Morning in Dubai
Trip Start
Dec 15, 2008
1
3
9
Trip End
Dec 23, 2008
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
I made it to the Burj al Arab, the famous hotel which proclaimed itself worthy of 7 stars, but I couldn't believe that Dubai was cloudy again just like when I'd visited 2 years earlier. While on the bus to get there, though, I had my first "Wow" moment of the trip, seeing the sunrise below the clouds and between two towering skyscrapers. I couldn't take a photo, but it's one of those images I hope to always remember.
I wandered around the beach next to the Burj al Arab, and couldn't help but feel I was seeing Dubai's most famous building in very unimpressive conditions. The overcast made the sea look cold and grey, and the beach was empty at that early hour. I did enjoy having quiet conditions all to myself, but was disappointed that I couldn't see the building in sunlight. In the end I was happy at how the photos came out when I downloaded them to my laptop. They were actually pretty atypical of any photo I'd ever seen of that hotel since usually the photos are shot in bright sunlight.
I took another bus back to the Mercato mall, a well-done Venetian-Tuscan looking place which was a little Las Vegas, a little Disneyish, but still quite effective and attractive. The shops were not yet open so it seemed a little too lifeless, but it would be a place to bring Suzan if we returned to Dubai.
After 3 buses I was running low on time, so I hired a taxi driven by a friendly, light-skinned Pakistani. He drove me to the Fairmount Hotel where I had a fairly good vantage point for photos looking up Sheik Zayed Bouldevard with all of the high-rises. He waited for me while I took some photos, took me back to the youth hostel where I collected my bags, and then drove me to the airport. Altogether it cost $19, which was pretty good since he drove me around for almost an hour.
In the airport I made use of the free wi-fi, and felt like it was hard not to love Dubai, at least for a little while before it got boringly too familiar. When it came time to board the Jazeera Airways flight the plane only had about 35 passengers. They started with a Muslim prayer before take-off, but the fully covered Yemeni women across the aisle didn't seem to even pay attention. I bought a bottle of water for a dollar, realizing that I was getting dehydrated in spite of mild temperatures around 70F. I tried to sleep on the flight but the lack of pillows made it a little difficult even though I was stretched across 3 seats.
I was going from the most modern place of the Middle East (Dubai) to the poorest, most traditional place of the region, Yemen. I was excited at the prospect. It might be the closest I ever got to experiencing time travel.
