New Year's Clusterfrak at Burj Khalifa in Dubai, but the Fireworks Were Cool

[JCMach1]

All 8 minutes of them! :grr:


from my blog with permission:

What could have been a nice evening out for New Year’s turned ugly as poor planning by RTA and Dubai police failed to respond well to the overwhelming crowds that attended the fireworks display at the Dubai Mall. It was really just extreme luck that people were not stampeded, or trampled as overwhelmed RTA forced people into narrow lines instead of throwing open all gates to let people exit the stations.

RTA-Threaten-Passengers

The aftermath following the event was far worse. There was mass confusion and several near riots as Dubai’s transit system ground to a complete halt. At several stations along Sheikh Zayed road, RTA police resorted to threatening crowds with batons and guns which once again caused near riots in some places... http://usa2uae.com/2011/01/01/rta-and-dubai-police-spoil-new-years-celebrations-in-dubai/

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. I landed in Dubai just as the clock struck midnight.

The fireworks were a very nice touch to see from the plane window.

(I was on my way back from India and landed in NYC earlier this morning.)

[JCMach1]

2. Was too short though and the situation on the ground was bad