Dubai UAE through our eyes, here is what we saw.
When Bud and I first began to plan this trip we each came up with a list of places we wanted to see. I was excited to see everything out there but was forced to choose my top must see places. I came up with 3 main places that were y top of the list; Ibiza Spain, Dubai UAE and Venice Italy. We have already been to Ibiza and Venice, so I was excited to see the last of my top 3 - Dubai. It’s technically my number 2 pick of places I wanted to see in the world. I am often asked, why Dubai? Well, I have recently learned that I am a bit of a futurist at heart. I love the future of technology and the modern-ness of cities. I have never been one to want to go back in time. I have never felt like there were good ole days to be missed. The only way I would wish for the past is if I could have my four kids as little kids again. I would spend more time playing with them, reading to them and absorb every ounce of their love and time. Other than that, take me to the future.
Dubai is a city built on the dreams of the future and a lot of wealth. They push the boundaries on what can be done. They are home to an extremely large aquarium, an indoor ski park, the world’s tallest building and manmade islands that are shaped like a palm tree. They even have a public metro train that is driverless and fully automated. I enjoy seeing how technology can push the limits.
Everything in Dubai is new. Before the 1960’s Dubai was a small trading port for the local population of 56,000 people. It was right around then that oil was discovered and Dubai exploded with wealth. They have run a budget surplus for the last 40 years. The sidewalks, roads, overpasses, buildings, metro stations are all in fantastic shape and extremely clean. Even the grounds under the overpasses are well manicured and decorated with weed free flowers and plants We saw no police or military, but there was a feeling of order and safety anyways. I actively watched for police cars everywhere we went but had no luck. They have many exotic cars in their police car inventory: Brabus C700, Audi R8 V10, McLaren MP4-12C, Nissan GT-R, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin One-77, Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF, and BMW i8. I looked everywhere and never did find a police car or a police man. This was a nice change from all the other places we have been. I have become accustomed to seeing large weapons being hauled around by young men in uniforms. We also never saw any panhandlers or homeless people. I have been told there is a real horrible side of Dubai that is hidden from the public. We went to a few outer areas but didn’t see anything unusual. I plan on watching a documentary in the future to find out what I missed. Some facts we learned about Dubai is that it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world at .04%, and that they spend 20.5% of their budget on general and higher education. I feel that Dubai is investing in the future by investing in their children.
Bud did not enjoy the country as much as I did. The sound of the call to prayer 5 times a day and the lack of being able to find a beer was a little more than he wanted to deal with. The only place we could find any alcohol was at the airport duty free shop and the hotels. It is overpriced and only drank by tourist. Also, there are warnings in the mall about no kissing in public and we heard that holding hands between a man and woman is frowned upon. I don’t like these rules but I did enjoy not seeing any people addicted to drugs and alcoholics who are down on their luck.
I’d have to say that my favorite part of the city was something I never expected. Dubai is a city of many different nationalities. Dubai’s population is 2.57 million but 71% of that is foreigners. I felt like it is a real international city. Everywhere we went we heard multiple languages. English is the main spoken language and taught to all their children. Even though we saw people typically speaking in Arabic or English, it was common to hear other languages. I wish I knew how many people who work in Dubai speak 3 or more languages. That real melting pot of nationalities is what made the city special to me. Following are some of the photos we took while visiting. Thank you for following along on our journey, I hope we have sparked the travel bug in you. Bet
Burj Khalif - the worlds tallest building. Opened 2010. 2,722 feet tall, 163 floors. Worlds highest night club on the 144th floor. World's highest observation deck at the 148th floor. It has an Armani Hotel, 900 private residential units that sold out in 8 hours after being on the market, corporate offices and suites, 57 elevators, restaurants and observation decks and a zero entry swimming pool on the 76th floor. A zero entry pool is a swimming pool that gently slopes as you walk in, no stairs.
Dubai Aquarium - Located inside the Dubai Mall. Has 300 marine animals including rays and sharks. Worlds largest indoor aquarium. 2,600,000,000 Gallons of water appox. Has glass bottom boat riding and swimming with the sharks. They have a king Crocodile that is 16 feet long and 1700 lbs.
The Dubai Mall - Largest mall in the world with total square footage (1,124,000m2) mall in the world. 1200 shops. 750,000 every week.
Finally here is the miscellaneous pictures we thought that showed a little more of the city of Dubai.
