The world’s tallest observation wheel ‘Ain Dubai’ will open on Bluewaters Island before the start of Expo2020 Dubai celebrations in October. Bluewaters Island is one of Dubai’s latest developments, which opened in late 2018.
Ain Dubai, stands more than 250m tall on Bluewaters Island, is more than 80m taller than the current record holder, the 167m High Roller in Las Vegas. Ain Dubai is almost double the height of the world’s third tallest observation wheel, the London Eye, which is 135m. Ain Dubai sets the limit of what’s possible with modern engineering and construction.
The wheel is made of 192 cable wires, totalling 2,400km, the same distance between Dubai and Cairo. The weight of the Ain Dubai wheel rim has 192 spoke cables, the weight of the rim is equal to 16 Airbus A380 superjumbos which ensure the structural integrity of the wheel through the process of permanent compression.
About 9,000 tonnes of steel was used in the construction of the wheel, which is 25 per cent more than the amount of iron used to build the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Around 30 buses could fit inside each leg supporting the wheel, which will carry 48 passenger capsules with a capacity of 1,900 people. The weight of each permanent spoke cable that holds the wheel rim in place is 5 tonnes. Cumulatively the eight steel spokes and rim braces weigh more than 5,000 tonnes.
Home to Caesars Palace, Caesars Resort and Caesars Residences, Bluewaters Island is accessible from the mainland by a road bridge from Sheikh Zayed Road, as well as a 15-minute walk using a pedestrian bridge from The Beach.
An observation wheel is a large, rotatable wheel mounted on a central support structure with cars mounted to the rim of the wheel that always remain upright, typically due to gravity. Observation wheels are usually found in cities and on fairgrounds. Due to their height and slow movement they generally provide an impressive view over surrounding areas. The wheel turns continuously at relatively low speed so that it’s possible for users to get on and off the cabins in the bottom section while the wheel is turning.
It was hundreds of thousands of years later that the innovation of the wheel enabled us to move around. The wheel, built with spokes, attached to an axle and used specifically for transport emerged around 5,000 years ago.
The Sailboat
Like any good idea, the wheel is one that quickly spread, but without decent roads to travel on, the world’s oceans and rivers continued to be the best surface for long distance journeys. No one knows precisely when the first boats were invented, but the sailboat, a significant improvement on a canoe came into use around the same time as the wheel.
The sailboat continued to make great voyages throughout history allowing people to cross vast distances in a way which would never have been possible by land. The use of sailboats gave voyagers the chance to establish trading posts and further explore the big wide world.
An example of the earliest maps.
Jigsaw Puzzle to Cartography
If voyagers were fortunate enough to return with their lives, they also returned with invaluable knowledge. The world was an enormous jigsaw puzzle which was painstakingly put together, piece by piece, a practice we know today as ‘cartography’, the making of maps. The first maps of planetary geography are difficult to date, it’s generally agreed the earliest remaining attempt of a world map is an engraved clay tablet from ancient civilisation.
Maps to Roads
The more trade increased the more long-distance roads were constructed on a massive scale. Great highways, like spokes on a wheel stitched the entire empire together. This expansive network was helpful for the army and traders who needed to transport goods, but others benefited too.
The Bicycle
To get pedalling all you need is a bicycle and a destination! After more than 150 years of cycling history, that’s all it really takes to get started in the wonderful world of bicycle travel.
Around the 1870s the penny-farthing became the first popularized bicycle design. It was strange looking with a large wheel in the front and a small wheel at the back. In the 1880s, the penny-farthing was replaced by the safety bicycle, which was designed with two equally sized wheels and was propelled through a gear attached to the rear hub.
With the birth of the safety bicycle came the start of long-distance bicycle touring. In July 1896, John Foster Fraser set off from their homes in Britain and travelled around the world on their bicycles. They covered approximately 19,237 miles in a period of two years and two months, traveling through seventeen countries and three different continents.
Today, bicycle riding is not only for touring, cycling is fun and is also a world-wide sporting challenge. Modern bicycle travellers carry high-tech mapping and communication devices, traveling along established bicycle touring paths, and touring about on high-tech touring-specific bicycles.
The Horse and Carriage
It takes a horse and carriage an average of eight to 12 hours to travel 50 miles. This means a horse and carriage can cover 100 to 150 miles in 24 hours, including stops to rest and eat. Horse-drawn vehicles can have either two or four wheels and can be pulled by two to four horses. When a horse-drawn vehicle has two wheels, it is called a cart. When it has four wheels, it is called a wagon. Used to transport goods and people, this type of transportation was common in the 1800s but became rare when the automobile was introduced.
Today, when it comes to fairy tale weddings, there are few things in life that compare to a traditional horse drawn carriage. No matter where you go, a wedding coach is bound to draw the eye of every single passer-by, ensuring that the bridal couple get all the attention they deserve on the biggest day in their lives.
The Car
If you are traveling an hour or two away, it’s a pleasant trip. It’s easy and the best option for most nearby trips. When you take your car on a trip, you can take many things with you that you might not be able to if traveling by other transport.
When travelling by car there is no need to worry that your children are bothering other passengers. You can also travel at your own leisure; you can change your plans as you go along. If you are taking a road trip, you can pull off the road at any time for sight-seeing.
The Train
Travelling by train is probably the largest and oldest form of long-distance travel. It is beneficial in that you can travel when you want; most countries have services every day with a wide choice of routes and departures. Rail travel offers the traveller a network of high-speed trains linking city-centre to city-centre, 24 hours a day, seven days per week, and 365 days of the year.
Train journeys are getting faster every year through the construction of new high-speed tracks. You will find spacious carriages onboard with large seats and ample space for luggage. Some trains offer power sockets at your seats and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Most of the major train stations are in the heart of the cities and travellers benefit from excellent connections with other public transportation such as the underground trains, taxis and buses.
The Plane
Plane costs are surprisingly affordable. It may not seem like it but when adjusted for inflation, airline ticket prices have been declining steadily for 30 years, allowing more people to fly than ever before. We are fortunate to live in an era when the cost of flying is relatively affordable.
If you only have a limited number of days to travel, and you truly want to spend quality time at your destination, then flying is still your best choice. If you’re flying domestically, chances are you can find a flight that will deliver you to your destination early in the day, allowing you to start your vacation as soon as you arrive.
For international travellers, flying opens an unlimited number of possibilities, allowing us to visit distant lands, experience unique destinations, and explore our planet to the fullest. Many of those places simply would not be an option for most of us without modern air travel, and if you love immersing yourself in foreign cultures, then the airplane is literally and figuratively your vehicle to the world.
Flying can create a sense of community amongst passengers. There is often a sense that everyone on the aircraft is traveling together, even if just for a brief time. If you’re one of those lucky passengers who can doze off on an airplane, then flying gives you an opportunity to catch up on your sleep, and arrive at your destination rested, and ready to go. A quick nap can help shorten the flight-time as well, and leave you refreshed for whatever adventures await.
If you’re lucky enough to get a window seat, you are often treated to some great views just out the window. There is nothing quite like soaring over the countryside, while lakes, rivers, mountains, and other beautiful landscapes pass beneath. Even at night, when darkness shrouds the sky, it is fun to look out and see the islands of light that spread across the world below.
Space
We don’t think you can travel any further than space and we unfortunately do not provide the services. However, for information in 1942, at the height of the Second World War, Germany launched a successful test flight of the world’s first ballistic missile. It was called the V-2 rocket and, apart from being devastatingly destructive, these missiles were famous for being the first objects created by man to reach space.
The Romans were the first to build long distance roads on a massive scale, and this made their empire the mightiest the world had ever known.
Rome was the hub, and great highways radiated out from the ancient city like spokes on a wheel, stitching the entire empire together, from the grassy hillocks of northern England to the burnt deserts of Saudi Arabia. The Romans were so prolifically effective at facilitating travel within their empire that many of their roads are still clearly visible to this day.
Super-wealthy Romans built holiday villas in places like Pompeii, Baiae and Capri, and used them for vacations, marking the beginning of leisure travel and development of seaside resorts.
Why did we start to travel?
Travellers always look for ‘a home away from home’ destination. A good resort is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer’s wants, such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term resort can be used for a hotel property that provides an array of amenities, typically including entertainment and recreational activities. A hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort.
The Largest.
The First World Hotel and Plaza in Malaysia has set the Guinness World Record for Largest Hotel in the World. While many of the world’s largest hotels are found in the United States, locations such as Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, and Russia also boast very large hotels. Las Vegas, USA is an epicentre of megahotels. Macau, however, follows closely behind with its hospitality offerings.
The Smallest.
Eh’häusl Hotel – Amburg
The Eh’häusl Hotel in Amberg, Germany, holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s smallest hotel. The teeny, tiny hotel, which measures about eight feet wide, is sandwiched between two larger buildings; which, practically any building can be considered ‘larger’ in context. The name of the hotel roughly translated to ‘marriage’ house or ‘matrimonial’ house in the 18th or 19th century in the local vernacular, and it’s easy to see why. The hotel is too small to accommodate more than two guests at any given time. The hotel is an adorable getaway for an individual or couple looking for some privacy.
Most remote.
From mountainside resorts to underwater rooms, the world has been graced with incredible vacation destinations. The IceHotel, Jukkasjärvi in Sweden 124 miles north of the Arctic circle is one of the most remote stunning and unique hotels in the world. IceHotel Jukkasjärvi is a hotel composed of both warm and cold rooms in a truly breath-taking location.
Most popular.
The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan Indonesia is one of the most popular in the world. Celebrating its 20th year, this 60-room property in the Ayung River Valley is reached via a suspension bridge that hovers over coconut trees and rice fields. The drama doesn’t end there: each of the riverside guest villas has a meditation space and lily pond on the roof, as well as an outdoor living room and pool. The sense of calm befits the resort’s location near Ubud, the spiritual heart of Bali.
Our favourite African resort.
Mnarani Club & Spa in Kenya. Situated 60 kilometres North of Mombasa on the cliffs of Kilifi Creek, just where the creek meets and merges with the Indian Ocean, Mnarani provides perfectly for the beach and turquoise ocean under one foot, and the activity and adventure of creek-life under the other.
Set in 40 acres of landscaped tropical garden, fragranced by Frangipani blossoms and balmy ocean breezes, Mnarani is an idyllic retreat and holiday destination. Paths through the enticing gardens lead you down onto the soft white sand of Mnarani’s private cove.
This beautiful, sheltered little beach offers great facilities for water sports from sailing to exhilarating water-ski and wake boarding or for simply enjoying a refreshing swim, or relaxing on a lounger under a thatched parasol. With breath-taking surroundings and recreational facilities that cater for every taste, Mnarani is the ultimate destination for your family holiday, or that well-deserved romantic getaway or unforgettable honeymoon.
