Trader's Hotel restaurant. Our hotel was in the Deira section of Dubai, across the creek from modern Dubai.

My breakfast buffet, including beef bacon, which was very tasty. No pork products in a Muslim country. All kinds of food at the buffet: Asian, Arabic, Western. Very good.

Fresh honey off the comb.

Alcohol is available only at hotels. Many hotels have clubs--ours had Theme Nights. Thursday: Ole Mexico! Go loco with 2 margaritas for the price of one. I didn't go any night as I was too tired when I got back to our hotel.

I asked our tour guide if Dubai had earthquakes. He said no and was surprised when I told him about this sign. It must be a generic one.

Our guide, Mounir, met us in the lobby. He is from Yemen, having lived in Dubai for 15 years. Actually, Dubai is his winter home, with Montreal his summer home, where his wife and son live. Couldn't have a better guide: personable, intelligent, and knowledgeable.

It rains about 5 days total a year in Dubai and we were here for two of them. The air was still unstable in the area from the Philippine typhoon. However, the rain lowered the temperature and we were quite comfortable for our entire stay.

Riding a bike in the rain.

On our way for a tour of Dubai. Much advertising on the roadways. Felt like home seeing the Baskin Robbins sign.

Also, this Free Home Delivery sign in a shop window.

Another advertisement.

We are still in the Deira section of Dubai.

A Dubai license plate.

Another familiar sign.

Telcom building.

Advertisement for French Home Furniture.

The EXIT restaurant & coffee shop.

Artwork along the roadway.

More artwork along the roadway.

Coming into modern Dubai, full of skyscrapers and daring architecture.

Modern Dubai.

Modern Dubai.

Modern Dubai.

A metro train station. All the metro stations have this shape.

Some are covered in advertising.

Advertising the First Gulf Bank.

Modern Dubai. The building on the right is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. The upraised structure is the metro train track. The metro runs either above ground or underground.

Modern Dubai.

Modern Dubai.

Modern Dubai.

The Emirates Macaroni Factory. All signs are in both Arabic and English.

The presidents and vice presidents of the United Arab Emirates. You see their pictures often.

BMW dealer. Many, many car dealers in Dubai. Almost all of the cars being driven are new or almost new, no clunkers here.

A residential area.

Organic foods & cafe.

Times Square.

Modern Dubai. Much construction here, so many cranes.

Residential housing.

More roadway artwork. Hard to tell what is part of the painting and what is real.

Dubai police car.

Entrance to the Palm Atlantis on Palm Jumeirah, an artifical island shaped like a palm tree along the Dubai coast. You drive along the trunk with the fronds being expensive residential units.

The beach in front of the Atlantis along the Persian Gulf.

The 5-star Atlantis hotel. This hotel has underwater rooms but you have to be a guest to view them. You also need to be a guest to go above the ground floor.

Starbucks at the Atlantis.

Cold Stone ice cream at the Atlantis. We have it in LA.

Ceiling art with a marine flair as the Atlantis aquarium is located here.

Close-up.

More ceiling art.

More ceiling art.

Our guide, Mounir, announcing our arrival.

French restaurant at the Atlantis.

Dolphin light sculptures.

Store.

Picture of the palm-shaped island that the Atlantis is on.

The lobby where the aquarium is located.

The floor to ceiling aquarium.

The aquarium.

The aquarium.

The aquarium.

Ceramics at the Atlantis.

Artwork on the wall.

Artwork on the wall.

Artwork for sale. Very expensive.

I like the camel. Two of my tourmates are in the photo.

Ceiling fixtures.

Ceiling art.

More ceiling art.

To the rest rooms, prayer rooms, and ATM.

Seahorse light fixtures in the ladies room.

Inside an Atlantis store.

A Roy Lichtenstein chair.

In another store.

Shoes.

Inside a pair of shoes.

Pillows.

Men's bathing suits.

Hats.

Pizza and Peroni for AED 100. UAE dirhams are used in Dubai. Each U.S. dollar is worth 3.67 dirhams, so this feast will cost $27.23.

Advertisement for a 3360 watch.

Another advertisement for the same watch.