On Monday, as we approached the port early in the morning, the cityscape loomed out of the haze. One of the first things we sailed past was the old Queen Elizabeth 2, abandoned at her berth. (I won't say she was "rusting", as it is incredibly hot and dry here and judging by the amount of dust covering everything, it hasn't rained for months, if not years). Our plan for the day was to make use of the hop on hop off bus and to get a flavour of what the Emirate had to offer.
Now, Dubai can boost many world superlatives. It has the highest building, the largest man made island, the biggest aquarium, the biggest indoor ski slope and one of the world's best hotels, just to mention a few. It is also the world's biggest building site.
Initially, the bus took us through the central business district where the wide roads (six lanes in each direction) carved their way through the rows of glass fronted skyscrapers. The tallest building, the 2,700 ft Burj Khalifa dominates the skyline and provides a useful reference point for wherever you happen to be in the Emirate, yet alone the city. We then headed towards the coast, passing building site after building site before heading south towards the Burj Al Arab, the iconic sail shaped (and very expensive), hotel. All along the 10 miles or so of coastal road were healthcare clinics, dental surgeries, meditation centres, spas, doctors surgeries, plastic surgeons, massage therapists, hairdressers, beauty salons; the list is endless. One surgery even boasted that "brain surgery has never been safer". Worryingly reassuring I thought. Behind all the clinics were low rise residential apartments and the inevitable mosques...around 500 of them in all.
Once past the Burj Al Arab comes another of Dubai's iconic attractions, the Palm Jameirah. This series of man made islands shaped like a palm tree is primarily residential, (imagine "I live at number 35, frond 6, if you will). However the islands also house the huge Atlantis Hotel resort so that there is a facility for visitors to enjoy the miles of sandy beaches and watersport facilities.
A little further south is the Marina area - almost a city within a city as more skyscrapers tower into the haze. The luxurious waterfront apartments and super yachts moored up are testament to the kind of clientele that the Marina attracts. Here, a second artificial palm island is under construction, even larger than the first. The man made sand fronds have all been sprayed into position and construction of the buildings is due to start very soon.
At this point the bus turned around and headed back towards the city centre. The highway ran alongside the recently completed overland and futuristic looking metro rail line. Stations are air conditioned, as, incidentally, is every bus stop shelter....little oases of relief from the heat. Every lane of the road was chock a block with traffic. Having said that, the traffic moved relatively freely although I would add that apart from one Renault and one Ford, every other car that we saw during our stay was Japanese or high end, a Range Rover for example. No car looked more than a couple of years old and there was certainly nothing that remotely resembled a little runabout.
Once back on the city centre we hopped off the bus and entered the Dubai Mall. (Another global superlative, the biggest mall in the world depending upon which criteria you take). We cooled down with a drink and had lunch while watching a few skaters practicing their moves on the indoor, Olympic sized, ice skating rink.
Batteries recharged, we hopped back onto the bus for a different route and one that was to take us around some of the older parts of the city. Older is really a bit is a misnomer as nearly everything has been built within the last few decades, but we passed an old Arabic fort and wended our way through the gold and spice souks. We passed the fish market (which stank to high heaven), and drove alongside the famed Dubai Creek; a short waterway linking the older part of town to the open sea. The creek was packed with traditional Arab dhows, some offering cruises and many packed to the gunnels with all kinds of goods, from fruit to consumer electronics destined for who knows where.
Eventually we returned to our starting point at the Mall. By this time the sun was beginning to sink in the sky and so that meant it was time to find a good viewpoint to watch the evening fountain show.
The front side of the Mall contains a huge lake upon which you can take boat rides by day, but then during the evening an extravagant water display takes place. (Another superlative - these are the biggest fountains in the world and can shoot jets of water 50 stories high.) So we waited, and waited, and eventually the show started...like a firework display with water instead of pyrotechnics, and with lights and music. Then after 5 minutes it was all over. Spectacular, yes....worth the long wait...just about.
Time to head back to the ship. Evening rush hour was in full swing and we eventually got back on board at 7.45pm in time for a well deserved dinner after our tiring day.
One thing that struck me about Dubai was "where is everyone?", given the amount of residential housing and apartment blocks. The malls are relatively quiet and the majority of shoppers appeared to be tourists. The pavements were deserted, likewise the al fresco cafes and restaurants. Then the answer started to become clear. Half the population seem to be out on the roads, driving their cars, whilst the other half are working in construction gangs. Or just maybe they were all taking advantage of having some safe brain surgery.
Dubai certainly has a number of attractions and places that I would like to have more time to explore another day, but I definitely not like to live here.
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