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Published: July 20th 2006
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Burj Al Arab
feet in the persian gulf! whoever thinks that bigger isn't better, should spend a bit of time in Dubai!
heralded as where east meets west (although i have heard this about turkey as well?), Dubai is basically a man made mega-tropolis. one of the seven states (emirates) that makes up the united Arab emirates (UAE) and governed by the maktoum sheik family, Dubai occupies a plot of dry desert on the Persian gulf. 50 years ago, Dubai was mainly a small, quiet desert town with a lively fishing and pearl diving community. today, the city of 1.3 million is a mecca of modernity. glass skyscrapers, high-rise condos, shopping malls and first class resorts, golf courses, and beaches dominate the vast concrete sprawl.
as a stop-over en-route from Johannesburg to Bangkok, i only had 22 hours to properly explore. initially, my plan had been to hit the ground running, maximizing all sight-seeing time in this vegas style middle east kingdom that i had heard so much about. however, not much (any actually) sleep was had on the first leg from Johannesburg, mainly due to an overwhelming addiction to the 100+ movie options provided by emirates air. you know you have been sequestered in rural Africa
Palm Island Hotels
this is the beach front of one of the 5 star hotels...but you can just make out the strip of palm island hotels being built in the backgroud. wonder which one is for madge? for too long when the prospect of airline movies is exciting enough to pull an all nighter. i think i watched four back to back flicks. not to mention the immaculate ken and barbie doll flight attendants. the women had these silky cream blouses, and then little box hats with a silk cream sash attached to one end that fell down the left side of their neck and was thrown across the opposite shoulder, creating a cowl neck. Chanel herself was probably brought in to apply their make-up - porcelain faces, with crisp ruby red lipstick - all the same shade - distinctly reminding me of memoirs of a geisha. again, probably a little weird facsincation brought on my being in the bush for almost 3 months!
but i digress...
i ended up checking into a budget (Dubai standards) hotel room and logging a few hours of required sleep before starting the tourist rounds. i should have taken the hint from the airport concierge who was helping me find a hotel. i started off by requesting one within proximity of "downtown", so that i would be able to walk around and sight see (helpfully pointing our the areas
of interest on my fold out map in the process). his response came with a look of comical indignation and a kind of 'huff', as he answered, "this is not a city for sight-seeing. everyone shops!" So. too tired to argue with someone who obviously did not realize i did not come here to stay inside and shop, i booked the hotel, took a cab and melted away for a few hours in a blissfully air conditioned roon and westin-esque big white fluffy bed.
phase II: "ooooo! its HOT here!!" this stream of thought was on instant replay in my head for about the first 10 minutes of my "attempt" to sight-see. i made it about 2 1/2 blocks down a dry, concrete, street with a opaque beige motif, past a big Islamic mosque, across a big busy street...and straight into my first of many shopping malls. "aaaaah!" gotta love AC.
memories of melting in Houston Texas came reeling back and i quickly sat down with my big map to rework the day's strategy. this guy at the airport concierge was not kidding! we're talking the kind of heat that is plastering and immobilizing. the kind that
makes your eyelashes drop within seconds and gives you an instant case of asthma. how do people live like this? whew!
so...plan B? the Big Bus Company: Sightseeing Tour of Dubai! Oh, yes. a hop-on, hop-off tour de Dubai via the big red double Decker buses imported straight from London. the KING of all sight seeing vehicles.
so, without any further hesitation, i saddled up to the counter, bought my tickets for both circuits - the big bus city tour (red route) and the big bus beach tour (blue) - and climbed aboard!
over the next few hours, we were shuttled past a zillion mega structures, malls, construction sites, a big mosque, a big museum, and endless beach front property, hotels, and resorts. the big bus company did not disappoint on its promise to provide a comprehensive and informed overview of this adult play land and the amount of information and statistics was at times staggering. we 'oooo'd' and 'aaaaah'ed' with the best of 'em. I'll attempt to highlight a few of the interesting facts, figures and sights:
* 1. 3 million Dubai residents: 20% emirates, 80% expats (?!)
* women to men ratio is 1
to 5 (beaches are closed for women and children only on Wednesday and Sundays to give them a little privacy and escape from all that male testosterone!)
* Dubai has the highest desalinated water-consumption rate in the world: 250 million gallons per day (90% of this comes directly from the gulf and is put through a big treatment process)
* oil discovered in Dubai in 1966
* oil is currently cheaper than water
* by 2010, all oil will run out in Dubai. they are not worried tho, because 93% of all GDP already comes from commerce, trade, and tourism.
as you drive around Dubai, every other building or plot of land is under construction. 5,000 construction sites to be exact. is it then no surprise then that 15-20% of all the worlds cranes are currently in use here? by 2010, the goal is to have the biggest, tallest, longest, and best of just about everything...and there is no doubt in my mind that they will accomplish this goal. if not beat it! (if that's possible)
the Burj al Arab, is probably one of the most popular Dubai landmarks - made famous for tiger woods sending a little
shopping galore
you don't have to go far, before tripping over another fabulous retail experience. i am not one to take pics inside of malls, but these were just over the top... white ball sailing off into the gulf from its roof-top helipad. i think the burj al arab is a good example of how Dubai sees themselves setting the bar for future accommodations. at 6-10,000 UAE Dirhams a night ($1,700-$2,700 USD), the lowly normal person is not even allowed up the driveway without a reservation. not to mention the strict dress-code. the toilet flushes and doorknobs are supposedly pure gold. and with a cup of coffee going for $40USD, i decided that my picture from the nearby beach would be enough to suffice the 'i was there' requirement.
we also passed -
* palm island: an under construction private villa community that supposedly Madonna and David beckham have already signed up for. there is 24/7 construction here, in 2 shifts perdays, 6 days a week.
* Site of "DubaiLand": Dubai's response to Disneyland, which is planned to be the grandest and biggest theme park in the world. It will be 2x the size of Disneyland USA. and bigger than the whole of Manhattan.
* also under construction: the first ever underwater hotel, complete with dedicated fish and sharks. you will eat, sleep, and take in the 'views',
all from the depths of the Persian gulf. scuba gear not required.
* Burj Dubai: planned to be the tallest building in the world (are you getting the theme here?)
* the mall of the emirates: currently home to a gazzilion shops (ok, 450), plus indoor ski mountain - 'Ski Dubai', which is the biggest indoor ski lift in the world. 'Ski Dubai' currently houses 6,000 tons of manufactured snow over its 400 meter runs. for $35USD you can get fully suited up in ski gear and swoop down the winter wonderland for 2 hours. this would have for sure made my list, just for the pure insanity of it, if i had a bit more time. (however, ski Dubai does not have the longest indoor ski run come to find out (those slackers!)...so a new and improved 'Ski Dubai' with longer runs is being planned for the mega "DubaiLand"...coming to you by 2009.
* the Asia Asia Hotel: soon to be the grandest, biggest, most extravagent hotel in the WORLD. with 6,500 rooms.
* the offshore 'countries of the world': 300 man made islands that are located about 4km off-shore and stretch 120km, creating a
full replica of the ENTIRE world. good news is that the countries are for sale if you are interested! rumor has it rod Stewart just bought the UK for 20 million lbs.
WHEW!
its hard to keep up with this city!
after 6 wham bam hours of twirling past the latest and greatest (and soon to be tallest, biggest, and grandest!) on the big bus....i finished off my 22 hour taste of the middle east with a slightly cheesy, but relaxing dinner boat tour along the Dubai creek. overall, a memorable, yet lavish, consumer driven mecca of shopping, sun, concrete and sand.
word to the wise: if you are ever planning on visitng Dubai, bring your credit card and an extra suitcase!!
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