Simon Calder - The Palm, Dubai
Video Playing Now: On the Road with Simon Calder: Palm Island, Dubai
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In this weeks video blog, Simon heads out to Dubai and is one of the first to test out the new mono-rail from Dubai mainland to man-made Palm Island.
By Simon Calder
You have probably heard of Dubai's remarkable device for expanding the amount of available land, and in particular creating more beach space: building artificial offshore islands.
One is in the shape of the world, leading to the amusing sight on maps of "World: Under Construction".
Three are in the shape of palm trees, and the most-complete one of these is the Jumeirah Palm, sprouting into the Gulf from close to the Burj Al Arab hotel - you know, the seven-star one in the shape of a sail.
At the far end of the Jumeirah Palm, you find Atlantis - not the lost city, but the new luxury resort.
And connecting this with real life, or at least the Dubai mainland, is a spectacular monorail.
I was lucky enough to arrive in opening week, and found the trains almost totally empty. All the more chance to get a superb view of the Palm and the surroundings, and to experience a real-life thrill ride.
And it also provides a great alternative to Dubai's ubiquitous taxis.
The Palm Island, Dubai
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