Matt

Ski Dubai is an indoor skiing slope in the Mall of the Emirates. Yeah, maybe your mall has an ice rink, but it just can’t hold a candle to this thing. The food court surrounds the bottom of the slope. Staff was friendly and helpful in getting me set up with good equipment. 120 dirhams (something like $30) for two hours on the slope.
Ran into a bunch of kids from the USS Stennis on shore leave there, snowboarding. Stay safe out there in the Gulf, guys.

I stayed at the Al Manzil hotel in Dubai a few weekends ago. Real nice hotel, and right across the street from the Burj Dubai construction site.

Went to the UAE for a business trip at a construction site. Most of my time was spent in a camp in the middle of the desert, but I did get the opportunity to get into both Abu Dhabi and Dubai on a few weekends. The highlights were the indoor skiing at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, and deep sea fishing in Abu Dhabi.