March 6 -8: Region 8 held a Membership Development Workshop in Dubai on 6-8 March 2014. Dubai is surrounded by a huge desert and survives off the mild ocean air of the Persian Gulf. It is a liberal Muslim monarchy. Thus, for example some Muslim women wear traditional Burkas and Western women wear jeans. It is part of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is not an oil-rich Emirate and so needs to focus on other sources of income.

Dr David Hislop attended. Their were delegates from Oman, Kuwait, Spain, Dubai, Lithuania and the Ukraine. (Sorry for the dodgy picture. I asked the concierge to take a picture using my phone camera. I am awaiting a better photo from a proper camera later.)

The meeting was held at the Five Continents Al BArsha Hotel. The following map indicates the hotel and the airport, which are 2 hours apart by bus and one hour apart by Metro. While the hotel was very nice, the distance from the sea was substantial, which was a pity. 

Here is a picture of the Dubai skyline with the Burj Khalifa building dominating. It is the biggest building in the world at 828metres high and is shockingly big. Dubai has changed dramatically in the last 10 years since the author was there last, with a brilliant Metro and many, many new developments.

What is interesting about Dubai is that it is a living example of the difference between creativity and design. Although Dubai is deeply in debt it has overcome some severe hurdles.