Dubai? Don't Buy it

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In researching a route to Egypt we found a flight on Air Arabia that stops off in the UAE, in Dubai. "You been there?" "No." "Yeah me neither." That's how we found ourselves staying in the Emirates for 2 days. Dubai is currently heralded as the hippest city in the world. In practical terms that means open up your pockets and let the town rape you of your wad. Unlike it's Middle East brethren, Dubai is unable to suckle at the oil-lactating teat as its waning reserves expect to tank out by 2015. But not to be shown up in the arena of the obscenely rich, they've come up with other plans to engorge their bankroll-- seduce money from the world's elite. Put up a song and dance about how great a place it is ("hippest city" sounds good-- pure marketing genius) and let the foreign investment roll in. It's like Vegas without the schlock (I take that back- there was a TGI Friday's that seemed to draw in an insensibly large crowd-- but the rest of it is pretty high-end). Boutique shopping malls and high-tech corporate offices sprout like weeds. 5 star hotels are being topped by 6 star hotels which are being topped by 7 star hotels (the 7* category was invented here-- there's one hotel that will soon open that will exist completely underwater, safe in a bubble). Construction of the world's tallest building is already underway. Thinking of staying long term? You can buy your own private island for $3 million or take up space in one the new residential complexes off shore. The gated-community here takes on the form of island-community-- man-made clusters of land have been shaped to look like palm trees. One complex is even designed to look like the globe. Rod Stewart has already bought up "Britain." Michael Jackson has shown interest in "Spain." And the Beckhams, Posh and Sporty, settled into seasonal residence long ago. Even that wily real-estate-magnate-cum-tv-personality, "The Doorknob" Trump, has plans to build.

It's an impressive city-- just not if you're unemployed and backpacking. We went from spending $4 on a hut in Goa to $110 on a business class hotel in the corporate village in Dubai. Everything is money here. Wanna spend a day at the beach? $100 dollars and you can spoil yourself on a fenced-off plot of land at the hotel resort (though you could go right next door to the public space for free-- but who would be so low as to do that?). Feeling hot and rambunctious? Head to the water amusement park (not so hip, nevertheless still expensive) for $50 a day. Want to escape the sand and dust of the desert? Cab over to the indoor ski center in the mega mall for $80.

So is Dubai really the hippest place to be? It certainly is a cool place to see. Luxury hotels line the coast. Modern-designed corporate buildings pervade the business avenue. Escalades and Ferraris hum down the streets. But there's one thing that is sadly missing-- a livelihood. Coming from the bustle of India and even China where you still find life at it's rawest, in the form of people on the streets, to Dubai where you go from one self-contained bubble to the next-- sealed hotel room to air-conditioned taxi to climate-controlled shopping mall-- without so much as a fleeting glance towards your neighbor, it's a bit depressing. Dubai has got style but no pulse. It's kinda like the rich kid growing up. Has all the toys and newest shit but could never buy a personality. And you can only be entertained for so long until you finally start yearning for something meaningful. So I say yeah, come over, spend the night for the weekend. Play with the latest gadgets and binge on the fine dining that you can't get back home. But once you realize that the good stuff you really want doesn't require batteries or can't be bought off the rack, get out and go back to the things that you really can appreciate.

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