Stopover Dubai

One of my good friends who had lived in Dubai for a while once mentioned to me that living in Dubai was like living in a theme park. At that time, I wasn't sure what he meant because I had never been to Dubai. 

Tall buildings, really tall buildings, really really tall buildings including the the tallest building in the world (a.k.a. TTBITW) Burj Khalifa (I had to crane my neck at an awkward angle whenever I wanted to see its top), a seven-star hotel, shopping malls the size of small cities, luxury cars, dune bashing in boys toys' SUVs, and all of this in the middle of a desert. This is the vision that conjures up when you think of Dubai. In short, a playground for the rich. Was all this true?

There was only one way to find out. So I packed my bags.

Day 1:

TTBITW by night

As the aircraft descends onto the runway of the Dubai International Airport, if you happen to sit on the right side of the fuselage, you experience a mirage-like vision of an oasis and a town appearing in your window - a mirage that one would normally experience after spending a long hot day in the desert - coming up to meet you. Only in this case, it seems to be a mirage of epic proportions sprawling for miles. And as the wheels touch the ground, it begins to sink in that it is not just a mirage but a real city with real people fighting hard against the elements to make it the greatest city on earth.

Burj-Khalifa from the Mall of the Emirates

And thus, the imagination seamlessly merges into reality. 

Step outside and you are hit by an intense heat that reminds you that you are indeed in the middle of desert. And if you land on a regular day, you will see a haze created by sandstorms common in these parts. All in all, interesting first impressions.

Entrance to the MotE

So as my pal in Dubai kickstarted the tour of the city, I got more and more intrigued by the way city was being constructed. Yes, the metropolis is still a work in progress because wherever you look around, you will see a lot of new buildings (tall and really tall) under various stages of construction as you drive through the highways (the main being the Sheikh Zayed Road) and expressways of the city. You get the feeling that the stories you keep hearing of a global slowdown are just that. Stories. Apparently, the city was gearing up for some international convention that is supposed to happen in 2020. In some strange way, all those construction cranes, construction pits and skeletons of upcoming buildings reminded me of Las Vegas where at any given time some hotel gets torn down and a new one keeps coming up on the so-called 'Strip'. I realized that the skyline I was seeing on that day would no longer be the same if I ever happened to return to the city again. Like shifting sand dunes during a sandstorm, the skylines would keep shifting as the construction companies would try to outdo each other in making the next prominent address enclosed in a glass skyscraper. Surreal. So much for summer afternoon sight seeing.

Shifting skyline? Dubai Marina

And then there were the shopping malls. Well, they are in a league of their own. Because of the kind of heat you face when you step outside, people prefer the shelter of the air conditioned malls to a nice walk around the city. And honestly, the heat outside is difficult to deal with. You need to flit from one air-conditioned structure to another without getting caught up in the heat. And as long as you do that, your life is as comfy as a silkworm's in its cocoon. One can't help but spare a thought for all those construction workers - whom you happen to see as you pass by - who spend most of their time in such harsh environment to make life better for the rest of the world. Apparently some of the companies operate construction activities in the night to avoid heat exhaustion. Good for them. But I digress. Coming back to the shopping malls, it is not an exaggeration to say that you get everything you can imagine under the roofs of these mega structures. Books, electronics, clothing, accessories, food, more food, cinemas, entertainment zones (for all ages), you name it, you have it. Such is the scale of these malls that it almost took me a whole day to see half of Emirates Mall a.k.a. the Mall of the Emirates (MotE). And all I did was window shopping. I must admit that most of my time was spent at the Kinokuniya bookstore. If you are a book lover then this bookstore is a must visit. It is almost like a small library. Make that a medium library. The remaining time was taken up in walking along the enclosed concourse from the Metro station to the Mall and back (Gosh! It IS a long walkway). MotE is the closest you can get to Burj Khalifa if you are not ready to pay a small fortune in going to the top of the world. But did I mention that you end up craning your neck to an awkward angle to get a good shot of the Burj Khalifa a.k.a. TBITW?

Day 2:

Mirdif City Center

Shop of Lights - MCC

The skylight at MCC - Very nice use of natural light

But my instant favorite hangout spot was the Mirdif City Center. In my opinion it fully utilizes the sunlight with it its unique architecture and space management. I would highly recommend it to a visitor. It is far from the madding crowd of the MotE plus it is much more relaxing.

An evening boat ride at the Dubai creek

And that's how the boats get decked up for a leisurely evening.

Day 3:

Atlantis is another place people would want to visit because of the unique place it is located in plus the monorail that takes you passing right through the heart of the exotic Palm Jumeirah. Highlight: An ATM that dispenses gold. However, if you are not a guest of the Atlantis, you would be constantly put off by the discreet 'guards' who keep popping up from nowhere (one popped out right from a bush like a creepy zombie) to 're-direct' you from areas which are out-of-bounds for visitors. Reminded me of Las Vegas. Yet again. Thankfully, the view of the sunset over Persian Gulf is not 'off-limits'.

The Atlantis - Notice the bushes? That's where the 'guards' are stationed :-)

Bling box - ATM that dispenses Gold.

Of course, there is the Burj-al-Arab. Off limits again if you don't have an appointment at the 7-star hotel. I didn't have one. So I gave it a miss and took a passing glance while travelling from MotE to Atlantis in the metro. Some other day, some other time.

Sunset over the Persian Gulf

Day 4:

More bling - Gold on display at the Gold souk

Covered walkway at the Gold souk

But what one should not miss is to taste and buy dates and a visit to the Gold and Spice souks. Gold Souk is the place where you get the feel of the authentic Dubai. A place where you see people a little less dressed up, a little less ostentatious and a little more business minded unlike the folks you'd see in the starry Malls. The shops are quite normal and do not have a pretty face to welcome you. A place that is not decked up like the city center and the Jumeirah. In short, a little less 'westernized'. Plus you get to see lots and lots of gold in one place and lots and lots of spices to smell at one place. So much so, that you get the feeling that the gold here smells like spice. Gold Spice. Hmm. That sounds like a nice name for a cosmetic business. Nevertheless, this is the true business district of Dubai and the real deal if you ask me.

As I wrapped up my trip, I began to realize that Dubai has its own charm and offers a little bit of something for everyone. It is a melting pot of cultures and people come from faraway lands to start a life or improve upon their existing ones. Dubai is also a good oasis and has enough glitter and glamour to attract tourists, shoppers, tourist shoppers and business. As long as you don't mind that you are in the middle of a desert. 

So, coming back to my friend's opinion about it being a theme park, well, I do have to admit that there is a fair bit of truth in it. It is indeed a playground for the rich and the famous as Piers Morgan proclaimed. But like I mentioned, it offers a little bit of something for everyone. For me, well, Dubai is an oasis where I happened to drop by for a little look-see (of sorts).