Now, how do I describe Dubai? It is a modern city where every other building is a 5 star hotel and a tribute to what man can do. Their motto is; second to none. The man who is responsible for most of the development there said that everybody remembers the first man who climbed Mount Everest but no one remembers the second (actually I don't know the name of the first man who climbed Everest, but hey that's just me). As such they need to be at the forefront of everything so as not to be forgotten. Hence they have the tallest hotel in the world, the only 7 star hotel in the world, they have the tallest building in the world with the fastest elevators: a dashing 18m a second! Since they couldn’t have the first robot operated metro in the world they have the longest one. They also have some of the largest shopping malls in the world. One of them is actually the size of, no less than, 50 football fields! You get the idea. They need to have the biggest, the fastest and the best of everything. Dubai is a great place for people who want a luxurious 5-7 star vacation. It is the place to go if you want to do things, not the place to go if you want to see things. Dubai has no character. It is one of the most impersonal places I have ever been to. Don’t get me wrong, the people there are some of the friendliest that I have ever met, which is a stark contrast to the city itself, who is as cold as it is modern. I went on a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city and their entire commentary was about the different hotels, how many stars they have, what kind of attraction they offer, how tall they are and who designed them. There is no real soul to the city; it is all about business and luxury. It’s sad really because it truly is a beautiful place and I really enjoyed the contrast displayed in the city. On one side you have the turquoise blue sea with the most amazing palm trees and greenery while on the other you have the sandy planes of the desert; life vs. death; lush vs. barren. I know it’s a little morbid but the contrast really is fascinating. Anyway, I had the opportunity to go dune bashing while I was there. This consists of getting into a 4WD jeep and driving up and sliding down desert dunes. Let me tell you, I thought the car was going to tip over a couple of times. It was a LOT of fun! :o) After all the bashing was done we ended up in a Bedouin campsite… which is more artificial than the hotels… for a BBQ – which consisted of… shaved meat! LOL I left Greece to go to the U.A.E. and have gyro! Oh the irony, LOL.
The best part of what I did in Dubai was the old town. I wish I had gone there from the very beginning. If you ever go, do that first! There you finally feel like you’re in the Middle East. I heard the call to prayer, which previously I hadn’t heard, I saw their local gold and spice market, which is the real deal and finally saw the soul of Dubai. The contrast is interesting; on one side of Dubai you could be anywhere in the world, with it’s hotels and shopping malls, whereas on the other side you can really tell that this is the U.A.E.
Anyway, I had a great time in Dubai and really enjoyed seeing it. You have to go there at least once in your life.
4 comments:
Hæ Janet, en gaman að lesa!
Við millilentum í Dubai þegar við fórum til Keníu, alveg mögnuð borg. Við vorum þar samt bara í þrjá tíma eða svo, þannig að við fengum einhvern guide til að keyra okkur um og tala um borgina, sjá 7 stjörnu hótelið og fara í eitt moll. Þú hefur náð að njóta miklu meira en við! Reyndar var um 45 stiga hiti þegar við vorum þarna... það var rosalegt álag! kannski var heitara, ég tékkaði ekki.
Mikið er ég stolt af þér að vera komin til Suður Afríku! Hlakka til að lesa og sjá myndir. Ég er í rosalegum mínus að hafa ekki getað heimsótt þig neitt í Grikklandi, það hefði verið kjörið, ekki eins gott að fara hinum megin við hnöttinn ;) En kannski verður tækifæri til þess síðar.
Annars gengur meðgangan vel, barninu heilsast vel og mér svo sem líka, ég er bara með svo mikla verki, átti ekki von á að þetta yrði svona erfitt. En þetta er líka mjög spennandi og skemmtilegt :)
Guð blessi þig á vegum þínum, þú ert partur af áætlun hans :)
-Lilja Írena
Takk Lilja mín!
Mér þykir það leitt að heyra um verkina. Eru þetta venjulegir verkir sem flestar konur ganga í gegnum, eða er þetta eitthvað sérstakt sem þú ert með? Hvernig get ég beðið fyrir þér?
Já, Dubai er merkileg borg. Mundi samt ekki vilja búa þarna.
Takk fyrir að skilja eftir skilaboð! Það er gaman að sjá að fólk les bloggið mitt :o)
So interesting, Janet! I felt like I was there! Thanks for the insights! Kate
This is awesome travel writing Janet! I loved reading it...had to laugh at the bit about dune bashing, that just strikes m as something you'd love, you adventurer you!!:)
Dubai sounds strange and nteresting...like you said, probably a place to visit just to get the experience of being there!
Please keep writing!!
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