Sorry about the lack of updates

Hey there readers (the few that I have left). Sorry about the lack of updates, things picked up in the old UA of E (that doesn't work at all, but oh well).

I just posted some more photos here. These pictures are from the beach in Abu Dhabi, as well as our little jaunt into the desert.

I'll catch you up on Dubai and then fill you in on the rest of my time to this point, so be ready for some reading action that may blast your cranium to the back of the auditorium...or wherever you choose to read this attempt at a blog.

My trip to Dubai was overwhelming. The town in under construction, similar to Abu Dhabi, but the finished areas are perfect to the smallest details. The Burj Khalifa is truly a wonder of the world. I've seen some tall buildings (Sears Tower, Empire State Building) but never did I have to lean back in order to see the entire building. Most know this as the Burj Dubai, but when the project went bankrupt (about halfway through construction) the Sheik of Abu Dhabi lent them a few billion to finish. No big deal; oh, and they had to change the name. Unfortunately the continuing problems with the building are keeping visitors from going to the top, so needless to say we did not walk up however many thousands of flights of stairs to the top. Malls in Dubai are crowded with Europeans, Arabs, and anyone else that has ventured into the bustling port city. If you notice in all the advertisements, it is filled with westerners instead of the native Emirates. We also ventured to the beach near the Burj Al Arab (7 star hotel) and I snapped a few pictures of that $7,000 (US) a night hotel. Visitors are allowed in if they pay for a $120 (US) cup of tea. I've heard its great tea.

The pictures from the beach are pretty straightforward, just a day relaxing in the sand and eating ice cream. The next day a group of us embarked on a little desert adventure and went dune driving (more so riding) which is similar to a roller coaster, rode a camel, and ate and drank under the stars in the middle of the desert. The pictures tell a much better story than I can.

I'm going to get back to studying, but I promise more will be posted.

We should be going back this weekend, so I will gather more stories.