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. 【紅霞譯】
今天我特別激動，下午要和媽媽將乘“大洋·航海”號遊輪出行中東、南亞和非洲，不過在此之前我們先要到蜚聲海外的貿易之城——迪拜“幼蝗蟲”去鑑賞世界最大的購物中心和世界最高的摩天大樓，真巴不得快點上路。
乍一來到迪拜購物中心，川流不息的人群好像組成了一支支浩浩蕩蕩的遊行隊伍，成百上千家百貨零售魚貫而出，從短袖圓領汗衫到珠寶飾物應有盡有，商賈逐利爭相趨至，實在令我目不暇接。迪拜購物中心大得出奇，竟然擁有“室內”水族館、溜冰場以及複合電影院，如果你是一位購物者，那麼你肯定要花上一整天時間，一個店出一個店進，忙叨得不亦樂乎。
午餐時間到了，我們順路來到商場美食區，不出所料這裡至少有30家不同形式的快餐攤位，而多數都是美式速食，因此想不吃快餐都難。我們挑來選去，最後還是決定吃“漢堡王”，因為倘若飯館不做美式快餐，那一定美其名曰打着華夏美味的旗號，由當地阿拉伯人烹煮中式菜餚，其味道恐怕堪比外星人燒烤的牛排。
飽吃一餐純脂肪高熱卡之後我和媽媽接過導遊送來的門票，一起乘坐世界上最快的電梯神速攀登高達2,722英尺／829.8米世界之巔——哈利法“統治者”塔。
電梯裡伸手不見五指，陰森森的黑暗悄悄隨高度驟然上升，令我不由得倒吸了一口冷氣。突然樓層指示燈和圖片顯像屏交替閃現，我們神不知鬼不覺地已躍居50層瓊樓玉宇；電梯繼續向上，頃刻之間募然停在124層觀望台。當走出電梯，眼前立刻展現出一幕幕驚魂場景，要不是透明玻璃擋板屏障保護，我肯定迷失在奇幻仙境之中。“會當凌絕頂，一覽眾山小”。放眼望去，周圍所有的高樓大廈包括七星級帆船酒店相形見絀，甚至連一半高度都沒有，汽車看起來像螞蟻蠕動，路面行人小得辨認不清，幾架遠程望遠鏡恰好為到訪者提供今昔對比日轉星移。 七年來迪拜由一個鮮為人知的小漁村打造成至今震撼全球的奢華巨頭，不能不視作人間奇蹟，同時極大地應驗了“有錢能使鬼推磨”這個放之四海而皆準的真理！
Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2010: 自己的事自己做(DIY)  Breakfast @ Raffles Hotel
(萊佛士“城堡”酒店·早餐 12-08-2013)
 Dubai Mall, the Largest in the World by Total Land Area
(迪拜購物中心·世上占地最大的購物商城 12-08-2013)  Dubai, the City of Merchants (迪拜·貿易之城)
 Downtown Skyline (市中心天際線)
 Dubai Marina Built around an Artificially Constructed Canal along a 3-Km/2-Mi Stretch of the Persian Gulf Shoreline
(迪拜遊艇碼頭·圍繞着一條沿着波斯“分隔之地”灣海岸線延伸3公里/2英里的人工運河而建 12-08-2013) 
Dubai Marina w/ a Combination of a Stunning Waterfront Setting, Luxury Lifestyle, Vibrant Atmosphere, & Impressive Architectural Achievements (迪拜遊艇碼頭·迷人的海濱風光、奢華的生活方式、朝氣的氛圍以及震撼的建築傑作 12-08-2013) 
Cayan or Infinity Tower @ 306-Meter/1,004-Ft/75-Story-Tall, the World's Tallest Skyscraper w/ a Twist of 90 Degrees (卡延“國王”或無限塔·306米/1,004英尺/75層世上最高的90度旋轉摩天大廈 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英尺高的全球地標：最高獨立式建築、最多樓層數和最高室外觀景台)
 Burj Khalifa Atop (哈利法塔·天頂)
 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
(哈利法塔觀景台·452米/1,483英尺成為當時世界上最高的人造觀景台 12-08-2013)
 Observation Deck @ Burj Khalifa, Offering Unparalleled Panoramic Views of Dubai & the Surrounding Area from the World's Tallest Bldg
(哈利法塔觀景台·從世界最高建築上欣賞迪拜及周邊地區無與倫比的全景 12-08-2013)  Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai Viewed Burj Khalifa
(從哈利法塔鳥瞰迪拜凱賓斯基“小島”中央大道)  Veon's Index Tower Viewed Burj Khalifa
(從哈利法塔鳥瞰維翁“查看”指數大廈)  North View Downtown Viewed Burj Khalifa
(從哈利法塔鳥瞰市中心北景)  Jumeirah Beach Hotel & Jumeirah Burj Al Arab
(朱美拉“美麗”海灘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華內飾採用金箔、施華洛世奇水晶和斯塔圖里奧“雕像雕刻師”大理石等高端材料)  Burj Al Arab, the Only "Seven-star"
(帆船酒店·唯一一家“七星級”酒店 12-08-2013)
 Jumeirah Beach on the Coast of the Persian Gulf
(波斯灣朱美拉海灘 12-08-2013)
 Gateway of Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市場·牌坊 12-08-2013)
Souk Madinat Jumeirah, a Premium, Modern Interpretation of a Traditional Arabian Marketplace (朱美拉露天市場·對傳統阿拉伯集市的高端現代詮釋 12-08-2013)  Souvenir Shop @ Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市場·禮品店 12-08-2013)  Turkish & Arabic Lamps @ Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市場·土耳其與阿拉伯燈 12-08-2013)
 Women Apparel @ Souk Madinat Jumeirah
(朱美拉露天市場·婦女服裝 12-08-2013)  House of Maktoum, the Ruling Royal Family of the Emirate of Dubai
(馬克圖姆“受指引者”家族·迪拜酋長國的統治王室)  Jumeirah Al Qasr (朱美拉皇宮酒店)
 Atlantis of the Palm, the 1st Resort to Open Its Doors on Dubai's Revolutionary Manmade Island
(棕櫚島亞特蘭蒂斯“天堂神”度假村·迪拜革命性人工島上首家開業的度假酒店 12-08-2013)  Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort, Home to the Emirates' 1st Overwater Villas
(迪拜棕櫚島安納塔拉“永無止境”度假酒店·擁有阿聯酋首家水上別墅)  Palm Jumeirah an Archipelago of Artificial Islands on the Persian Gulf
(朱美拉棕櫚島·波斯灣的人工群島 12-08-2013)
Al Kazim or Business Central Towers, a Prominent Landmark in Dubai Media City, Resembling New York City's Chrysler Bldg (卡齊姆“克制者”/商業中心大廈·迪拜媒體城的著名地標，類似於紐約的克萊斯勒“陶工”大廈)
 Palm Jumeirah Shoreline Apartments
(朱美拉棕櫚島海岸線公寓)
 Townhouses of Standard Medical Clinic & Rococo Furniture
(聯棟樓·標準醫療診所和洛可可家具裝飾店)  Single House (獨立屋)
 Subway Station (地鐵站)
Dubai Kids (迪拜小學生) Crosslinks(相關博文): United Arab Emirates(出遊阿聯酋)
Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) 5th Grade(小學五年級) |
