Dubai Days, Pt.II

So, continuing from where I left off on my last post, more things I enjoyed in Dubai:

*Dubai Museum

The Dubai Museum is located inside Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1787 to protect the city from invasion and renovated into a museum in 1971. Some of its exhibitions are what you would expect to see in most museums: jewelry, weaponry, all sorts of everyday artifacts. What's really impressive though, is the lifesize dioramas in the galleries, which depict life in the U.A.E. before the discovery of oil. Scenes from desert and marine life,  trading in the souks, date harvests, religious practices, and more, come to life while walking through this amazing exhibition. The figures are so lifelike it's almost eerie.

*Sand in a Bottle Art

This man had a little stall, at which he sat creating a very unique form of art. I stopped to watch him and he explained the procedure to me as he worked. Around him were many bowls filled with sand that he had dyed earlier in a variety of colors. Taking sand from these bowls, he poured layer upon layer, switching colors as he went, into a glass bottle, until he had created an image of camels with rippling sand dunes in the background. He packed the sand in tightly, sealing the top with glue, so, even if the bottle were to be shaken vigorously, the image would not be ruined. He made this little masterpiece in less than 10', and of course I bought one, the only souvenir I got from Dubai.

*Cruising the Dubai Creek

The Creek is essentially the reason Dubai exists as a city, since this is where members of the Bani Yas tribe created the first settlement. Not only that, but it was also where the pearl trade with the outside world began. Today, trading still commences on dhows (traditional wooden boats) on the Deira side of the Creek. Taking a cruise on the Creek is a rather touristy thing to do, but very pleasant. Large or smaller dhows carry passengers along the Dubai Creek, passing by key points of the city, such as souks, the Dubai Museum, the Heritage Village, mosques and more.

*National Pride

 December 2nd and 3rd are U.A.E.'s national days, celebrating its formal nationalization from the British Protectorate Treaties and the unification of the seven emirates (1971). This means that when we got there, preparations were in full flow, and Dubai was completely decked out in celebratory decoration . The whole city was a haze of green, red, black and white. Flags were the main decoration, as it happens on national days around the world. Simply everywhere, ranging from tiny ones clasped onto car windows with little plastic rods, to enormous ones, that seemed about an acre wide, draped on skyscraper exteriors. It wasn't just the flags though, everything seemed to be U.A.E. themed. I even saw a few cars with a U.A.E. paint job, complete with the faces of the local rulers on the side doors. That's another thing I get a kick out of, and it's done in Saudi Arabia as well. The rulers' faces are everywhere, often blown up to enormous proportions, so wherever you go, you have Sheikh Something-or-Other staring down at you. I just love visiting cities when they're all "dressed up" and festive :)

Dubai Days, Pt.I

These past few days, I spent in a very different part of the Arab world, one that is familiar to most westerners, as it is one of the world's leading travel destinations. Dubai.
Dubai is truly a remarkable city, especially considering the fact that, within mere decades, it has transformed itself, from a quiet coastal settlement to a bustling metropolis. The discovery of oil in the region was, of course, key to this incredible growth and prosperity. However, the insightful leadership decided not to rely solely on oil revenues, which wouldn't last forever, by investing in creating a quality tourism destination. Within approximately 30 years, modern Dubai emerged, exciting and culturally diverse, a true cosmopolitan city.
Having said all that, Dubai wouldn't be on my list of "must see" destinations, the reason for this being that it is a bit too superficial for my taste. Its iconic towers, massive shopping malls, theme parks, extremely luxurious hotels and  a wide variety of leisure activities, ranging from skydiving to yachting, have practically "buried" the region's Islamic and Bedouin heritage, creating an enormous playground for the wealthy tourist. Hints of Dubai's heritage can only be discerned  in  things such as the plethora of  mosques in the city or the traditional attire of the few locals(locals represent only 8% of Dubai's population, the rest being expatriates and migrant workers).
Even though Dubai is not "must see" material and quite lacking culturally , in my opinion at least, it would be impossible not to admit that I had a very enjoyable time there. After all, it is a city with the capability to satisfy the entertainment needs of any tourist, very different from Jeddah, where fun is kind of difficult to come across.  Here are some of my favorite things from my trip to Dubai :

* Burj Khalifa , "At the top"

The tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, rises 828m above Dubai and has 162 floors. With this height, even New York's famous skyscrapers are dwarfed by comparison. This architectural wonder was built to resemble the desert flower Hymenocalli.
Visitors can take the "At the top" journey, to the floor-to-ceiling glass observation deck on the 124th floor. There was a very long line and airport style security measures to wait through, but it was entirely worth it. Crammed into one of the building's 57 lifts along with 10-15 more enthusiastic tourists, the ascent took just over a minute to complete, before we exited to a stunning view of Dubai landscapes, city, desert and ocean.   Walking around the observation deck there is barely an inch of Dubai that goes undiscovered. Surprisingly, I wasn't able to see the trademark of Dubai, the Palm Islands, which was a bit of a disappointment. The rest of the view made up for it though, and being so high above the world gives you a truly amazing feeling.

The view from above

* Dubai's Dancing Fountains

Located in front of Burj Khalifa,on the Burj Khalifa Lake, Dubai Fountain provides a spectacular show of lights, water and music every half hour during the evening and twice around midday. Music starts playing and the performance begins, with great jets of water shooting out of the fountains as high as 150m. Twisting and turning in different patterns and combinations, following the song's rhythm, they seem to be dancing like synchronized swimmers. Colorful lights are projected across the water adding to this magnificent sight. The technology behind this performance is incredible. The fountain's "dance recitals" are extremely popular and huge crowds gather round it before every show.

* Dune-Bashing

This is one of the things you absolutely have to do if you ever find yourself in Dubai, or any place with an abundance of sand for that matter. There are many agencies in Dubai which organize "dune-bashing" expeditions. We opted for an evening expedition, so, round 4 'o' clock, a driver in a white Hummer picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the desert about 30' away from the city. Upon arriving we were greeted by a convoy of more white SUVs from the same agency. The driver gave us a few minutes to take pictures, while he released pressure from the tires. I took this opportunity to remove my shoes and walk in the sand. It was pure bliss. Soft and warm, I sank into it almost up to my knees. Never before have I encountered sand with such lovely texture. Soon, we were in the car again, ready to start "bashing the dunes". We raced up and down incredibly steep dunes, kicking up sand in our wake, rolled along the top of others, jostling terribly in the back seat, until, with an abrupt swerve, our driver sent us speeding down again. At certain points the car was practically moving on two wheels, leaning so much that, if the window were open, I could run my hand along the sand. It was excellent! Slightly terrifying and immensely thrilling, a great adrenaline rush. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who suffers from motion sickness though. After about 40' of "bashing", our convoy gathered at a "Bedouin" camp, created by the agency, for supper, shisha smoking, camel riding and a variety of other activities.

This post turned out quite longer than I would have liked, so more on Dubai in the next one!