Good day all! Wow, it is like someone opened a gate and the people are back! During the month of Ramadan (August) The Walk has been like a ghost town. The Walk has been eerily empty and nearly completely devoid of activity. It was rare to see more than 15-20 people on the beach at any given time. All the restaurants have been closed until after 8 pm but by that time I am winding down my day so we didn't eat out the whole month. What a difference a day makes! Literally! On Thursday, 1 Sep. it was a whole different story. The beach is once again filled with teens and families enjoying the beautiful warm water, people are strolling The Walk, stores and restaurants are open and buzzing with activity! I expected things to pick up after Ramadan but not in one day! It is not up to the level of activity during the spring months but it certainly is a complete turn around from the past four weeks. Jimmy & I went to the beach this week for the first time in a long time. The water is very warm. Not quite as hot as bath water but much warmer than any beach or pool I have ever been to. We swam and floated and froliced in the waves (Jimmy doesn't frolic much so that was mostly me!) and it was lovely. The best part of going to the beach are the children. Some are intimidated by the water and the waves and the sheer vastness of the Gulf; they stay very close to mama & papa and mostly play in the sand just close enough to the water so the waves can gently lap around them and they can splash around a bit. Some children run directly into the waves as if they are returning home. They run through the water and are fearless of the waves and depths beyond. It's good the see life return to Dubai.

Jimmy & I went to Atlantis for lunch one day. Atlantis is located at the crest of The Palm and I can see it from where I sit at my computer in our apartment. It is a huge hotel/water park/aquarium with more activities and amenities than I can list. You can Google the details; I can only offer my experience. The main entrance is quite oppulant and grand. There is a virtual army of valets and attendants to assist the guests with loading/unloading luggage and keep cars moving. Atlantis offers numerous shopping venues like jewelry stores, clothing shops, and other unique boutiques. The corridors are very wide and made of granite, marble and tile. There are places along the corridors that have viewing panels of the aquarium which makes you feel as if you are under the sea. There are several restaurants as well. We chose Kaleidescope because it offers an international buffet.

View from the car as we are approaching Atlantis. This is the view from Dubai city.

View of the main entrance. This is the view from the gulf;opposite side that faces Dubai city.

Main entrance to Atlantis. This is outside looking at the main entry doors. Behind me valets and attendants are busily assisting guests.

Water feature to the right of the main entry doors. The same water feature is also on the left of the entry.

Valet parking area at main entrance.

Main lobby of Atlantis. Very elegant and posh. The glass (?) sculpture in the center is beautiful and whimsical. All around us people are checking in/out and getting information, etc. Quite the hub of activity!

Closer view of the sculpture and the people milling about.

Behind the sculpture is a sitting area that looks over the outdoor facilities. The "pearls" in the center of each clam spin as water cascades down into pool below. There are four of these in this seating area.

One of the numerous corridors leading to reastaurants, Atlantis water park or other areas. The corridors are lined with shops and boutiques.

Different corridor. We are wandering around getting hungry looking for the restaurant.

Surprise! At the end of the corridor was a two story viewing panel into the aquarium.

Me in front of the viewing panel.

Different aquarium veiwing panel. This one has a large bowl like structure with a jet stream of water spraying upwards in the center. The scene is set like an ancient site swallowed up into the depths of the ocean. Very cool. There are several of these smaller viewing panels along some of the corridors.

Finally we get the restaurant! Starving after all that meandering around. Like I said Kaliedescope is an international buffet with several serving stations offering different cuisines and the dessert bar was nothing short of AMAZING!!

One serving areas.

Another serving area.

Serving area- this has kid friendly foods.

The dessert area is in the center surrounded by the other serving stations and has three sides. This is one side offering yummy treats to tempt even the most strict dieter!

Close up of the Red Velvet cake surrounded by her friends Tiramisu and Mousse!

One side of the dessert area has a chocolate fountain with a variety of treats waiting to be coated in warm chocolate. The hand rails you see are steps so children can make thier own selections and hold the skewer as the chocolate flows over the treat. The coolest part by far!

After a lovely lunch we went for a stroll on the grounds. Because we weren't guests we weren't allowed in certain areas but we did get to see quite a bit.This is a vew into the Royal Pool area. It's an wonderful oasis with a huge sprawling pool of varying depths. There are plenty of lounging chairs and even private cabanas that can be rented. The cabanas are canvas covered square rooms open on one side. There is seating in each one. It doesn't offer a cooling system but it doesn't provide more privacy and respite from the blazing sun.

Another look inside the Royal Pool area. I inadvertantly got two women in this pic. Can you imagine being covered head to toe in 116 degree weather?! But they were smiling and happy so I can only respect thier choice. Amazing!

Another view. Those are lounging chairs; each one has its own awning type cover that can be opened and provide some shade from the sun.

Remember the clam seating area in the main lobby? This wonderful waterfall is outside those windows. This is the entrance to the main lobby from the Royal Pool area.

I know it is hard to see but that is the temperature gauge in the car reflecting the outdoor temp is 116 degrees fahrenheit/ 46 Celsius. A bit warm!

There is a lot to see on The Palm and I will share more when the activity picks up. I've noticed fewer hits on my blog and I know that is my fault. Rule one of having a blog is to update it often; otherwise you lose your audience. I will make a concerted effort in the future to be more diligent and not wait so long between posts. I hope none of you give up on me! Please let me know if there is something specific you would like to know. As always- love to my family and friends. I miss you and can hardly wait until Christmas to see you again. Take care of each other. Peace, love and happiness-M&J