Last week I went with two carloads of women to Dubai to go to Global Village. This is an annual event that begins in November and goes until mid-February. It is a bazaar of sorts, but more like a county fair. Different countries are represented with big buildings full of vendors. It has an amusement park side also with the ferris wheel and a carnival-like atmosphere. Food from every country is represented as well. It was a fun evening filled with exploring the different wares from each country and grazing the food booths tasting the different foods. It is a good way to purchase authentic furnishings, lamps, dishes, clothing, knick-knacks,....you name it......from various parts of the world.
My first stop was in India where I purchased a shawl. I love the people of India. They are so friendly and loving (that is why I have a Sri-Lanken housemaid!)
This is a carnival type ride for children. It's really just chairs sitting on something that turns. Kind of funny looking.
Some of the vendors were quite interesting. Everyone loved the Pashmina Shawls. Wish I was ready to buy carpets. One vendor had a really nice selection of silk carpets from Kashmir and his prices were decent. Just not ready yet. I want to look for a while before I buy.
We went to the Middle Eastern countries of Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, & Turkey.
I found this guy most intriguing. He was selling a delicious fruit juice. I found out that this manner of serving drinks in the streets is quite common in Turkey. The juice sold for 10 dirhams which is about $3.00.There was a canal in the middle with "gondola" boats where you could ride from one location to the next. Reminded me a little of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas!
Turkish lamps
Turkish Pottery Perfume Bottles Lamps
This is a tent made up like the Bedouin tents in the desert. People were eating and reclining in the tent.
The canal after dark.
Posing with African dancers at the Africa booth. This was a fun booth.
We found this darling little boy in the Syria booth. He was sooooo precious. His parents let us take photos of him.
The Thailand booth.
Spices in the Yemen booth. They sold honey and every kind of spice. We enjoyed dealing with the carpet vendor here also.
This was truly a great event and a fun way to explore other countries. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to go to all the countries. I can't wait to go again next year!
The observation deck, At The Top, a visitor attraction located on the 124th floor of the world's tallest building, has been closed to the public following an incident where 60 tourists were stranded for over one hour on the deck due to "technical issues with the power supply" that caused the elevator to malfunction. One man reported he heard a loud noice and saw what looked liked dust or smoke coming out of the elevator door. One of the elevators did not reach the 124th floor. Apparently this same thing happened last month and trapped fourteen people for an hour. Most everyone remained calm about the situation until they were escorated down by via a service elevator. Some people reported it as being a scary situation stuck up on the 124th floor with no way down. The observation deck is scheduled to reopen this Sunday. 
John and I were thinking of going to Dubai to go up in the Burj Khalifa. Now I don't know. I am afraid of heights anyway and not sure I could even walk up to the window. I have trouble just going up in the Peachtree Towers in Atlanta in the scenic elevator! Not sure how I would react going up 124 floors. Ugh! I get queasy just thinking about it.