Global Village, Dubai

Global Village, now in a permanent location in Dubai and open until March, is definitely worth a visit. (FYI - We hit a lot of traffic on the way there but the roads were wide open on the return trip to Abu Dhabi.)

There are 38 countries represented, each with stalls selling a variety of wares within a facade of the country's characteristic architecture. In the picture above I'm looking at hand-embroidered tablecloths in the Afghanistan pavillion.

A pleasant surprise was a modern dance performance that began on land and continued on the man-made canal that runs through Global Village. The dancers performed inside "bubbles" as they floated on the water.

Above is the just-opened India pavillion.

On the night we went to the Global Village, there were many, many people there - mostly families - but we didn't find the crowds overwhelming. There are a nice variety of amusement-park rides and games, but they don't dominate the Global Village. In the background there was a steady stream of Arabic music.

Above is another view of the various countries' pavilions. Many line the canal but others are found off the canal, closer to the food/dining area. To be sure, some countries' pavilions offer more authentic wares than others. We particularly liked Nepal, Senegal, and Afghanistan. We plan to go again as we didn't have enough time to get around to all the countries.