Included in the trip to Russia, there were also 2 free days out in Dubai, where my mum had to transfer flights. So during their time there, she and her travelling buddies enlisted the help of their old friend who is staying in Dubai with her husband. So simply put, they got a free tour guide around the place.
I just chose 1 picture to represent Dubai; that of the Burj Al Arab, also affectionately known as the only 7-star hotel in the world. Ring any bell? It might not look much, but being in such a prestigious hotel is definitely overwhelming, which of course was the case for my mum. It really depicts the grandeur of the stunning architecture of the whole contry, even in shopping centres, the ceilings and decorations are made up of beautifully crafted and arranged ornaments and oddly, there seemed to me that there is a lot of symmetry going on, but I'm not complaining, being a lover of symmetry myself, though not to an extreme extent.
Apparently you can only get in if you have reservations, have accomodation there, or of a certain level of status. So it means you can't even step foot onto the entrance carpets without a reservation, or someone of certain stature accompanying you, which was how my mum got the chance to go in. Her friend's husband works there as a consulate, so being the wife, she also has the same benefits. Sadly being a burmuda-loving individual, I was sad to hear that males and females are only allowed in if they have jeans of pants on.
Well, my mum describes how magnificent the place was, (which makes me wonder if Dubai left more of an impression rather than Russia), from the heavily carpeted floors to the gold-frame elevators. Regrettedly, my mum couldn't really describe much of the plant life around Dubai though, but since it's in the Middle East, of course the vegetation will definitely be made up of mostly drought-tolerant plants, and not to mention palms as far as the eye can see. (and it also conjours up the image of the palm island estate there as well; the very expensive and man-made island in the shape of a palm, if you don't really know what I'm talking about.)
Aside from the blistering weather, dust-encrusted vehicles(which,by the way, cost half as much there as they do here), sand everywhere and a really expensive hotel to top it all off, I think Dubai is a place which is beautiful in its own right and since I haven't been there myself, I cannot say much more.
~moey out~