I must say I have mixed emotions for Dubai. In a way I like it, as I like big modern cities, and I do like the hot climate and the beaches and the shopping etc. But it is so artificial. And it is still one huge construction site, I wonder what it will be like when it is “ready”. I fear it will be a little too perfect. It is all so clean, tidy, neat and well-organised. Of cause it is nice, but it is a little boring and annoying. It would get me on my nerves after some time. I would miss the “chilli in the sauce”; the unexpected and uncontrolled. Ok, I really haven’t seen much of the place, as my supposed guide stood me up or at least suddenly got busy elsewhere (men!!), but all I have seen goes in that direction, that is perfection. What really would annoy me if I stayed here longer is that there is no place where you can walk. Ok, when it is over 40 degrees outside you might not want to walk much, but the city is really only made for transportation in cars. The place is very wide-stretched and there are not much of sidewalks and the junctions are all but pedestrian-friendly and there is nowhere to go, no nice areas to stroll in, lest for the beach and the shopping malls. I guess there must be some parts where you can still see and feel some of the history, but all I read in the tourist brochures seem to be about “new” constructions in “old” or “traditional” Arabian style, nothing seems to be genuine.
As I did not get the private guided tour I was promised, I booked myself on one of the arranged tours. First of all I realise how unused I am to go on those things; I almost lost the group all the time and was nearly left behind at the end of it!! Anyway I got to see some of the “older” parts of the city and some souqs and the historical museum. There they had some quite fascinating exhibits in see how people lived in straw huts just 50-60 years ago! Then there was almost nothing there!
Of cause I visited some of the malls too, the one said to be the biggest outside US (I doubt it though as I think some that I saw in China felt bigger) Mall of the Emirates, where they have the famous indoor ski-slope, which I of cause had to try.
It was quite fun and it was surprisingly good skiing, but it was only fun for about 30-40 minutes and than that’s it.
The slope from the outside.
Maybe that what happens with all the artificial stuff, you get tired of it quite soon. I wonder how that affects people who live here. Maybe they too get artificial and superficial (and obviously unreliable, yes I am a little annoyed!).
Anyway everyone I met was very friendly, but on the other hand I mostly met foreigners working in the tourist service industry, mostly Indians. 80% of the inhabitants in Dubai are foreigners and from those 80% I believe 40% are Indian. The service level is very high, to me sometimes annoyingly high. You can not just look around on your own for a while, before there is someone asking if you need help, and what ever you do there is someone to tell you how to do it right, or what way to go or asking if you need help etc.. To me that is very American (although I never been in America) and I recognise it from Manila and it gets me on my nerves after a while.
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