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  • Day 5

    Apr 6 - The Dubai Mall

    April 6, 2018 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    It's going to be another hot one - the high is expected to be 38 deg. C. That's 99 deg. F. for you non-metric people. But the heat at this time of year is a dry heat, so it should be bearable.

    Our good intentions of going to the gym this morning because there are no restrictions on when men can use the gym on the weekends got thrown out the window when we didn't surface until after 9:00 a.m. We're encountering some jet lag hangover effects. Instead of working out, we watched highlights from the Masters Golf Tournament instead. There was some fabulous playing - the conditions were perfect, but are expected to decline over the next three day of play.

    We finally set out about noon. We dropped Bob at the golf course for his tournament and headed to the Dubai Mall. While yesterday's shopping at the souqs made us feel as if we were in the 19th century, the Dubai Mall showed that we were firmly in the 21st century. Opulence abounded, starting with the valet parking at the mall entrance. There were even golf carts to ferry customers around this huge complex. This mall is probably 10 times bigger than any mall that I've ever been in. The mall has a huge, high-end hotel attached to it that we cruised to see the fabulous Friday brunch spread - Friday brunch is like a ritual here in Dubai. There are lovely outdoor lounges bordering a 30-acre manmade lake. In the lake is the world's largest choreographed fountain system. Every half hour, the fountains erupt in a wonderful display of water ballet all coordinated to music that is broadcast overhead. At night, the pools are illuminated with coloured lights.

    Across the pool from the ritzy hotel is the Burj Khalifa. It is both the tallest building in the world (828 metres vs. 553 for the CN Tower) and the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It has the highest number of stories in the world (160) and the highest occupied floor in the world. Not suprisingly, it also has the highest observation deck in the world. It is truly a stunning work of art and an incredible feat of engineering.

    The inside of the mall is stunning, with marble everywhere. It has two indoor fountains, a merry-go-round, a huge aquarium and an ice skating rink. There is almost every kind of shopping store imaginable there (no Home Depot). You know you can't afford a store when the door is closed and there is a door man wearing an Armani suit. Lots of those kind of stores. There is a whole section of children's stores - Gucci for Children anyone? Patty and I bought sandals in Clarks - we got a deal for buying two pairs. Dubai is truly a shopper's paradise, but only for shoppers with really, really deep pockets.

    We took the scenic route home, via one of the most popular beaches. It was packed with people enjoying the warm weather on a hot Friday afternoon. We saw some huge homes that look like mini castles.

    We joined Bob at the golf course. He enjoyed his tournament today but didn't shoot particularly well. We had dinner by the 18th green. The special tonight was an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet. Excellent. Dubai doesn't observe daylight savings time so it was dark by about 6:30 p.m. The setting was spectacular and the company was terrific.

    Patty and Bob are playing golf early tomorrow morning, so Doug and I will be left to amuse ourselves for a couple of hours. Maybe we will finally hit the gym. After our consumption of cheesecake and brownies tonight, we're going to need it.
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