zale

So I'm back in Afghanistan

But the good new is that I bought encryption software while home to allow me to surf the web unrestricted and obviously, it's working! I gave my roomie such a high five that it hurt when SG loaded properly.

I'm still waiting on the rest of the pictures from Jamaica. But rest assured that I'll upload em once I have em.

I spent a couple days in Dubai before coming back to this shit hole of a country visiting an old friend and doing the tourist thing. And it was amazing!

First thing though, I arrived late on Tuesday and went to pick up my rental car and I saw this on the screen above the counter.

Notice anything interesting about that bottom name?

The following day I went to The Dubai Mall and holy shit was it big!





4 floors, about 5 atriums, 1200 shops, dozens of restaurants... And when you step outside this was the view:


Ok... I have to admit that I didn't take that last photo. The Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building, wouldn't fit in the screen on my cell phone camera. I had every intention of going up to the observation deck of it, but little did I know that passes were sold out days in advance. So sadly, I didn't have time to do it. This time...

Some of the shops in this mall were ridiculous. Yet awesome!



I mean, what other mall was a store that strictly sells action figures? Of varying sizes...




Or an two story "indoor theme park" complete with rides and prizes like plasma TVs?!


And once I good hungry, I was ecstatic to find a sushi place with a conveyer belt!

My adventure continued to following day when I drove down to Abu Dhabi to see my old friend Dez. I knew she had gone into hotels since the last time we hung out, but I didn't realize she was now the marketing manager for Abu Dhabi's Iconic Hotel:

Turns out it holds the Guinness record for most leaning man made structure.
(not my picture either)

We met at the Yas Viceroy Hotel for dinner:

(again, I didn't take this one)



(I did take these though)

That road that passes under the hotel s actually part of the Formula 1 racetrack! Dez's fiancee was the Chief Concierge there at the hotel too. Cool guy.

Well, I think that's all there is for now.... Now it's 9 weeks until the next vacation.