Dubai: Arab Las Vegas meets Potomac Mills, Virginia

So Dubai is continuing their maniacal push to develop their economy beyond dependence on petroleum. Can't say that I blame them, though. For those of you who have been to Dubai, it is a really bizarre place. Not as eerie as, say, Singapore, but a little odd nonetheless. It's a collision of worlds that is so extreme as to have traditional arab dress on one corner, with a Virgin Megastore and a Chili's in the background, and some pasty white British tourists wandering around with kids in tow.

I guess at the very least, Dubai is singlehandedly providing the Discovery Channel fodder for its show, Extreme Engineering. I remember them covering the indoor ski slope, the massive island communities, and some huge mall as well.