Dubai is dusty.....it's also hot, like stifling, you can't take deep breaths type of heat. The, it's 100 degrees at night type of heat. It's the wrap in a blanket of warm air when you step outside type of heat. The kind of heat that you can never get relief from....the kind that when you roll down the windows to get a cool breeze, you instead get a mouthful of of hot, stank air type of heat. Do you get my drift? Can you feel the heat?

Dubai is aesthetically very beautiful. There are architectural masterpieces all around you. A spectacular display of wealth and grandeur. Each building appears to be the architect's attempt to outdo the structure to the right or left of it.

That's not all. Inside each hotel, mall, or indoor ski slope is even more fantastic than the outside. Tons of money poured into making structures that illicit head tilting ohs and ahs from each person that steps inside.

I'm sure the folks that built these magnificent structures are really proud of themselves.

Did I mention that brunch is like $150USD? I mean...it's a buffet and all you can drink but....nah, bruh.

Even the party scene in Dubai is very alluring...it rivals some of the great party cities like Mykonos and Ibiza, at least that's what I've heard. Couple that with the city's opulence and you'll find yourself dressed in white at a day party on a yacht with liquor flowing in no time.

But that bores me.

I'm a fan of natural beauty. I want to see creation. And while Dubai is quite spectacular, I was more impressed by the orange sand in the vast desert where we went dune bashing. Then I can take pictures like the ones you see below.

Don't get me wrong, I was very impressed by the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. That was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. But I'll tell you what else I liked. I really like going to the souks and the Old Dubai area (even though I didn't get to fully explore). I felt like everything there was more authentic. And maybe that's the problem. Dubai is lacking authenticity, in my opinion. Everything is coated in gold and that's just not real life.

This is real life: Us dragging our suitcases to the bus terminal, trying to figure out how to buy tickets, standing in like in 150 degree heat and having everyone staring at us like we were an exhibit at the zoo while we waited for the bus that would take us to Abu Dhabi from Dubai. What's real is the funk that emanated from the cloth seats probably as result of several undeodorized previous occupants.