Dubai redefines the term “melting pot”. Every race, shape, color, creed, and breed are represented by a trip to the mall. Which is primarily what there is to do here since it is 110 degrees. And since this entire city is brand new with no history or museums – not that I’d go to them anyways. Standing in the 45 minute long taxi line to get a cab back from the mall to the hotel on Saturday night, I couldn’t believe how many different nationalities were in one place. Only 30 percent of the population are “locals”, the rest are workers that come from all corners of the world to try to cash in on the development boom going on here. And what a boom it is – there are more cranes in Dubai than everywhere else in the world combined. Entire skylines are being erected all across the desert. It’s like Las Vegas meets Scottsdale with a bottle – no case - of steroids added to the mix.

As I said, there’s not a ton to do here. Besides shopping that rivals even Singapore. The Emirates has taken the concept of shopping mall to a whole new level. We went to the largest mall in the eastern hemisphere, which has an actual ski slope inside of it. And I don’t mean a bunny slope. This thing is the real deal, chairlift and all. It also had a Carrefour in it that makes Walmart – even a Super Walmart – look like a little boutique shop. It’s like a Walmart swallowed a Costco and then gave birth to a Sam’s Club all under one roof.

It’s a strange mix here of Islamic and Western values. Restaurants are separated into four sections: smoking and non-smoking, drinking and non-drinking. If you choose to down the booze, it is generally done on the other side of a black curtain. There are also lots of men walking around in the full white robe getup, complete with black clad harems of women in tow. This is an idea I would like to explore further, but I have been assured by Joy that will not be happening, even though I do look Arab.

Our hotel is also pretty interesting. It’s not your average Park Hyatt. It’s a sprawling compound straddling the “creek” that separates the two halves of the city. I don’t understand why it is called a creek since it’s larger than most rivers and has a yacht club that could harbor a cruise ship, but that’s what they call it. Check out the video of us walking to our hotel room. It’s officially the longest video clip we have ever uploaded.