round the world in sixty days

19:00 (hour 0) arrival in Dubai. It is hot beyond words (110F) and not a dry heat (lows of 98F at night). On the drive to the hotel we can barely see the Burj Khalifa through a shimmering haze of dust.  We make it to our hotel, where we eat, drink, and walk around feeling jet lagged.10:00 (hour 13) baking at the beach. the Persian gulf was salty and refreshing (water temp 88F)13:00 (hour 18) took a seaplane over the coast and saw a ship dredging, the Palm islands, the Burj al Arab, and the Burj Khalifa through a haze of dust, though thankfully somewhat cleared up from the previous day. 15:00 (hour 20) Dubai mall = Ramadan ghost town. Normally Dubai is understanding of female westerners’ desire to stay cool in the heat by baring shoulders and legs, but stricter mores during Ramadan meant that I covered everything up (see above picture by sea plane). We also needed to break the fast with some coffee, but Ramadan cheaters had to hide in a screened off area to eat and drink unseen by the devout.  Sundown and the sudden appearance of a crowd made us happy19:00 (hour 24) sunset at the top of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.21:00 (hour 26) Mall of the Emirates, Ski Dubai. Jesse breaks his 20 year ski embargo02:00 (hour 31) after a late dinner and an hour of sleep, we’re back to the airport. Off to Brazzaville… thanks Dubai, you were hot but we had a great time!