Dubai - day 1; The Big Bus Tour

Arriving in Dubai at 2am, we slept through most of our first day and started out only after noon! We took the Big Bus tour, embarking from right outside the hotel. Going through the major sights of Dubai, we were disappointed at the architecture of the Burj-Al-Arab. Though sleek and very modernistic, it felt like blocks of steel and glass rising out on the ocean horizon.

We hopped off at the Mall of Emirates to catch a late lunch/early dinner. Having read a lot about it, and expecting a kids play area, etc , we were again disappointed at the huge mall. It was a huge mall, a shoppers paradise; but not really offering any deals better than what I'd find here. More designers for me to go ga-ga over, but not the cost effectiveness to make me loosen my purse. There was the famous indoor ski-slope, but Sudha Parimala was content to look at the kids playing through the glass.

We ended up having lunch in the food court and waiting for over 2 hours for a cab to get back to the hotel !