Marine Oasis In The Desert...

Our first day of exploring Dubai begins now, our tummies are full but our eyes are hungry to explore, to feast on the sights of Dubai...

Free-falling...

Our first stop of the day was the Dubai Mall, a short drive away from our hotel. We wanted to walk down to the mall and we were appropriately dressed, armed with umbrellas. And the concierge advised us not to, presumably the locals would find it odd that a couple is walking down the road. What the...

Grudgingly we took a taxi, which left us "poorer" by a few Dirhams...

All the cities I have visited in the recent past, whether it was Singapore, Taipei or Paris, I discovered more about the city walking than by taking a fancy ride. I do think Dubai still has a long way to attain that kind of maturity... 

"A Yawn Is A Silent Scream For Coffee"...

Besides window shopping here at the Dubai Mall, our first pit-stop was going to be the Dubai Aquarium &; Underwater Zoo...

Marine life in the midst of a dusty, urban sprawl...

A riot of oceanic colours...

The shark was almost kissing the glass wall...

She's staring at us...

Starfish and sea urchins...

Jellyfish...

Fiery red...

Neeti and I were reminded of our trip to the surreal Ongeim'l Tketau jellyfish lake in Palau a few months back...

Propelling its way through...

I wish I were on some Pacific island right now...

And a mighty croc waits for its prey...

And I reminded that I need to prey on my mid-morning caffeine dose...