My flight included a 2 hour layover in Dehli, India. I was happy to be back in my beloved India, even if it was only in the airport. I found it very coincidental that I was in this same airport 1 week short of a year ago.
We had significant turbulence as we flew over Pakistan. Flying isn't something I enjoy, but it's an unavoidable requirement of my chosen lifestyle. A rough ride producing sweaty palms only adds to this dislike.
At 10pm, we land safely (as always) in Dubai. The airport was exceptionally busy at this hour. I was immediately impressed with the airport. It was so clean and new! This was a huge contrast coming from Nepal. The line for customs moved at a snails pace, so I passed the time talking with a friendly Belgium businessman. Dubai is composed mostly of expats, a hodge-podge of nationalities.
After an hour in customs, I was whisked away by a crazy Egyptian taxi driver, who called ME crazy for visiting Egypt solo. He drove like a bat out of hell through the city at night, managing to get lost despite the fact that I had step-by-step directions to my hotel printed out for him.
I was feeling positive vibes from this Middle Eastern city. The history behind this city laying on the Persian Gulf is fascinating. It's had an incredible amount of growth in such a short amount of time. It's growing as I type this, and has no plans of stopping. Because of this, construction is a common sight. If I had to choose one word to describe this newly emerging city, it would be "new". It's also very clean and has an amazing energy to it. There are no bums, no graffiti, no trash in the streets, and no stray dogs, unlike Nepal. It's a pleasant 80 degrees here. Maybe my senses are heightened after leaving Nepal, but Dubai smells good. It has a tropical scent to it, mixed with musky perfume smell. It's hard to describe.
It's evident that the residents of Dubai are not struggling to get by. I'm dubbing it as the "Beverly Hills of the Middle East". Porsche's and Lamborghini's zip along the palm tree lined highways. Initially, Dubai's economy was built on it's oil industry. Today it thrives mainly on tourism, construction and real estate.
Islamic men dress in traditional attire, wearing long white gowns, called a kandura, with head scarfs. Many women can also be seen wearing abayas, or long black gowns, along with a scarf covering their head. Some cover their entire face, while others mysteriously let their eyes peep out.
English is spoken fluently by most, which makes things much easier. Most things are written in Arabic, along with English. Safety is not a concern either.
The metro is squeaky clean and very easy to navigate. It gives a nice view of the city when going from point A to B.
My plans when I got to Dubai were to wash my clothes (in a washing machine), take a long hot shower,take it easy and to go shopping! Dubai has the largest mall in the world, the Dubai Mall. You can shop til you drop. Which is what I did.
The Dubai Mall also has a nightly fountain show every half hour. This is very similar to the show at the Bellagio in Vegas, except with an middle eastern twist. I was fascinated as I watched the lighted water dance to an upbeat Arabic song.
If that wasn't enough, Dubai had to build the tallest man made structure on earth, just to show off a little bit more. The Burj Kalifa stands proudly at 2,716 feet.
The Mall of the Emirates has an indoor ski slope... a very tiny ski slope. I wouldn't waste your time. However, it was nice to see snow again. Earlier in the day, as I shopped at a local grocery store next to gowned Arabs, Christmas songs were playing overhead. It was all very odd.
One negative aspect of Dubai is the cost. Maybe I'm used to cheap-o Nepal, but it feels so expensive to me here. Dubai is definitely not on the backpacker's budget. I'll pretend I'm splurging for my birthday so I feel better about spending so much.
Perhaps the most iconic image of Dubai is the Burj Al Arab, the luxurious "7 star" hotel, a suitable accommodation for rich Arab oil sheiks. A night here will cost you at least $1,500 and as much as $30.000 for a suite. I was going to stay here, but they were all booked :) just kidding. Instead, I strolled along the beach outside, admiring the beautiful structure.
I have to say, I managed to score a pretty posh pad myself. I had no idea what I was getting into, as goes with booking over the internet, but was pleasantly surprised when I arrived and discovered it was nearly a mansion with 5 rooms! This was a drastic change from the rat and cockroach shared room I had in Nepal. I couldn't get over how nice it was. I danced merrily along the marble floors as I checked out each room. It came with it's own washing machine, a kitchenette, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, 2 flat screen TVs and HOT water! I feel like an Arabian princess in my palace!!
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