“If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free. If our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.” Edmund Burke
All that glitters…is Dubai. After so many days of seeing the ancient, our 2-1/2 days in Dubai concentrated on the new. Indeed, except for the museum, which did a wonderful job of portraying Emerati life through the years, and the souks (more about that later), everything we saw was shiny and new.
Dubai is a place to look at the buildings: skyscrapers are rising all over. With its highest building in the world having been overtaken by Taiwan, an even taller building, the Burj Dubai, is under construction. Right now, they are keeping the ultimate height a secret so that some other city doesn’t immediately try to do them one better. The buildings themselves have only one unifying theme: be different. All sorts of twists, turns, shapes and toppings mark the skyline of Dubai.
A wonderful way to see Dubai was the double decker hop-on-hop-off bus. It took us first to the terrific Dubai Museum, where we saw the growth of Dubai over the years portrayed through diorama and artifacts. Archaeological discoveries indicate that Dubai was the site of fishing communities 4,000 years ago. Modern Dubai started around 1830 as a small fishing village settled by the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum family, which still rules today. The growth of pearl trading gave rise to Dubai as a trading center. By the 1870s, it was the principal port on the Gulf coast. The pearl industry collapsed in the 1940s, with the rise of cultured pearls, but other trade took over, and this “city of merchants” is even greater than oil as a source of wealth for Dubai.
And it is a good thing for Dubai that trade dominates, as there is only a 15-year supply of oil left in this particular emirate. In Dubai, 19% of the population is Emerati. 60% are Indian, Pakistani, or Filipino. These are the nation’s workers.
And the nation’s workers were certainly busy in the souks. This giant maze of a marketplace was largely organized by merchandise, with the gold souk dominating. It did not take long to become overwhelmed by the glitter of 22 and 24 k gold shining from all the windows. Great fun, though, to step in and bargain. From there we wound our way to the fabric souk. It’s times like this that I wish I could sew. They had many beautiful fabrics, but I wouldn’t know what to do with them or even how much to get so someone else could do something with them.
The third major souk area was the spice souk, which also included markets for housewares and kitchen appliances. But the spice shops were the most enticing, with their exotic scents and enthusiastic shopkeepers.
We followed this with a trip up the Creek (the body of water than runs through Dubai and forms its heart) on a dhow—a large wooden boat. A good way to see the city from a perspective that did not involve being stuck in Dubai’s horrendous traffic. Particularly noteable was the way the Creek and its life were reflected in some of the buildings.
Our next day was a tour of the really, really new Dubai. So new, in fact, that the land it will stand on doesn’t even exist yet. Dubai is building islands around it. There’s the Palm Islands, formed in the shape of palm leaves. Then there’s The World, a group of islands that, when finished, will form a map of the world. Apparently, buying a piece of The World is the chic new thing to do for celebrities.
One highlight of the day was a visit to the Mall of the Emirates. Dubai does not lack for malls—there seems to be one at every turn—but the MOE has a very special feature: an indoor ski park. I don’t ski, but had great fun going into a surrounding restaurant and enjoying lunch while watching people ski. What a hoot! And, last night we had dinner with the ship’s doctor, who apparently was one of the people we saw on those slopes. He said it was good skiing, and he had a great time.
One thing I like to do in any city around the world is go into the local supermarket and see how the locals shop. Here the hypermarket prevails—really, a Costco with nicer interior. The women shopping there ranged from the fashionably barely dressed to full burka. Most women whose faces were showing wore very heavy makeup. The products themselves were what you’d find in most box stores in the U.S., though the produce and seafood selections had some unfamiliar items. I did see tapioca in its raw form for the first time. And, given a pretty good exchange rate, we picked up a few bargain souvenirs.
The ship departed Dubai last night under a sensational sunset. We expect to arrive in Bahrain in another couple of hours, then on to Qatar the next day. I’ll update next after those visits.
All that glitters…is Dubai. After so many days of seeing the ancient, our 2-1/2 days in Dubai concentrated on the new. Indeed, except for the museum, which did a wonderful job of portraying Emerati life through the years, and the souks (more about that later), everything we saw was shiny and new.
Dubai is a place to look at the buildings: skyscrapers are rising all over. With its highest building in the world having been overtaken by Taiwan, an even taller building, the Burj Dubai, is under construction. Right now, they are keeping the ultimate height a secret so that some other city doesn’t immediately try to do them one better. The buildings themselves have only one unifying theme: be different. All sorts of twists, turns, shapes and toppings mark the skyline of Dubai.
A wonderful way to see Dubai was the double decker hop-on-hop-off bus. It took us first to the terrific Dubai Museum, where we saw the growth of Dubai over the years portrayed through diorama and artifacts. Archaeological discoveries indicate that Dubai was the site of fishing communities 4,000 years ago. Modern Dubai started around 1830 as a small fishing village settled by the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum family, which still rules today. The growth of pearl trading gave rise to Dubai as a trading center. By the 1870s, it was the principal port on the Gulf coast. The pearl industry collapsed in the 1940s, with the rise of cultured pearls, but other trade took over, and this “city of merchants” is even greater than oil as a source of wealth for Dubai.
And it is a good thing for Dubai that trade dominates, as there is only a 15-year supply of oil left in this particular emirate. In Dubai, 19% of the population is Emerati. 60% are Indian, Pakistani, or Filipino. These are the nation’s workers.
And the nation’s workers were certainly busy in the souks. This giant maze of a marketplace was largely organized by merchandise, with the gold souk dominating. It did not take long to become overwhelmed by the glitter of 22 and 24 k gold shining from all the windows. Great fun, though, to step in and bargain. From there we wound our way to the fabric souk. It’s times like this that I wish I could sew. They had many beautiful fabrics, but I wouldn’t know what to do with them or even how much to get so someone else could do something with them.
The third major souk area was the spice souk, which also included markets for housewares and kitchen appliances. But the spice shops were the most enticing, with their exotic scents and enthusiastic shopkeepers.
We followed this with a trip up the Creek (the body of water than runs through Dubai and forms its heart) on a dhow—a large wooden boat. A good way to see the city from a perspective that did not involve being stuck in Dubai’s horrendous traffic. Particularly noteable was the way the Creek and its life were reflected in some of the buildings.
Our next day was a tour of the really, really new Dubai. So new, in fact, that the land it will stand on doesn’t even exist yet. Dubai is building islands around it. There’s the Palm Islands, formed in the shape of palm leaves. Then there’s The World, a group of islands that, when finished, will form a map of the world. Apparently, buying a piece of The World is the chic new thing to do for celebrities.
One highlight of the day was a visit to the Mall of the Emirates. Dubai does not lack for malls—there seems to be one at every turn—but the MOE has a very special feature: an indoor ski park. I don’t ski, but had great fun going into a surrounding restaurant and enjoying lunch while watching people ski. What a hoot! And, last night we had dinner with the ship’s doctor, who apparently was one of the people we saw on those slopes. He said it was good skiing, and he had a great time.
One thing I like to do in any city around the world is go into the local supermarket and see how the locals shop. Here the hypermarket prevails—really, a Costco with nicer interior. The women shopping there ranged from the fashionably barely dressed to full burka. Most women whose faces were showing wore very heavy makeup. The products themselves were what you’d find in most box stores in the U.S., though the produce and seafood selections had some unfamiliar items. I did see tapioca in its raw form for the first time. And, given a pretty good exchange rate, we picked up a few bargain souvenirs.
The ship departed Dubai last night under a sensational sunset. We expect to arrive in Bahrain in another couple of hours, then on to Qatar the next day. I’ll update next after those visits.
2 comments:
nice blog i like your blog i need to know about dubai desert in safari trip can you share some information..
nice blog i like your blog i need to know about dubai desert in safari trip can you share some information..
Post a Comment