Expo 2020 Dubai
Entrance to the expo was impressive and a great indicator of what was in store for us.
I'm not much for selfies, but a dear friend insisted that I include myself in these pics. I am really glad they talked me into it, because it was great to see myself along with so many beautiful sights.
The Dome. Impressive by day. Absolutely stunning canvas by night. Take a look at the video section, below, to see what I mean.
Plenty of seating for the light show to come.
Really a work of art, much like everything in Dubai.
Beautiful design literally everywhere you look.
Walking through the smaller pavilion area.
I loved the walkway shade designs throughout the expo.
Pretty sure this is an octopus. It's so pretty!
Very excited for my first Pavilion...Belize
Half of my family is from Belize, so this pavilion was very special to me.
Getting to see the arts and crafts from this side of my family, for the first time, was a somewhat profound experience.
Cylindrical tripod vase. Dating to the early classic period (495-593 A.D.) and found at Santa Rita in Corozal, Belize.
We export cocoa! I had no idea!
My Mayan ancestor could have made this. What a wonderful thought.
One of the Mayan Calendars
I had never seen our money. Not sure why I was surprised to see the Queen of England on there.
"The Two Foot Cow"
The Charikanari “Two Foot Cow” is a dance mocking past slave owners’ attire and mannerisms.
The expo sold these passports to collect stamps from the pavilions we visit.
My first stamp.
I chose to see pavilions for the countries my friends were born in. Guatemala was up next.
A Tikal mask and Corn God sculpture
A collection of doors around Guatemala.
A place to rest and enjoy videos about the countries economy.
Acrylic on ostrich eggs
Handmade earrings and necklaces
"Everyday Objects"
Next stop...Zambia
That's a play area where they have activities for kids, off to the left.
Wooden xylophone
Stone sculptures
Sculptures and bowls made from wood
Peru was quite a bit larger than expected!
Crossing the bridge to another world
Up to the show!
Massive displays to show off their highlands
and lowlands
Stepping into the rainforest
I really liked the transparent effect of the screens. It allowed for a perception of depth.
I was practically IN the rain forest!
More digital displays to show off the animals
Leaving the forest, off to the coast!
My photos/videos of these screens just don't do them justice. They were beautiful!
What would a trip to Peru be without learning about the cuisine?
Veggies native to the land
This room had a light show, music and displays of dancing, which is also very big in the culture.
Videos of people of all ages just dancing
It was a bit infectious. I'm not saying I full-on danced, but I had a good head-bop going.
Gold and jewelry
Gold armor and clothing
Necklace of the Old Lord of Sipan symbolizing power and divinity.
Fiji is up next!
Bula!!! This one was so much fun!
I know, I was just in the Peruvian rain forest and now I'm crossing a bridge into the rain forest of Fiji! Busy day!
What's your emoji?
This was great. The cloud was lighting up and had storm sound effects.
Found the pineapple! (Psych fans will get it)
The entrance to the Saudi Arabia pavilion. This was a visually stunning experience.
Those black bars have green text scrolling across. Video below.
These large displays were everywhere in the expo and they really did a great job of showing the country's lands.
Even the escalator ride had something to share with us.
In the center of the room is a "well" screen showing an overhead display continued from the wall behind me.
I was up in front and completely immersed in the experience. Wish I had video for you. It was a 180-degree display from my position.
When this was in front of me...
This was on the display in the "well".
You can't see it, but I had a huge smile from this one. I think I teared up again. It was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!
Both the floor and the globe reacted to our movements. Video below.
Just walking below a hanging garden. Saudi Arabia really outdid themselves.
Side note: I LOVE this. "People of Determination". We need to make this a thing, here.
Egypt! Figures once I finally get there, it's closed for Covid cleaning. I didn't make it back to this pavilion unfortunately. :(
This was so cool.
Switzerland pavilion
These were intersting
One cone per sense. This one was for vision.
We could smell the wood floor sculpture
Not sure why I decided to take a selfie with an ear, but there I was.
Touch was pretty neat...
You put your hands on the monitors and it picks up your heartbeat.
Then it makes a certain shape AND displays your beat on the center of the table, along with others. Video below!
Belarus pavilion
This buffalo had the most calming voice. Like Mr. Feeny! He was an interactive display.
Belarus forest art
Spain Pavilion
People chess
The U.S. pavilion
A video depicting not only a welcome, but progress.
This was loud, white-noise combined with LED display art.
Great view from the floor, too.
A garden in the ceiling
Grabbed a photo with my program's director, Carl Winston.
Showing off our space program
Yes, that's the real thing.
6 hours on my feet. I was dead tired.
You're going to want to see the videos below.
That's all folks! Maybe I'll see you again in Japan!
Some things just need video
Out of respect for the hard work of the pavilion designers, I’m only including short clips.