Dubai (Day 79)
Dubai is full of over-the-top sights and experiences: the world’s tallest building, skiing at the shopping mall, indoor skydiving, and much more.
The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building by far. It is nearly 1000 feet higher than the tallest building in North America (One World Trade Center). It is so tall that you can see the sunset twice on the same day — once at the bottom, then take the elevator up and see it again at the top!
We went up to the observation deck to look around the city and see the sunset. Below us were 50 and 70 story buildings that looked like kids’ toys.
After, we had dinner outside to watch the Dubai Fountain. It is the world’s largest fountain show, with water jets shooting almost 500 feet in the air. The song for this moment of beauty? The international preschool smash hit “Baby Shark (Doo Doo).”
The next day, it was off to skiing at the shopping mall. It was 85 degrees outside, and we were wearing shorts and flip flops. No problem! It is 29 degrees every day at Ski Dubai, and they will rent you a full outfit. Also, they have real Antarctic penguins for the kids (of course).
Later, we tried indoor skydiving — Hazel’s new favorite sport! They have a vertical wind tunnel with air blowing at 120 mph, making you weightless. You can steer yourself with the position of your body. Hazel and her instructor are taking off!
We also had a full day at LegoLand Dubai. Of course, it is the largest LegoLand in the world. What we didn’t expect is that it was completely empty. There were maybe 4 cars there when we arrived. It was fun to be at an amusement park and not to have to wait in lines for anything!
The Lego Burj Khalifa. Riding a Lego camel. And inside a Lego shark!
*****
Abu Dhabi
We also went to neighboring Abu Dhabi to see the Sheik Zayad Grand Mosque. It has to be one of the most amazing modern buildings. Built from bright white marble, it is insanely ornate, with 1000 columns, inlaid stones, and 88 domes topped with gold. It is as if someone decided to build a new Taj Mahal or Norte Dame — it is bigger than both. In true UAE fashion, it has the world’s largest hand knotted carpet, with 2,268,000,000 knots that took 1,200 people 2 years to make.
We also enjoyed a visit to the improbable Louvre Abu Dhabi. The story we heard was that the Crown Prince visited the Louvre, fell in love with it and said, “I would like to have one.” In what must have been one of the most amazing negotiations ever, he agreed to pay about $1.2 billion for the the right to the Louvre name and to borrow artifacts from the collection. That did not even include having to construct the new museum or buy a separate permanent collection…
The building is stunning, with individual galleries built right into the sea — all covered by a giant woven steel dome. Purists might say that the building is better than the actual art, but we liked the museum’s mission of telling a unified world history of art, emphasizing connections between different cultures.
Here is Hazel between 2 galleries.
The roof, which lets in ever changing rays of sunlight as the day progresses.
*****
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DUBAI
In 1950, what is now the United Arab Emirates was mostly an empty desert with just 50k inhabitants. Oil was found in 1960, but change was gradual at first. There were no elementary schools in the area until 1963. And no telephones until 1970. In 1971, 7 local tribes, each lead by a sheikh, got together and formed the UAE. Today, about 15 families own most everything, and the entire country is run more like a corporation than probably any country in the world. The population is around 10 million, with 1.5 million Emiratis and 8.5 million foreign workers. We were told that there is 0% unemployment, 0% homelessness and no drug problems.
Dubai feels international, modern, and rich — rather than particularly Arab or Muslim. Safe, clean, and functional, it was a huge contrast with Egypt, which we visited about 1 year ago. (Despite these issues, Egypt was easily one of our favorite trips ever! A true adventure.) More than in any country we have visited, the UAE media is constantly preaching the virtues of openness, tolerance, and progress. It is the only country on the trip where local people are much richer than people in the USA.
Should we take the Ferrari or the Lamborghini SUV? (We did not know that Lamborghini SUVs even existed.)
In contrast to the huge security problems in some other parts of the Middle East, the UAE feels safe. While Egyptian historic sights had teams of snipers and armored personnel carriers for safety, we did not even see security guards or metal detectors in most of the UAE. We were told that the police use sophisticated technology instead of weapons. We heard that they use facial recognition technology so aggressively that police officers greet local residents by name, just so everyone knows they are being watched. You can leave your cellphone on a table in the mall, and it will be untouched when you come back.
Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and it holds 150 Guinness World Records, ranging from world’s largest mall, to world’s largest chocolate sculpture, to world’s fastest police car — a Bugatti that can drive at 252 mph. Anything seems possible in Dubai. We had a large rainstorm one day, and we heard that the government had seeded the clouds because they wanted rain. Dubai has built Emirates into one of the largest airlines in the world – a surprising achievement for a place that is smaller than Delaware. (Quick — name 1 airport in Delaware!) There is a clear government strategy where the airline benefits from the tourist sites and vice versa.
All these crazy things, the exaggeration, and the bravado seem to be part of a strategy on the part of Sheik Mohammed, like a modern day PT Barnum, to create buzz and excitement to bring people to what was recently an empty desert. And it is working!
*****
UAE’S GOT TALENT
The UAE has among the highest foreign workers as a percent of the population in the world. How does a country of 1.5 million people hire 8.5 million people from far away to make their business go? One of our guides told us how he got his job. He said a for profit UAE recruiting firm came to Cape Town and rented a convention room for what was like a huge casting call for American Idol. Over 1000 people lined up for the chance to get a job. The recruiters gave the pitch about life in the UAE and then interviewed about 1200 people over 3 days. Everyone had to show they were heathy, had no criminal record, and had useful skills. The recruiters picked under 5% of the applicants for jobs, and then there were more interviews with specific employers.
Foreign workers in the UAE come from basically all the countries in the world. Although some Americans have questions about this set up, every expat worker we talked to was very happy to be here. Some were from countries experiencing tough times, like Syria and Afghanistan. Others were just glad to be able to use their talents and send money home to their families. They all talked about the strength of the diversity in Dubai.
On the other hand, the UAE has no elections, and 85% of the residents (the expat workers) aren’t even full citizens. It is sort of like a Trump fantasy immigration program — you can only come to the UAE if you ALREADY have a job there, if you are healthy, and if you have no problems with the police. If you lose your job, you immediately get a text from the government that says you have 30 days to find another job or leave the country. It has been nice having you here!