We arrived in Dubai (#1), United Arab Emirates in the evening on January 1st and returned earlier than scheduled on January 12th. This trip included an 8 day cruise starting from Dubai, with stops in Abu Dhabi (#2), Bahrain (#3) and Doha (#4). Our original plans had been to stay until January 19th, however, elevated political tensions in the area had us leave earlier.
In Abu Dhabi, we visited the Louvre Museum. In Bahrain, I took a bike tour through parts of the old city and in Doha, we had a bus tour of the city. In Dubai we visited the 123rd floor of the Burj Khalifa and had lunch at the Burj al Arab.
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Blog:
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Clues
The flight was scheduled to leave at 21:05 on December 31, 2019 and arrive in Dubai at 09:55 the following day. A duration of over 12 hours. However, its actual departure was a bit later. We celebrated the arrival of the New Year, on board, probably somewhere over Newfoundland. My habit is to plan rigorously,…
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Dubai
Our trip to Dubai started with a stark realization and ended with an early exit due to various events that included the shooting down of a passenger aircraft in the context of elevated tensions between the US and Iran. The United Arab Emirates is remarkable for its rapid change in the last 50 years as…
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Dubai: Cities #1
Dubai is segregated into separate areas, not unlike Toronto which has a financial district, the theatre district, China town, etc. We were staying with friends who live on / in The Palm Jumeirah, which is adjacent to Dubai Internet City.
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Dubai: Cities #2
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Architecture #1
The [modern] architecture in the UAE often expresses extremes, in size, style, grandeur, and opulence. While the characteristics of many individual buildings are superlative, the shear number of such examples can become overwhelming. Contrasting the style of today’s buildings with the historical style, I can’t help but note the tranquility and simplicity of the historical…
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Architecture #2
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Architecture #4
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Architecture #5
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Architecture #6
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Architecture #7
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Architecture #8
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Architecture #9
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Construction #1
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Construction #2
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Brands #1
The globalization of brand, I guess, is a marker of the growth of a market place from a local to a world-wide one. When they expand into a new market do they add to the mix of products available or push out and replace? Are these better products? Do consumers have more choices? International brands…
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Brands #2
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Brands #3
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Brands #4
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Brands #5
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Brands #6
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Tourism #1
Tourism has emerged in this 21st century as one of the major forces of globalization. But tourism has drifted away from its historical roots of a pursuit of discovery, learning and self-enlightenment to one of having an experience, to witnessing and participating in a performance whose shadow is an emotional legacy. Tourism has also changed…
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Tourism #2
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Tourism #3
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Tourism #4
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Practices #1
Our practices are often a reflection of where we come from; our heritage and culture; our rituals; our moral compass. But these evolve; transgenerational change has the younger cohort rebel against the practices of their ancestors; tourism brings in new methods, standards, services; trade brings in new products, brands, businesses. These forces of change influence…
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Practices #2
