2013-12-08
【Aiden in English】
I was really excited about today. This afternoon, Mom and I were scheduled to board the Nautica Oceania cruise ship for a trip to the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. However, first, we visited the world's largest mall and the tallest tower in Dubai, known as the city of merchants. I couldn't wait to get started. When we arrived at the Dubai Mall, it looked like a parade crowd inside. Hundreds of shops lined the streets, selling everything from T-shirts to jewelry. I couldn't believe how many stores were in the mall. The Dubai Mall even had an "indoor" aquarium, an ice rink, and a movie cinema. If you were a shopper, you probably would've spent the whole day jumping from shop to shop. We were having lunch here, so we went to the food court. I wasn't surprised to see at least 30 different fast-food restaurants, and most of them were American in origin. I tried to eat something non-American. Ultimately, however, I decided to settle with Burger King. If the restaurant wasn't American, then it was Chinese. Having local Arabians cook Chinese dishes would taste like an alien grilling your steak. After a meal made with pure fat and high calories, Mom and I received tickets from our tour guide to ride the world's fastest elevator to the tallest building on earth, the Burj Khalifa, also known as Khalifa Tower. It had a world record height of 2,722 feet/829.8 meters. When it was my turn to enter the elevator, I noticed it was pitch black. As the elevator started moving, I gasped at the ghastly sight, but then lights and pictures suddenly appeared. The images showed where we were in the tower. When I looked to see what floor we were on, I was amazed that the elevator had already passed the 50th floor and continued to rise. A moment later, it stopped on the 124th floor. After I exited the door, I was so stunned that I almost walked straight into the glass that blocked visitors from falling off the edge. Looking down, I saw all the other buildings, including the 7-star Burj al-Arab, surrounding us, and they didn't even seem half as tall as the Burj Khalifa. The cars looked like ants crawling, and you couldn't even see people walking on the ground. At the top, some telescopes allowed you to spot what changes had occurred in the past, present, night, and day. It was a miracle that this city grew from a fishing village into one of the most fascinating cities in seven years. Apparently, money talked, and it made the world go around. 【红霞译】
今天我特别激动，下午要和妈妈将乘“大洋‧航海”号游轮出行中东、南亚和非洲，不过在此之前我们先要到蜚声海外的贸易之城——迪拜去鉴赏世界最大的购物中心和世界最高的摩天大楼，真巴不得快点上路。
乍一来到迪拜购物中心，川流不息的人群好像组成了一支支浩浩荡荡的游行队伍，成百上千家百货零售鱼贯而出，从短袖圆领汗衫到珠宝饰物应有尽有，商贾逐利争相趋至，实在令我目不暇接。迪拜购物中心大得出奇，竟然拥有“室内”水族馆、溜冰场以及复合电影院，如果你是一位购物者，那么你肯定要花上一整天时间，一个店出一个店进，忙叨得不亦乐乎。
午餐时间到了，我们顺路来到商场美食区，不出所料这里至少有30家不同形式的快餐摊位，而多数都是美式速食，因此想不吃快餐都难。我们挑来选去，最后还是决定吃“汉堡王”，因为倘若饭馆不做美式快餐，那一定美其名曰打着华夏美味的旗号，由当地阿拉伯人烹煮中式菜肴，其味道恐怕堪比外星人烧烤的牛排。
饱吃一餐纯脂肪高热卡之后我和妈妈接过导游送来的门票，一起乘坐世界上最快的电梯神速攀登高达2,722英尺／829.8米世界之巅——哈利法“统治者”塔。
电梯里伸手不见五指，阴森森的黑暗悄悄随高度骤然上升，令我不由得倒吸了一口冷气。突然楼层指示灯和图片显像屏交替闪现，我们神不知鬼不觉地已跃居50层琼楼玉宇；电梯继续向上，顷刻之间募然停在124层观望台。当走出电梯，眼前立刻展现出一幕幕惊魂场景，要不是透明玻璃挡板屏障保护，我肯定迷失在奇幻仙境之中。“会当凌绝顶，一览众山小”。放眼望去，周围所有的高楼大厦包括七星级帆船酒店相形见绌，甚至连一半高度都没有，汽车看起来像蚂蚁蠕动，路面行人小得辨认不清，几架远程望远镜恰好为到访者提供今昔对比日转星移。 七年来迪拜由一个鲜为人知的小渔村打造成至今震撼全球的奢华巨头，不能不视作人间奇迹，同时极大地应验了“有钱能使鬼推磨”这个放之四海而皆准的真理！
Today in History(历史上的今天): 2010: 自己的事自己做(DIY)  Breakfast @ Raffles Hotel
(莱佛士“城堡”酒店·早餐 12-08-2013)
 Dubai Mall, the Largest in the World by Total Land Area
(迪拜购物中心·世上占地最大的购物商城 12-08-2013)  The City of Merchants (贸易之城)
 Downtown Skyline (市中心天际线)
 Dubai Marina Built around an Artificially Constructed Canal along a 3-Km/2-Mi Stretch of the Persian Gulf Shoreline
(迪拜游艇码头·围绕着一条沿着波斯“分隔之地”湾海岸线延伸3公里/2英里的人工运河而建) 
Dubai Marina w/ a Combination of a Stunning Waterfront Setting, Luxury Lifestyle, Vibrant Atmosphere, & Impressive Architectural Achievements (迪拜游艇码头·迷人的海滨风光、奢华的生活方式、朝气的氛围以及震撼的建筑杰作 12-08-2013) 
Cayan or Infinity Tower, a 306-Meter/1,004-Ft/75-Story-Tall, the World's Tallest Skyscraper w/ a Twist of 90 Degrees (卡延“国王”或无限塔·306米/1,004英尺/75层世上最高的90度旋转摩天大厦 12-08-2013)
 Burj Khalifa, a Global Icon of the Tallest Freestanding Structure, the Highest Number of Floors, & the Highest Outdoor Observation Deck @ 828 Meters/2,717 Ft
(哈利法塔·828米/2,717英尺高的全球地标：最高独立式建筑、最多楼层数和最高室外观景台)
 At the Top @ Burj Khalifa (哈利法塔·天顶)
 The Observation Deck @ Burj Khalifa Boasted the Highest Manmade Observation Deck in the World at the Time w/ an Elevation of 452 Meters/1,483 Ft
(哈利法塔观景台·452米/1,483英尺成为当时世界上最高的人造观景台 12-08-2013)
 The Observation Deck @ Burj Khalifa Offering Unparalleled Panoramic Views of Dubai & the Surrounding Area from the World's Tallest Bldg
(哈利法塔观景台·从世界最高建筑上欣赏迪拜及周边地区无与伦比的全景 12-08-2013)  Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai Viewed Burj Khalifa
(从哈利法塔鸟瞰迪拜凯宾斯基“小岛”中央大道)  Veon's Index Tower Viewed Burj Khalifa
(从哈利法塔鸟瞰维翁“查看”指数大厦)  North View Downtown Viewed Burj Khalifa
(从哈利法塔鸟瞰市中心北景)  Jumeirah Beach Hotel & Jumeirah Burj Al Arab
(朱美拉“美丽”海滩酒店和朱美拉帆船酒店)
 Burj Al Arab, the Tallest All-Suite Hotel in the worldw/ Lavish Interiors, Featuring Gold Leaf, Swarovski Crystals, & High-End Materials Like Statuario Marble
(阿拉伯塔·世上最高的全套房酒店超豪华内饰采用金箔、施华洛世奇水晶和斯塔图里奥“雕像雕刻师”大理石等高端材料)  Burj Al Arab (帆船酒店 12-08-2013)
 Jumeirah Beach on the Coast of the Persian Gulf
(波斯湾朱美拉海滩 12-08-2013)
 Gateway of Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市场·牌坊 12-08-2013)
Souk Madinat Jumeirah (朱美拉露天市场 12-08-2013)  Souvenir Shop @ Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市场·礼品店 12-08-2013)
 Women Apparel @ Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市场·妇女服装 12-08-2013)  Al Maktoum Royal Family (酋长皇室)
 Jumeirah Al Qasr (朱美拉皇宫酒店)
 Atlantis, The Palm
(棕榈岛亚特兰蒂斯“天堂神”度假村)  Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort
(迪拜棕榈岛安纳塔拉“永无止境”度假酒店)  Palm Jumeirah an Archipelago of Artificial Islands on the Persian Gulf
(朱美拉棕榈岛·波斯湾的人工群岛)
Al Kazim or Business Central Towers, a Prominent Landmark in Dubai Media City, Resembling New York City's Chrysler Bldg (卡齐姆“忍耐”/商业中心大厦·迪拜媒体城的著名地标，类似于纽约市的克莱斯勒“陀螺”大厦)
 Residential Area (居民区)
 Townhouses (联栋楼)
 Single House (独立屋)
 Subway Station (地铁站)
Dubai Kids (迪拜小学生) Crosslinks(相关博文): United Arab Emirates(出游阿联酋)
Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) 5th Grade(小学五年级) |
