Dubai
Pretty quick flight at just over 12.5 hours to Dubai, and a pretty meh looking crab cakes benedict before arrival. It tasted better than it looked but that wasn't saying much. At least terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport remains pretty swanky, and 90 minutes later when I finally got landside and met up with Rick, the Dubai Mall reminded me just how swanky it is, too.
To be fair, the international food court at Dubai Mall is a bit more ordinary, but we still got some pretty decent chicken dan dan mein, dumplings, and wood ear mushrooms. Saw a giant panda inside the mall, a dinosaur skeleton, and the usual selection of crazy high-end stores. Outside were the usual massive crowds at The Dubai Fountain and the (relatively subtle by Dubai standards) light show on the Burj Khalifa. It'd been a minute since I had last experienced the full spectacle so was kind of nice to make another visit with a fellow photographer.