GITEX 2018 in Dubai

What a year this has been so far!
I traveled a lot, have been to the US for the first time, and am now in the Middle East.

Each year, the Gitex is happening in Dubai, the essential tech conference in the region. It’s huge!

But so is the city, of course.

On the first day, I went to the Dubai Mall, where an aquarium and an ice hockey ring were inside.
And, of course, it’s attached to the Burj Khalifa.

I bought a VIP ticket to go a little higher than the standard ticket would allow.
It’s the most elevated observation deck in the world.
Well, it looks like it:

There’s enough space for a few more decades of growth.

I also went to the exhibition hall, but there wasn’t much to see yet:

Okay, maybe back to the Mall?

A Nutella bar, I know someone who would love to be here:

And here, I guess:

On the following day, the exhibition started,
It seems robots are a hot topic in the Middle East these days:

What did this one do to deserve jail time?

On one of the evenings, we couldn’t resist and visited the Salt-Bae dude. It’s overpriced, and you just pay for the name. The food in Istanbul was much better.

And in another place, I finished my “a burger in each city” mission for Dubai, too:

On day three, the “Ontime” team was more than an hour late. Suspicious! Maybe change the name of the company!

Later on, we did another touristy thing and went on a city cruise ship with dinner:

And on the last day, my flight was scheduled for the evening, and I walked around a bit.

As soon as you move out from the flashy city center, it no longer looks that impressive.
I read about the workers and their conditions, but apparently, it’s still better compared to their homes.

After an hour of walking, I discovered what is probably a wild place during the season, but not in October anymore.
It felt a bit like paradise during a zombie apocalypse: