I went to Dubai for my 1st phorren vacation.
And No, the week long NY trip i took early last year does not count
because ...
a) it was for work
b) i had NO money
c) i almost froze and died... and surviving near-death experiences does not a vacation make. Fair?

Anyway, this trip was so so different..
i was with family, i had a longish break, the weather was just the kind i can handle (hot and humid). All in all.. great!
Also i had some money....
soo i did shopping-ish things...
soo now i have to say, "i used to have money".

Dubai is very different from what i expected it to be.
The way my brother made it sound, i thought it would be teeming with malayali 'somewhat-relatives' type people who you never even wanted to meet "back home" (Ha, there i said it.. THE ultimate ex-pat phrase)...
Not true though! Its a super large city filled with superlative things... literally. Tallest building, biggest fountain, largest flag, largest LCD display.
If it does not have an EST attached to it - tis not worth the Arab's time.
(fingers crossed that the recent crash is not the largEST).

But seriously. Great holiday spot... (limited experience but still!)