Both D and Don had meetings in Dubai last week. Cathy and I joined them, which gave the four of us a great opportunity to tour yet another exotic locale together. And soak up some sunshine! As you can see, we went to the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa tower. It is 160 stories tall -- nearly half a mile in height -- and it just opened in early January. D and I had hoped to ride the elevators to the observation platform on the 126th floor, but the sightseeing tickets were sold out on our free day. That will have to wait for a future visit. But the building and it's surroundings were beautiful; we enjoyed experiencing it from the outside.
We're always intrigued by the stark contrasts encountered in Dubai. On the one hand, there is glitz, ultra-modern architecture and the latest innovations. For instance, there is the famous white sail-shaped hotel rising from a man-made island in the Persian Gulf:
but from my seat on the airplane I could see the even more amazing man-made palm tree-shaped island next to it.
On the other hand, the city center is home to the most basic and archaic markets selling colorful goods from old wooden bins...
and an unbelievably quaint but antiquated river transport system:
We took a ride on the river aboard one of these abra boats:
What a fantastic way to get an up-close view of the city's archaic supply chain system. This:
is how most goods are transported into the city. There are literally hundreds of boats just like this all along the river. They looked like pirate ships...or garbage barges. But they carry appliances, food, fabrics, furniture...anything you can think of. And the goods are simply offloaded right along the waterfront on the main street of Old Dubai, where vans then come along to collect them.
This city of contrasts provided us with interesting opportunities for meals. We're all adventurous eaters...and we adventured! One night, while D was at a business dinner, I went with Cathy, Don, and Don's colleague Carey to the spice market, where we ate shawarma wraps of shaved chicken cooked on outdoor spit at this fancy spot...
The next day for lunch we took a look at this menu and saw "camel steak"...
...but became very afraid when we actually saw this camel tied up out back.
(Maybe it's like a seafood restaurant where you get to pick your own lobster??) Needless to say, we skipped that restaurant. Next we went to the ancient fabric market...
...where we drank cardamon tea, and where Don found this tiny tiny restaurant. It's 4 tables were filled with local workers and the food smelled great; we decided to give it a shot.
Once a table was available, we sat down and looked around. Wow!
And as the only westerners in the place, all eyes were on us.
The owner brought out steaming plates of rice and spicy curried chicken; while everyone else in the place ate their food with their fingers, we used our serving spoons...which had the locals giggling.
The food was good, and the experience was authentic and
very memorable! And the entire tab for lunch, including three bottles of water and a soft drink, came to $10! By the time we'd finished lunch, we were beginning to feel like locals. And the local shopkeepers must have agreed. They were certainly eager for us to try on their wares. I think that this was a good look for Don, don't you?
He almost resembles this Arabic bobblehead.
And every pashmina looked cute on Cathy!
On our final evening in Dubai, we gathered at our hotel's pool to watch the sun set behind the Burj Khalifa tower:
Pretty...and a great way to end a fun 4-day stay!
Both D and Don had meetings in Dubai last week. Cathy and I joined them, which gave the four of us a great opportunity to tour yet another exotic locale together. And soak up some sunshine! As you can see, we went to the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa tower. It is 160 stories tall -- nearly half a mile in height -- and it just opened in early January. D and I had hoped to ride the elevators to the observation platform on the 126th floor, but the sightseeing tickets were sold out on our free day. That will have to wait for a future visit. But the building and it's surroundings were beautiful; we enjoyed experiencing it from the outside. 
We're always intrigued by the stark contrasts encountered in Dubai. On the one hand, there is glitz, ultra-modern architecture and the latest innovations. For instance, there is the famous white sail-shaped hotel rising from a man-made island in the Persian Gulf: 
but from my seat on the airplane I could see the even more amazing man-made palm tree-shaped island next to it. 
On the other hand, the city center is home to the most basic and archaic markets selling colorful goods from old wooden bins... 
and an unbelievably quaint but antiquated river transport system: 
This city of contrasts provided us with interesting opportunities for meals. We're all adventurous eaters...and we adventured! One night, while D was at a business dinner, I went with Cathy, Don, and Don's colleague Carey to the spice market, where we ate shawarma wraps of shaved chicken cooked on outdoor spit at this fancy spot...
...where we drank cardamon tea, and where Don found this tiny tiny restaurant. It's 4 tables were filled with local workers and the food smelled great; we decided to give it a shot.
Once a table was available, we sat down and looked around. Wow! 
And as the only westerners in the place, all eyes were on us. 
The food was good, and the experience was authentic and very memorable! And the entire tab for lunch, including three bottles of water and a soft drink, came to $10! By the time we'd finished lunch, we were beginning to feel like locals. And the local shopkeepers must have agreed. They were certainly eager for us to try on their wares. I think that this was a good look for Don, don't you?
He almost resembles this Arabic bobblehead. 
On our final evening in Dubai, we gathered at our hotel's pool to watch the sun set behind the Burj Khalifa tower:
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