view from the top and the bottom dubai

 went up the burj khalifa for the mandatory photo op from the world's tallest building! doesn't christie look like she's on top of the world? (see the skinny jeans reflection on her left? that's me!)

and after that, it was back down to earth and underwater at the dubai mall. here we are getting friendly with some sand tiger sharks ;)

dubai was a whirlwind! never a dull moment and so many things to see :) it's only bearable in winter though. wouldn't go near the desert with a ten foot pole any time after mid-jan. dubai baffles me. for one, it's very green for a desert. thankful to have made a few friends there over the years and can hustle my way to the best chicken rice and satay in the middle east, a necessary skill / evil (?) after i've had so much lebanese food it's coming out of my ears...

oh and dubai mall is quite fantastical. everything a girl could want under one roof. there's bloomingdales (I LOVE BROWN BAGS!) and with bloomingdales comes magnolia bakery. there's cacao sampaka (!) and laduree (!!) and fauchon (!!!) along with the usual suspects that make my heart race. blew a bundle and am all kitted out for work. or so i like to think. how luxurious that my current biggest work-related problem is what to wear :D

done with the dubai posts. stay tuned from news from kuala lumpur after my weekend there.

bab al shams dubai

 

a trip to dubai wouldn't be complete without dinner in the desert under the canopy of a star-filled night sky :) didn't know what to expect (at some point we were talking about perhaps feasting in a tent!) but silly us. i suppose if any place didn't have to worry about a wet weather plan or plan B, this would be it! bab al shams came highly recommend by just about everyone we spoke with and kind friends accidentally double-booked for us just to make sure we made it. 

there was an arabian feast - a spread like i've not seen, and fantastic dinner show complete with belly dancers, whirling dervish and camels! the highlight has to be the caravan rolling across the stage with camels, sheep and donkeys in tow. 

epic.

(and the herd of kambing just cracked me up!)

burj al arab dubai

 

our first stop that morning was the burj al arab for a tour of the rooms. that hotel is unparalleled in its sheer opulence! the suites were breath-taking, as was the view of the arabian gulf. yet somehow i find the array of colours and textures dizzying. one can't help but feel supremely overwhelmed by the sensory overload. sort of what a hippy trip must feel like, eh. give me armani's understated elegance any day :)

chop chop through the hotel and before you could say abracadabra, we were off to abu dhabi for lunch!

burj khalifa by night dubai

 

definitely a sight for sore eyes. very clearly, i went trigger-happy and couldn't stop snapping photos of the beauty that is the burj khalifa. the armani hotel was none too shabby, either :) and there's something very special about the clarity of desert sunsets. explored and enjoyed the hotel before heading out for the belly dancing dinner i posted photos from already. had a late night and early start! so many things to see and so little time...

belly good dubai

:)

first glimpse of dubai

and it's off on a road trip to abu dhabi now! thank god i'm not driving.

helloooo from dubai!

arrived in the evening and watched the sun set over dubai creek before checking in. have some down time before dinner dubai style i.e. late. dinner was originally booked for 11pm but after some protest the belly dancer, who was scheduled to perform at midnight, was persuaded to jiggle earlier.  yay for amiable entertainers. and so it's off to dinner now before i fall asleep onto my laptop. i hear it's going to be lebanese, followed by belly dancing and belly dancers galore. gotta say, i like how them arabs roll... bye!