emily grace and the yellow suitcase: Layover in Dubai

Four films, two meals, and eight fitful hours of restless sleep under a synthetic starry sky. The first impression Dubai presents to a traveler is heat, a balmy 89 degrees, just before 8 p.m. Next is the opulence. ... The roads are spotless , the shopping malls are spotless, the man-made beach is spotless. But something there unsettles me, it's hard to walk the balance between appreciating the ingenuity and interesting architecture, and just feeling a little ill. ...