Monday - March 28, 2005
Dubai: Something from Nothing
Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates, is an absolute wonder! The city is situated on the banks of a creek, a natural inlet from the Arabian Gulf that divides the city into two parts. In both parts, you will see old and new (and believe me, there is a lot of new) existing side by side. Until 1966, Dubai was a relatively quiet but wealthy city due to its importance as a trading center for the last two or three millennia. Then oil was discovered, and since that time the population of about 65,000 people has exploded to about 975,000, with many of those being expatriate workers. But it is the rapid development of the desert and coastline that is quite breathtaking in its scope. As we sat on the deck, looking out over the most turquoise expanse of water I have ever seen, I had to admire the long stretch of skyline, with skyscrapers that look as though they are popping up out of the desert sand.
When our entry to Dubai was delayed by a day,
most of the women on the ship were hopping mad and most of the men were saying
prayers of thanks! Along with being one of the fastest developing centers of
tourism in the Middle East, Dubai is also one of the best places in the world to
buy gold jewelry because there are no sales taxes and because for many years it
was the center of gold smuggling for that part of the world (now they smuggle
other things). I, for one, could not wait to get to the Gold Souk, and I'm not
that much of a shopper when I travel. And what a place it was! Imagine if you
can, street after street of shops, all filled with the most beautiful jewelry
you've ever seen - some of it very Eastern in design, some of it very modern,
some imported from Italy - everything you could want in 18 to 24 carat gold.
Just trying to pick a shop, let alone THE piece of jewelry that is just you, is
enough of a challenge. Thank god I was up to the task. And we even managed to
bargain a bit, as expected, which saved us even more money.
Once we got the gold purchase out of the way, we set about seeing old and new Dubai. And what a contrast! Old Dubai is fascinating, with it souks selling spices, cloth, gold, perfumes, kitchen wares, and all manner of fruits and vegetables. The souks, interspersed with mosques and houses with wind towers, are located on both sides of the creek. We crossed the creek on an abra, or water taxi. Their captains call out until the boat is full and then they depart. It was a fun way to get around and let us see the city from the water. It was fascinating to see the traditional teak-built trading dhows, exactly the same as those used since the days of Romans except they use motors instead of sails, double- and triple-parked in front of modern skyscrapers. Probably the most famous piece structure in Dubai is the 1054 ft. Burj Al Arab Hotel, which looks like a great white sail rising out of the Gulf (see above). Built on its own small island, this all-suite hotel charges a minimum of approx. $1000 per night for the least expensive suite.
Another major building project presently going on is the construction of two palm tree-shaped artificial islands. This will give Dubai another 75 miles of shoreline for hotels, shopping centers, marinas, and villas. It is thought that this complex will be visible from the moon! The Sultan of Dubai is trying very hard to prepare his country for the time when the oil runs out, and I think he is showing great vision in trying to expand the tourist attractions that are drawing great numbers of people to Dubai every year. The Dubai Cup, the richest horse race in the world, was taking place the day after we left, but some disembarking passengers had tickets to go. However, I would have been a lot more interested in seeing one of the weekly camel races which are supposed to be wild and raucous affairs. So much so that the young jockeys, who ride just behind the hump, have to their behinds velcroed onto their mount! Now that would be some race.
One last thing I want to emphasize about Dubai is its attractiveness. The streets were very clean, beds of flowers were planted alongside the city streets, there was no graffiti to be seen, and the citizens obviously enjoy a high standard of living. We never felt so much as moment of hostility from anyone and we were very comfortable that we walking the streets in safety. We got the feeling that the worst thing that could happen to you here is that you might be vastly overcharged in the souks if you didn't make a good effort at bargaining.