After more than 10 times in their airport, it was time to stop for one day in Dubai, and see what the most famous city in the Persian Gulf was all about.
I landed very early on a Friday morning, and started having the first issues. Friday is the rest day in the Muslim countries, and, while hearing to the morning pray in the airport, I discovered that Friday morning people are not expected to take the subway, not even from the airport. So I took a taxi, when it was still dark.
I started going to the Creek (A), where the port is located, and I found a big group from India doing yoga while the air is filled with the praying calls from the Mosques from all over the city, in what it seemed a competition to be heard more than nearby one. 
After seeing there was not much else to see for the moment there, my next stop was to go to Jumeirah (B) in the Southern part of Dubai, where the famous Burj Al Arab building sits, and I found that the Dubai marathon was taking place that day. This complicated slightly the logistics for the rest of the day, but I managed to walk around Jumeirah to see the mansions and cars in that (good) area of the city. 
It is interesting to know that Dubai has some beaches, although not all them are open to the public. Some hotels have their private beaches, and there are some others that although they are open to the public, people have to pay to use them. 
After some hours, the metro was finally opened, and I discovered something I had seen previously in Japan: an only-women car; and something new: a Gold passengers car, this latter with physical separation from the rest. The next stop was the Creek again to see a different picture. Instead of silence and people doing yoga, it was now crowded of people walking around. The Creek was full with abras, small boats that are continuously crossing to the other side of the Creek, full of people, and total lack of safety, but the distances are short… and I can swim. 
The old part of the city seems to be a fake, because it has gone through a complete renovation, and I found it not very interesting. On the other hand, it was more interesting to visit the Gold Market. Here you can buy gold per grams, or see the tailors working on the surroundings of the bazaar, where most of the business is developed by Persian merchants, who established here first in the end of the 19th century. 
The evening was the perfect time to go to Burj Khalifa (C), the highest building is the world which was made for the sake of it: there is no need to build such a skyscraper in the middle of the desert, unless you want to show off, which is the case. I was told in a flight many years ago, that the building was going to be named something else, but a couple of weeks before the official opening, the sheikh that had financed the construction asked to change the name to his, in spite of having the whole ad campaign and merchandising products with the previous naming, but who cares… 
This building is an impressive construction by Adrian Smith, which is seen from the whole city. During the night it is a very narrow set of lights (probably to avoid one of the many Emirates’ Airbus A380 to crash), and during the foggy mornings just a soft shadow. 
When you are close to it, it is a breathtaking view. It is also recommended to go up and see the sunset (fog permitting), and look down to see how small things are seen from the top of the highest building in the world.
Burj Khalifa is not only the highest skyscraper, but also one of the biggest malls in the World. A huge Aquarium, an ice rink and thousands of shops is worth a visit.
