4 October, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Woke to an alarm this morning after a very comfortable night here at the Novotel in Dubai. We wanted to get an early start to work out a program for the next three days here. So many things to see and do, and so many types of transport but in the end after speaking with our very helpful concierge we decided to all buy a three day ticket on the "Big Bus" which provides a 'hop on, hop off" service to all parts of the city, and includes tickets and entry into a lot of the things we want to see.

Our hotel is located next to the second biggest mall in Dubai, the Mall of the Emirates. It is hard to describe how big this place is, it is probably the same size as all Melbourne Malls (including Chadstone) combined. It was also our embarkation point for the Big Bus, and so we spent the rest of the afternoon touring around to a range of interesting locations around the city. At 38ºC it is too hot to walk anywhere and so the bus is is the best option to get an overview. In 1999 I spent a week in Abu Dhabi, and as a result became a bit familiar with Dubai. It is amazing to see how much has changed in only 19 years. Building and development of new areas and projects is occurring everywhere. Our bus trip today gave us a good overview, and a better idea about activities for the next two nights. On our return, we called in to the Dubai Mall, now the largest shopping centre in the world for a drink and a snack. The food court alone is bigger than the whole of the Traralgon Plaza and Mid Valley combined, and features every food outlet we've ever heard off and quite a few we hadn't. I couldn't resist visiting the Ice Cream Factory. When you order a selection, the ingredients are placed into a machine which then blends everything. Then, right at the end the machine receives a short injection of liquid nitrogen, which turns everything into the most delicious ice-cream I have ever tasted.

This shopping centre also features a huge saltwater aquarium which extends to all three levels of the centre. While you are walking along the ground level you can watch sharks, rays and many other fish and watch SCUBA divers feeding the fish.

Ater a while it was time to take the final bus back to our hotel. The route took us along the beach and past the famous Burj al Arab hotel which is shaped like a giant sail. When we passed it the sun was already low.

Returning to our room it was soon time for drinks and a bite to eat, and now it is time to get to bed and prepare for another day. In a couple of days we'll be packing for the final time for the trip back home.