Experiencing Dubai

Dawn on day 1 - view from my bedroom window

So as part of my job I sometimes get to travel to far flung destinations. January was one such month that I was sent to work on a trade show in Dubai. Yes it is exciting to go to these great destinations, but what a lot of people forget is that you are going for work, and the majority of the time is spent inside hotels and convention centres, and this was no exception. However I do try to make the most of what little time I have in a new place and try to get out and see as much as I can whilst I am out there.

Construction is still constant all
around Dubai, albeit slower since the
financial crisis

My first impression of Dubai is that it is a very long way away. Very. The flight itself was direct from LA and was 16 hours long. On the way home I had a 2 1/2 hour delay, three screaming infants in the row in front and an Arab flu whilst on the plane so it was around 19 hours long - in an economy seat that is not fun, even if it was Emirates.

One of the only Mosques to allow visitors,
but we didn't have time to stop

So let me give you the short history of Dubai which I learnt on my trip. Short it will be as only 20 years ago the landscape which is so opulent today was completely barren before. Dubai is one of the Seven Emirates. It started with small dusty settlements around and estuary and diving for pearls was the areas main income. This however all changed with the discovery of oil in the Middle East. Dubai however, has the least amount of oil, and so if it wanted to keep up with its counterparts in needed to find another industry, and that was when they focused their efforts on tourism. Boy is it tailored for the tourism industry. If you want glitzy hotels, five star luxury, fine dining and exclusive resorts then this is a place to go. If you want something leafy green with a lot of history, not so much.

The most amazing fact for me was that at the height of the financial boom, 10% of the worlds cranes were in Dubai building the city into the shape that it is today.

This trip was far from my usual planning. Usually I will look at what is at the destination I am going to in advance, and then plan what I will try and see when I get there. This time no such luck. I didn't even realise that the worlds tallest building was based in this city. The Burj Khalifa stands at 828m high consisting of 160 stories. Its claim to fame is holding world records for the worlds tallest building, the tallest free-standing building, the highest number of stories, the highest occupied floors, the highest outdoor observation deck, the longest travelling elevator and the tallest service elevator. These Emirates don't do anything by halves!

View from the top of the Burj Khalifa

It may be a strange thing to mention, but the lift was amazing! The doors closed for about a minute max and the only way you knew you were rising was the fact that your ears popped. It didn't feel like you were moving at all.

The view from up there was spectacular, and supposedly from the top on a clear day you can see the curvature of the earth. Not on a hazy night flight like we had though. You do get a clear view of the water cannon display which is just as much of a spectacle from the air that it is from the ground.

The only other water cannon display that I had seen before this was the Bellagio in Las Vegas but this one definitely put that to shame - well it would - we were in Dubai after all where everything has to be bigger and better! Whilst we were there it was the winter shopping festival. This meant that there were two special displays in the evening. This consisted of a light display first, then a water display, then a fire display, and then all of them together. It was a great show to behold though and as we ate dinner down at the Mall of Dubai a couple of times we got to watch it in all its glory. Unfortunately I didn't quite get any footage of the spectacle, but the normal show occurs every 30 mins so I have a short burst of that to share with you!

Indoor Market

This time round there was not any time to go shopping. I did however manage to pick up a rather nice scarf one evening after dinner which is my souvenir for going out there. There are supposed to be some great market places around, and the name of the game as far as these are concerned is to haggle. I, am RUBBISH at haggling. I need more practice! Luckily a colleague of mine was a pro and managed to meet what the guide books say of paying 50% of the advertised price - thanks John!

Dubai is known for its cheap gold, and there are market places that sell it in all different shapes and forms. Some of it was classic, but others, well, it isn't exactly what you would end up wearing to the pub on a Friday night. It was good to see though.

The Worlds largest gold ring

This ring was actually featured in the Guinness Book of Records for being the largest gold ring in the world. I'm not sure I would have anything to wear with it though...

Now, remember not to over-accessorize!

The smells sights and sounds are what most stuck me about this city. There are people smoking hookah everywhere which fills the air with a smoky sweetness that is very foreign. Most of the local Arabs wear traditional dress and their women are all head to toe in black burkas. Dubai is not as strict as other Emirate states and the dress code for westerners is as you would find anywhere, but it was still unusual for me to see. The atmosphere is filled with the noise of different languages, and the bells tolling calling people to prayer. You really know that you are not in Kansas any more!!

Atlantis Hotel at the far end of the palm

Atlantis is one of the famous hotels in Dubai. It is built on the first of the three planned palms, which is reclaimed land from the sea which has built a housing complex in the shape of a palm leaf.


The other hotel which is a famous landmark in the city is the Jumeirah, said to be the worlds first 7 star hotel - well, if they were ever rated that highly anyway! They had to settle for 5 star hotel with 7 star facilities. Still, not a bad reputation to have!

I couldn't go all that way without dipping my feet into the Arabian Sea

That is the big question. After I got over the fantastic skyscrapers, and the grandness of the hotels, there was not too much else to keep me there. I probably would go back for a short visit with a partner or close friend and enjoy some R&R and go do a desert safari which I didn't get the chance to do, but with humidity and temperatures ridiculously high for at least 5 months of the year, it is not at the top of my list of places to go.