Last week, I wrote about the soon-to-be world's tallest skyscraper, being built in the heart of Dubai. Here's another outrageous sight. This used to be the helipad at the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel, temporarily converted into a tennis court for an exhibition match between Agassi and Federer.

"I have been in Dubai many times and have stayed at Burj Al Arab before, but this was an absolute treat," said Roger Federer of Switzerland. "To play tennis with Andre on top of such an amazing hotel and overlooking the whole of Dubai was absolutely spectacular."

The court is some 200 meters off the ground and covers 400 square meters, or about 8 times the size of my apartment in New York.

That's tall, isn't it? Though Dubai might not be high up on your vacation list, as we've frequently posted about various unfortunate mishaps travelers have gotten themselves in over there (mostly at the airport and involving poppy-seeded bagels), I think it might be worth it to jet over there once the Burj Dubai opens.

It'll be hands-down the world's tallest skyscraper. Here's a multimedia introduction to the place. First, a cool video with unique footage from the top.

Now, some unbelievable photos here, here, and here. My favorite is this one that seems almost CGI.

[Image courtesy Burj Dubai Skyscaper]

Besides being a destination for people who like designer boutiques, tall buildings and overpriced restaurants, Dubai is on its way to becoming the best place in the world to find the perfect spa experience. The spa industry is growing by nearly 20% per year. By 2010, it is projected that Dubai will surpass other destinations with a total of 15 million visitors at its spas.

Everyone (including former Mrs. Kid Rock Pamela Anderson) is trying to get in on the hotel boom that the emirate is currently experiencing. And what's a luxury hotel without a spa? Themed spas are virtually required for any glitzy new inn.

Yes, Dubai is theme-happy. They have built housing developments that resemble palm trees and world maps. Spas are not immune from this fad. A few examples: The Ritz-Carlton's Balinese spa, Shangri-La's Chinese themed Spa, an the Indian spa at the Taj Palace.

Dubai has a leg up on, say, Scottsdale, in terms of luxury. But that is probably because it has to. The whole emirate is a luxurious version of an adult DisneyWorld, complete with Formula One racing and shopping malls.

Would people still be flocking to Dubai if it didn't have all those over-the-top elements?

Formula One, the world's tallest building, the most luxurious hotel on the globe, a housing development that is built to resemble a miniature world. Dubai has made a name for itself with its larger than life constructions, impressive spectacles, and over-the-top luxury offerings.

It seems only natural, then, that the major players in other urban areas would want to try their hand in Dubai. London super-cool eatery The Ivy, a fave of movie stars and other paparazzi targets, is going international by opening a location in the glamorous gulf city.

The competition will be quite stiff, however. Because of its status as both a business and leisure destination, numerous restaurateurs have joined the fray, making Dubai one of top culinary destinations in the world.

Celeb chef Gordan Ramsey, when he isn't cussing at would-be chefs on reality TV, is overseeing a restaurant at Dubai's Hilton. And there are many others, more than a few who have earned the coveted Michelin star given to fine dining's finest.

Any newcomers are going to find the competition top notch.

Will Dubai's restaurant scene ever reach its limits? Perhaps, but The Ivy and its peers are sprinting to make into into the world's new capital of fine dining before that happens.

Source

Interesting idea, but it honestly doesn't make much sense to me.

Emirates has made a decision to get rid of all paper from the seat pockets on its new Airbus A380. Why? The Economist reports that they're trying to save weight and, hence, fuel.

Don't get me wrong. I think throwing out those silly in-flight magazines is a grand idea. However, can you seriously save significant weight by removing, say, 1000 magazines? Let's say it's the same weight as one passenger (after dinner.)

Does that really make a big difference?

The Economist writes that removing 2kg of paper from each of the 500 seats shaves a tonne off the plane's flying weight. What do they mean by "2 kilos" of magazines, exactly? That's 4 pounds. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I have never been on a flight where you find 4 lbs of reading material in the seat pocket in front of you.

What does Emirates provide for the reading pleasure of their customers? Bridal magazines?

It's not very often that we Americans are privy to a taste of the Airbus A380, the new supermega jumbo jet that took to the skies last year.

Singapore Airlines was the first customer of the aircraft and though they took a quick zip around the United States, as our friend Mr. Cranky talked about last year, most folks have barely seen or heard much about the aircraft -- after all, none of Singapore's A380 flights regularly touch American soil.

Emirates, Dubai's glorious national carrier, however, has more appeasing plans. Starting later this summer, the airline is opening flights on the A380 between New York's JFK and Dubai, while routes from Los Angeles and San Francisco are planned for later in the year.

The airline plans to kick off its festivities with an inaugural flight reception at JFK on August 1st, where the media will be treated to inbound airport goodies from tarmac access to interviews with Emirates' staff and general merriment. Then, the aircraft flies cross country to California where two "acquaintance" flights are scheduled for the media and other interested parties. Too bad that's on the wrong coast for me.

If you've got any friends in the media world, now might be a good time to cash in your chips for a ride on the A380 -- otherwise you're going to have to wait to fly revenue. Last time I checked, those flights were going for about two grand.

Stay tuned for pictures and coverage from the Emirates reception.

World travel is a wonderful thing--or can have dire consequences when cultures clash. Having sex in a public place isn't exactly celebrated in western culture, but it's not uncommon--particularly under the cover of night when the stretch of a beach seems private.

In some cultures having "safe sex" is more than using a condom.

In Dubai, if you get caught having sex in public, you will get arrested and face years in jail--six in fact. Such is the possible fate of Michelle Palmer, a British woman who has worked in Dubai for three years. She and her male companion were caught having sex. If all goes well, she might only be in jail for three months--the minimum sentence.

The story is not complicated. Palmer, a manager of ITP Publishing was at a champagne brunch where the bubbly stuff flowed. Eventually, smashed and feeling frisky, she and a man headed to the beach for some adult fun and letting off steam.

Unfortunately, the police came along. Having sex in public in Dubai is not the only big no-no. So is having sex if you are unmarried. So is being drunk. Three strikes, you're out. Or in--as in jail.

This article in MailOnline gives the scoop. As I'm reading between the lines, I see a traveler's tale that is not so uncommon of others I've heard. When living in a culture that is different from ones own, it's difficult to stay vigilant--to not slide into comfort and think that you're safe when you are being yourself.

These women SHOULD have gotten jail time, no?

Nothing phases me in Dubai anymore. Anything and everything is possible in this city, so when I read news like this: "Dubai plans self-powered skyscraper with individually rotating floors," I'm quite numb.

Opening para: "A $350 million tower to be known as the Dynamic Architecture building is to be constructed in Dubai. The 68-story tower will feature floors that can be individually rotated via voice commands."

So each floor of this building will rotate individually to create a building that constantly changes shape. (I've stopped asking "why" when it comes to such projects.) Also, it will use wind-turbines to generate electricity for itself and another 5 buildings its size -- that's actually pretty neat, not to mention green.

Construction will start this month and word is that a similar project is in plan for Moscow as well.

We wrote here on Gadling about Dubai arresting people for having a spec of marijuana on their shoes while transiting through the airport, and then sentencing them to 4-years in Dubai Central Prison.

I'm currently in Dubai and in the 3 days that I've been here I've heard of 4 stories of acquaintances in jail for having 0.02 grams of hash on them -- all that happened at the airport on "Bush Day".

I don't know how they manage to sniff out people with 0.02 grams of hash on them. They say that the customs have some high-tech sensors that pick up on it, but there is no security check of consequence on the way out; your hand bag does get screened, but that's after passport control and there isn't any walk-through detector.

There's a lead story in today's Guardian that talks about the same and how Dubai has the longest list of banned substances, possession of which leads to imprisonment. The list includes: codeine, poppy seeds and many well-known anti-depressants.

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Airways recently offloaded many people from their flights because they had booked their tickets online with a credit card that wasn't theirs, but a friend's or a relative's. These people had to purchase another ticket if they still wanted to fly.

I know that a few other Middle Eastern airlines, all Indian airlines, and Cathay Pacific, have the same policy to the extent that the person who's credit card has been used to book the flight, needs to accompany you to check-in.

When my parents came to visit me in Madrid from France, I booked them flights on my credit card; similarly when my brother and I traveled around Spain, all flight/train/hostel bookings were made under my name. If all airlines, or any travel-service related company for that matter, begin using this policy, they may lose lots of business from online purchasers so I wonder if it will ever become standard online booking policy.

It's all to prevent credit card fraud, but seriously inconvenient, no?