The sensation of "horror" hanging from the edge of Dubai's skyscrapers
My legs immediately went weak. Stomach feels nauseous. This is not because I have chronic ulcers, but because I am afraid.
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Participants of the Edge Walk tour walked along the outer side of the Sky View skyscraper at a height of 219.5 meters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Saturday (23/3/2024). This tour provides both thrilling and challenging experiences for its participants.
The time to test your courage has arrived. Sky View Edge Walk participants were led to the edge of a skyscraper balcony that had no railings. The wind at altitude hit quite hard, making my guts shrink.
The Sky View building rises as if reaching the skies of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This is a twin tower connected by an iconic all-glass bridge. The two twin towers are each 260.8 meters and 237.45 meters tall.
I and several journalists from Jakarta who were invited by Dubai Economy Tourism, arrived there Saturday (23/3/2024) before noon. We went straight up to the 53rd floor in a glass-walled elevator that hurtled skyward, leaving the view at the foot of Sky View that seemed to shrink. The few seconds ride in the elevator became a kind of appetizer before we tried the real adventure tour menu.
Arriving at the 53rd floor of the Address Sky View Hotel, we were immediately escorted to a lobby filled with guests. Apparently, they were sightseeing participants queuing up for their turn. Most of them were foreign tourists who were traveling to Dubai. Some were white-skinned, while many were darker-skinned.
Our group was a little lucky to get direct access so they didn't have to bother queuing with other participants. Two officers made sure we had filled out the health declaration form. Then asked us to change clothes into some kind of wearpack and helmet in the changing room. After that, they put on the safety rope and tried its strength by pulling hard. They also ensured that participants wearing glasses had tied their glasses with a special strap and the devices we brought to take photos had been put in a special bag and safety strap. The officers work in great detail for the safety of all adventure participants.
”It's a super-safe adventure. Everything has been well prepared. Enjoy the thrill of this adventure happily," a female officer said to me while checking all the safety devices. Maybe he said that because he caught my slightly worried face.
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A group of journalists from Indonesia received a brief explanation before participating in the Edge Walk tour, walking along the outer side of the Sky View skyscraper at a height of 219.5 meters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday (23/3/2024). This tour offers a thrilling and challenging experience for participants.
A group of journalists from Indonesia participated in the Edge Walk tourist activity, walking along the outer side of the Sky View skyscraper building at a height of 219.5 meters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday (23/3/2024). This activity provides an exciting and challenging experience for participants.
The traffic police gave a brief explanation about the Sky View Edge Walk tour. In essence, we will be taken for a walk on the outermost part of this skyscraper without any fences. Follow all the instructions from the officials and everything will be fine because this tour applies a very high-security system. The explanation made me feel a bit relieved.
A second later, our safety ropes were locked to a kind of rail on the ceiling of the room that ran all the way out of the building. It was my understanding that we would walk along the building anchored to rails that would keep us from falling.
The glass door connecting the preparation room and balcony of the building is finally opened. The air was bright that afternoon. The wind at height hit my face quite strongly, making me shrink back in fear. However, there was no word to back down.
My group and I eventually took slow steps in a row, walking out of the preparation room towards a balcony without a fence. Now, my group and I are on the side of the Sky View glass wall, which directly borders the sky at a height of 219.5 meters or about 1.5 times the height of the Monas Monument. My eyes are free to gaze at the city of Dubai, filled with towering buildings with glass walls that reflect the sunlight in some parts. Amongst the concrete jungle, the Burj Khalifa stands tall. The building that stands at a height of 828 meters, which has been the tallest building in the world since 2009, stands strong and elegant. It is truly a spectacular view.
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The view of the road network in Dubai city, United Arab Emirates, taken from the outside of the Skyscraper Sky View building at a height of 219.5 meters on Saturday (March 23, 2024).
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The view of Dubai City, United Arab Emirates, taken from the outside of the Sky View skyscraper at a height of 219.5 meters, on Saturday (23/3/2024).
I then looked around Sheikh Zayed Road down below. Everything seemed small. People who passed by looked like dots, while their large vehicles looked like ant colonies lining up on the circular city road network. Suddenly my head began to spin, and my heart beat hard. The force of gravity felt like it was pulling all the weight of my body down.
Also read: Adventure to the Dubai Desert
My legs immediately went weak. My stomach started to feel sick. I am sure that this is not because I have chronic gastritis, but because I am scared. Especially behind me, one of our group members is also so scared that they are crying.
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A group of journalists from Indonesia took part in the Edge Walk tourist activity, walking along the outside of the Sky View skyscraper at a height of 219.5 meters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Saturday (23/3/2024). This tour provides a thrilling and challenging experience for its participants.
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Two Indonesian female journalists stood at the edge of the balcony of the Sky View skyscraper building at a height of 219.5 meters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday (23/3/2024). This challenging tour was conducted at a height of 219.5 meters from the ground surface.
For me, this moment is both terrifying and intriguing. However, the feeling of horror prevails, and I am not capable of doing that. I only agree to stand next to the edge of the balcony floor and stretch my hands for a photo session. That is the maximum act that I can do at that time.
Among our group, only four people dared to do it. And all of them were women. I'm not ashamed to say to them that they are great women who manage to conquer their fear.
After that session, everything felt easier. We continued to explore the outer side of the tall building until a 20-minute descent ended in a room inside the building. Our group shouted in relief while expressing their excitement. One member of our group, who admitted to being afraid of heights, cried tears of emotion. We comforted them and said that everything had ended well and we were proud of their courage in facing their fears.
Gliding at high altitude
There is one more tour left to be done at a high altitude. This time, we will slide on a slanted balcony on the side of the building. The one meter wide balcony has walls, a roof, and a glass floor. From the balcony, we can see the sky as well as the city view below.
I thought this attraction would scare me as it did before, but it turned out to be normal, especially as it only lasted a few seconds. If I were asked to do it repeatedly, I would do it.
The final attraction was not at all thrilling for me. We walked on a glass-walled bridge that connects the two Sky View towers on the 42nd floor. I repeatedly looked down through the glass floor, enjoying the hustle and bustle on Sheikh Zayed Road. There, we satisfied ourselves by taking pictures of the super modern cityscape.
A tourist slid down the glass balcony from the 53rd floor to the 52nd floor of the Sky View building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday (23/3/2024). This activity is not as thrilling as the Edge Walk in the same building.
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View of the road network in Dubai city, United Arab Emirates, as captured from a glass bridge on the skyscraper Sky View on Saturday (23/3/2024).
This high-altitude tour takes approximately one hour. We descended from the building using a fast-moving lift to the ground floor while laughing together, reminiscing about the crazy Edge Walk attraction or walking along the outer side of the skyscraper.
Also read: Gabuburit under the Burj Khalifa
