still breathing

ok - so i haven't dropped off of the face of the planet. i have just arrived in dubai - and my camera has decided to stop working. i am going to take it in for repairs sometime tomorrow, and i will try to find some alternative method of getting images of this amazing city on my blog as soon as possible.

this city is breathtaking. the photos of dubai that were in the architectural record a few months ago do it no justice whatsoever. my father's apartment (where i am living) is in the marina... this whole area is completely new construction. in fact, the entire area surrounding the marina is currently under construction. teams of workers are erecting high-rises 24 hours a day, so the cranes atop each structure are in constant motion (i was up for most of the night last night and sat on the balcony to watch). it's almost as if the city were inhabited by very slow-moving lighted dinosaurs that are growing each day.

i am really quite upset that my camera isn't working, because i got to fly over kuwait at night and the lighted coastline was absolutely stunning. i finally got to see the burj al arab hotel from the outside (i'm going on a tour of the building on friday, i think), and it's absolutely beautiful. i am somewhat relegated to the apartment for a day or so, as i have no transportation around the city until this weekend (thursday and friday are the weekends here), and it is painfully hot during the day right now, so unless i want to turn into a pool of sweat by hiking the twenty-something-odd miles back into the center of the city - which i am not to keen on right now - i am going to stick to walking around the marina until thursday afternoon, at which time i will get a chance to drive (as in actually drive, not just ride in a car... somewhat frightening to be honest) around the city.

now i am going to try to sleep, as jetlag is a really big bastard.
t.t.f.n.