I became very intrigued with Dubai though a great friend I met at GE. Ali, a Lebanese who currently lives in Dubai, invited me to his home and I just could not pass up the offer. It’s really hard to put Dubai into words. Let me start by listing some of the amazing accomplishments, sights and destinations Dubai has to offer. The Burj Al Arab is the worlds only 7 star hotel, the
worlds tallest building (Burj Al Dubai) is currently under construction, two large palm islands are being built off the coast as well as a cluster of islands in the shape of the world (yours for only a ridiculous sum of cash!), a fully submerged underwater hotel will be opening shortly, 1/3 of all the construction cranes in the world are in Dubai, and not to mention DubaiLand, the Ice Dome, or the indoor ski mountain. The skyline is modern, construction continues around the clock, new projects are dreamed up and funded daily.
The pace of growth brings new meaning to the word execution - all funded on a belief that Dubai can become (and it is) the service sector and tourism juggernaut of the Middle East, West Asia and Africa. Contrary to most peoples perceptions, Dubai has very little oil, in fact it will run out in five years. Oil accounts for only 3% of all exports from Dubai. Very little core industry exists besides construction. To attract the minds, keyboard pecking fingers, and wealth of the service and tourism sectors Dubai has erected towering office buildings, exquisite apartments on human made lagoons and rivers with enough air conditioning to re-freeze the polar ice caps all along endless sunny, hot beaches await. Everything is manufactured, the land used to be the driest dunes you could imagine. Most buildings are already sold out before they are built. All of this was something I had to see first hand.
First and foremost I noticed how genuinely kind the Emirates’ are, even from the airport I was struck with how modern the buildings, people, and customs were. The customs staff was overly friendly and inviting, and airport had an overall atmosphere pf cool, calm, collected and distinguishably organized. This trend continued during all my travels. Whether they were drinking Seattle’s Best Coffee, chatting on Bluetooth headsets, or drinking Red Bulls, the Emirates are definitely enjoying their new found fame and fortune. However never straying far from their roots as all are dressed in traditional apparel and frequent the mosques five times a day.
Night 1:Ali, being the great host he is, knew the architect side of me had to see the Burj Arab. He took me straight from the airport to Club 360, a circular club built on a human made pier right below the Burj Arab where we had drinks with some other GE friends and watched the light shows on the side of the 7-star hotel. The Burj Arab is an architectural masterpiece and a true piece of art.
Day 1:
I spent the first full day on the beach recovering from a day
of flying. The 40 Celsius (105ish) temperature felt quite comfortable with the breeze off the Persian Gulf. The sand was very fine, the water warm and clear, and the fellow patrons fun and engaging. That night we went to Kasbar, a club set in a classy themed Moroccan villa hotel. We spent the night partying in the VIP room listening to a mix of MC Hammer, Buddha Bar, and Lil’ Jeezy
in an elegant, glamorous, beautifully decorated club.Day 2:
Dubai is quite spread out with one main downtown hosting the Burj Dubai, the traditional old town, the creek, the Emirates Towers, and many other office buildings to the North up the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and New Dubai to the South, the home of the Burj Arab, the Madinat Jumeriah, and the man made canal which hosts the other group of office and luxury residential buildings. Ali lives between the two, near the Mall of the Emirates. This mall houses the indoor ski slopes and countless stores. I spent the morning meandering the shops and marveling at the talent of the skiers.
In the afternoon Ali arranged a Desert Safari. A black Hummer H2 picked us up and we darted out of town towards the heart of the desert near the Oman boarder. Being my first time in a hummer, I can only describe it as “spacious” and “tenacious.” We stopped in route to ride 500cc ATVs over the dunes. After almost killing ourselves racing over dunes at upwards of 60 mph (no waiver to sign in sight) we then let our driver Mohammed show us how it really was done as we tore off over five hundred foot tall dunes in the H2. We spent the afternoon and evening rocketing across the desert up and over dunes and sliding sideways back down in the H2. After sunset photos over the dunes we headed to a camp set up with a traditional dinner, shisha, camel rides and a belly dancer. Traditional Arabic food is fantastic, try it if you haven’t.
Day 3:
For my last full day in Dubai I wanted to make sure I saw some of the old traditional city as well as some of the resorts being built. I spent the morning in the old town, walking thorough various souqs (traditional markets), including the spice and gold souqs. I walked through the old town, visited a traditional mosque, and crossed the creek in an abra. This area is very vibrant as pashminas, traditional carpets, shishas, camel and tea souvenir shops all vying for the tourist dollars. Here, life as usual proceeds outside of the massive growth of gleaming buildings. The creek and the old town is the center of traditional Emirate life in Dubai but none of it is very old. Dubai is one of two main cities in the United Arab Emirates (the other is Abu Dhabi), the UAE was formed in 1971. Much of the history of the area dates back to only the 1960s as the land was not developed nor inhabited. Its interesting being in a place with less history than the US and as the Burj Al Dubai theme states, “we are building history.”In the afternoon I went to the Burj Al Arab for a better look, it is so exclusive you have to have reservations to even visit the island (human made) the hotel sits upon. I snapped some photos and wandered to the Madinat Jumeriah. The Madinat Jumeriah is an intricate set of human made canals set among traditionally designed Arabic buildings all in a resort setting. The finest Arabic designs and architecture adorn the facilities with elaborate patterns, woodwork and tapestries covering the grounds. The Madinat poses a great contrast with the Burj Al Arab of the traditional designs and the new modern side of the city. I found a comfy couch and spent the evening watching the sunset over the buildings, the Persian Gulf and the Burj Al Arab marveling at what has been accomplished here.
Some final takeaways… Dubai is an amazing place, it is the epitome of a modern city based on the service sector. It is ready with open arms to become the center of that part of the world, and I think it will be. I believe there will be enough tourism, work, and growth to support the future of Dubai. The Middle East is a spectacular place with scenic deserts, clear waters, fantastic food, and generous people. It was quite a treat to visit this part of the world, not only visiting the Saudi Arabian Peninsula but also flying over Iran, Iraq, and other countries we typically only see in tragic clips on the news.
A few other points to note on Dubai. Dubai will have to continue to attract investment, will rely heavily on fossil fuel energy to maintain the growth and keep the city running (average temperatures in the 50 Celsius in the summer months might bring the A/C bill up a bit), and they will have to ensure that they are not violating human rights with the many Indian workers building the massive sky scrappers. Environmentally the city is progressing with aggressive recycling projects, but it still remains to be seen if the human built islands and the massive energy use will have a lasting impact. As long as these will be worked out, Dubai will soon no longer be an exotic destination in the middle of the Middle East, and a place we will all end up spending quite a bit of time, for work or leisure. I know I will be back.
