24 hours in Dubai

Dubai, UAE: 10 Jan. 2011

On my way from Ireland to Ethiopia, I had a one day stopover in the UAE. I managed to pack in lot, seeing both sides of Dubai:

• the traditional - I took a local public boat across Dubai Creek to visit gold and spice souks (markets); and
• the ultra-modern - I looked up at the world's tallest building, the 828m high Burj Khalifa which opened in 2010, and I walked around the Dubai Mall, which includes an aquarium, ice rink and waterfall, as well as all the world's most stylish brands. I'm happy to say that in this city of Prada and Gucci the thing that I was most impressed with was the Dubai Mall's bookshop.

This was my first time in a Muslim country, with its calls to prayer, male friends walking around holding hands, and separate sitting areas on buses for women and children. While it was certainly interesting to get a glimpse of this world, I didn't particularly feel like I wanted more time in Dubai, especially with Ethiopia beckoning.