I had no intention of visiting Dubai again, but since my airline of choice did not fly to Beirut I had to do a pit stop.  Timing of the connection to Middle East Airlines dictated that I spend a day and night in this opulent city. Cranes are a permanent feature here as it continues to scatter across the desert. My first visit years ago I actually tried to find the cultural aspects of this grandiose metropolis. I visited the small museum and checked out the old souks.

Most people come here to shop.  The number of purchases one sees crammed into the overhead bins of a plane defy logic.  The original souks are no longer crowded as everyone chooses the huge mega malls where they can eat, be entertained and buy STUFF.

These pictures are of the Emirates Mall with the ski slope and winter wonderland.

The Mall of Dubai, the largest in the world, attached to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world has its own special features like the giant aquarium and olympic sized ice-rink.

Unfortunately for me, my day in town was on a Friday, the Muslim holy day, which meant that the metro system was down until 1PM.  The tourist map handed out by the hotel made the city look walkable; it is not!  With blisters on my feet, I resorted to taxis and spent a small fortune.

(I would never lie like Pinnochio…I am more comfortable with slight exaggerations.)

It might take a while but one can find a bit of Dubai that has not been overtaken by bigger, better and best.  Crossing the canal, watching the fishermen, admiring the mosques, and of course, communicating with the people representing more nationalities than one would think possible are all still visible.