Natalie's going on a really long trip. See it all on Facebook.

Week 4: Dubai

If the world were a Monopoly board, Dubai would be Mayfair. This is the playground for the richest of the rich, a place where money is no object and the bigger the better. I suppose when you live in a place where petrol costs next to nothing, things are bound to be a little crazy.

Dubai also seems to be a place that suffers from small man syndrome. Everything here strives to be the biggest, tallest, largest and most spectacular as the city hopes to build itself into a new stopover hub for holidayers. With huge waterparks on man-made islands and shopping malls that offer amusement parks on the top level and ski parks downstairs, Dubai seems to be aiming to offer the ultimate theme-park-styled holiday destination for families (in the desert).

While on this trip, I managed to get to Atlantis - one of the huge waterparks here. One of the rides there was featured in The Amazing Race and the couples were challenged to go down the ride. I always thought I'd be ace at a game like that as I'd sit in front of the television eating my fast food screaming, 'DO IT! WHAT A COWARD!' But as I stood in front of the ride I realised I would have kissed that prize money away. The ride (a slide with a huge drop) was so steep it made people look like they were standing up while they flew down the slide. Fuck that. I got to the front of the line, looked down, apologised and said I had forgotten something and ran back to the locker. Awesome.

With hundreds of new skyscrapers populating this metropolis, the progression and ambition of this place is fascinating. I really cannot wait to see what becomes of Dubai and what it will look like once finished. I just hope they steer clear of building a biodome. No city needs a biodome.