Dubai en route to Sana'a

Because my layover in Dubai was nearly 12 hours long, I hoped to be able to get into the city and do some exploration. Not only an important central point for all Arab countries, Dubai is also counted as one of the world’s most important financial centers. I had seen pictures of the waterfront city and had talked to a few people about its environs, but I still had little idea of what to expect. My international travels have almost exclusively been to third world nations, so my natural tendency was to get excited about going to the most primitive suk in town to watch buyers and sellers haggle over carpets and heaps of spices and raw products. While this kind of marketplace still thrives in Dubai, I decided to just tell my taxi driver to “take me to where I can see the city” rather than try to explain exactly what I expected/wanted to see. I think this was a good move.
I was dropped off near the Dubai Mall in front of the new Dubai Fountain in Downtown Burj Dubai. The fountain was constructed in the Burj Dubai Lake overseen by “the Burj,” the tallest building on the planet (Burj means “tower”). Families from dozens of cultural and religious backgrounds watched the displays put to music ranging from classical Arabic music to music recognized the world over (I watched one show put to the music of Con te partiro by Andrea Bocceli). If you’ve seen the fountain show at the Bellagio (or watched the end of Ocean’s 11), then you are on the right track to getting an idea of what this fountain can do.

Now pump up the power. While the fountain at the Bellagio has one arc and three circles from which shoot water, the Dubai Fountain has two arcs and five circles. The fountain can shoot as much as 83,000 liters of water into the air at any one time, and to heights of over 150 meters (taller than the Dubai World Trade Center). That much water in the air with an accompanying choreography of light and music is pretty amazing.

Dubai is truly a cosmopolitan city. I must have heard seven to ten different languages in the course of a few hours downtown, and businesses from all over the world have some level of operations in Dubai. The city’s safe feel, clean streets, extensive freeway systems, and laws which strongly favor business have brought billions upon billions of investment. Everywhere you look there are more high rises being built and freeways being constructed or improved. This investment has brought a good deal of prosperity to the people of Dubai and to the country in general.

Perhaps there is no better example of that prosperity than the Dubai Mall which faces the Dubai Fountain. This labyrinth of a mall is larger than any other free standing, indoor shopping center in the world. Any and every brand you can think of has a store (ok, any brand I can think of; which, granted, is not all that impressive. But the mall is). For a second I thought I had been suddenly transported (yes, that’s a Star Trek reference) back to downtown Bethesda. Halls as big as “normal malls” in the States house 8-9 big box stores, all selling their own version of the same product (clothing, electronics, jewelry, etc). The gold suk area was particularly impressive. Perhaps as many as 50-60 small jewelry shops surrounded a huge domed atrium with lavish pillars, light fixtures, and intricate stone work flooring.

The mall has something for everyone. Besides the shopping there is also a full sized ice skating rink, a three story waterfall, and a huge aquarium. The food court peddles food from around the world, some domestic to the UAE and some not as much (McD’s etc). When I had had my fill of the mall (not a big shopper…), I walked out to the taxi stand to find my way back to the airport.
While on the streets of Dubai it is impossible to ignore the unique architecture of the city. I was told that Dubai boasts more 100-story-plus buildings than any other city in the world (citation: taxi driver). The tops of the buildings are particularly striking. Very few buildings have a flat top. The Burj Dubai comes to a point in an apparent attempt to puncture the moon. Other buildings have rounded tops, curved tops which come to a point on one side, large concrete spheres, or other unique features. These building were not built simply to house business and government. They have created a very unique and interesting city visually as well.

Two last thoughts on Dubai. First, organization. Both from the air and on the ground, you get the sense that this city was very thought-out. City signs are clear and plentiful. Roads surrounding the city center are set on a grid and one can easily tell the difference between the business and manufacturing areas of town. Even the way the residential areas are laid out seems very…. logical? They use the space in an economical way while not sacrificing visual appeal. In short, these people know how to build a city (though I obviously wasn’t there for rush hour… who knows what it’s like).

Second, the new airport is truly phenomenal. Completed only seven months ago, it boasts state of the art technology in everything from its computer and information systems, to its elevators and moving sidewalks, to its bathrooms. If you haven’t seen a picture of the airport from the outside, Google it. The Dubai airport out does any airport I have ever been to in almost all respects. It is beautiful, it is user friendly, it is comfortable, it is efficient. Well done.

So that’s Dubai in my three hour, nutshell experience. If you get a chance to go, do it. It impressed me to the point that I think I would rather enjoy living there if fate made it so. I'll get some more pics up soon.... I don't have enough bandwidth to download a picture in under five minutes right now. And, yes, I'll get to Yemen stuff soon. I've got a lot to write.