a first time for everything

The first time I remember seeing snow, I was in the middle of the desert.

For a girl who spent so much time in the desert growing up, that seems quite strange. But I can also say that the first time I remember seeing snow, I was also in the middle of an enormous shopping mall.

It's true, Dubai has it all. You can ski with penguins once you've bought out the Louboutin store next door; you can stand at the top of the world's tallest building then go hang out in the old-fashioned souks; you can lie by the pool or skydive over the Palm... whatever you want, Dubai's got it.

The thing I liked most is that it's got soul.

I didn't expect this given what I'd heard about the place. I expected to fly there, gawk at massive buildings, party, spend too much money and go home. I didn't expect to learn so much about the culture of the region and to gain such a respect for some of it's inhabitants.


I got to chat to some awesome people who gave me a genuine insight into what life is like in the Gulf. True: a man can have up to four wives. True: the average citizen has little to no say in who runs their country. True: there are currently countless petitions to make people cover up more in public. What I love about Dubai is that whatever you've heard is most likely true, yet no mater how you judge the place from home, when you get there you just want to delve in and figure out what it's all about.

And it's experiences like this that keep me going, and will keep me going until I've reached everywhere.