Off Roading in the desert!!!

Wow. We had four SUVs chasing eachother all over the desert this
afternoon - all I can say is... So much better than a roller coaster!

I really thought we were going to roll the vehicle down one of those
sand dunes - lots of close calls, but luckily no accidents!!

So after our little tour of the desert, our whole crew in the car -
Lisa, Emillio, Theresa, Urdel, and I did some off-roading ourselves in
little ATVs. It was great.

Afternoon Lunch

Today (day 1), we had a lovely Mediterranean lunch on the water by
Jumeriah Beach... yummy hummus and chicken kabobs.

Our view wasn't too shabby either - here I am with the Burj Al Arab
behind me (this is the only 7 star hotel in the world! more to come on
"The Burj" later).

The Mall of the Emirates

Here it is... the atrium ceiling at the Mall of the Emirates!

(please excuse my earlier "typo" - the mall is not called 'Dubai Mall')

Ski Dubai

Check out the slopes Dude!! I might be back for some skiing :-)

Arrived at our Dubai hotel in style

After waiting around the airport for one of our classmates (for an
hour), who apparently had decided to leave the group and catch a ride
with a friend (without telling anyone!), we finally got to check into
our hotel, The Star Metro in Al Barsha @ 3am.

Shortly after checking in, Prof. Bridwell ordered KFC for the whole
group!! I've never seen so much fried chicken in my life... I know, I
know... KFC at three in the morning, pretty crazy, right?

Well... It's time for me to finally "hit the hay" - it's been a long
journey to Dubai, but I'm sure it's going to be worth it!

The Crew

Made friends with the bartender - and he took our picture for us, with
each one of our 6 cameras!!! ...what a nice guy!

Layover in Heathrow

Landed safely in London, just in time for our four hour layover.
Security was interesting to say the least - both my friend Lisa and I
received the "rockstar" concert pat-down. I suppose my glasses set off
the security alarm.

After perusing the boutique items with envy at Harrod's and grabbing a
bite to eat, I'm now enjoying an AM drink with my travel mates at the
Duty Free shop!