I saw Dubai sparkle beneath my feet.

The Burj Khalifa made my knees go weak from the very first second. Not because of the height, but because I never expected the city to be so huge. Yuuki pressed himself against the glass and didn't move for ten minutes, as if he were counting the buildings. In the Emirates in spring, the morning light is still soft, almost milky, and the evening sun turns the desert into something I can't quite put into words.

Deira's Gold Souk gave me my first real headache. I figured I'd just "look around," you know, like a sensible tourist. Except the shop windows go on for hundreds of yards, the sellers are disarmingly kind, and Yuuki nearly knocked over a display while trying to catch his reflection in a polished window. That day I learned it's better to walk into a souk knowing exactly what you want, or you'll walk out two hours later with no idea how it happened.

The abra, the little water taxi that crosses the Creek for a few dirhams, was my favorite moment. No booking, no app, just hop aboard with a dozen other people, feel the engine hum under your feet and watch the traditional dhows glide by in the other direction. Yuuki kept his ears flat the whole ride. Me? I would have happily gone back and forth three times.