Dubai, United Arab Emirates

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Wow! I’m still pinching myself that I was really there! My dream to see this city has come true! It was all I read about that it would be and much, much more. You have to see it to experience it. The tall skyscrapers, the huge malls, the glitzy hotels, the world’s biggest this and that, the planet’s biggest shopping mall, the world’s tallest building Burj Dubai which is not finished yet, they are still adding more floors…it was all over the top and mind-boggling. We felt we were on sensory overload for 2 days.
The contrast between the poverty in Mumbai and the decadent opulence of Dubai evoked so many emotions.

It was hard to believe that right across the Persian Gulf from Dubai was Iran and Pakistan and at the most western part of the Gulf was Iraq. The United Arab Emirates began to exist as a unified body in 1971. There are 7 emirates or kingdoms, each ruled by a sheikh. The total population of the UAE is 2,600,000 and its capital is Abu Dhabi. Due to its vast oil reserves, Dubai has grown into a world class economic and trading center. Most of the country is desert, and Dubai is mainly built on reclaimed land.

We drove through the exclusive Jumeira district where the wealthy have homes. There is a section called “Emirates Hills” copying our Beverly Hills, home to Tiger Woods & many U.S. and European celebrities. I stopped counting the Mercedes cars. Toyota Camrys are also very popular. The dealerships on automobile row have every make represented. We stopped at Emirates Mall and saw the Ice Dome located in the mall. The temperature there is -5C and 5000 tons of ice and snow are produced every night. There is a 4 person chair lift, a luge run, snow boarding. You can rent ski clothes & equipment and there are chalets where you can stay for several days of skiing. You even get a beeper to warn you of an avalanche!

We drove through the Palm Islands, a group of man-made islands with hundreds of condos, which are all sold. Construction on Palm Island Two & Three has stopped due to the economic slowdown, which has effected Dubai. The islands built in the shape of the world are incredible – you can buy a home in Africa or Europe, just choose your island. But these islands are not connected so you have to have a yacht or helicopter to get to the mainland.

One evening we went for cocktails to the famous El Burj al Arab Hotel, the tallest hotel in the world built like a sail boat, also on reclaimed land connected by a causeway.