^ The Starbucks brand and the Arab Emirates brand have been compared to each other - by me. The next day I found it especially funny that they were selling mugs that made the point for me.
^ One of the more famous parts of Dubai are the Palms they are building, as well as the World. These are man-made real estate ventures that have a unique shape that resembles a palm tree. One is done, there are two more under construction. When we went onto the Palm Jumeira, you can see the Atlantis resort they have built, just like the one in the Bahamas. There is also a picture of a typical home on the Palm. The homes are located on the fronds of the Palm structure.
^ Outside the Spice Souk. Souk is like a market or a bazaar.
^ Tara, Jonah and Liam in the Souk.
^ A port where boats are located that come from Oman, Saudi, Yemen, etc. A bit of an authentic feel in an otherwise staged place. I liked these boats.
^ The Burj Dubai is the world's tallest tower. Incredible. Babelesque....
^ An angry Arab newspaper, the headline relates to the Israeli attack on Gaza.
^ In the Mall of the Emirates, we saw a great deal of excess. Check this out - a restaurant outside of the ski slope. For real, there is a relatively large indoor ski slope in the mall, real snow. Never seen anything like it. Skiing on the Arabian Peninsula.
^ Barbie in a burkha. Actually, her name is Fulla. When she is sold wearing modest clothing, she is described as having "Indoor Fashion", as per the box. She came with a boyfriend doll named Matawain Mike, without whom she cannot walk in public areas.
^ As the trip finished, we sat in the airport and asked "How long does it take before a culture changes you?" I think the answer is that after a year, you have changed in some fundamental ways. Look at the boys doing meditative yoga poses.
