Dubai – City of Gold

I had two glorious days in Dubai, so this will be a double-sized post!

Dubai is the second-largest of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An emirate is a political territory ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch, and the UAE was formed in 1971 from seven individual sheikdoms, with Abu Dhabi as its capital. Dubai is located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Before oil, Dubai traded in pearls. Oil was discovered in 1966 and set the stage for explosive growth and wealth.

Everything is big in Dubai – and there is a competition between Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the biggest and the best. The tallest building (Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai) or the largest artificial island (Palm Jumeirah in Dubai), for example. Palm Island was designed by the sheik so that every home would have waterfront property. Construction is always going on; it is said that one out of every four cranes in the world is located in Dubai. I was fascinated by the architecture - each building was unique, made in different styles and shapes. 

Some interesting facts about UAE: 40% of men are named Mohammed; English is the primary language due to the varied population. Out of a total population of eight million, 80% of the population is foreign-born. There are less than a million Emiratis, who trace their bloodline to local families. Only true Emiratis are considered citizens of the UAE. Everyone else must stay on visas. If you are a citizen, through the generosity of the government, you are given land on which to build a home, funds to build the house, free education including university anywhere in the world, free healthcare (wherever you need to go in the world for care), no taxes, no utility payments, and a guaranteed salary from a job. 

Life is different for foreigners who live here - all stay on visas and have 30 days to provide proof of residence and employment. Foreigners must also buy their own healthcare insurance and pay rent (foreigners cannot purchase property). They do pay a small amount of taxes, and their utility payments are quite high.

Time here is marked as “before oil” (pre-1966) and “after oil” (post-1970). Before oil, the emirates were very insular and isolated. The discovery of oil sparked a building boom and economic expansion that is still going on. So when people refer to “Old Dubai”, they may be talking about buildings from around 1890s when the emirate first came to the area, but most often they are referring to the pre-1970s buildings and areas. “New Dubai” is everything that was built after that. There are few "historic", but they do like to design new buildings in the classic styles.

An example of the "old walls" of Dubai from 1890

Expansive shopping malls are social centers where families go to spend the day enjoying activities and air conditioning. There are playgrounds, restaurants, shops (of course), and gathering areas. One even has an indoor ski slope!

I spent my first day in the emirate of Sharjah (the third largest in population), located next to Dubai. The tour was a “local connections” tour; twenty of us spent the afternoon at Miss Fatima’s house where she taught us about Emirati customs and traditions. We enjoyed her hospitality, which included coffee and dates, a sweet pasta dish, a savory rice dish, and tea and biscuits. We also got to play dress-up with some local outfits she had for us to try. Between Miss Fatima and our guide, all our questions were answered. Her children live in houses all around her compound, and her grandchildren are frequent visitors.

Miss Fatima welcomed us to her home

Tea always hits the spot

I covet her serving dishes!

After our visit, we went to the Souk in Sharjah. Souk means market. The jewelry at the Gold Souk was lovely, and the Blue Souk had wonderful bargains on clothing. It was very mall-like and quiet; not at all what I expected.

Due to afternoon traffic, I made it back to the terminal with barely enough time to use the facilities and splash some water on my face before I joined my evening excursion with Arabian Adventures. 

The view from the back-back seat. Still the youngest one in the car!

Our caravan to the desert

We piled into SUVs and headed about an hour outside of town to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, which is an endless desert accessible only by 4-wheel drive. When we arrived we stopped so our driver could let some air out of the tires for better sand driving then headed into the reserve. On the way in, we passed an antelope-looking herd animal, and a few camels. Then, oh what a blast! We raced up and down dunes, slipping and sliding all over the place. There were about 30 cars in our convoy. 

Desert sunset

We made a few stops for pictures and for some people to get over their carsickness. After a beautiful sunset, we made our way to an Arabian campsite where I got a henna tattoo, enjoyed a buffet dinner, watched some traditional dancing and music, and rode a camel.

Grilling up our delicious dinner at the camp

Got some henna tattoo

Camels waiting to give us a ride

Yup, I see you Pav (my driver), sneaking into my selfie!

This is Sheila, my new friend

Midnight at the oasis

Traditional men's dance

Fire dancers are all over the world!

And, of course, a belly dancer

We drove out of the desert, stopped for some air in the tires, and headed back to the ship for a good night.

The next day, my sore bones and I got up to take an “Easy Dubai” tour, which showed us around the town, and then took us to Dubai’s Gold Souk and Spice Market, which were much more like I expected them to be, which vendors tempting you into their shops for great deals and unique finds.

Made another friend.

They even have surfing beaches here!

Aaand, another friend.

The Gold Souk in Dubai was much more what I had pictured.

Pretty things!

Beautiful colors everywhere

Wonderful smells in the spice market

After bargaining and buying a few things, we headed back to the ship for our afternoon departure. Dubai certainly lived up to my expectations and I'd love to come back and explore more!