Our Journey to Dubai: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Big Buddy getting ready for the firework show!

Happy New Year from Mr. Big, Big Buddy, and I!

Here are a few snapshots of our totally and completely amazing New Years Eve in the Middle East! Let's just say, they sure know how to bring in the New Year! Definitely, an experience of a lifetime for the three of us!

At about 6 p.m. we noticed that the number of people around the mall and Old Town was definitely increasing quite rapidly. So the three of us decided that we would try and find some New Year's Eve dinner right around Old Town so that we would not loose our parking spot in the parking tower (this was definitely a good call!)

We decided to eat at the Meat Company. Steaks with mashed potatoes were pretty good! We were able to get in in the nick of time since we had no reservation and all. The place was crawling with happy people celebrating!

The fountain show begins and has fire. We see the reflection
on the exterior of the buildings.

After dinner we headed back to our apartment, so that Mr. Big and Big Buddy could swim (Big Buddy had a little nap during the day so he could stay up to see the New Year's celebration and seemed to have a ton of energy he needed to burn. Swimming usually takes care of this nicely!) Once the pool closed, we headed back, bathed Big Buddy and got ready for the celebration. Mr. Big scoped out a great place on the 9th floor where there was this tucked away common area where you could stand and see the Burj Khalifa perfectly from the roof tops. A few other people scoped out this same spot, however, I would say that there were less then 20 of us total.


Big Buddy, Mr. Big and myself anxiously waiting for the New Year!

We set Big Buddy up on the ledge (no, we are not Michael Jackson, dangling our child from the roof top ledge, the ledge was 5 feet deep so we were able to set him there with his daddy's arms as a seat belt while he leaned back on Mr. Big).

Unfortunately, we were not able to see the entire fountain show with water and fire, but we had the best view of the fireworks off the Burj Khalifa! Big Buddy was so excited! We got these funny paper hats to celebrate along with some horns to toot and a few clackers to bang!

Amazing fountain show begins. Breathtaking!

Not knowing how loud the fireworks would be and since we were so close, we decided to place headphones on Big Buddy's ears to protect them just in case. Turns out that the fireworks really weren't that loud, but we were ready!

The fountain show began first and we were able to see it when the water shot up really high. Very pretty! We were also able to see the reflection of the fire part of the show in the windows of the surrounding buildings. Very cool! However, when the actual firework show began, SHUT UP! We were totally blown away! Super beautiful and amazing!

The first fireworks shoot off the Burj Khalifa! Amazing!

Here are a few pictures of what we were able to capture. As you can see, fireworks shot out from all over the Burj Khalifa! Amazing!

Then fireworks also shot from the tops of surrounding buildings and also up from the fountain! It was definitely a show if we do say so ourselves!

Wow!

I just love the photo I was able to capture of the three of us watching all of this happen. Typical, Mr. Big totally in awe in the background, while I am taking the photo, and Big Buddy wondering what the heck is going on. Heehee!

The display lasted for quite awhile and Big Buddy even blew his horn and clacked the clacker a few times until we got dirty looks from the surrounding people. :)

Afterward, it was pretty neat to see the smoke surrounding the Burj Khalif. Wow, is all that we can say. This display of fireworks and people yelling "Happy New Year" was so much more amazing then what you see on TV at Times Square in New York! We feel so lucky!

When we got back to our apartment, it was evident that the parties had started! Loud music, sheesha, people yelling, "Happy New Year" and tons of laughing! It felt so amazing just hearing all of this and watching the millions of people walking by...like a parade (all of this lasted till long after 2:30 a.m. in the morning!)

What an amazing way to start out 2011!