Dubai stopover

When you enter the arrivals lounge in Dubai airport you are greeted with marble floors and waterfalls running down and lining the building wall. You are immediately left in no doubt that money, luxury, and opulence are the key elements that form the culture of this Emirate.

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates and has been ruled by the Al Maktoum dynasty since 1833. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the current ruler of Dubai, and for good measure also the Prime Minister and Vice President. Nothing like total control!
The twenty minute drive to our hotel in the dark was like a futuristic journey with brightly lit skyscrapers towering either side of the seven lane motorway. We drove past the world’s second tallest, and most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab which is shaped like a yachts sail with a heli pad on top for that VIP guest. Unfortunately we did not stop as my budget did not quite extend that far much to Sheila’s disappointment.

What looked incredible at night, turned out in daylight to be the biggest building site I had ever seen with half built buildings, swarming with blue overalled labourers working in 34 to 45 degree heat. (mostly from the Indian sub continent – human rights are not high up on the agenda with regards to this group of people) Tourism, real estate and financial services now increasingly provides the emirate’s revenue, but the economy was originally built on the profits of the oil industry.

Inevitably the oil is running out, and due to the global downturn in the financial economy, Dubai’s foreign dept has increased to nearly 100 bullion US dollars. Just to put it in perspective, each of the Emirate’s 250,000 nationals is responsible for 400,000 US dollars in foreign dept! (Even though the oil is running out, you can still fill the fuel tank of a Land Rover Discovery for less than £20) There is a saying in Wales about ‘having everything in the shop window’; the previous financial fact on foreign dept does not equate to the unrelenting show of wealth in the form of exotic cars, malls full of designer shops and even an internal ski slope. We saw no hint of poverty, rubbish, binge drinking (you need a licence to buy alcohol or it is moderately served in the hotel bars) homelessness or the other distressing sights that are common on our streets in the UK. (there must be a happy medium) It was just too perfect! It reminded me of a trip to Disneyland, a theme based on make believe…

We left Dubai having enjoyed the weather, the lovely beach by the hotel, the incredible courtesy expressed by everyone, but with a feeling that Dubai has lost its soul to consumerism and that a dark side exists, hidden carefully away from the Western visitor.

I did try to find some Welsh lamb in the mall I visited which had a large Carfour outlet. Unfortunately I only came across New Zealand and Australian lamb, and South American beef! It was comforting to be assured however by an expat, that there was an upmarket chain of stores stocking Welsh lamb somewhere in Dubai……..

We have left Dubai after a thirty six hour stopover, and are now flying onto Auckland via Sydney. It is around now I am told that our body clocks will start to get confused as we enter different time zones. Neither Sheila nor I have managed to get any sleep on the flight so far. (8 hours in with 9 to go!) We shall probably pay for it later as we are landing in New Zealand in the morning, and will have a full day ahead of us, including a meeting with the MAF Head of Biosecurity.