By mid-April nearly all of Fairfield Glade's Snowbirds have returned, and why not? After all, the Glade is a resort as well as home. The #1 reason Glade residents travel is to visit children, grandchildren and friends; however, we also vacation to exotic places. We vacation? We retirees are on permanent vacation and loving it! Nevertheless, that Flat Stanley column last week got me thinking about the following location for a future travel destination:

I received a fascinating e-mail from a Glade friend a while ago depicting in photos an incredible city. Since then I've read numerous articles about the construction boom that makes this city one of the fastest growing world-class cities. The city is Dubai (appropriately pronounced do-buy), the capitol of the Emirate of Dubai. Dubai is one of the seven United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai City is the capital. The UAE is located on the Persian Gulf between Oman and Saudi Arabia, nearby is Qatar and across the gulf is Iran. Since 1833 the emirate of Dubai has been ruled by the Al Abu Falasa dynasty. The current ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has ruled since 2006 when his older brother died. The 1.2 million population consists of 200,000 native Arabs, the balance includes expatriates from 150 nations with 250,000 Iranians, 100,000 English, Americans, Europeans, and the balance from South and Southeast Asia. Although the state religion is Islamic Sunni Muslim, the government donates land for other church affiliations and there are large numbers of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians. Arabic, English, Hindu/Urdu, Malayalam and Tamil are the most common languages spoken. Dubai was a trade-based economy and currently receives only six percent of its income from oil. In the 1980s the leadership decided to seek a service- and tourism-based economy. They are pursuing that goal with a passion and with eye-popping results as billions in development funds pour into the economy from Iran, Europe, the U.S. and many other countries.

Dubai International Airport is home base for Emirates Airlines. The airport will double in size this year with three terminals; one is exclusive for Emirates Airline. The new Dubai World Central International Airport is under construction and is projected to handle 120 million passengers within 20 years, making it the busiest airport in the world. The airline has 45 Airbus A-380s and 42 Boeing 787s on order. These wide body jumbo jets plus the Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner aircraft will complete Dubai's plans to host direct flights from every major city in the world.

What are the attractions? How about an indoor ski resort 400 meters long in the middle of a desert? Would you like to see the world's tallest hotel shaped like a sailing ship and built on a man-made island? The Burj Al Arab Hotel rooms rent for $7500 to $35,000 per night. It is the world's only 7-star hotel, but you can tour the hotel for $60 Euro dollars. You can shop at malls filled with world famous designer shops that are duty free or picturesque Arab markets where you can haggle to buy native goods. There is the Dubai WTA Tennis Championships won by Roger Federer last year; the Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament that draws players like Mark O'Meara and Tiger Woods, and the RGA European golf tour. There are eight golf courses in Dubai with central booking, 18- to 36-holes, and more under construction; one is lighted for night play. The world's first rotating skyscraper is under construction as well as the world's tallest building, Burg Dubai. Burg Dubai is projected to be 810 meters tall and near the new Dubai Mall projected to be the largest shopping mall in the world. The Dubai Waterfront project will be two times the size of Washington, DC and will include a mix of canals and islands full of hotels and residential areas that will add 500 miles of manmade waterfront.

The Jumeirah Palm will be the largest man-made island and is shaped like a palm tree that flares off shore into the Persian Gulf to create exclusive residences. The World is another man-made island complex being built into the shape of an atlas relief of the world. The world's largest theme park is planned with life size dinosaurs throughout the park. The Dubai Cultural Village, a $13.6 billion project will include museums, performing art centers, libraries, rare book stores, recreational open spaces, and schools for dance and music. Dubai has an international film festival, a Pipe band, Chamber Orchestra, and several beautiful theaters and music halls that host International theatre productions. Also under construction are an opera house and a studio city for film production. Nearly every major corporation has offices in Dubai; it is the acknowledged banking center of the mid-East and a list of business development would take another article. Family tourism and business development are the key themes. Dubai boasts sporting and cultural events, great restaurants, shopping, and more hotels being built than anywhere. The only drawback may be indicated by the fact that it is forbidden for a temperature reading to be published or announced above 125° F.

Kudos, gripes, suggestions? E-mail dfbackus@aol.com.