Dubai or not Dubai

That is the question.

For a pretty damn long time Dubai, and the other Arab Emirates were little more than long lost desert outposts that pretty much no one cared about. That is until they found lots of black liquid hydrocarbons under the shifting sands. Now, Dubai and the other Arab Emirates stick out of the desert like a big shiny, expensive sore thumb; oil money coursing through the veins of overwhelming shopping centres.

To most Australians (including myself) Dubai, for all its glory, is considered as practically little more than a super fancy stop over point for long haul flights to Europe and other destinations. Yet, despite this highly practical function, the emirates are pretty keen to make cities like Dubai to be a worthy destination in their own right. Dubai in particular is home to many of the biggest-of-their-kind objects in the world from the Dancing Fountain to the ludicrously big Burj Khalifa to the humble 12” camel sub.

Therein lies the paradox; the conflict between a very strict and conservative religious population and complete saturation of western style consumerism. It feels odd to be in a part of the world that is generally known for despising western culture, yet is embracing the same western consumerism many claim is the root of all the world’s evil. Oh well, I guess if you really are a distinguished Dubian man and must shop for your many wives then you might as well do it in style.

On that point of clothing, when it comes to traditional garb, Arab men really do have the sweeter deal. Wearing loose, long, flowing white cloth in a country with over 350 sunny days per year and 40 to 50 degree desert heat in summer is amazingly practical and when I foolishly walked the streets during the day (I felt very lonely) and was exposed to said heat I suddenly found myself envying their cool looking outfits. But the women wearing all black? Come on, where is it in holy scriptures that says that women must melt in a pool of sweat in the desert sun to maintain modesty? I touched the black fabric of one of these outfits in a shop on the street in full sun and it was like caressing fire. It really just doesn't seem that fair or nice to me but I guess the black is really nice in the winter! No, wait. No advantage there ... there must be some other pro for all black? Ahh yes, it is easier to keep clean then all white when chowing down on a McArabia: the burger of choice for all oil tycoons and their ilk.

Dubai is actually surprising green for somewhere that has a climate similar to hell. The greenery therefore defies all logic, until you realise that pretty much every plant in the city has its own dedicated irrigation channel supplied by water from massive water desalination plants. Basically the entire city's plant based life is on permanent life support and there it shall stay ever green ... well, until peak oil is hit I guess.

The Emiratis are most definitely not afraid of shaping the land to their needs. In case you haven’t seen, look at Google Maps of Dubai. You’ll observe the many man-made islands of the coast places in the middle of the Arabian Gulf (or Persian Gulf depending on whose side you’re on). These islands take all sorts of fanciful shapes and while they look pretty cool, the water around them doesn’t look so great. Nobody read about tidal water stagnation I think when coming up with these grand designs.

Dubai has a varied population, there are many, many ex-pats from all over the world. But one ethnic group dominates all others: the Indians. This city is fundamentally powered by Indians. Without them and their hard work Dubai simply would not work. In fact, the Indian people are often referred to as the fathers of Dubai. While interesting, the main advantage of this I see is simple: access to awesome Indian curries and that my friends is always a beautiful thing.

Dubai, like other Muslim countries in this region, isn't real big on public displays of affection. Should the affection police catch you getting a bit too comfortable with a hug or daring to connect lips then you'll be on the express lane to some desert prison which I think won't be as shiny and well invested. Oddly enough though, despite this hardline stance against the evils of public affection, the area where I stayed seemed to have quite a few prostitutes loitering around. I guess sinning is morally acceptable at home, just not around town.

My time here was short, and most of it spent trying to find my place to stay since they have no working street address system. Dubai is interesting, but not particularly social or historical and overall people wear too much musk. But it has some amazing modern sights and I am pretty sure it is the only desert in the world where you can go skiing. For some this place would be paradise, but it's not really my thing I must say and I certainly was one of the shoddiest looking travellers in the city. Perhaps in my case the Arab saying, "How sweet a visit is a rapid raid." holds particularly true.