Dubai bye!

I am trying the Blogger mobile app for the first time so hopefully this post looks okay.

We are at the Dubai airport (which is AMAZING by the way) waiting to head to the Maldives for the second leg of our trip. Dubai is a very cool city - a cross between Vegas and Miami with a whole load of outrageous architecture thrown in. Everything here is huge and things are very spread out. We spent the first day taking in the views from the Burj Kalifa which is the tallest building in the world and checking out tourist hotspots like the Dubai Mall and fountain as well as some souks (shopping areas). Emiratis love to shop and it is very clear. They even sold duty free items on our flights via a little cart!

Day two was "old Dubai". We went to the old gold souk which sort of reminded me of Jewelry Row on Wabash except outside and with lots of shop owners trying to sell you gold. Then we walked around the creek and saw all the importers doing their thing. Then it was desert safari time. In random order, our safari experience:
-rode a camel
-watched a belly dancer
-got Indian henna on my foot
-smoked hookah
-Scott held a falcon
-watched a 10 minute falconry show
-had a middle eastern feast
-went "dune bashing"
-star gazed in the desert

It was touristy but in the best way. It was such a well done tour. I can't say we've ever experiences such a nice tour. Pictures and stories to come!

Yesterday we hit up a private beach club and laid out. We had a great lunch there. It was on The Palm Jumeriah which is the 8th Wonder of the World. It's this series of giant man made islands with hotels, apartments and luxury homes on it. Atlantis is at the very end of The Palm. As we were laying out, a huge boat came up and started shooting sand at one of the "fronds" of the palm where they are building some other amazing building. It is just crazy!!

Now we are off to our villa in the Indian Ocean. We tried to buy some duty free booze to ease the pain of what will surely be an expensive menu but they don't allow it! These islanders are smart and know the way to our wallet... :-)

That's all for now!