Luxury Vacation Guide 2012: Baku, Azerbaijan

by Jessica Marati on

Alternately called the Paris of the East and the Next Dubai, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is poised to become the Middle East’s next big luxury travel destination.

Once the busiest harbor on the ancient Silk Road, Baku is the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. A recent flood of oil money has led to massive development in anticipation of a 2020 Olympics bid, and early 2012 will mark the opening of the Flame Towers, an iconic complex which will significantly alter the Baku skyline. With a design inspired by the natural gas-fueled fires that once sprung spontaneously from the Azerbaijan landscape, the towers will house offices, high-end apartments, and a new luxury property from Fairmont.

As a country, Azerbaijan is no stranger to progress, having been the first Muslim country to build operas, theatres, and a democratic republic. Baku’s walled inner city, which contains Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000, and the city’s cultural agenda includes world-class ballet performances and philharmonic concerts. To boot, Lonely Planet recently ranked Baku one of the world’s top destinations for urban nightlife, alongside Buenos Aires, Dubai, and Cape Town.

[flickr image via teuchterlad]

10 tips for road-tripping with your dog

by Elizabeth Seward on


There are rules for the road and there are rules for the road if you’re on the road with your canine friend and so, I present to you, 10 tips for road-tripping with your dog. My husband and I returned to Austin a few days ago after spending 38 days straight on the road. It was just us, our new loft-bed-outfitted minivan, and our 6 month old puppy when we took off from our house on November 21st. This was our first time taking our dog, Fiona, out of town. She had never spent more than 30 consecutive minutes in the car prior to this trip and we weren’t sure how she’d take to the road. Fortunately for us, she seems to have taken after us. Apparently a bit of a wanderlust herself, little Fiona braved the road (and the cold snow for the first time) during those 38 days. She turned 7 months old and then 8 months old while we were, largely, living out of our van. She did so admirably and I have come home with 10 solid tips for those of you who love road-tripping but also prefer to take your dog with you when you travel.

%Gallery-142850%1. Visit the vet before you go.
It’s important that your dog is in good health if you’re going to expect your dog to behave well and enjoy a road-trip, particularly if it’s a lengthy one. Take your dog to the vet before you hit the road. Make sure your dog has all vaccinations he or she might need, depending on where you’re traveling to on your trip. A Rabies vaccination is an especially important one. Not only will you be stopped from crossing borders without proof of an up-to-date Rabies vaccination, but you put your dog at great risk if he or she doesn’t have one or is due for a new shot. While you’re at the vet, purchase any medication your pet may need. As a courtesy to dog-friendly hotels as well as to your dog, it’s a good idea to get a new batch of flea and worm preventative medicine going before your dog is on the road with you. If your dog hasn’t been spayed or neutered and you’re open to the idea, this is a good time to move forward with the procedure and save yourself and other dog owners from the hassle of an unexpected doggy pregnancy. The vet can also insert a microchip under your dog’s skin. Our dog was a rescue and the rescue company inserted one of these before we adopted her. While having her on the road, continually in different cities, this little chip certainly eased my mind.

2. Take a trip to the pet store.
Depending on where you’re going on your trip, your dog may need all sorts of things that you wouldn’t ordinarily have around. Make sure you have a supply of food large enough to last through your entire trip. Complement this with a healthy snack for your dog, which you’ll find handy if your dog is feeling anxious from the road or simply deserves a treat. We bought our dog a robust rope toy for the road to give her something new to focus on while spending extended hours in the car. If you don’t already have a car crate for your dog, consider purchasing one. It’s important that your dog’s riding situation is as safe as it can be–for both you and the pup (if you slam on your brakes and your dog comes flying toward the driver’s seat, it’s likely to worsen the incident and perhaps cause an avoidable accident). Consider the climate of where you’re going. Since our dog is a short-haired Whippet/Catahoula mix who had never seen snow before this trip, we bought her a warm coat. She hated it, but it kept her from shivering while we walked her around the bitter cold in Minneapolis. While at the pet store, you can also consider buying a new leash, collar, doggy first aid kit, nail clipper, dog Valerian Root, a bright orange vest if you’ll be out in the woods during hunting season, and, my personal favorite, the FURminator (it’s a relatively expensive dog brush, but it will keep the upholstery in your car and luggage more hair-free than any other brush or technique I’ve found).

3. Prepare a comfort zone for your dog.
My theory was this: Fiona is going to be exposed to countless new places, people, and experiences on this trip. She needs a comfort zone, a safe place, that is just for her–somewhere she can go to feel calm and relish in the familiar. We made this place her car crate, which is, I think, the most practical thing to do. We filled the crate with a blanket from home we no longer needed, her favorite toys, and, admittedly, tons of treats at first (hey, we wanted her to love it). We even had a battery-powered night light near the crate at first so that she wouldn’t be in total blackness throughout all of the hours of driving through the night we did. The main point here though is that your dog feels as though he or she has a place in the car–a familiar zone.

4. Pack your car wisely.
If you’re getting ready to go on a road-trip, especially a long one, you know as well as anyone that there’s only so much space in your vehicle for your belongings. As for us, our car was packed to the brim when we set out. To complicate it further, we had a bike and bike rack on the back of our car (we were bringing a bike to a friend as a favor), which made it difficult to open and close the back door without careful consideration. You’ll need your dog’s go-to items nearby–not packed deep in a piece of luggage beneath piles of luggage. Items to keep near you: a supply of plastic bags, towels for dirty paws, food, water, food and water dishes, leash, any medication, papers, nail clippers, brush, and anything else you deem important. As a general rule of thumb, if it’s out of reach, you probably won’t bother using it. We wound creating an entire ‘Fiona’ bag and keeping it at the edge of the car’s trunk area.

5. Evaluate your route carefully.
Many factors go into road-tripping with your dog and a big factor is location. Where are you going? If you’re crossing the border in certain parts of Ontario, any Pitbull-looking dog can not only be refused entry into Canada, but I’ve read that this breed can actually be taken from owners and euthanized. Read up on Pitbulls in Ontario. Pitbull owners need to be especially careful because of Pitbull bans like the Pitbull ban in Denver, Colorado. Where you’re going on your trip will also determine which vaccinations are necessary and what kind of climate you can expect. While traveling with your dog isn’t usually complicated by regional jurisdictions, it can be. Make sure you know the laws of the land for you and your dog before you travel.

6. Research your destinations.
Once you know where you’re going, you can further research the area. The Yelp iPhone app on our helped us get through our road trip with Fiona immensely. When we needed to take her to a vet in Minneapolis, Yelp pointed us in the direction of a highly rated but still affordable vet just a few miles down the road from where we were staying. He was great with her and with us and the experience certainly could have been more sour had we simply taken her to the nearest vet without doing any research. The app also helped us to locate dog parks as we traveled and other dog-friendly areas. We kept her exercising and socializing along the way because of this, which helped her to sleep more soundly when it was time to jump back in the car. A little bit of research can give you a go-to mental or actual list of vets, dog parks, pet stores, and pet-friendly hotels and other destinations.

7. Avoid stressing your dog out.
A stressed out dog is, often times, a difficult to manage dog. Try your best to avoid stressing your dog out. Turn off the speakers in the back of your car if your dog is back there. Remember that sounds affect dogs much more acutely than they do humans. If your dog is naturally anxious in the car, consider giving your dog doggy Valerian Root. It’s all-natural and can be crushed up into your dog’s food for a calming effect. Make sure your dog can sleep in his or her environment (ie, if you dog vomits inside the crate, by all means, clean up the mess before expecting the dog to go back in the crate and soundly sleep). Do not leave your dog unattended in the car for a long period of time. Do not leave your dog unattended in the car at all if the temperature outside the car is anything other than ideal. A warm day will mean a very hot car interior. If you need to leave your dog in the car unattended for a few minutes during cold weather, be sure to jack up the heat and let it blow for a while into the car before turning off the car. And I reiterate: do not leave your dog unattended in the car for extended periods of time and only if it’s absolutely necessary (take-out from restaurants is a fine alternative to dining in if you ask me). Avoid sporadic changes in your driving when possible. The fewer times you slam on the brakes, speed up quickly, honk your horn, etc., the better.

8. Exercise your dog.
Many problems I hear about between dog owners and their dogs are simple cases of lack of exercise. Your dog needs to be exercised to be happy, fair and square. Just like humans, dogs need regular exercise. If you don’t regularly exercise yourself, it’s still your duty as a dog owner to regularly exercise your dog. This is even more important on the road since your dog will be spending much of his or her time cramped up in the car crate. Stop at rest stops. Most of them have a pet area and some of them even have elaborate trails for dog walking. Instead of standing still, waiting for your dog to do his or her deeds, jog with your dog. It will get your heart racing and help your dog to travel well in the car if you do this every 2-3 hours at rest stops. On top of this, locate dog parks when you can. An exercised dog is a happy dog, remember that.

9. Keep a consistent schedule.
It’s not always easy to keep a consistent schedule while road-tripping–it was difficult for us. Road-tripping is unpredictable. Accidents, traffic, bad weather, the sudden urge to drive all night, the coming and going of new people and places–by definition, your schedule probably isn’t very consistent while you’re on the road. But dogs love consistency and familiarity. If you can only consistently do one or two things a day, do them! Feed your dog at the same times or walk your dog for 15 minutes every morning. Whatever it is, give your dog something to rely on as a standard part of everyday life and, I’m just conjecturing based off of our experience, your dog will have an easier time adjusting to the road.

10. Reward your dog.
Being a well-behaved road dog, especially during the first road trip, is no easy feat for any dog. Use positive reinforcement to encourage your dog’s good behaviors. Have treats around to give your dog when he or she has behaved well in the car. Use the phrase ‘Good boy’, ‘Good girl’, or ‘Good dog’ every time they are appropriate. Dogs generally understand the word good and they like it. Why? Because dogs want to know when they’re doing a good job. Let your dog know when he or she is behaving well through treats, exercise, and positive reinforcement and your dog will want to continue behaving well.

Have you road-tripped with your dog? What are some tips you have from your own experiences? Share them! We’d love to know.

World’s worst places: Top 10 places you do not want to visit in 2012

by Dave Seminara on

Update: Check out the World’s Worst Places of 2013 here

What comes to mind when you think of the world’s worst place? While it is easy to complain about rural Wal-marts, La Guardia, Applebee’s, and any government office with motor vehicle in its title, none of those places escalate the game from nuisance to immediate danger. All of them can be horrible, yes, but a threatened existence they do not pose.

The places on this list are the bad places. Some have run out of hope. Others have fought war for so long it is the new normal. Most are exceptionally dangerous and heartbreaking. And while none of them are fighting for write-ups by travel bloggers or inspiring travel with the NetJet set, some of these locations may someday be on the travel map. After all, it was not long ago that current hot-spots like Cambodia and Croatia would have made such a list.

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10. Harare, Zimbabwe
Recently voted by the Economist as the world’s worst city to live in, Harare is a unique study in failed fiscal policy. The once acceptable city fell into disrepair during Zimbabwe’s severe bouts with hyperinflation and corruption. The troubles began in the early 21st century when Zimbabwe’s inflation rate increased to 112.1%. Sounds terrible right? As it turns out, those were the sunny days. In 2008, the inflation rate peaked at 231,150,000% per annum. In U.S. terms, this means that if you deposited $10,000, it would be worth about 4 thousandths of a U.S. cent in one years time. That sucks. (For the record, 10,000USD = 46.720 quadrillion Zimbabwe dollars in 2009.)

This sort of economic arrangement allowed Harare to fail. There are not enough printers in Zimbabwe to print enough of its Z100 Billion notes, and when a loaf of bread costs trillions, doom is soon to follow. Unemployment grew to 80% and many services faltered. Today, foreign currencies have been adopted but the damage has been done. Much of Harare is in disrepair, and few foreign companies care to directly invest in the troubled city. That said, it is probably the safest place on this list to visit with flights direct from London on the national carrier – Air Zimbabwe.

9. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
The lone entry from Oceania is the ultra-diverse Port Moresby of Papua New Guinea. PNG is home to over 820 languages – more than any other country in the world. As such, its capital Port Moresby boasts a diverse crew of opportunists and island cultures. It was recently voted by the Economist as the 137th out of 140 places in the livable cities index, making it a tough place to get by.

Rapes, Murders, and HIV are just a few of the daily tragedies that befall this enclave at the edge of the map. Here, even riding in cars is a dangerous activity. Gangs called Raskols are known to rob vehicles transporting foreigners at gunpoint.

Port Moresby is best used as a temporary gateway to nearby dive sites and for flights to PNG’s jungle interior and its solitary treks. Reaching Port Moresby is easy from Australia on PNG’s national carrier Air Niugini.

8. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
37 years ago, Ali and Foreman traded blows in one of boxing’s most historic matches. The match took place in Kinshasa. At the time, the country was known as Zaire, and the future looked hopeful for the mineral-rich nation. But as is common in 20th century African history, corruption at the top derailed the future. The country became a model for African kleptocracy as President Mobutu matched Zaire’s national debt with deposits into his personal bank account in Switzerland – to a tune of 4 billion (1980) U.S. dollars. He was forced to flee in the late nineties.

By 1998, the Congo region was engaged in the Second Congo War – the most deadly military conflict since World War II. In the end, over 5 million perished, and to this day the mineral-rich country has a per capita (nominal) GDP of about $186.

Chinese foreign direct investment has allowed Kinshasa to grow into a more reasonable place over the last decade, though it is not yet ready for its tourist close-up. Violence and political instability still ravage the second most populated city in Africa. It has come a long way from the time of Mr. Kurtz, but the heart of Africa is still an exceptionally complicated place. Just a month ago during the presidential election, thousands fled Kinshasa in anticipation of violence, and tanks rolled in to police the streets.

Tens of thousands of orphaned street children call the slums of Kinshasa home and are also routinely accused of witchcraft by locals. Carjackings are one of the more common types of tourist robbery, especially outside of the city center. And one more thing, photography is illegal.

Reaching Kinshasa is easy from Paris on Air France.

7. Rocinha favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rocinha is the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro. While its infrastructure exceeds that of lesser favelas and its view of Rio is truly breathtaking, it is also home to several hundred thousand Brazilians packed onto a steep hillside. It is a playground for modern day little Li’l Zes.

With one of the highest murder rates in the world, Brazil has been cracking down on violence in anticipation of hosting both the Olympics and World Cup. In fact, local authorities have effectively declared war on this slum in an effort to clean it up and push out the drug cartels, and just a few months ago, Rocinha was occupied by the military and police forces. Their aim is to restore government control in the sprawling favela. While progress has no doubt been made, when visiting Rio (which is generally safe), it is wise to avoid favelas unless accompanied by a local guide.

6. Sana’a, Yemen
“Just off the horn of Africa…” is a common statement that generally precedes a story about modern piracy. And just on the other side of the dangerous Gulf of Aden where such piracy goes down is treacherous Yemen – a land frozen in time.

It is a time machine to the modern edge of the Islamic dark ages. On one hand this brings old world Arabian architecture and cultures of antiquity, but on the other, it brings out Islamic fanaticism. It is a place of child brides and a training ground for Al Qaeda. Men walk around freely with weapons per their religious rights, and these weapons range from the ubiquitous Jambiya to battle-worn Kalashnikovs. Sana’a is old, dangerous, and has its share of political unrest. As a westerner, you can keep your travel plans safer by avoiding Yemen.

The tragic thing about Yemen is that it possesses such beautiful sights. It has unbelievable Red Sea beaches, Socotra Island (Similar to the Galapagos and on my own personal travel shortlist), and old forts amid craggy mountains.

Reaching Sana’a, Yemen is possible from Dubai, Doha, London, and Sharjah.

5. West Point, Monrovia, Liberia
Clean water, electricity, basic services – all things we take for granted in the West. In the West Point area of Monrovia, a city named for James Monroe, these are luxuries. West Point, a peninsular slum jutting out into the Atlantic, is home to a special breed of disgusting squalor. Home to 75,000 Monrovians, it is one of Africa’s most notorious and crowded slums. Cholera is at an epidemic level, drug use is rampant, teenage prostitution is a commonality, and toilets are scarce. In fact, since it costs money to use neighborhood toilets, many Monrovians in West Point just crap in the streets or on the beach.

Vice did a great series on Liberia a few years ago. In the series, they meet with with an ex-war leader known as General Butt Naked – the commander of a group of child soldiers called the Butt Naked Brigade. He earned this name by charging into battle wearing only sneakers and his AK-47. Aside from sacrificing humans and partaking in cannibalism, he also regularly communicated with the devil. Today, he is a minister.

Delta flies from Atlanta to Monrovia, Liberia.

4. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Just as turbulence occurs where hot and cold air meet, similarly a point of human turbulence occurs in this nasty city where Mexico meets the United States. Drug violence, government incompetence, and poverty mix to form what has been called the murder capital of the world (this dishonor has since been ceded to Honduras). As drug wars continue to rage, Juarez continues to be a dangerous place. The drug cartels continue to fight for one of the most valuable things in the world – access to the United States narcotics market.

Neighboring El Paso, oddly, has one of the lowest murder rates in the United States. In fact, among major cities, El Paso is tied with Lincoln, Nebraska for having the lowest murder rate in the United States. It is indeed strange to have such a dichotomy separated by a river.

Flying to Juarez from a number of cities is easy, but don’t do it. Go to Cancun and fist pump instead.

3. Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Take one of the most damned places on the planet, knock the hell out of it with an earthquake, and you get the worst of Haiti – Cite Soleil. Port-au-Prince is generally a place of ephemeral hope and naked truths, and at its most rotten corner is this heartbreaking slum.

Cite Soleil is one of the largest slums in the northern hemisphere. It is a place where what you see is what you get, and what you see is abject third world poverty. The slum is void of sewers, schools, electricity, or healthcare facilities. It is the kind of place where relief workers are swallowed whole by the earth. In 2007, UN peacekeepers attempted to access the neighborhood and were welcomed with gunfire.

On top of this, many dangerous gang members escaped prison during the earthquake of 2010 and have returned to this crumbling slum. Reach PAP, Haiti from Miami on Insel Air.

2. Kandahar, Afghanistan
Surrounded by gorgeous mountains, it is a tragedy that Kandahar is so awfully dangerous. A one time trading center and strategic foothold, Kandahar is a victim of its perfect location between the world’s of East and West. It has been a point of interest since Alexander the Great stumbled upon it in the 4th century BC. For centuries, traders passed through this city when traveling between Asia and Europe. As result, wars have also passed through and control has changed hands over its centuries of existence, from Mongols to Arabs to Brits and beyond.

Kidnappings, suicide bombings, and other criminal activities have turned it into an absolute monster of a destination. War has a way of creating this sort of general lawlessness. Having a 28% national literacy rate does not help matters.

As a weird footnote, Kandahar has an Armani Hotel, though it is not licensed by Giorgio. Its TGI Fridays, once a bastion of Americana and cheese sticks in Afghanistan, has allegedly been shut down. One can reach Kandahar from Dubai on Ariana Afghan Airlines. During Taliban rule, Osama bin Laden used this airline for Al Qaeda operations including the smuggling of guns, money, and opium. Today, sanctions have been lifted against the troubled national carrier.

1. Mogadishu, Somalia
Still crazy after all these years, “Mog” has perhaps the most terrifying disclaimer (ever) hovering above its entry on wikitravel. It states, “Mogadishu is regarded as the most lawless and dangerous city on Earth and is currently experiencing a major food and refugee crisis. It is not safe for leisure or tourism. If you are planning a visit for international aid work, etc, you will need expert advice and planning.”

Civil War has raged for decades, and the government controls only a few blocks of the city. It is a base for modern pirates, the backdrop for the true story surrounding Black Hawk Down, and it is said that machine guns are frequently used by drivers to negotiate through car traffic. It is a land without law, a soulless place at the edge of Africa. Much of it bears more resemblance to the last level in an especially difficult video game than to life on Earth. It is more modern warfare than modern world.

Oddly enough, several supermodels were born in Mogadishu including Iman and Yasmin Warsame – a footnote of beauty for an ugly place. Flights to Mog can be booked on Jubba Airways from Jeddah and Dubai. Good luck with that. Seriously though, if you decide to go, be sure to wear a bulletproof vest and hire a small army of Ethiopian soldiers.

The malls of Dubai: Skiing, scuba diving, and shopping

by Justin Delaney on

Every country has its own culture of shopping. Italy has the pedigree, with worn estate leather goods from Tuscany and glittering catwalks fueling Milan’s couture. America boasts 5th Avenue, the biggest week in fashion, and the cookie-cutter malls of middle-America. Shopping in Paris is as elegant as it is expensive, where visiting the temples of Chanel, Dior, and Hermes is like a Hajj for fashionistas. Getting fitted for a suit on Savile Row in London is a gentlemanly apex, one that is best achieved while gently pulling on a cherry-wood pipe and commenting on cheeky matters from a pink-tinged page of the Financial Times.

In Dubai, The malls are king. Vast expanses of high end extravagance, these oases from the draping emirate heat are stocked with Gucci, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, and any other brand that peddles four-figure handbags to the jet set. Just as America brought the shopping mall to retail prominence, Dubai has perfected the art, blown it up, and put it all back together with megatons of glitter, pomp, and reckless luxury. But more so than brands and shine, the malls of Dubai also have other extraordinary features. A skating rink and a movie theater? That is so 20th century. How about scuba diving, snow skiing, and visiting the tallest building in the world? Welcome to the malls of Dubai.

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The Dubai Context
Dubai is a culture of shopping. From its historical role as a trading port, the city has grown out of the sand on the back of traders traveling from South Asia to the markets of Europe and beyond. With this came an understanding of the international ebb and flow of trade. It became a hub for the trading of gold, spices, and pearls. Many of Dubai’s souqs still operate as such, and wooden cargo ships from Bengal line Dubai Creek.

Still today, Dubai poses a dominating presence in international trade, and by 2013, little known Al Maktoum International Airport could become the busiest cargo airport in the world. With this sort of action, over time, any city will grow up. But a city like Dubai did so almost overnight. The malls are a symbol for this explosion of excess and success, however fleeting it may or may not someday be.

The Dubai Mall
At almost 12 million square feet (3.77 million square feet of retail space), Dubai Mall spreads out across downtown Dubai in the shadow of the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa. By total area, Dubai Mall is considered the largest mall in the world – a claim made all the more believable during long strolls through its massive never-ending corridors. With its size and elegant trappings, this is unmistakably THE mall of the Middle East and a temple to the newest religion of the region – shopping. This is where wealthy Emirati, Saudi, and Qatari women come to purchase the designer duds that remain cloaked under burqas. This is where the Middle-west meets the Middle-east.

The mall boasts twelve hundred shops, the tallest building in the world, and a massive aquarium filled with sharks, tropical fish, and corals. The Dubai Aquarium is great to look at, but why stop there? For scuba divers, a mall dive site may seem contrary to the spirit of exploration. But, after suiting up and hitting the tank, the unique experience will win over even the most pessimistic diving purists. Flanking a reef shark while, just meters away, robed shoppers grasp Fendi clutches is a surreal exercise in atypical diving. A dive in Dubai Mall costs roughly $170. For a much cheaper and dry option, check out the Aquarium tunnel and underwater zoo for $14.

“At the Top” is a spirited jaunt to the observation tour of the stratospheric Burj Khalifa. Access to the attraction is located on the lower ground level of the Dubai Mall, and it costs about $27. After checking in (making reservations is hypercritical during busy days), the world’s fastest elevator rockets patrons to the 124th floor at 30 feet per second. The observation deck is only 55% up the Burj, but it hardly feels that way as you glance out at the curvature of the earth. The view is second to none, and just moments later, you can be back in the mall, at the food court dining at Hot Dog on a Stick, Fatburger, or any other of the random western eateries seemingly plucked from Middle America.

Just outside the mall entrance is a daily impromptu car-show of Ferraris, Bugattis, Lambos, and Porsches, each representing offensive and loud corners of the rainbow. Of course, it is just a parking lot, but in a country where license plate numbers routinely fetch 7 figure payouts, the parking lots are more colorful than a Skittles commercial. Banana yellow, Qatari royal blue, and hellfire red are just some of the colors blasting eyes with candy hues. Indeed, Dubai is a place that appreciates fast Arab horses and faster Italian cars.

If you wish to stay near the Dubai Mall, the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa is a great though expensive option. The interiors are minimalist, the halls are spaceship chic, and the beds are cloud-like. Rooms start at a painful $454. For cheaper options, search aggregator sites like Kayak for a slew of sub $100 options in downtown Dubai. For an interesting and delicious dining option, check out At.mosphere on floor 122 of the Burj Khalifa.

Mall of the Emirates
The original Dubai super-mall is beginning to show her age, at least relative to the newer and larger Dubai Mall. Only in Dubai can a half a decade old mall look dated, but 5 years feels like 20 years in Dubai time. Fast change makes for faster obsolescence. But, the Mall of the Emirates has a weapon that even time cannot rob – a winter wonderland complete with ski slopes, tubing slides, and snowfall in a city that receives about 5 inches of rainfall per year. Here, Emirati children engage in snowball fights while their parents carve down man-made ski runs. This is Ski Dubai.

It is easy to forget you are in the middle of the desert as you don a down jacket and boot up to hit the slopes. Complete with a ski lift and a mountain chalet, Ski Dubai is as strange as it sounds. Whether you are hypersensitive about 21st century water shortages or you run sprinklers mid-day in August, gazing out at the indoor slope will incite a WTF moment. It is surreal, magnificent, and, perhaps most surprising to your desert adjusted body, very cold.

Beyond the wintery attraction, the Mall of the Emirates boasts a ridiculous amount of high end shops. From Audemars Piguet to Brioni, the shopping center is no slouch in the luxury department.

Connected to Dubai Metro on the red line, the Mall of the Emirates is very easy to visit.

The Future
Dubai seems built to embrace the impossible. The buildings soar above clouds, islands magically appear just offshore, and the malls are built to the exacting standards of this patented Emirati creative indulgence. It is Disney meets Arabia, with just a pinch of batshit insane. In the book Alice in Wonderland, the Queen muses on impossibility, telling Alice “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” A similar approach to the impossible has carved the skyline of Dubai out of the rolling desert dunes. It will be interesting to see if shifting sands and global economics will allow these impossibilities to stand the test of time.

All photography by Justin Delaney @justindelaney

Support for this program was partially provided by DTCM, with no limits on editorial or photographic content.

Ancient Egypt–Art and Magic, opens at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida

by Sean McLachlan on

Ancient Egypt never ceases to fascinate. Its elaborate religion, art, and ritual make it at once foreign and compelling. Now a new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, showcases some of the highlights of this unique culture.

Ancient Egypt–Art and Magic: Treasures of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art brings to the public eye one of the greatest private collections of Ancient Egyptian art. These 100 choice pieces from the collection of Jean Claude Gandur of Geneva, Switzerland, include mummy cases, statues of pharaohs, papyrus texts, and precious jewels.

Each item emphasizes the skill of the ancient Egyptian artisans and their culture’s deep connection to magic. Alongside the works of art are explanations of how magic played a part in every aspect of Egyptian society, and how these particular objects fit into that belief.

Some of the items have an interesting modern history too. One sarcophagus was owned by the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

It’s rare for so many items from a private collection to go on display all together, so if you’re passing through Florida, be sure to make it to this exhibition. The exhibition runs until April 29, 2012.

This photo shows the lid from a sarcophagus, made of gessoed and painted wood from either the 21st or 22nd dynasty (1080-720 BC), from the Collection of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art.