Most of day three was spent hanging out with Mario, enjoying the downtown views from the rooftop of his hotel, and enjoying his pool since our hotel didn't have one hehe.

In the distance there is the mighty Burj Khalifa - currently the world's tallest man-made structure. We'd be heading over there tonight.

Not before a bit of dinner though! Pork might be off the menu, but there are plenty of other animals to make up for it. Yummy!

The Burj Khalifa pokes a whopping 830 meters (2,722ft) into the sky, almost 200 meters higher than the next tallest building (in Tokyo). Construction began in 2004, took five years to complete at a cost of US$1.5 billion, and the building officially opened at the start of 2010. There's an observation deck somewhere up there we'd be visiting in a few days, but for now we'd just come to see the Dubai Fountain - the world's largest choreographed fountain system, and its very cool half-hourly show. Videos here and here.

The area around the fountain is a great spot to wonder in the cooler evening temperatures, and right next door...

...is another world's largest: the world's largest shopping mall hehe (based on total area). We got completely lost in here both times we went in - it's never-ending! The world's tallest building, largest choreographed fountain, and largest mall, all within spitting distance of each other. Dubai ladies and gentlemen!

The next day we did another guided tour, this one a 90-minute drive southwest of Dubai (through nothing but desert) in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, the capital and second-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is also the name of its containing emirate (the largest of the seven that comprise the UAE).

On the outskirts of the city sits the first circular building of its kind in the Middle East. How interesting. I'm not sure I'd trust it in a strong wind.

Down the road is the "world's furthest leaning man-made tower" hehe. No lens distortion here - this one really is on a lean. This is the Capital Gate, also known as the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi, with an 18-degree incline.

Our first stop of the tour was the massive Sheikh Zayed Mosque, named after the late president who initiated it, and who was the principal driving force behind the formation of the UAE. Men are required to wear long pants in here (or at least shorts below the knees) and women are required to cover up, so Kristina was handed this sexy little number. It's worth noting it was freaking hot today, so black isn't exactly the ideal colour but tradition is tradition. Incidentally, there is nothing in Islamic law that says women must wear black - they're free to wear whatever they want. However, back in the day, black material was plentiful and cheap and so the 'fashion' stuck.

The mosque is the largest in the UAE and eighth-largest in the world, covering an area of more than 12 hectares. Quite the impressive sight!

Despite the scorching heat, the white marble (from Italy I believe) is completely cool to the touch, so much so it almost feels cold on bare feet.

The intricacy on the inside is just as impressive as the outside. Construction of the mosque was completed in 2007 after 11 years - that's twice as long as the Burj Khalifa, and the level of fine detail in here no doubt contributed to that.

Time for some more of the world's largest then. The chandeliers in the main prayer hall here were imported from Germany and incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals. Furthermore, the chandelier in the shot on the right is the third-largest in the world and weighs several tons.

From the ceiling to the floor, here we have what is considered to be the largest carpet in the world, made predominantly of wool from... New Zealand :)

Sheikh Zayed died three years before his mosque was completed. His final resting place is located on the grounds around here somewhere.

From the mosque we were driven through Abu Dhabi's city centre to...

...the Emirates Palace. The palace is a 5 Star luxury hotel, and with gold and marble plating every available surface it is the second most expensive hotel ever built at a staggering US$3 billion. Only the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore comes in higher (which we've also visited).

In keeping with their apparent obsession with gold, you can order an Emirates Palace cappuccino from the hotel's cafe, topped with 24-karat gold flakes hahaha! And for the equivalent of just US$15, why not?!

And this is what comes out hehe - damn! After posing for photos we stirred in the gold and sucked it down. We were crapping out gold nuggets for a week ;)

While still picking gold from our teeth we then called into Heritage Village, a reconstruction of a traditional oasis village that provides an interesting glimpse into the emirate's past. By the way, that flagpole used to be the tallest in the world, but it's not now (seriously, our guide told us that hehe).

This was apparently a typical family home back in the day (minus the air conditioning units on the wall). Seems comfortable enough.

That aside there's a bunch of cool little handicraft stores here, and a really nice beach with a great view of the city. You're not allowed to swim here though. I forget why exactly, but spot the little boat out there to the left - that's the marine police just waiting for someone to dip their toe in!

Our next stop was Ferrari World - a Ferrari themed amusement park, which of course just happens to be the largest indoor amusement park in the world, of course. The theme park is also home to the Formula Rossa rollercoaster, which of course just happens to be the fastest roller coaster in the world, of course.

Our final stop in Abu Dhabi was the Yas Marina Formula One Circuit, which is the venue of the annual Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Something just happened to be going on while we were here. And with that, it was another long, boring 90-minute ride through the desert back to Dubai.