"My father rode a camel..."

"I drive a Mercedes..." (click the link for the back story) and so the vision to transform a desert landscape began. It was my first trip to Dubai and the Emirate impressed indeed.

My first impression was that everything was rather green, thanks to an extensive sprinkler system. The second thing that struck me was the proliferation of space-agey skyscrapers.

Then, I realised how HUGE everything was, from the 7-lane highways to the miles and miles and miles of carpet one had to walk from the hotel lobby to the conference area. I got a good workout! LOL!

Dubai is also home to the world's largest mall (1,200 stores), the largest fountain and the tallest hotel/building, amongst other superlatives.

Oh, and over at the Mall of the Emirates, they even have a ski slope!

Shops open till 10.30pm daily except Thursday when they stay open till 12 midnight.

There wasn't time for retail therapy, unfortunately. I just managed to sneak in a zip into the shops on the way back to the bus after the team dinner. My darling monkey is now in happy possession of some pink camels. Hahahahahaha!

The next time I visit, I'll extend the stay and make it a point to visit the dunes in the desert too. I've never seen a desert up close, so it has been a bit of a dream to do so.