Say hi, Dubai!

After a not-altogether-unpleasant 13 hours in the air, we arrived in the breathtaking city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Swooping in over the Persian Gulf, the lucky few with window seats got a prime view of the city's sparkling extravagance. The Burj Khalifa, standing like the point of a great thumbtack in the desert, towered high above the surrounding city, itself an oasis materialized out of the arid desert.

There was an excruciating 3-hour wait to get through customs and immigration (including some trouble ensuring Gabriela's visa through Australia), but we finally disembarked and caught the shuttle bus to the hotel. First order of business upon arrival - dinner!

There was an amazing buffet, and though it was 11:30 PM local time we still had plenty of time to eat. Afterwards we split into a few groups and headed out to make the most of our meager 8 hours before we were scheduled to return.

A large group of us took taxis to the Burj Khalifa, four people to each and costing only 50 dirhams! (about $13 Canadian - is that atypical?). The drive there felt like traveling through some futuristic space-metropolis, punctuated by a strangely familiar sight - Tim Hortons!

We arrived at the base of the tower, and from there you had to literally crane your neck to see the top. There was a beautiful pond at the base of the tower, and we spent some time exploring that area. From there we spent a great deal of time taking photos, and later split into several different groups. Many of us went to the Palm Jumeirah, which is well known around the world for being a magnificent set of man-made islands.

We caught a few winks as the sun was starting to rise, and then got up for a quick bite before catching the shuttle back. Then it was another long wait in the airport - surprise, surprise - and we were back in the air.

On to Auckland!