Thursday 28th February 2013 +4.0 hrs GMT: Dubai, United Arab Emirates ­ An Appointment with a Big Bus ­ The Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall is just one of several huge shopping malls in Dubai Cty.  This one is by no means the largest, that accolade goes to the Mall of the Emirates described as the “ultimate leisure, entertainment and shopping resort”. This 223,000 square metre centre features 472 international brands including department, fashion, lifestyle, sports, electronics and home furnishing stores all offering luxury goods at prices that make your eyes water, the largest Carrefour in the city and 60 independent outlets.

What they don’t tell you is that about 20 miles down the road to the south of the city is a Designer Outlet that sells all the same brands and a fraction of the cost!  I know because I saw this outlet on the way to the balloon in the morning.

The entertainment in the Mall of the Emirates includes a Magic Planet, a 14-screen multiplex cinema, Ski Dubai, a five star Kempinkski hotel and 70 coffee shops and restaurants.

Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East providing a 200 metre ski run and facilities for snowboarding and tobogganing.  You can hire a suite at the hotel that looks out over the ski run where it snows every night for 3 hours.  Amazing what you can do with oil energy but what happens when this runs out?!

After nearly two hours on the Hop-on Hop-off bus was ready for a coffee and chose to visit the Dubai Mall.  One of the main features of this complex is a huge central Aquarium – see the photo. I bumped into Hugh and Susie whom I had shared the visit to the Taj Mahal with and they mentioned that the Dubai Fountains would preform at 1.30pm.  I dashed through the complex and could see the fountains had begun but I could not find my way outside. I consoled myself with a cup of Tim Horton’s latte (Canadian chain) and a croissant before exploring the mall in more detail.  It didn’t take long since all the brands are exclusive and expensive and one gets tired of endless fashion boutiques and jewellery stores all with bored looking assistants glaring at computer screens.