Despite the amount of travel I had done (not to mention the amount of damage I had done to my bank account), I had never been to the Middle East. I avoided this travel area not because of the region’s Muslim religion and its conservative practices. After all, I grew up in a moderate Muslim country so I am quite used to these practices. I avoided this area because nothing really interests me here. In my opinion, I had already been to Turkey and Egypt and experienced the best of Arabic/Persian influences like smoking a hookah/sheesah or eating a shwarma (which is also widely available in NYC). However, I did have a mild interest in visiting Dubai. It is a city that has been in the news a lot as of late. For my friends who have been there, half of them loved it while the other half loathed it to the core. I decided to take a trip here during President’s Day weekend to find it out for myself if I belong to the former or the latter group. So what’s the verdict? You will have to read on to find out.
The 12 hour flight on United from DC to Dubai was rather uneventful. It was nice to be able to depart on time after the U.S. capital was slammed with a foot of snow the day before. Dubai is unique in a sense that it doesn’t require visitors to fill out a visitor arrival form. Immigration was also very efficient. 30 minutes after we landed, I was already in a cab heading to my hotel. The best time to visit Dubai is in the winter months (November – February) and I couldn’t agree more. Weather during the day is in the 70s and at night is in the 60s. Yet the sun is still scorching and you will need to apply sunscreen when you walk outside. Just imagine visiting here during the summer months when the weather can top 120F (!!!) during the day. I can hear the sizzling sound of my skin burning at the thought of that.
The key tourist activities in Dubai, aside from admiring the extravagant shopping malls and lying out on the fine sand of Jumeirah beach, center on the famous Dubai creek. Here you can take the abra like the locals from Deira to Bur Dubai (both are touristy and commercial areas) to work, meet friends, do business etc. Speaking of locals, you won’t see a lot of them here. Dubai is a city of migrant workers. On my first day here, I thought I was in Manila, New Delhi or Karachi depending on where I was. There are a lot of Pinoys working in the service industry, while Indians and Pakistanis also work in the service industry and own businesses. You will also see a smaller group of Chinese owning stores in the Deira area. A Pakistani cab driver told me that only 5% of the population in Dubai consists of locals. This is clearly a city where people come to make money and bolt once they have gotten enough of it.
Along the famous creek you will also find the disappointing Dubai Museum, the Souqs where visitors buy spices, fabrics, trinkets etc, the Heritage House where one learns how locals used to live here and the Bastakiya quarter featuring wind-towered residences that were once home to the wealthy Persian traders. The Bastakiya quarter is all repainted which doesn’t sit well with me. In my opinion, it doesn’t have much historical feel to it. It seemed too new and made me think that I was walking in the “Aladdin” quarter of the Disney theme park if there was ever an attraction like that there.
The Jumeirah beach with its turquoise blue water was beautiful but definitely not as beautiful as the wealthy homes that line the streets along it. The two malls that I visited, Dubai Mall and Mall of The Emirates, were simply over the top. The highlights of both malls are the indoor ski resort at the Mall of The Emirates and the gigantic fish aquarium at the Dubai Mall. Talk about having too much money and not knowing where to spend it! Shopping is tax free in Dubai so you will see a lot of burqa-wearing ladies with their hubbies dropping money like they have a money fountain at home (more like an oil well in their backyard!). Clothing and eletronics are popular items among tourists here.
The spotlight in Dubai is currently shone on Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world. I am sure it’s just a matter of time when another country decides to beat its record by shelling out billions of dollars to build a structure taller than it. I wanted to go up for a visit to couldn’t since it was closed for maintenance.
In terms of restaurants, I loved the refreshing Farah’s refreshing basta special (lime and mint juice) and the grilled haloumi, asparagus and mixed lettuce salad served at Basta Art Cafe in the Bastakiya quarter. Mumtaz Mahal (Arabian Courtyard Hotel on Al-Fahidi Street) makes a great Indian food destination with its tandoori specialties. I also loved the food court selections at Dubai Mall and Mall of The Emirates and the cafeterias that sell shwarmas along Al-Sabkha road in Deira.
Dubai strives to be a modern city – yet her religion is holding her back somewhat. No alcohol is served except at hotels. There is a hotline set up for husbands, who caught other men starting at their wives, to report on these staring offenders (you know, men who are caught staring at that tiny slit of their wives’ eyes). Any website of pornographic or homosexual nature is banned (even any websites with the word ‘gay’ on it), yet two men holding hands or kissing (on the cheek that is) in broad daylight is completely fine.
Dubai is currently bankrupt. The government has a foreign debt of about $100 billion and companies have started laying people off since last year. Many foreigners who were lured by the lavish lifestyles here are sent packing these days. The economy simply grew too fast without any solid foundation. People here, like other countries in the Middle East, work from Sunday to Thursday. So it was weird to me that the malls were empty on a Sunday.
My impression of Dubai – she just doesn’t have any uniqueness to it. The city may have the most luxurious seven-star hotel (Burj Al Arab) or the biggest shopping malls (The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates), but she lacks the charm, history and culture that other world class cities like New York or London have. Everything is man-made, much like that of Las Vegas. People here don’t feel the pride of living here. They just want to come here and make a quick buck. I don’t dislike this city, but I don’t love it either. It was good that I came and experience it for myself but my likelihood for a repeat personal visit is very low. It’s just not that kind of city that will draw you back for a second visit.
