Dubai. It’s one of those, you gotta see it to believe it kind of places. I walked out of the airport and was smacked by a wall of heat. It was nearing nine in the evening, the sun had been down for hours, and yet the temperature was still 32 degrees. Standing in the taxi queue was suffocating, even with the large misting fans that laboured next to us. I jumped in a cab for the 20 minute trip to my hotel. In the darkness I could make out numerous half completed buildings that had risen from the desert. An army of workers, mostly Indians and Pakistanis (of Dubai’s 1.4 million people, 85% are foreign workers), were busy working on one project late into the night. As we drove on, the entire city looked like one big construction site.I could make out the yet to be completed, Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building. As of this month the tower has reached a 162 floors, soaring more than 2,000 feet. It was almost a year ago that the Burj Dubai surpassed Taipei 101, which had held the distinction of being the world’s tallest building. To give you an idea of how they do things here in Dubai, so far the Burj is more than 300 feet higher than Taipei 101. And apparently, the final height isn’t being revealed.
The taxi turned into the drive of my hotel and I felt like Aladdin riding a magic carpet. The Palace – The Old Town is a stunning property that resembles an Arabian palace. The notion of an Old Town, however, is somewhat misleading, because the only thing old in this area is the sand on the ground. Only in Dubai can you create a brand new Old Town and get away with it.
In the morning I climbed in a taxi and headed over to Dubai Creek, which is the real old town of Dubai. I asked my driver about the astonishing changes taking place all over the city. He told me when he came to Dubai 18 years ago, there were just a handful of buildings, and a single road in the city. Today, skyscrapers are going up all over the city along with numerous elevated highways.
I wandered through the old souq before jumping aboard an open-sided wooden boat, called an Abra, for the 10 minute crossing of the creek to the Deira neighbourhood. The trip cost one Dirham—about 30 cents, and is probably the cheapest thing in Dubai, a city known for its high-priced real estate and luxury hotels.Once ashore, I stood for a moment and admired the labourers that were loading cargo onto traditional dhows—old wooden boats—in the searing heat. I carried on and found the spice souq. The alleys came alive with the smell of frankincense, oregano, indigo, sulphur, and other things. I then sourced out the gold souk, a covered area where vendors carried trays of bottled water to sell to parched visitors. I bought some water and sat on a bench like most others. I came to realize why people in this part of the world move slowly, and spend a lot of time lounging about.
Finding a taxi in Dubai at the best of times is challenge, but with the temperature into 40s it would be even more difficult, as no smart person would be walking anywhere. I stood on the corner trying to wave down a cab. A man came up to me and asked if I needed a taxi. He wasn’t a real taxi driver, but offered to take me back to my hotel for 50 Dirhams. I told him that was too much. He chuckled. Out of respect, I thought, that I wasn’t some gullible tourist. Or maybe he was laughing, because he knew I wouldn’t last much longer standing in the heat. I wondered where this kind of heat comes from. Did someone leave a big oven open, or was someone holding a big magnifying glass over us?
I decided to walk to another busy street, hoping that maybe it would bring me more luck. My body was being cooked, and sweat was pouring down my body as I stood on the side of the road waiting and waiting for a cab. It was so hot that every time there was a breeze, I got the chills. Finally after about 30 minutes I gave in and went inside a small shopping mall for a cool drink. Maybe my luck would be better if I took a break, I surmised.
Like a street urchin, I returned to my piece of sidewalk and started begging for a taxi. Some other people looking for a cab stood near me. Didn’t they know this was my turf? I tried to stare them away, but they just stayed there. I moved on. And noticed a hotel not far away. Surely I could get a taxi there. A man driving a black Mercedes asked if I needed a taxi. He offered 50 Dirhams. I waved him off telling him it was too much. I’m sure he was thinking that the fool would be back. As I walked away from his car, I asked myself how long I would last standing in the baking sun waiting for a taxi. The Mercedes inched through the afternoon traffic. Safe from the heat, I retreated to the pleasures of my Arabian palace and found a spot next to the swimming pool.
On a previous trip, I had seen the self-proclaimed, 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel, but my guidebook suggested that the Bahri Bar in the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel was the perfect place to watch this iconic structure at sunset. The recommendation didn’t disappoint. I found myself a comfortable chair on the covered patio, ordered a beer, some dinner, and marveled at this million dollar view, as the sun slowly melted into the Persian Gulf. And a view of the outside of the Burj Al Arab is all most of us will ever see. If you are interested, they have a summer special. Stay a minimum of three nights, and the rate is a bargain at $1,000 per night. Don’t worry they throw in a free breakfast. The hotel is so over the top that you have to take a submarine to one their restaurants.
The next morning our Qatar Airways flight lifted off from Dubai International Airport and made a straight line across the Gulf to Doha. We passed overhead The World, Dubai’s newest mega project in which they have created islands in the ocean and formed them in the shape of the continents. In the distance, I could see the Jumeirah Palm, another exclusive residential area built out into the ocean in the shape of palm.
Like nothing else. Found nowhere else. These are the words that The World is using to promote its development. These could be the words to describe Dubai. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world.
