Palm Monorail trip

(clockwise from top left) View of Media City; Burj Al Arab across the bridges; Burj Al Arab across the fronds; Final (and only) stop at Atlantis Aquaventure

It was the Sandance NYE hullabaloo that eventually got me to execute my long-delayed plan to try out the Palm Monorail.

Sea of villas (L) and site of planned mall (R)

It's easy to miss the exit from Sufouh Road that leads to the gateway terminal; fortunately, Google Maps helped me out. The Monorail has just one stop at the moment, but the view and the experience are still worth the AED 25 round trip fare. And there's plenty of parking at the gateway terminal. Lots of tourists too; in fact, I think I was the only non-tourist there.

View of the Dubai Marina

I don't think the Trump Tower and Palm Mall -- especially the former --  are going to be make an appearance in the very near future, and it will also take a while before the tram-metro-monorail link is completed. Until then, it's a good vista vantage, and a quick way to travel to Atlantis from the mainland, especially when facing NYE traffic on a record-breaking fireworks night. Too bad it was closed then.