognition and is now an essential stop-off on any visit. Use Fremont Street as your centre, but avoid the slightly grotty Fremont Street Experience. Instead try the great museums in the area – The Mob Museum is well worth a visit – hang out at the Container Park and be sure to stop off at Atomic Liquors. The oldest freestanding bar in Vegas, it once counted The Rat Pack, Clint Eastwood and Barbara Streisand as regulars.
OPEN SKIES / 19 UK A BOUTIQUE ORIGINAL St Martins Lane is a boutique property in the heart of London that has inspired a thousand imitations, but remains an undisputed icon
WORDS: Ali Khaled IMAGES: Morgans Hotel Group
If serene minimalism The Den is a laidback space
at the heart of that gives off a living-room vibe, London is what where you can enjoy a quiet
LONDON LONDON 0.1278° W 0.1278° 51.5074° N N 51.5074° you’re after, then few drink or some afternoon tea in places can match the company of a good book or this West End favourite. the day’s newspapers. The hotel’s Ian Schrager’s St Martins signature restaurant, Asia de Lane – alongside Morgans Cuba, remains a favourite for Hotel Group’s sister, Sanderson visitors, its decoration evoking – redefined the notion of Havana’s Chinatown, and the boutique hotels when it menu a fusion of Cuban and opened in London in 1999. Asian cuisine. Finally there’s The rooms are a study in the dimly lit, atmospheric understatement, all white and speakeasy Blind Spot, offering angular, with adjustable purple an extensive list of cocktails ‘til lights adding to the tranquil the early hours of the morning. ambience in the middle of one In the years since St Martins of London’s busiest areas. Lane changed the hotel scene Emirates operates nine Located on the edge of Covent in London, boutique properties daily flights to London. Garden, and a few minutes’ have become part of the Choose from six daily services walk from Soho, there may be West End landscape. Few, to London Heathrow and three daily services to London many options when it comes to however, have come close to Gatwick. Starting June 8, restaurants, cafes and nightspots, capturing the unique vibe that Emirates will operate an additional daily service to but the hotel offers plenty to keep it maintains to this day. London Stansted. its clients within its own doors. MORGANSHOTELGROUP.COM
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THEATRE DISTRICT St Martins Lane is perfectly located for lovers of the theatre and performing arts. It’s home to the Duke of York’s Theatre, Noël Coward Theatre and the English National Opera at the Coliseum Theatre. And not far from the hotel is London’s famous Shaftesbury Avenue, a street that houses some of the West End’s most famous theatres, such as the Apollo and Queens.
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THREE TO RUN These marathons beat the TRAVEL ESSENTIALS usual road race any day Running marathons can be a great way to see a new city, and these shoes will help you do it in style
NEW KNIT WELL HEELED The newly The high-tech Fit developed Primeknit Counter integrated composition provides into the heel means runners with a free movement of better fit and some the Achilles tendon. additional support. 1 The Great Wall of China (May 19) This run takes you on 5,164 steps across one of the wonders of the world. It’s hot, it’s humid and it’s tough, but you’re rewarded with stunning views of, and beyond, the wall.
NO SWEAT The ventilation holes used in the original UltraBoost assist the 2 foot’s key sweat zones. Machu Picchu (June 2-10) One for experienced runners, you’ll negotiate rocky Inca trails, tunnels and steps and will be tested by distance and elevation, but the sight FEATURING of Machu Picchu at the end is worth it. Adidas THE SHOE THE MARATHON UltraBoost 4.0, US$216 Although the World Marathon Major series has entered its ADIDAS.COM traditional mid-year lull, that’s no reason to put away your running shoes just yet. While the big-six races in Tokyo, Boston, London, Emirates flies twice Berlin, Chicago and New York get all the plaudits, we prefer a little daily to Beijing more adventure on our distance runs. with the Airbus A380. Whether striding through Big Sur in California, alongside wildlife on the African savannah, or in this month’s Great Wall Marathon in China, you can see the world in style if you love to run. Of course, this type of caper needs the right kit. Traditionally one of the most comfortable shoes on the market, Adidas’ UltraBoost has 3 now developed even further, thanks to new Primeknit tech on the Niagara Falls (October 14) upper and a Fit Counter integrated into the heel. This marathon kicks off in the US and ends in Canada. A decent run, with only one real Offering a little more power-return for your efforts – and a lot more incline. The finish line – with a Niagara Falls style – with these shoes, you’ve got race time sorted. backdrop – is a sight to behold.
22 / OPEN SKIES 7 FOR ALL MANKIND ADIDAS ARMANI BALLY BOSS BOTTEGA VENETA BURBERRY CALVIN KLEIN JEANS COACH CONVERSE DIANE VON FURSTENBERG D I E S E L DOLCE & GABBANA ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA ESCADA ETRO FALKE GUCCI H A C K E T T HOUR PASSION JIMMY CHOO J O O P ! LA PERLA LACOSTE LEVI' S L I N D T LORO PIANA MARC O' P O L O MAX MARA MICHAEL KORS MISSONI MONCLER MÖVE NAPAPIJRI N I K E OAKLEY PETIT BATEAU P U M A REEBOK S.OLIVER SAMSONITE SCHIESSER SCHIESSER KIDS SEIDENSTICKER SIGIKID STRELLSON SUNGLASS HUT SUPERDRY SWAROVSKI SWATCH THE BEAUTY SPOT PERFUMERY THE NORTH FACE TIMBERLAND EXCLUSIVE SHOPPING DESTINATION TOD' S T O M T A I L O R TOMMY HILFIGER OUTLETCITY.COM TORY BURCH VERO MODA WINDSOR Discover international labels from New York, London and Milan in W M F flagship outlets with award-winning architecture only 30 km away from ZWILLING Stuttgart and 2 hours from Munich, Frankfurt and Zurich. AND MANY MORE UK ROAD RACING REDUX Nostalgia for an iconic series of road races is bubbling up in Birmingham again, with promises to bring motorsport back to the streets of the UK’s second city
WORDS: Chistopher Beanland IMAGES: Jon Jones, Dave Lucas, Terry Scannell
With miles of twisting into popular culture. Jonathan motorway, sprawling Meades made a furiously funny ring roads, complicated BBC TV film about the roads of 1.8904° W 1.8904° 52.4862° N N 52.4862° car parks and a ‘Brum’ (as the locals call it) called BIRMINGHAM healthy devotion to car Heart Bypass, while the writer manufacture and motorsport, you Jonathan Coe set his novel The could say that Birmingham is the Rotters’ Club around a car factory car capital of the UK. England’s in which his father worked. second city had the country’s first However, it was in building one-way streets, the first houses miles of motorways in the 1960s with built-in garages, and its and ’70s, from the famous National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Spaghetti Junction – a looping was, for many years, the home of intertwined stretch of road at idea of holding a motor race in STREET the British International Motor Gravelly Hill Interchange – all the RACE Birmingham had been floating For four Show. It was the centre of the British way into the city centre itself, that years the around for two decades, and motor manufacturing industry, everything changed. Desperate streets of racing legend Stirling Moss had Birmingham and home to Rover, Austin, MG, to show off these prized asphalt hosted even obtained permission to Jaguar, Land Rover and Lucas. assets, Birmingham City Council Superprix hold one in 1972, but the event With an industry that was so decided that a road race was failed to materialise. Finally, central to life in the city, it’s hardly just what the city required. in 1984, the Birmingham Road surprising that it filtered through This wasn’t exactly new. The Race Bill was presented to
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or eat a curry on Ladypool Road, just off the Superprix course. “It always fascinated me and, bear in mind that this was pre- internet, when I could only use my imagination. Years later I found a book on the subject, and as soon as I opened it I couldn’t believe, not only the scale of the race, but also how little the city had documented it. I immediately went home and searched for more information, and when I watched race footage
Birmingham has realised the power of Superprix, and wants to bring the smell of tyres and blistering engine noise back to the streets
it just reinforced my fascination. Now I could put it into context: watching future F1 world superstars such as Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Eddie Irvine and Mika Häkkinen storm their Formula 3000 cars down the roads I knew so well.” Now Smallman and his dedicated band of fellow car enthusiasts are documenting the history of the races – and will eventually release a feature-length film telling the tale of this high-octane slice of Parliament, with approval for a trying to resurrect the race itself. Birmingham’s automotive history. series of races centred around “My dad is a huge motorsport “The project is multimedia based Formula 3000 granted in 1985. fan,” says Andy Smallman, a and the film is just one part of that,” The Birmingham Superprix filmmaker born in Birmingham explains Smallman. “We collect would run from 1986 to 1990. in 1990, the race’s final year. “My interviews and memories from Fast-forward more than 30 years younger sister started racing Mini racing drivers, marshals, officials and, in 2018, car lovers are not only Stox and Dad would tell us about and the fans. The other side is our revelling in those Duran Duran the Superprix every time we’d go archive, where we collect physical soundtracked memories, they’re racing at Birmingham Wheels and digital pieces of memorabilia,
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all of our resources together for occasions to celebrate the Superprix story, like the Autosport International show at the NEC.” As if all this history wasn’t intriguing enough, the next chapter could be the best of all. Birmingham has recently realised the power of the Superprix – and wants to bring the smell of tyres and the blistering noise of souped-up engines back to the city’s streets. And the support goes to the very top. The first- ever directly elected mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, came to power in 2017 – and one of his manifesto pledges was to bring Superprix back to the city. The intense competition for F1 races probably precludes a full F1 Grand Prix in the mould of the Monaco, Valencia or Singapore street circuits, but perhaps the small but growing Formula E electric car series might be a real possibility in 2019? “I believe we stand a strong chance,” says Smallman. “The original race was pushed through with immense speed and urgency, going from Parliament to reality within just a few years. If this became a reality again, information, footage and photos so even a craft beer. “We collaborated I’d love to think at least some DRIVE TIME that we can preserve and build a with other local independent Future F1 parts of the original track would champion detailed timeline and history of the businesses like Two Towers Nigel Mansell remain in the new course – a Superprix for future generations.” Brewery, Provide and space.play. and Superprix fitting tribute to its history.” in action Smallman has worked with co.uk on products such as clothing, fellow Brummies to put out craft design and beverages. We’ve Emirates operates twice daily Superprix-branded T-shirts, and also held events and brought A380 service to Birmingham.
The original Spaghetti Junction opened in May 1972 and took its name from an article that ran in the Birmingham Evening Mail in 1965, when journalist SPAGHETTI Roy Smith described plans for the junction as “like a cross between a plate of spaghetti and an unsuccessful attempt at a Staffordshire knot”. Sub-editor Andy Eaglesfield took it a step further, giving the article a Spaghetti Junction JUNCTION headline. The name stuck and now any complex junction around the world How the world’s most worth its curves borrows the title. Taking four to five years to plan – and four to actually build – the original was of so much interest to the community that complicated junction regular half-day tours ran there, the network of junctions a source of genuine prompted Superprix fascination. While navigating it originally caused consternation for drivers, it has eventually become one of the world’s most iconic stretches of road.
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UAE EXPO GOES BACK TO ITS ROOTS Expo 2020 Dubai is using local ghaf trees to help create a green site filled with the UAE’s native flora
WORDS: Craig Durie
Expo 2020 Dubai will
rely on a very familiar feature of the UAE DUBAI 55.2708° E 55.2708° 25.2048° N N 25.2048° landscape to help showcase the country’s diverse plant life. The ghaf tree has been used in the region for generations for a multitude of reasons, including to make shelters and signposts, and even as camel food. The trees can survive for hundreds of years on just 10 litres of water per day. Now, Expo 2020 is transplanting dozens of trees to create a beautiful green site for its millions of visitors. The initiative is part of Expo 2020’s Jubilee Gardens project, which will celebrate the UAE’s 50th anniversary by taking visitors on a horticultural journey inspired by the country’s diverse landscapes. By the time Dubai is ready to welcome the world for six months from October 2020, the 4.38 square kilometre Expo site will be home to thousands of other locally sourced plants and trees. “Not only is the ghaf tree an example of a striking native species purposes,” says Ahmed Al Khatib, Donated by Dubai Municipality, that can be used for ornamental Senior Vice President of Real Estate Expo 2020’s ghaf trees are planted and Delivery, Expo 2020 Dubai. “It and grown in nearby Mushrif Park. has also contributed to the ancient Once mature, they are prepared history of human survival in this for transportation – a process that region and is one of the heroes of can take up to six months – and the UAE landscape. relocated to the Expo site, where “All of the species that form Expo they will offer an authentic flavour 2020’s green landscape will have of the UAE’s natural flora for years For more on Expo 2020, listen to the an important story to tell, be it to come. podcast on channel 1901 on ice. about the past or the future.” EXPO2020DUBAI.COM
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VENUE INDICATOR HO CHI MINH CITY SHOPPING DRINK CULTURE FOOD SPORT HOTEL
ROAD SAFETY How to cross the street in Vietnam Walk Stand still Run across slowly. and do and dodge Let nothing traffic traffic avoid (panic) (panic) you
VIETNAM DISTRICT 3, HO CHI MINH CITY WORDS: S. Hottinger-Behmer IMAGES: Djinane Alsuwayeh
Ho Chi Minh City (which locals still find the War Remnants Museum, where the choose to call Saigon) is a play of American War (as the Vietnamese call it) is contrasts, blending a bustling mix chronicled in raw, gory detail; an essential stop 10.8231° N N 10.8231° 106.6297° E 106.6297°
HO CHI MINH of the old and the new. Renovated for tourists wishing to understand the country’s colonial villas, countless coffee recent, turbulent history. shops, generations of mom-and-pop storefronts, Ho Chi Minh City’s food culture is on full and recently opened bars and boutiques rest in display in this neighbourhood. Food is of the shadows of a shimmering skyline of newly national pride to the Vietnamese people and minted high-rises. dining means consuming with all five senses. Most of city’s 24 districts are seeing change, Every other storefront is a dining spot here, from but it’s in the relatively tranquil District 3, street food to vegetarian restaurants, from BBQ however, that we see the finest mix of the joints to myriad upscale establishments. contemporary and the old, of arts and culture. To fully capture the sheer scale and impact of It’s also where you can find some calm from Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll need to go high above the chaos of the city. Adjacent to District 1, the for jaw-dropping views of the skyline from more obvious business and retail concentration, one of the stylish perches in District 3. This is District 3 is quieter and preferred by locals. where you want to stay and concentrate your In addition to the beautifully dilapidated socialising. Take it all in and ponder what this colonial structures and some of the oldest city may look like in 10 years. It’s sure to be pagodas in the country, in District 3 you’ll markedly different.
OPEN SKIES / 31 START
1. TÂN ĐINH PARISH CHURCH A ONE-MINUTE WALK Known as “the Pink Church”, the unexpected and imposing structure stands proudly in District 3 as a reminder of the city’s colonial past. Built by MUST-VISIT the French in the 1880s, it serves as a point of Anybody visiting Ho Chi Minh City really reference in the neighbourhood, not so much for should take a day excursion to see the Củ Chi Tunnels. Made by the Việt Cộng, you’ll see its curious mixture of Roman, Baroque and Gothic how they lived – and fought – underground architecture, but for its vivid colour, contrasting during the conflict with the US. sharply with its surroundings. Emirates flies non-stop daily to Ho Chi Minh City with the Boeing 777-300ER. 289 HAI BÀ TRƯNG
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2. BÁNH XÈO 46A Located down a narrow passage opposite the iconic Pink Church, it offers a perfect alfresco street-food experience. Bánh xèo is a Vietnamese pancake with various meat and vegetable fillings that you assemble with your fingers, rolling “mini-tacos” and dipping in the tastiest sauce for a finger- licking good experience.
46A ĐINH CÔNG TRÁNG | +84 28 3824 1110
AN EIGHT-MINUTE TAXI RIDE
SAIGON It was renamed Ho Chi Minh City – after the communist leader – following the 1955-75 conflict 3. SALON SAIGON Housed in one of Ho Chi Minh’s historic cul- de-sacs in the 1960s home of former American ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr, Salon Saigon is a well-appointed townhouse-cum-arts space. It was founded by collector John Tue Nguyen (a sort of Charles Saatchi of the region), who established the space in homage to contemporary Vietnamese art. Nguyen is passionate about the preservation and promotion of local and international-based Vietnamese artists and cultural events, and this charming two-storey villa doubles as a salon for conferences, talks and lectures.
A FIVE- 6D NGÔ THỜI NHIỆM | OPEN TUESDAYS 09:00 – 18:00 ONLY | MINUTE SALONSAIGON.COM WALK
OPEN SKIES / 33 4. CONG TRI There are a plethora of bric-à-brac stores and tiny boutiques scattered across the neighbourhood selling locally sourced products. Cong Tri, just a stone’s throw away from the War Remnants Museum, on the other hand, is an emporium of high-end, original designs. This chic standalone boutique by Nguyen Cong Tri – recognised as one of Vietnam’s leading fashion designers – is a riot of colourful cocktail dresses and printed daywear for the growing professional set. It’s a compelling designer discovery for the discerning tourist looking for some local style accents while they’re in town.
194 NGUYỄN ĐÌNH CHIỂU | +84 90 378-3292 | NGUYENCONGTRI.COM
A ONE- MINUTE WALK
BIKE 5. COUNTRY There are WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM Established in the former US Information Service building, the museum was more than opened quickly after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Not for the faint-hearted, it features eight million an impactful collection of American military equipment, propaganda posters and motorbikes in journalist photos covering this gruesome chapter of Vietnam’s history, from the Ho Chi Minh conflict’s origins to its lingering aftermath. Avoid the afternoon crowds and make City, the most it the first thing on your day’s itinerary. populous city in Vietnam 28 VÕ VĂN TẦN | +84 28 3930 5587 | BAOTANGCHUNGTICHCHIENTRANH.VN
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6. MOC CAFÉ Coffee shops are dotted around the city and trying a typical Vietnamese cà phê – slowly brewed coffee with condensed milk – is an absolute must. A firm favourite among District 3 residents, Café Moc teems with young Saigonese. This 24-hour eatery is also known for serving one of the city’s best pho (Vietnamese soup).
130A NGUYEN DINH CHIEU | +84 8 6659 5522 | MOC.CAFE
A FIVE- MINUTE WALK
A THREE-MINUTE BIKE-TAXI RIDE
7. SOCIAL CLUB ROOFTOP BAR High above the rooftops of Saigon’s District 3, the Social Club Rooftop Bar at Hôtel des Arts Saigon is where high society comes to play. With 360-degree views that will blow your socks off, it is the epicentre of this thriving neighbourhood and the perfect place to end a busy day in good company. Take in the sunset during happy hour and then venture down to Saigon Kitchen, one of the city’s most popular restaurants.
SOCIAL CLUB SAIGON AT MGALLERY SOFITEL | 76-78 NGUYỄN THỊ MINH KHAI | +84 28 3989 8888 | HOTELDESARTSSAIGON.COM
OPEN SKIES / 35 UAE THE FOUNDING FATHER As the UAE marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder and first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, we distinguish between Zayed the man and Zayed the leader, whose achievements are already a matter of legend
WORDS: Peter Hellyer IMAGE: Genevieve Chauvel What is the Year of Zayed?
To celebrate the centennial As the United Arab One man who saw Sheikh Zayed’s anniversary of the birth of Emirates celebrates early-years rule at close hand was the UAE’s founding father, the Year of Zayed, Archie Lamb, a British political 2018 will see 12 months of 54.3773° E 54.3773° 24.4539° N N 24.4539° ABU DHABIABU marking the 100th agent in Abu Dhabi from 1965 to events to honour the life and anniversary of the birth 1968, in the years shortly before the legacy of Sheikh Zayed of its founder and first president, formation of the seven-member Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; UAE federation in 1971. A former the country’s citizens, residents World War Two fighter pilot and later and visitors are able to look around an ambassador, Lamb provided a and see the remarkable modern poetic description of Zayed – in his state it has become. dispatches to London – that really in 1971, an underdeveloped state – Much has been achieved in the illustrated the majesty that the itself an experiment in a new form of decades since the country was much-loved leader exuded in his governance – through a process that established in 1971, with the UAE life. To Lamb, Zayed was, “The man saw dramatic change in population, now ranking high on a whole range who had the wind of heaven always demography and infrastructure? of indices, from development to the blowing through his bisht (cloak).” How was it that he was able to happiness of its people. Although One of the reasons 2018 was preserve an enviable degree of social Sheikh Zayed – popularly known designated as the Year of Zayed stability and communal harmony as ‘Baba Zayed’ (Daddy Zayed) or was a recognition of the need to during a time when the Middle East the ‘Father of the Nation’ – died 14 reflect on memories and introduce was wracked by the turbulence of years ago, in late 2004, he is still younger generations to what Sheikh wars and revolutions? recognised as the man primarily Zayed means to the Emirates. What His success has been ascribed, responsible for building the country did he achieve, not simply in terms in part, to his vision for change. His as we know it today. of presiding over the creation of determination to make good use With the passing of time, however, a modern infrastructure, but in of the financial resources provided it becomes increasingly difficult facilitating the development of what from the oil and gas industry and his to distinguish between Zayed the he described as the UAE’s most recognition that, in an increasingly man and Zayed the leader whose valuable resource: its people? How interconnected world, there was a achievements are now legendary. did he inspire and lead what was, need to benefit from the knowledge He himself never claimed that any and skills of other countries and achievements were all his own. cultures. His insistence that the Rather, he took pains to acknowledge country should stand as a beacon Five Emirates A380s and five Boeing 777-300ERs the roles played by his fellow rulers with the ‘Year of Zayed’ livery have circled the of cultural and religious tolerance and the many others behind the globe on more than 1,500 flights to date, and will made it possible for Emiratis to live continue to carry its message of inspiration from the creation and growth of the UAE. UAE’s late founding father throughout 2018. side by side with expatriates from
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recognition of the importance of education, a commitment to ensure that the society’s full potential could be developed through the empowerment of women as well as of men. These were all part of the plans that he began to implement rapidly from 1966 onwards. Drawing on his own experience of the time-honoured traditions of tribal consultation and the building of consensus, Sheikh Zayed also worked with the other rulers who, together with him, created the UAE federation. Out of their efforts, and the efforts of those who have come after them, a state that has not only survived but thrived for nearly half a century has emerged. That achievement is even more significant when you consider that, when the UAE was born in 1971, many outside the country predicted that it would not survive too long. Little more than half a century ago, the UAE was a land of fishermen, farmers, traders and Bedouin. It was a place lacking hospitals nearly 200 nationalities, all of whom extension of the past. He who does and schools, not far removed have contributed to the building of not know his past cannot live his from a subsistence economy and the nation as we know it today. With present and his future, for it is from just beginning to venture on a more than 40 Christian churches the past that we learn.” tumultuous journey of change and and Hindu and Sikh places of An early biography of Sheikh of growth. Today, Emirati space worship in a land whose indigenous Zayed, The Desert Falcon – scientists are planning an ambitious citizens are devoutly Muslim, the published 42 years ago – recorded mission to Mars. It’s little wonder, UAE has become a rare symbol of how, in the years before he became then, that some younger Emiratis tolerance in the region. Beyond all of Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and might find it difficult to imagine and that, Sheikh Zayed was determined the first UAE President in 1971, he understand the hardships that their that, while looking to the future, the had devoted much thought to the parents and grandparents endured. country and its people should always need for change, and to developing If the Year of Zayed can fuel their remember, and benefit from, the the ideas that he would seek to imaginations and provide them with lessons from its past. In fact, one of implement when the opportunity some understanding of “the man his most widely quoted statements arose. A desire to embark on a who had the wind of heaven always is: “History is a continuous chain programme of modern development blowing through his bisht”, then it will of events. The present is only an that had long been lacking, a have surely served its purpose.
1 2 3 On heritage… On education and On leadership… WORDS “A country is not progress… “The ruler, any ruler, is only there to serve measured by the size “The education of our people is a his people and secure for them prosperity OF WISDOM of its area on the great wealth. We are proud of our and progress. To achieve this, he should live map. A country is educated nation because through among his people to feel their wishes and Three Sheikh Zayed truly measured by its knowledge and science we will open know their problems, and this cannot be quotes to consider heritage and culture.” the horizons of a glorious future.” achieved if he isolates himself from them.”
OPEN SKIES / 37 UAE MAURO MACCIONI The Italian restaurateur from New York City talks serving Frank Sinatra, chatting with Richard Nixon, and how his Dubai restaurant might just have the best food in town
WORDS: Iain Akerman IMAGES: Syed Ali
“My mother always Maccioni is heir to a dining
described me as an dynasty, one filled with glamour avid and adventurous and a roll call of Hollywood stars.
DUBAI eater, even at a Le Cirque is a New York institution 55.2708° E 55.2708° 25.2048° N N 25.2048° young age,” says founded by his father Sirio in Mauro Maccioni, the 1974; that rare breed of restaurant restaurateur and owner of Le that somehow managed to imbed Cirque. “I would eat clams and itself into the psyche of a city. tripe and innards. Anything.” Peter Kaminsky, writing in the It’s early afternoon at Le Cirque New York Magazine in 1997, just at the Ritz-Carlton in Dubai as Le Cirque was moving from its International Financial Centre and original home on East 65th Street Maccioni is talking food. Dover to The Palace Hotel, described it sole, risotto, pasta primavera, as “a temple of haute cuisine and his mother’s homemade pizza. swellegance”. Sirio presided over Everything that makes you it with personality and charm. salivate with anticipation. In many ways Le Cirque at the “Pasta primavera was always Ritz-Carlton lives off that heritage. one of my favourites,” he admits. As you enter, a series of black- “They would make it tableside for and-white photographs adorn the us at the restaurant in New York. wall immediately to your left, most A cream, Parmesan-based sauce of which feature an immaculately with spring vegetables. To this besuited Sirio with a succession day, it’s still one of my favourites. of famous guests. There’s Robert De Niro and Bocelli met in “But my first real experience De Niro and Andrea Bocelli, Montecatini Terme, Maccioni’s with food was with my mother. Sylvester Stallone and Kirk Douglas, ancestral home, and when the She is of Tuscan descent, so is Julianne Moore and Jennifer Lopez. chefs at Le Cirque cooked for my father, and while my father Even Queen Sofia of Spain. Pope John Paul II during his was busy at work she was always “I’m not star-struck easily visit to New York in 1995. cooking great Italian food. It’s because I’ve grown up in dining “My father immersed us in the one of the reasons why I was so rooms and served the likes of restaurant from a young age and we popular with my friends. They would Richard Nixon and Frank Sinatra,” would spend Saturday afternoons always be over, especially at the says Maccioni, searching for there,” he remembers. “My mother weekends. Sunday was pizza day photographs on his phone as he would put me in a little bow tie and and my mum did a thicker crust.” tells stories. There’s the time that my father would make sure that we understood the value of work. And on Saturdays, Richard Nixon would For more on great dining in Dubai, listen to the Dubai Restaurants podcast on channel 1906 on ice. always come for lunch – he lived
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right across the street – and my “Come my time to apply for – it was always a seen-and-be-seen father would sit me down with him college, I was fortunate enough sort of restaurant in New York (we’re for five minutes and Nixon would to have a nice recommendation trying to build that over here too), Le ask, ‘How are you, how’s school and letter from Richard Nixon, which I Cirque is also about the menu. And everything?’ Come time to apply I’m confident to say that I believe we for college, I was fortunate enough think might have helped me” have some of the best food in Dubai. to have a nice recommendation “Now the question is, how much letter from him, which I think but nevertheless promising. are people focusing on their food might have helped me.” “We’re fine-tuning to this very rather than their environment. It’s been a year since Le Cirque day, finding our way in the market,” We’re building that slowly… first opened its doors in Dubai and admits Maccioni, who runs the We started modestly and we’re Maccioni is essentially in town to family business with his two trying to build a crescendo.” check up on things. Reviews have brothers, Marco and Mario, although The head chef is Wesley Berghoff, been favourable but not ecstatic, the latter has recently taken time off. previously at Marina Social, while while trade has been modest “As much as the brand is very social a new operations manager, Martin
OPEN SKIES / 39 Chaffanjon, has been brought on THE BILL made Le Cirque unique. It was a board to fine-tune the running of the 1 SCALLOPS ESCABECHE WITH French restaurant with extremely SMOKED ALMOND, CARROT restaurant. Meanwhile, just outside, New York-style flavours, Italian AND ORANGE DRESSING a new footbridge connecting Le (US$25) food and a dining-room personality. Cirque to the heart of DIFC is under 1 SEARED SEA BASS From the very beginning, while the construction. When completed it WITH POTATO FONDANT, menu was predominantly French, FENNEL, SALSIFY will greatly increase accessibility. there was still a beef carpaccio or AND BOUILLABAISSE “I say it with humility, but I’ve (US$50) pasta on the menu, and that was eaten around town and Wesley’s sort of ground-breaking back then.” food is up there with some of the Le Cirque Dubai is one of a TOTAL: US$75 best,” asserts Maccioni. “And we growing number of outposts for think, little by little, that fact will the family business, which include shine with the public as we continue the long-running Le Cirque at The to build. There is very, very good dishes are sprinkled throughout Bellagio Las Vegas and Le Cirque food across town, but we want our what is a predominantly French at The Leela Palace New Delhi. food to be an extra focus.” True to menu. There’s octopus carpaccio, There’s also the family’s Italian Le Cirque’s hybrid heritage, Italian lobster risotto, spaghetti primavera, restaurant brand, Circo, which has and potato and herb gnocchi. operations in Abu Dhabi and Dallas. My starter, however, is scallops Negotiations are currently underway escabeche with smoked almond, to open a Le Cirque in Florida, “We’re fine-tuning to this very carrot and orange dressing. with ambitions for London too. day, finding our way in the “It was always this bizarre thing. Yet these haven’t been the market… I’m confident to say We have this French restaurant but easiest of times for the brand. Last that I believe we have some the owner is Italian,” says Maccioni March the New York restaurant of the best food in Dubai” with a smile. “But that’s also what and its sister brand Circo filed
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“My father immersed us in the restaurant and we would spend Saturday afternoons there. He would make sure that we understood the value of hard work”
The mains arrive. Seared sea bass with potato fondant, fennel salsify and bouillabaisse. For Maccioni, duck à l’orange with a side order of asparagus. When the new Le Cirque opens in New York next year it will be closer to its spiritual home near Madison Avenue. “Our original neighbourhood,” as Maccioni calls it. Most recently Le Cirque had been located in the Bloomberg Tower on East 58th Street. Whichever way you look at it, it’s been a tough couple of years. “I would be lying to you to say that it wasn’t a challenging moment,” he says. “But we’re quite happy to have weathered it, to have tied up some knots, and we have an opportunity for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with when the bankruptcy was filed. to sort of start afresh again, Maccioni stating at the time that “We had to reorganise ourselves especially in New York. And we’re the action had been taken to financially,” admits Maccioni. “We excited that we have a new opening protect the restaurants’ leases. got caught in a moment that was for our Circo brand in Dallas. So, Yet by the time the last diners difficult. But it was a moment for you know, there are ups and downs had left Le Cirque on New Year’s us to be able to release ourselves and you have to just weather them. Eve, both restaurants had closed. from our leases. At Le Cirque we “But I wouldn’t trade it for The bankruptcy filing revealed want to take it back a little bit to its anything. As much as we’ve that the family owed between original dimensions and location. talked of how difficult it is, I US$500,000 and US$1 million to It’s time for us to downsize, to do consider myself a very fortunate up to 100 creditors. Le Cirque’s head something a little more precious, individual. Like anything in chef, Tom Valenti, had also quit smaller, in a better location.” business, nothing is easy.”
OPEN SKIES / 41 Move forward with the bank that is proud to call Côte d’Ivoire home.
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SPAIN DRIVE TIME A road trip through Europe can be fraught with danger – particularly when Dom Joly’s behind the wheel
IMAGE: Adam Patterson
my lane and, when I didn’t give way, got very incensed. He chased me, beeping and flashing his lights until I’d had enough. I parked my car and got out to find out what the problem was. The driver looked like a Bulgarian sumo wrestler and squared up to me, screaming and jabbing away with his fingers in that uniquely Mediterranean style. Although I’m basically a coward, I’m a very proud one, so refuse to back down in these situations. Fortunately, it didn’t come to blows and the man eventually squeezed back into his car and sped off with a fair amount of anger. Eventually I made it to the welcoming doors of the Mandarin, had a shower, got changed and
I am currently on a road and tone of driving can be easily called an Uber to head back out. Five trip across Europe in misunderstood. I’ve been shot at minutes later a bulky silver Mercedes search of the perfect fish by a Serbian policeman, attacked pulled up. Not really concentrating, 2.1734° E 2.1734° 41.3851° N N 41.3851°
BARCELONA BARCELONA soup. My journey has by a man on the Amalfi Coast who I got in. It was only a little further taken me from Bilbao looked like a member of the Mafia, down the road that I looked in the to San Sebastian, over to Marseilles and don’t get me started on what mirror to recognise my aggressive and Nice before heading back happened in Turkey when someone nemesis from earlier in the day. He down to Barcelona. For those who threw their dead grandmother’s spotted me at roughly the same time. are interested, a restaurant called body at my car. Inwardly, I panicked. I imagined the Miramar in the Old Port area of This trip was no different. I doors suddenly locking, the windows Marseilles won the competition, but arrived in Barcelona – a city I know blacking out and being whisked this column is not about fish soup – and love – after a long and tiring off to some underground bunker. it’s about road rage. drive and was looking forward to Instead a weird thing happened: Every road trip I have ever been checking into one of my favourite there was a long pause and then he on has resulted in some incident hotels on Earth – the Mandarin started laughing. I did too – with or another. I would call it bad Oriental. I was about a mile away relief and at the absurdity of the luck, my wife has other theories. when a large man in a bulky silver situation. Eventually we shook hands Suffice to say that, although I’m Mercedes tried to push me out of and apologised to each other for English, I was brought up driving being overly Mediterranean. I even in Lebanon and southern parts of For more humour from Dom Joly, check out gave him a very decent tip. As I said, Europe, meaning that both my style Trigger Happy TV, showing on Comedy TV on ice. I adore Barcelona.
OPEN SKIES / 43 Enjoy extraordinary events #InAbuDhabi! Abu Dhabi is an eventful destination with an action-packed calendar featuring international music, heritage and cultural festivals, sports, gourmet, high profile business conferences and vibrant trade fairs
JUN 2018 JUL SEP OCT
ADIHEX 2018 Abu Dhabi Summer Season Liwa Date Festival Al Ain Book Fair Jun - Aug Oct 2 - 6
OCT OCT OCT NOV
Abu Dhabi International Abu Dhabi Classics ADIPEC 2018 Boat Show Al Ain Cultural Programme 2018-2019 Oct 17 - 20 Oct - Apr 2019 Oct - May 2019 Nov 12 - 15
NOV NOV NOV NOV
Traditional Abu Dhabi Art 2018 Formula 1 Etihad Handicrafts Festival Taste of Abu Dhabi Airways AD Grand Prix Nov 14 - 17 Nov 22 - 25
NOV DEC DEC DEC
Formula 2 Powerboat National Day Celebrations Sheikh Zayed Heritage Liwa International Championship Festival Festival – Mureeb Dune Nov 22 - 23 Dec 2
DEC DEC DEC DEC
Mubadala World Abu Dhabi Food Festival Dar Al Zain Festival Al Dhafra Festival Tennis Championship
DEC DEC JAN 2019 JAN
Sultan Bin Zayed Heritage NYE Countdown Village Al Dhafra Family Village Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Festival 2019 Dec 13 - 17 Championship Jan - Feb
FEB MAR MAR MAR
Red Bull Air Race ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi Festival 2019 Mother of the Nation Championship Abu Dhabi 2019 Festival 2019 abudhabievents
Available on abudhabievents.ae HOW DUBAI WAS BUILT FEATURES HOW DUBAI WAS BUILT • BACK ON TRACK
HOW THEY BUILT A CITY
Ever wondered how Dubai’s superstructures were built? Read on to see how a city rose from the desert.
Turn over for more
OPEN SKIES / 45
HOW DUBAI WAS BUILT
HOW DUBAI WAS BUILT
From architectural wonders and seven-star hotels, to world record- breakers that push the boundaries of possibility, Dubai has never shied away from feats of engineering prowess. Here we look at what it took to build some of those landmarks, and how they operate on a daily basis
WORDS: Iain Akerman BURJ AL ARAB of staff, ranging from Michelin- starred chefs and skilled mixologists The story of Dubai’s original superstar building to florists and private butlers, An iconic symbol on site at any given time. It took to run the hotel, which features
of Dubai, the Burj Al two years to reclaim the island and three aquariums, nine dining and Arab, Jumeirah is an a further three to complete the entertainment venues, 202 suites, a DUBAI 55.2708° E 55.2708° 25.2048° N N 25.2048° architectural marvel. It is building, which was constructed to spa and leisure facilities. also one of the world’s reflect Dubai’s ambition to become “The same level of care, design most photographed superstructures. one of the most culturally diverse and attention that has been put Set on its own manmade island and dynamic cities in the world. into developing and maintaining 280 metres off Dubai’s coastline, it Inside, approximately 1,790 the architectural marvel goes into was designed by the architect Tom square metres of 24-karat gold leaf the running of the hotel,” says Scott Wright to resemble the billowing embellishes the interior, while 10 Murray, the hotel’s manager. “From sail of an Arabian dhow and, at 321 million mosaic tiles line the two being chauffeur driven in one of our metres high, is the tallest all-suite pools at The Terrace, the hotel’s luxurious Rolls-Royce Phantoms hotel in the world. luxury leisure facility. There are also FACTS across the famed bridge leading to First opened on December 1, more than 30 types of Statuario the hotel, through to the bespoke 1999, its construction involved marble covering nearly 24,000 3,000 care taken at each of the 202 suites Companies and 3,000 companies and contractors, square metres of wall and flooring. contractors by our team of dedicated butlers; involved in its 250 designers, and 3,500 workmen It takes around 1,600 members total build the impeccable service offered at restaurants such as Nathan Outlaw 3,500 Workmen on at Al Mahara and Scape Restaurant site at any one time & Lounge, to the beach and pool experience at The Terrace, each 1,790 Square metres touchpoint that guests experience of gold leaf at Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah is a embellishing the interior uniquely special one.”
High tea The best way to visit Burj Al Arab is to enjoy afternoon tea at Skyview Bar on the 27th floor
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Viewfinder Try the interactive experience on levels 124 and 125, enjoying one of the best views in the city in the process
BURJ KHALIFA FACTS square metres of embossed of melting ice. There are also 18 How they made the stainless steel were used in its specialised machines and around 22 construction. The end result is a 36 trained workers designated world’s tallest building Million man- hours to build stunning vertical city at the heart to cleaning the building’s 24,000
If the Burj Al Arab is an 24,000 of Downtown Dubai. windows. In all, it takes four architectural marvel, the Burj Windows There’s the world’s highest months to clean the entire exterior to clean Khalifa is an architectural observation deck and outdoor of the building. miracle. Standing at 200- 4 terrace (on level 148), the world’s Interestingly, the building’s Months to plus stories, of which 160 are clean them highest swimming pool (on level 76), management team are helped habitable, it is the tallest building and At.Mosphere, the world’s highest by Dubai’s hot and humid in the world and one of the fine dining restaurant (on level 122). climate, which, combined with greatest feats of engineering. At its base is the Armani Hotel Dubai, the building’s cooling system, Designed by Chicago-based while the rest of this monument to creates a significant amount Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and human achievement is made up of of condensation. This water developed by Emaar Properties, it 172,000 square metres of residential is collected and drained in a took 22 million man-hours to build, and over 27,800 square metres of separate piping system and and during its peak construction office space. amounts to about 56 million litres had over 12,000 professionals and Maintaining such a structure is of water per year, equal to roughly skilled workers on site every day. no small task. The tower’s water 20 Olympic-sized swimming In total, 330,000 cubic metres of system requires an average of pools. Meanwhile, the tower’s peak concrete, 39,000 tonnes of steel 946,000 litres of water per day, electrical demand is 36mW, equal reinforcement, 103,000 square and at peak times requires cooling to about 360,000 bulbs of 100 metres of glass, and 15,500 equivalent to that of 10,000 tonnes watts operating simultaneously.
OPEN SKIES / 49 DUBAI WATER CANAL How they built one of Dubai’s newest attractions
Water taxi Avoid the traffic and see the city via a water taxi at one of their stations throughout the city As urban transformations go, the RTA.AE building of Dubai Water Canal takes some beating. Where else in the world would the elevation of three existing roads – including Dubai’s main artery, Sheikh Zayed Road – be shrugged off as a mere inconvenience? Yet that’s exactly what was necessary to complete one of the city’s newest landmarks. Running for 3.2 kilometres and built at a cost of Dhs2.7 billion, the canal is essentially an extension of Dubai Creek, linking Business Bay to the Arabian Gulf through Safa Park and Jumeirah. To achieve this FACTS a complex six-stage operation, kilometres of waterfront to Dubai the four main contractors and 70 allowing 7.8 million cubic metres and includes a 12-kilometre cycle sub-contractors had to excavate 2.7 of water into the waterway. In track, a three-kilometre jogging Billion dollars, three million cubic metres of the total cost total, the operation was executed track, three pedestrian bridges, sand, use 150,000 tonnes of 3 over a five-week period. and nine marine stations. It cement, and utilise 25,000 tonnes Million cubic The canal, which is between even has its very own waterfall metres of sand of steel reinforcement. excavated to 80 and 120 metres wide at any cascading from the bridge over The canal was then flooded in create the canal given location, has added 6.4 Sheikh Zayed Road.
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Show time Controlling the creative aspect Catch The Dubai of the shows is a dedicated team Fountain show daily at 1pm, 1.30pm of choreographers, with each new (1.30pm and 2pm show starting life as a computer on Friday) and every simulation in the US before being 30 minutes from downloaded to the fountain in 6-11pm Dubai for fine-tuning. The entire process can take between two and four weeks, with everything from Michael Jackson’s Thriller to the theme song to The Magnificent Seven forming the basis of a show. The fountain itself sits atop a network of tunnels and equipment rooms, with an array of logic control, electrical switching, power and valve panels controlling the entire operation. This electrical equipment, coupled with miles of piping, comes together to create the final show, which is overseen by the main control room located on the top floor of The Dubai Mall. THE FOUNTAIN SITS ATOP A NETWORK OF TUNNELS AND EQUIPMENT ROOMS THAT CONTROL THE ENTIRE OPERATION
“The spectacular shows on the new LED panel of Burj Khalifa and the performances of The Dubai Fountain are among the most popular tourist attractions in the city today,” says Ahmad Al Falasi, executive director of group operations at Emaar THE DUBAI FOUNTAIN Properties. “Both involve extensive The world’s largest choreographed fountain system collaboration and planning, and our focus is on offering visitors a truly At the base of the Burj Khalifa WET, the fountain’s powerful water FACTS memorable experience. is another Emaar masterpiece: nozzles can shoot water up to 140 “Every show involves hundreds 83,000 The Dubai Fountain. The tallest metres in the air, while its unique Litres of water in of people working in coordination performing fountain in the world, design of five circles of varying the air at any one to ensure that every aspect is time with 344 underwater robots and sizes and two arcs enable it to be considered – right from design to 140 1,137 shooters, it is a spectacular choreographed to different music. Height in metres execution. These performances water, light and musical experience At any given moment 83,000 litres of the tallest jet also add to the civic pride of our of water at the centre of Downtown Dubai. of water will be in the air, with 25 nation, underlining the appeal Set in the 30-acre Burj Lake and colour projectors providing a full 2-4 of Dubai in offering compelling Weeks it can take designed by Californian-based spectrum of colour. to perfect attractions that welcome the world.”
OPEN SKIES / 51 PALM JUMEIRAH Nakheel, and in doing so it has Raffles Residences Palm360. The The story of an archipelago like no other created one of the most famous Palm Tower is directly connected and sought-after landmark to Nakheel Mall, which is also One of the world’s largest destinations in the world. Now under construction and due for manmade islands, Palm Jumeirah home to more than 30,000 people, completion next year. is constructed in the shape of a it includes luxury residences, hotels, “Palm Jumeirah is a shining of date palm and effectively doubled resorts, retail outlets, and recreation example of the creativity, innovation the coastline of Dubai when it was and leisure facilities. All of which and forward-thinking that Dubai is FACTS completed in 2006. It took 120 need constant maintenance. known for,” says Ali Rashid Lootah, Nakheel’s chairman. “A globally- million cubic metres of sand and 30,000 Significantly, the island, which seven million tonnes of rock to Number of hosts resorts such as Atlantis The recognised landmark and one of people living on create, and spans 1,400 acres. To Palm Jumeirah Palm and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, the most sought-after addresses put that in perspective, the island is is very much a work in progress. in the world, Palm Jumeirah has 120 four times the size of London’s Hyde Million cubic Upcoming Nakheel developments set new standards in master metres of sand Park and one-and-a-half times bigger that created it include The Palm Tower, a 52-storey planning, design and engineering. than Central Park in New York. residential and hotel complex, and We continue to enhance the island 7 The master developer tasked Million tonnes Palm 360, a twin-tower hotel and by bringing more new and unique with transforming Palm Jumeirah of rock it also residential development comprising projects to serve its growing needed to from a concept into reality was become a reality Raffles The Palm Dubai Hotel and number of residents and visitors.”
Take flight For the best views, take a paramotor flight over Palm Jumeirah SKYHUBPARAMOTORS.AE
Discover more about Dubai on ice. The Emirates World podcasts start on channel 1900 and cover the city’s newest attractions and more.
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Enhanced experience Augmented and virtual reality elements will be used to enhance the Expo 2020 experience
These districts will be integral to the site and will converge at its centrepiece – the 150-metre- wide, 69-metre-tall domed Al Wasl Plaza. There will also be separate themed pavilions, including the Santiago Calatrava-designed UAE pavilion, modelled on the wings of a falcon, and Grimshaw Architects’ Sustainability pavilion. The latter will be able to capture energy from the sun and fresh water from humid air. “We are on track to ensure all shell and core construction is completed by October 2019, a full year ahead of the Expo doors opening,” says Al Khatib. EXPO 2020 “Successfully delivering a How they’re making the city of the future masterplan of this magnitude is a complex task, but Expo 2020 has This is a 24-hour a day job for International Airport, is ramping FACTS assembled some of the world’s Ahmed Al Khatib, senior vice- up and will peak by the end of the best design, construction and president of real estate and year, with 35,000 construction 14.5 urban planning experts to ensure Million work hours delivery at Expo 2020. He has workers on site. To date, more completed to date that the site is ready to welcome two mobile phones, neither of than 14.5 million work hours 35,000 the world on October 20, 2020.” which leave his side – and it’s not have been completed, with 6,100 Construction To date, Expo 2020 has awarded workers on site surprising. Al Khatib is responsible cubic metres of concrete being 3,039 contracts – both construction for the overall construction of the laid per week and 85 kilometres 34.5 and non-construction – with small Billion dollars, site, which, in 30 months’ time, of pipe already laid for the site’s the estimated and medium-sized enterprises economic boost will host the first World Expo to infrastructure works. The path of to the UAE from continuing to represent a priority, ever be held in the Middle East, the Dubai Metro Route 2020 link is Expo 2020 winning 1,717 of those awarded. Africa and South Asia. also now clearly visible. With 25 million visitors forecast to Construction at the 4.38 Expo 2020’s three petal- attend the six-month event, the UAE square kilometre site in Dubai shaped themed districts are expects to receive an estimated South, not far from Al Maktoum also beginning to take shape. economic boost of $34.5 billion.
OPEN SKIES / 53 MOTIONGATE DUBAI The inside story of the ultimate theme park
Theme nights If you’re a huge theme park lover, why not stay on site at Lapita hotel (see page 16)
For anyone unaccustomed to FACTS rides and attractions inspired by 13 Road, midway between Dubai theme parks, especially integrated of Hollywood’s most memorable International Airport and Abu Dhabi ones, the sheer enormity of Dubai 3.5 live action and animated films International Airport, the park as Billion dollars Parks and Resorts is something to it cost to build (21 of which are indoors). It’s a a whole recorded 851,000 visits behold. Built on 2.85 million square Motiongate Dubai theme park lover’s dream. There’s during the first quarter of 2018, an metres of land at a cost of US$3.5 21 Dragon Gliders, a multimedia increase of 45 per cent on the first Number of indoor billion, it features more than 100 rides, from the 27 suspended roller coaster within quarter of 2017 and an increase rides and attractions, with the entire in total DreamWorks; Madagascar Mad of 55,000 compared with the destination connected by Riverland 58 Pursuit, a roller coaster that propels last quarter of 2017. As such, an Metres, the Dubai, a multi-themed dining and drop from the visitors forward at up to 85km/h army of staff is required to run the retail district. Zombieland upon launch; and Zombieland Blast- destination which, as part of its Blast-off ride Within Dubai Parks and Resorts, off, a 58-metre drop and shot tower full-service offering, is enhanced the Hollywood-inspired Motiongate identical to that in the movie. with smart technology, smart Dubai is the flagship. With 27 key Located just off Sheikh Zayed queuing and shaded walkways.
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Beach day Once complete, combine a day at Ain Dubai with an afternoon on The Beach at JBR FACTS
9,000 Tonnes of steel required to build the wheel 698 Residential apartments in 10 towers 12 Guests able to eat at the fine dining pod
AIN DUBAI the wheel’s rim now in place. The latest addition to Dubai’s iconic skyline Forming the centrepiece of the new Bluewaters Island development If you’ve been a regular visitor to Ain Dubai observation wheel will be by Meraas, the final structure will Jumeirah Beach Residence over the largest of its kind in the world include around 9,000 tonnes of the course of the past year, you’ll when it’s completed later this steel, almost 25 per cent more have watched with interest as year. In fact, it already stands at a than the amount used to construct a new edition to Dubai’s skyline world-beating height of over 210 the Eiffel Tower in Paris. With 48 slowly but surely takes shape. The metres, with the eight sections of passenger capsules manufactured in Switzerland, some of which will be ‘fine-dining’ pods that can seat up to 12 guests, and 360-degree views of the city, Ain Dubai is sure to be an instant hit. When complete, the manmade island will include distinctive retail, residential, hospitality and entertainment zones and will be connected to the shore by a multimode transport system. There will be 10 residential towers, featuring 698 apartments and 17 townhouses, and a 265-metre pedestrian bridge that will link the island with The Beach at JBR. There will also be close to 200 retail and dining concepts.
OPEN SKIES / 55 Let’s celebrate the original Margarita TH a margarita made THIS YEAR, MARKS THE 70 without cointreau is ANNIVERSARY OF THIS ICONIC DRINK. not worth its salt LET’S CELEBRATE THE ORIGINAL Margaret Sames MARGARITA! Cointreau has been inseparable from margarita since its creation in 1948 Acapulco, Mexico. Margaret THE ORIGINAL MARGARITA “Margarita” Sames, a wealthy American socialite known for hosting notoriously lavish parties with extravagant twists, created a new cocktail for one of her soirées by mixing two of her favourite spirits: tequila and Cointreau, a liqueur crafted using sweet 3 cl Cointreau 1. Combine all ingredients and bitter orange peel essence. 5 cl Blanco Tequila in a shaker and add ice 2 cl Fresh Lime Juice 2. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass An immediate success, the drink came to be known as 3. Garnish with a lime wheel a “margarita” and has gone on to become a staple in bars and homes alike. BACK ON TRACK
WORDS AND IMAGES: Sarah Freeman Cambodia’s mothballed Royal Railway is back in service after 14 years, and putting the country’s lesser-visited southern region firmly on the map
Chugging along at one of two tracks that traverse a road- and plane-weary traveller, the SHORT CUT 53kmph, the 1960s total of 612km along the western The railway train serves as a more exhilarating connects Phnom rolling stock of flank of the country, terminating Penh with way to explore Cambodia beyond 11.5564° N N 11.5564° 104.9282° E 104.9282° Cambodia’s Royal at the northern border town Sihanoukville Siem Reap’s magnificient but PHNOM PENH on the coast. It Railway is certainly of Poipet. Built under colonial turned a 28-day tourist sullied Angkor Wat temples. no bullet train. But who wants to French rule in 1930s, the Phnom journey into a For Cambodians, the journey is 6-8-hour one get to their destination quickly Penh to Battambang northern bittersweet – a poignant reminder anyway? To move with any more line remains out of action, save of its troubled past and a symbol speed would be an insult to for a rickety bamboo ‘nori train’, of its brighter future. the glorious countryside neatly which rattles along the tracks at A word of warning – the six- to framed by its windows, and 32kmph over a 7km stretch. eight-hour journey (which would defeat the object of cross-country After independence, France, originally take a staggering 28 train travel in the first place. West Germany and China days) is at the mercy of track- The Royal Railway passenger bankrolled the southern loitering Brahman cows and the service reopened only 18 months stretch of track to ferry goods occasional engineering hitch, ago after a 14-year hiatus, and to Sihanoukville port – now a which calls for unexpected stops. connects its capital, Phnom gateway to the country’s tropical That’s OK, though, it’s an excuse Penh, to the coastal city of islands and the mangrove jungles to stock up on the fried shrimp Sihanoukville. The southern line is of Ream National Park. For the fritters sold by the roadside.
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EXCESS BAGGAGE
They say trains go where cars cannot, but this isn’t entirely true of Cambodia’s Royal Railway. For US$5 you can load your bike onto the train’s flatbed car or pay out US$14 to put your four wheels onto the Blue Train (left).
LIFE ON TRACK
Life trackside is never dull. Decorative red remorques (tuk-tuks), oxcarts and bike-commuting schoolchildren converge at dusty crossings, vendors hurriedly move out of the way of oncoming trains, and saffron-robed monks casually stroll alongside the tracks.
THE DETAILS PHNOM PENH ROUTE: PHNOM PENH – TAKEO – DURATION: 6-8 HOURS APPROX. KAMPOT – SIHANOUKVILLE DISTANCE: 266KM PRICE: BETWEEN US$4 AND US$7 CAPACITY: ALTERNATING YELLOW AND BLUE FREQUENCY: FOUR TIMES A WEEK (FRIDAYS, TRAINS CARRY UP TO 200 PASSENGERS EACH WEEKENDS AND MONDAYS) IN BOTH DIRECTIONS ROYAL-RAILWAY.COM
Emirates operates a service to Phnom Penh via Yangon.
OPEN SKIES / 61 STATION STREET FOOD
There is a steady supply of mama noodles on board, but for a taste of authentic Cambodian food, hold out for one of the station stops. Kampot’s coffee ladies congregate under its rusting pyramid roof, selling steamed meat buns, spicy fried sweet corn kernels and skewers of pretty much everything – from giant prawns to pineapple. You’ll also find an iced-caffeine hit, which comes in handy during summer.
VINTAGE FLAIR
The air-conditioned carriages ooze retro charm, from the stencil- punched seat numbers and pull-down windows to the original padded blue vinyl seats.
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COLONIAL CHARM
Built in the early 1930s, the imposing French colonial-style station is one of Phnom Penh’s art deco treasures. Check out the vintage weighing scales and antique Tissot station clock housed beneath the arches of its echoing main hall.
OPEN SKIES / 63 FROM CITY TO BEACH Three places to visit in Cambodia
1. PHNOM PENH’S COMMEMORATIVE SITES Pay your respects at the VILLAGE Choeung Ek Killing Fields LIFE memorial (20 minutes out of the city centre) and S-21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum – both After slowly chugging sobering sites that chronicle through Phnom Penh’s the country’s tragic history. suburbs, where thatched 2. KAMPOT’S PEPPER and bamboo homes PLANTATIONS cling to the railway line, Lauded by big-name chefs the landscape opens up across the globe, Kampot pepper to rural scenes of rice has a geographical indication status that makes it no ordinary harvesters, duck farms condiment. To witness the and canal fishermen. king of spices harvested by hand, hop on a tuk-tuk and visit one of the fantastic organic pepper plantations, such as Sothy’s Pepper Farm.
3. SIHANOUKVILLE’S SOUTHERN ISLANDS Reached via a four- to five-hour boat trip from the mainland, the uninhabited (and as yet undeveloped) jungle-blanketed Koh Tang island boasts a wealth of marine life and the country’s only wreck dives. It’s also the last official battle site of the Vietnam War.
SEA VIEWS
In the final two-hour leg of the journey, the cross- country route carves through lush forests, giving way to glimpses of the sea as it approaches Sihanoukville’s palm- fringed beaches.
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REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
The soaring Bokor Mountains come into view as the train approaches Kampot, whereafter the terrain transforms into crenelated, jungle-clad hills.
OPEN SKIES / 65 Global Intl School Emirates_OPEN SKIES.pdf 1 4/23/18 3:00 PM
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FIVE MORE YEARS Emirates and Qantas have renewed their partnership for another five years.
Turn over for more news from Emirates
OPEN SKIES / 67 NEWS Five-year renewal for Emirates and Qantas partnership
EMIRATES AND QANTAS have deliver benefits for travellers and choices, and frequent flyer benefits. welcomed the Australian Competition Australian tourism for the next five “Over the next five years, we will and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) years,” said Qantas International’s continue to work closely with our re-authorisation of their alliance as they CEO Alison Webster. “The evolution partner Qantas to deliver benefits for our embark on another five-year partnership. of our partnership reflects changes in customers, for Australia’s air transport The continuation of the joint business, customer demand and will allow us to connectivity, and for both airlines.” which was announced in August last leverage the latest aircraft technology “Almost 35 million members of year and will last until 2023, will mean and maximise new routes.” Emirates Skywards and Qantas Frequent expanded services, greater schedule Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Flyer enjoy the partnership’s benefits, choice, increased frequent-flyer benefits Vice President and Chief Commercial not only through earning Miles but by and an on-going commitment to the Officer, said: “We look forward to redeeming on each other’s vast route development of world-class products progressing on the plans that will take networks,” added Barry Brown, Emirates’ and travel experiences. our successful partnership to its next Divisional Vice President for Australasia. “The ACCC’s re-authorisation of phase. Together, we offer travellers “The one-stop European network from our joint business is an important access to even more destinations on our Dubai also continues to win praise for milestone in helping us continue to joint network, more convenient flight the ease and connectivity it provides.”
68 / OPEN SKIES FEATHERS-mag.pdf 1 4/22/18 12:37 PM
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EMIRATES WILL ADD a second daily service between Dubai and Prague. The service will commence from July 1 to meet the increasing demand for both inbound and outbound travel and will complement the existing flight operated by an Emirates A380. The second daily flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER Another accolade for Emirates with a capacity of 360 seats, boosting inbound tourism through the additional EMIRATES HAS BEEN NAMED centric focus across the airline to deliver 262,800 seats a year it will provide. It ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2018 Air the best possible experience both in the will have a three-class configuration Transport Awards. air and on the ground by continually offering eight Private Suites in First The airline picked up the prestigious investing in a modern fleet, product Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business and award thanks to the evaluation of innovations and service enhancements. 310 spacious seats in Economy. a jury comprised of executives and “We are also embracing technology The flight will improve Prague’s experts from different sectors within the across our operations to meet and connectivity to and from a range aviation industry. exceed evolving consumer preferences. of destinations in the Emirates Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice This award is a testament to the hard network, including Far East favourites President and Chief Commercial Officer work and efforts of staff across the Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Phuket in for Emirates, received the award on airline that make a difference every day Thailand, and Phnom Penh in Cambodia. behalf of the airline. by taking care of our customers and Flight EK137 will leave Dubai at “We are honoured to be recognised keeping our service levels high.” 15.30 and arrive in Prague at 19.55. The by the Air Transport Awards for our The world’s largest international return flight EK138 will leave Prague at commitment to excellence,” said airline, Emirates’ network spans more 21.35 and arrive in Dubai at 05.30 the Antinori. “We have a strong customer- than 155 destinations in 85 countries. following day.
New product for rapid transport of aircraft parts
EMIRATES SKYCARGO HAS LAUNCHED time for cargo acceptance at origin, Emirates AOG, a new airfreight product expedited delivery at destination, designed for transporting aircraft parts and track and trace visibility of the quickly across the globe. consignment during transportation and Emirates AOG is built to respond priority handling. to the needs of airlines wanting to “Emirates SkyCargo is committed to service grounded aircraft by rapidly constantly improving our service levels dispatching critical aircraft components and introducing new products that can unavailable at destination. The core aim respond to our customers’ needs,” said continents, our frequency of operations of Emirates AOG is to transport parts on Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior to destinations, as well as our own vast the quickest possible flight connection Vice President, Cargo. “Emirates AOG experience in transporting aircraft parts without compromising on the quality of builds on a number of our strengths for Emirates’ fleet.” handling and customer service. – our extensive network spanning Emirates SkyCargo is the freight Special features include late cut-off more than 155 destinations across six division of Emirates.
70 / OPEN SKIES Kings College_OPEN SKIES copy.pdf 1 12/20/17 5:39 PM
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1989 Introduced the Airshow moving map channel to allow passengers to see their journey.
1992 First airline to install personal video systems in all seats in all classes throughout its fleet – the First Class seats had video cassette players.
1993 First airline to equip an entire Airbus fleet with in-flight phones.
1996 New Boeing 777 aircraft delivered. It featured 17 video channels, 22 radio channels and two external cameras beaming pictures of take- off, landing and en-route scenery SETTING A directly to the cabin screens and every seat television monitor. WI-FI RECORD Emirates recently set a new record with over 1 million Wi-Fi connections made on board its flights in March alone. The highest data usage from a single passenger was made by an 1999 Emirates Skywards member who stayed New Airbus A330-200 delivered. It connected throughout their flight from featured video cassette players in Dubai to Johannesburg, consuming Business Class seats. We were the 4.9GB of complimentary data. first airline to offer this service in both First and Business Class.
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2004 On the A340-500, Emirates introduces Wi-Fi hotspots to allow customers to check email from their own laptops.
2006 Personal in-seat email and SMS installed throughout the fleet, in all classes.
2007 Emirates worked with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to introduce Closed Captions, the technology used by the hard of hearing, for the first time in inflight entertainment.
2008 First airline to allow passengers to use their own mobile phone for calls and SMS in collaboration with AeroMobile.
2011 Emirates launches Wi-Fi internet access on the A380 in conjunction with OnAir.
2012 First mobile phone service on an A380 in the world.
2014 First airline to offer a total of 500 films on board.
10 YEARS OF TODAY ONBOARD CALLS More than 98 per cent of the fleet is equipped with Wi-Fi, and everyone on Emirates is celebrating 10 years of enabling mobile board enjoys 20mb worth of free online phone use on board its aircraft. The inaugural phone access – with Emirates Skywards members call was made on March 20, 2008 on Emirates flight enjoying further special privileges. There EK751 from Dubai to Casablanca. Since then over 2.8 are now up to 3,500 channels of on demand million calls have been made, 60 per cent of which were entertainment, up to 700 movies and 90 made from the aircraft, while over a million calls were kids’ channels. Emirates has been named answered by passengers travelling on Emirates. ‘World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment’ at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards for 13 consecutive years.
OPEN SKIES / 73 EAST LONDON From June 8, Emirates will add Stansted to its comprehensive London service. Enjoy our guide to its close-at-hand cool neighbour
IF YOU A FOLLOW A STRAIGHT LINE down the M11 from London Stansted Airport you’ll eventually hit the East End of London – that fabled home of jellied eels, pie and mash and, now at least, Shoreditch hipsters. It’s hard to dislodge the sometimes mythical image of the East End of London, and its history is one of colour and darkness. Read Jack London’s The People of the Abyss for a glimpse into the past. Yet the East End of old has largely disappeared. So too, for the most part, have its customs and traditional eateries. In their stead are fashionable markets and museums, galleries and gardens, trendy neighbourhoods and the culinary wonders of a multicultural society. There are the curry houses and vintage clothing stores of Brick Lane, the boutiques and food joints of the Old Truman Brewery, the antiques of Old Spitalfields Market, the frills of Petticoat Lane, the colour and aroma of Columbia Road Flower Market, the cafes and restaurants of Shoreditch and Hoxton, and the nightlife of the once down-at-heel Dalston. As with the rest of London, there is an overabundance of things to see and do. It’s not so much a question of what you want to see, but what you can afford to miss.
Flight EK33 departs Dubai at 09.30, and arrives in London Stansted at 14.10. The return flight EK34 departs London Stansted at 21.10 and arrives in Dubai at 07.05 the following day.
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PIDGIN F COOKE TYPING ROOM With a menu that The traditional food Located, as the name changes weekly and of London’s poor, would suggest, in the no dish that’s ever pie and mash shops old typing room of repeated, this small have become a rarity the Town Hall Hotel restaurant (there in recent years. Yet a in Bethnal Green, this are only 28 seats) in few remain. Amongst East London gem Hackney has been the oldest and best is run by executive winning plaudits is F Cooke in Hoxton chef Lee Westcott. left, right and centre. or Broadway Market. Using local and Although described The food is simple: seasonal ingredients, as modern British essentially steak or he creates innovative cuisine, it has a taste steak and kidney pie modern European for the wonderful and with mashed potato dishes. Dinner is serves a set four- and a parsley sauce either a three- or five- course menu. liquor. Just delicious. course tasting menu. pidginlondon.com +44 20 7729 7718 typingroom.com
ACE HOTEL THE HOXTON THE CURTAIN Hipster to the core, The Hoxton has been This one is another the Shoreditch around since 2006 US import – this outpost of the Ace and has managed time from New York Hotel is a stone’s to hold its own as hotelier Michael throw from the shops, newcomers have Achenbaum. But bars, restaurants, encroached on its The Curtain is not cafés and nightlife territory. With a just a hotel, this is a of East London’s great location and in members’ club too. premier creative striking distance of With 120 rooms, a district. Expect the city, its epicentre rooftop pool, and co-working spaces, is the Hoxton Grill, 6,000 square feet record players in which occupies the of event space, each room, a vast ground-floor lobby Achenbaum means lobby bar and coffee and constitutes the business. Opened shop, and the kind of main communal only last year, it creative atmosphere space. Expect more has undoubtedly it’s hard to find than a touch of classic ratcheted up the style elsewhere in the city. East London cool. levels even further. acehotel.com thehoxton.com thecurtain.com
OLD SPITALFIELDS COLUMBIA ROAD DENNIS MARKET FLOWER MARKET SEVERS’ HOUSE London’s oldest If colour, aroma and a Located in Folgate market, it’s worth gentle stroll are what Street, this ‘still- visiting for the you’re after, then head life museum’ is an architecture alone. to Bethnal Green and absolute trip. Restored Part bazaar, part food the Columbia Road by Dennis Severs, who court, you can picture Flower Market on lived there between it in its Victorian any given Sunday. 1979 and 1999, heyday, filled with From 8am until each room portrays Dickensian characters around 3pm, the road the lives of a family and a kaleidoscope is transformed into of Huguenot silk- of traders. A covered an oasis of brightly weavers from 1724 to market, Sundays are coloured foliage, the dawn of the 20th the busiest. There’s with everything from century. All rooms are also a record fair on plants and shrubs arranged to appear as the first and third to bulbs and freshly if the occupants have Fridays of the month. cut flowers at very just left. oldspitalfields- reasonable prices dennissevershouse. market.com columbiaroad.info co.uk
OPEN SKIES / 75 UAE SMART GUIDE
Be Smart! Use UAE Smart Gate at Dubai International Airport
Citizens of the countries listed on the right and UAE residents can speed through Dubai International by using UAE Smart Gate.
If you hold a machine-readable passport, an E-Gate card or Emirates ID card you can check in and out of the airport within seconds.
Just look out for signs that will direct you to the many UAE Smart Gates found on either side of the Immigration Hall at Dubai International Airport.
Using UAE Smart Gate is easy NATIONALITIES THAT CAN USE UAE SMART GATES SMART CAN USE UAE THAT NATIONALITIES
Have your machine-readable passport, E-Gate card or Emirates ID card ready to 1 be scanned.
Place your passport photo page on the scanner. If you are a UAE resident, place your E-Gate card or Emirates ID card 2 into the card slot.
OK! Go through the open gate, stand on the blue footprint guide on the floor, face the camera straight-on and stand still for your iris scan. When finished, the next set of 3 gates will open and you can continue to baggage claim.
REGISTERING FOR UAE SMART GATE IS EASY To register for Smart Gate access, just spend a few moments having your details validated by an immigration officer and that’s it. Every time you fly to Dubai in future, you will be out of the airport and on your way just minutes after you have landed. *UK citizens only (UK overseas citizens still require a visa)
IF YOU’RE A UAE RESIDENT UAE SMART GATE CAN BE USED BY: Remember to bring your Emirates ID card next time you’re travelling • Machine-readable passports from through DXB – you’ll be able to speed through passport control in a the above countries matter of seconds, without paying and without registering. Valid at • E-Gate cards all Smart Gates, located in Arrivals and Departures, across all three • Emirates ID cards terminals at DXB.
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Guide to US customs & immigration Whether you’re travelling to, or through, the United States today, this simple guide to completing the US customs form will help to ensure that your journey is as hassle-free as possible.
All passengers arriving into the US need to Customs Declaration Form complete a Customs Declaration Form. If you are travelling as a family this should be completed by one member only. The form must be completed in English, in capital letters, and must be signed where indicated.
ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR TRAVEL AUTHORISATION (ESTA) If you are an international traveller wishing to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, you must apply for electronic authorisation up to 72 hours prior to your departure.
ESTA FACTS: Children and infants require an individual ESTA. The online ESTA system will inform you whether your application has been authorised, denied or if authorisation is pending. A successful ESTA application is valid for two years. However, this may be revoked or will expire along with your passport.
APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.CBP.GOV/ESTA
NATIONALITIES ELIGIBLE FOR THE VISA WAIVER*: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom**
* Subject to change ** Only British Citizens qualify under the Visa Waiver Program.
78 / OPEN SKIES Emirates Advocates Advertising_OpenSkies copy.pdf 1 1/14/18 9:55 AM
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Comfort in the air To help you arrive at your destination feeling relaxed and refreshed, Emirates has developed this collection of helpful travel tips. Regardless of whether you need to rejuvenate for your holiday or be effective at achieving your goals on a business trip, these simple tips will help you enjoy your journey and time on board with Emirates today.
BEFORE YOUR JOURNEY Smart Traveller Consult your doctor before travelling if you have any medical concerns about travelling, or if you suffer from a DRINK PLENTY OF WATER respiratory or cardiovascular condition. Rehydrate with water or juices. Drink tea and Plan for the destination – will you coffee in moderation. need any vaccinations or special medications? Get a good night’s rest before the flight. TRAVEL LIGHTLY Eat lightly and sensibly. Carry only the essential items that you will need during your flight. AT THE AIRPORT Allow yourself plenty of time for WEAR GLASSES comfortable check-in. Cabin air is drier than normal, so swap contact Avoid carrying heavy bags through the lenses for glasses. airport and onto the flight as this can place the body under stress. Once through to departures, try and USE SKIN MOISTURISER relax as much as possible. Apply a good-quality moisturiser to ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.
DURING THE FLIGHT KEEP MOVING Chewing and swallowing will help Exercise your lower legs and calf muscles. This equalise your ear pressure during ascent encourages blood flow. and descent. Babies and young passengers may suffer more acutely with popping ears, therefore MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE consider providing a dummy. Loosen clothing, remove jacket and avoid anything Get as comfortable as possible when pressing against your body. resting and turn frequently. Avoid sleeping for long periods in the same position.
SHARPS BOXES Sharps boxes are available on board all Emirates WHEN YOU ARRIVE flights for safe disposal of medical equipment. Try some light exercise, or read if you Ask a member of your cabin crew for more can’t sleep after arrival. information.
Quarantine Rules to follow on arrival
AUSTRALIA JAPAN Australia has strict biosecurity laws, so when you arrive you’ll Japan has strict rules around exposure to livestock and need to declare certain food, plant or animal items on your bringing in livestock items. Incoming Passenger Card. You will need to go to the Animal Quarantine Counter if you You also need to declare equipment or shoes used in rivers have recently been to a livestock farm; are bringing livestock and lakes or with soil attached. All aircraft food must be left products into Japan; or if your visit to Japan will involve contact on board. Please take care when completing your Incoming with livestock. If you’re bringing meat and livestock products Passenger Card – it's a legal document and false declarations into Japan without an import certificate, head to the counter in may result in a penalty. baggage claim to speak with the animal quarantine officer.
80 / OPEN SKIES HONOUR THE LIFE AND LEGACY
OF THE UAE’S FOUNDING FATHER
2018 YEAR OF ZAYED
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Published with the support and encouragement of
www.motivatepublishing.com
OPEN SKIES FP 260x195.indd 1 4/24/18 3:27 PM GLOBAL ROUTES
Emirates Newark: non-stop daily service starts June 1 London Stansted: daily service starts June 8 Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen: daily service resumes June 8 Santiago: five times weekly service via São Paulo starts July 5
flydubai Catania: daily service starts June 13 KEY Qabala: four times weekly service starts June 14 Kutaisi: three times weekly service starts June 14 Emirates Thessaloniki: three times weekly service starts June 15 Aqaba: four times weekly service starts June 16 flydubai Batumi: daily service starts June 16
NEW ROUTES Helsinki: daily service starts October 11 Routes shown are as of time of going to press as of time going to Routes shown are
82 / OPEN SKIES ROUTE MAP
TRAVEL TO ADDITIONAL DESTINATIONS WITH OUR CODESHARE PARTNERS With 22 codeshare partners in 25 countries (21 airlines and an air/ rail codeshare arrangement with France’s SNCF/TGV Air), Emirates has even more flight options, effectively expanding its network by over 300 destinations.
Visit emirates.com for full details on our travel partners *Suspended
OPEN SKIES / 83 KEY Emirates flydubai
MIDDLE EAST *Suspended AFRICA Routes shown are as of time of going to press as of time going to Routes shown are
84 / OPEN SKIES ROUTE MAP
ASIA & PACIFIC
EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA
OPEN SKIES / 85 ROUTE MAP
AMERICAS
KEY Freighter destinations EMIRATES SKYCARGO Routes shown are as of time of going to press as of time going to Routes shown are
86 / OPEN SKIES INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED HEALTHCARE SERVICES AT YOUR DOORSTEP
MEDICLINIC MIDDLE EAST OPERATES SIX HOSPITALS, OVER 20 CLINICS AND MORE THAN 700 INPATIENT BEDS ACROSS DUBAI, ABU DHABI, AL AIN AND THE WESTERN REGION.
EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST.
A MEDICLINIC INTERNATIONAL COMPANY www.mediclinic.ae MOH MH52817-30.9.18 Emirates Fleet Our fleet of 269 aircraft includes 256 passenger aircraft and 13 SkyCargo aircraft
This month: 1 arriving AIRBUS A380-800 104 IN FLEET All up to aircraft 3,500+
Up to 489-615 passengers. Range: 15,000km. L 72.7m x W 79.8m 20+ aircraft
BOEING 777-300ER 138 IN FLEET All aircraft
up to 3,500+
100+ aircraft Up to 354-428 passengers. Range: 14,594km. L 73.9m x W 64.8m
BOEING 777-200LR 10 IN FLEET All aircraft
3,000+ emirates.com/ourfleet emirates.com/ourfleet Up to 266-302 passengers. Range: 17,446km. L 63.7m x W 64.8m For more information: more For
88 / OPEN SKIES Range: 9,260km.L63.7mxW64.8m Up to 364passengers.Range:11,029km.L73.9mxW60.9m Up to 19passengers.Range:7,000km.L33.84mxW34.1m HERE’S WHAT CONNECTIVITY, ENTERTAINMENT ANDSERVICES ARE AVAILABLE ONBOARD EACH AIRCRAFT TYPE Live TV,news Shower Spa First Class & sport * FirstClassandBusinessClass;**Available inallrows inEconomy Class,andinallseatsFirstClassBusiness This month: *Onboard lounge Wi-Fi 1 retiring
**In-seat Mobile phone power
roaming Data USB port
1 INFLEET aircraft All 3 INFLEET non-stop on10-hoursector lengths. uptocapable ofcarrying 103tonnes ofcargo accommodate oversized consignments,itisalso with itswidemain-deckcargo door, whichcan any comparably-sized cargo aircraft. Along operated today, withthelowestfuelburnof The mostenvironmentally-friendly freighter 13 INFLEET BOEING 777F EMIRATES SKYCARGO at the flexibilityofprivate jettravel. information Further ofourcustomised A319aircraftutmost comfort with personally around theworld.Flyupto 19guestsinthe exceptional to service thehighestlevel to flyyou The Emirates Executive Private Jettakes our AIRBUS A319 BOEING 777-300 Number of telephone channels emirates-executive.com In-seat
1,900+ OPEN SKIES / 89 FLEET
Aircraft numbers accurate at the time of going to press CELEBRITY DIRECTIONS
Chris Evans’ GUIDE TO BOSTON Each month, the great and the good curate a travel itinerary exclusively for Open Skies. This month, Captain America on the capital of Massachusetts INTERVIEW: Andrew Nagy
It’s kind of obvious to point out, but The Freedom Trail is going
to be a good place to start your visit to Boston. It doesn’t take that long to walk it all and on your way you’re going to see a lot of BOSTON 42.3601° N N 42.3601°
71.0589° W 71.0589° places that have historical relevance to the whole country. You can’t visit this city and not try clam chowder. Legal Seafood is a very well known place – it started years ago as a fish market – and it has some of the best seafood you can find. If you’re looking for an evening out, well Boston obviously has a big Irish community. Your problem isn’t going to be finding an Irish pub, but deciding which one you go to. And these are real Irish pubs – not the kind that stick a shamrock on the front and call themselves Irish. Actually, you know Samuel Adams is brewed in Boston, right? It’s part of The Boston Beer Company. Maybe go and grab a Samuel Adams, maybe grab two, maybe you don’t go home that night. If you’re looking to clear your head the following day, you should head for Waterfront Park – which believe it or not is on the water. It’s a really nice park and they have these great food trucks where you can grab lunch and eat it on the harbour. If you’re visiting with family and have older kids, you should definitely take them to one of the city’s sporting venues. Over the last decade Boston has excelled at sports. The Celtics have won the NBA Finals, The Red Sox have won the World Series, and my beloved Patriots have won The Super Bowl. It’s been a good time to be a sports fan in Boston. One more tip? People might say I am a little biased, but Boston in autumn is for me the most beautiful city in the world. It’s my favourite place at the best time of year. If you get to choose when to visit, I totally recommend coming during that part of the year.
THE DETAILS WALK The Freedom Trail SPORTS The Celtics/Red Sox/Patriots RELAX Waterfront Park RESTAURANT Legal Seafood TIPPLE Samuel Adams SEASON Autumn
Emirates operates a non-stop daily service to Boston with the Boeing 777-300ER. BOSTON
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