a picture is worth...

Seeing as how I took more than 700 photos and I have zero desire to post them all (nor, I suspect, do you want to look at them), I'm just going to post highlights. If you want to see the whole thing, lemme know and I'll mail you all the Snapfish albums. I've split them into five albums, one for each leg of the trip.

What you see below is a sampling of the highlights from Sharjah and Dubai. I pretty well covered South Africa, Egypt and Jordan already. So I'm going to start with Dubai. I'll take you through Syria and Lebanon, and leave you with Greece in separate posts later on.

Enjoy!


Globalization at its finest: Starbucks capuccino at the Sharjah Mega Mall. (Sharjah is the emirate next door to Dubai, and where both my cousins live.)


My adorable cousins Arpy and Tvin.


A Fulla prayer set for little girls. Fulla is the Islamic version of a Barbie doll that's taken the Arab/Muslim world by storm. The Toys 'R Us in Dubai stocks several aisles more Fulla than Barbie and little girls (including non-Muslim girls) go nuts for it. Go figure.


My crazy cousin Haig. Yes, he's wearing his speedo on his head.


Gotta love a country where they bring your hookah poolside.


The ski slope of Ski Dubai. Or, as I like to call it, Mt. Dubai.


Self-explanatory.


It was colder than Mammoth on the inside and 105 degrees outside. Nevermind that to keep Ski Dubai cold probably sucks up more energy than is required for your average industrial complex. In short: AWESOME.


Me and the kids (Arpy and Tvin) in our snow gear.


Me and Lorig on my last night in Dubai, at "The One and Only Royal Mirage Hotel."


Me and Taline with the golden camels at the Royal Mirage.