A Day in Dubai

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Dubai

We booked a 3 hour City Tour with a pickup scheduled between 8 - 8:30am. It arrived at 9am. The small coach was welcome as it was yet again a hot day. It had been 50C+ the previous month - Note to selves NEVER EVER go to Dubai in August.

Our first stop was at the driveway to the home of the current ruler Mohammad something I forget. Peacocks were strutting about and it was very green in contrast to barren desert parts under construction as we passed. The poor working men work 12 hours shifts and sleep in crowded rooms for only the equivalent of $700 a month!



Dubai is only 41 years old. It was a Bedouin land then. Oil brought the transformation. The indigenous tribes are now given vast amounts of money and privileges Only they are permitted to live in Jumeirah area. This is the man made palm tree shaped island.

Although there is a population of 8.3 million residents in Dubai only 900,000 are of Bedouin descent.

The city burns electricity in vast amounts. It is oil fuelled of course. Petrol here is only 60cents per litre whereas water is $4.60 per litre. At one water theme park, Wild Wadi, it holds the equivalent of 120,000 bathtubs of water which loses 25% via evaporation per day. At that rate of consumption perhaps water levels worldwide won’t ever really rise up ! The excesses here are endless as the wealthy flock to show off in decadent ways. Even the Police Force drive a Ferrari!

Next stop was Dubai Museum. It is underground and very well done. It depicts all the aspects of the Bedouin tribes a merely 41 years ago which was very interesting. Throughout are statues of people doing crafts and everyday activities that you can photographed It is forbidden to photograph the local people and families.

Dubai Creek followed. It is much wider than a creek and it flows out into a lake like lagoon. There are still old wooden traditional traders boats moored alongside massive yachts with a background of skyscrapers. We took short trip on a Dhow boat to the Spice Souk. The exotic smells filled the air with their promises of strange meals new to our palates.

Our tour guide, Nelya - a Russian, took us to a shop where we tasted some chocolate made from Camel's milk. It was covered in a thin multi coloured sugary layer to stop it melting all over one's fingers I guessed. I bought a bag of it for AU$5 equivalent, expensive but a quaint thing to offer to others non the less.

I'd have liked to buy some Saffron and Vanilla pods but doubted it would make it thru Australian Customs.

Around the corner was the Gold Souk. It was midday by now and 39C We were all melting in the heat but trouped on. I wanted to buy a basic gold chain to replace a broken one but @ 158,75 Dirham per gram for 22 crt a thin necklace was quoted at costing AU$430 My eyes popped ! I'd bought a pendant and a chain for half that in Australia. Such a disappointment. The hawkers are persistent as trying to get you to buy fake watches, purses etc and pashminas (shawl / scarves) Well I guess it sell pashminas in that hot climate the job qualifications was selling the proverbial ice to Eskimos skills set. I bought a full length brightly coloured cotton dress as a memento and @ only AU$7 it was good value.

We only had a photo op for the iconic Burj Al Arab (sail shaped hotel) taken from Jumeirah beach where only a few stupid tourists were frolicking about. I imagine that they look rather lobster like today and were oblivious to skin cancer dangers.



We ate late a Japanese lunch at the Mall of the Emirates. Browsed about but bought nothing. It was busy but seeing entire Emirati families in Ski outfits heading to the Snow Dubai theme park amused me Inside there it was -3 C !! outside 39C !! It looked like a cheap Christmas card but I supposed exciting to small children.

Although we had planned to see the dancing Dubai Fountains we decided an early night was a better choice before a 4:45am rise to fly to Dublin next day.

So, you ask Dubai? Would I go again? or recommend it? Probably not. There's very little history left, the climate is harsh, the Islamic beliefs clash with their desire to absorb all things decadent in the West. Perhaps these will blend together over time but for now with millions of starving poor, many of whom are Muslim, the excesses all felt indecent and greed motivated. After all "Money can never buy Good Taste" and Dubai is an iconic symbol of that sentiment.



I'm writing this aboard our Emirates flight to Dublin. The planes are good now with webcams on the wings and tail so coveting the window seats is now outmoded. It's a Boeing B777-300ER the 7 hour flight is more than half over with 3 hours to go now. We flew over Baghdad which surprised me. It seemed very dry beneath us. It's greener now with scattered some townships of Serbia just now.

I'll be landing my mother's mother's Motherland very soon YAY !!

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Photos

Burj Khalifa in morning haze.
This is the tallest building in the world.
It uses 3/4 million litres of water per day. Most of it in air conditioning. Water in Dubai costs AU$4.50 litre !