Now and then I come across "gondolas" in locations so removed from Venice, that while they are called "gondolas", they are actually something else.
I'm not talking about boats that are shaped like gondolas but have motors. I'm certainly guilty of that. I'm talking about something more extreme.
Today we'll focus our attention on the country of Dubai.
And while I haven't any photos of my own to share with you, I think the following links ought to suffice.
A blogger named Nadia has a nice post about a waterway in Dubai where they give boat rides.
Here's a close-up of one of the boats there.
Another blog has more photos of the same waterway in this post.
It looks like they're using a boat called an "abra" to give tours on another waterway in the city.
I'm not sure if the boats in the previous location are also "abras".
Finally, I came upon something that sure does remind me of a certain casino in Las Vegas.
It looks like they were only rowed for a short time, but check out this article in the Dubai Chrionicle.
4 comments:
In the first post there is a comment that says: " ... so 20 minutes is 50 Dirhams that’s like $14 CAD.
In Venice a 40 minute ride can cost upto 100 Euros which is $150 or AED 520!! Wow, when you convert like that Asia is a bargain."
I just would say that is wrong to compare a true gondola tour on Canal Grande (Venice) to a boat (not gondola) ride on a canal in Dubai. I could be wrong but the fare for a gondola tour in Venice is 87 Euro for up to six people.
>the fare for a gondola tour in Venice is 87 Euro for up to six people<
I think that is the baseline price for 50 minutes. Extras like singing or a sunset/night cruise schedule cost a further 20 euros or even more.
Budget travellers are regularly advised to stick with the cent traghetto instead.
Let's face it, if you want the real deal (a gondola ride on Venice's Canale Grande), you'll need to pay for it. In most cases, it's worth it.
> Let's face it, if you want the real deal (a gondola ride on Venice's Canale Grande), you'll need to pay for it. <
Yes, it's an elite thing and it has the price. One guidebook made a funny comparison: gondola ride per distance travelled costs as much as a Space Shuttle mission even when counting with a full load of seven!
(Although I heard if one goes further from Canal Grande it is possible to hunt a gondola ride for as little as 40 euros in the most off-season periods.
Bargaining is actively discouraged by the council, but sometimes junior gondoliers just need the revenue and they will take two people for half the price when no-one is looking.)
The tourist is possibly better off with a quietly scenic side-canal trip compared to the busy and noisy Canalazzo?
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