Day Two: Out and About in Dubai

Trip Start May 09, 2007

Trip End Jul 03, 2007

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Flag of United Arab Emirates Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Saturday, May 12, 2007

I woke up around 3pm today (yea I was that tired), and realized there was not much I could do around campus as everything is closed because here Friday and Saturday are the weekends. Furthermore, I had exhausted all the battery power my computer, cellphone, and camera had to offer so I had to go out again in an attempt to find a workable power converter. To the Mall of the Emirates it was. I caught a taxi there, which are incredibly cheap, 5-7 dollars will get you to the Mall, which is about 20min away. The Taxi are also some of the nicest I have ever seen. In Toms River a taxi is basically a Chrysler circa 1985 with holes throughout the seating. Even in London the taxi were a bit scuzzy, sticky floors and worn down. Here the entire fleet of cars are Toyotas which cannot be more then 3 years old. Everyone of them nicely painted and with impeccable interiors. Most drivers know enough English to get you to your destination. Cars in Dubai are an odd thing, for anyone who has been to Europe you encounter small, efficient cars, they seem weird to us Americans. Well its not entirely like that here, American cars or at least models you would find in America are the definate majority here. Ford Escapes, Jeep Wranglers, BMWs, Toyotas, Nissans, VW, and Mercedes are all more then prevelent. A large minority of the cars are also of the European style. (obviously yes I know many of the cars I listed are European or Asian manufacture, but its the design thats different, you do not see many cars that looked American in Europe or even Asia, the same companies make different cars there to cater to there styles and needs). And yes people drive in cars here, not camels, the only camels I've seen here are of the stuffed kind and the only place I am likely to see them is the Race Track. Another odd thing here, is that car sales places look exactly like those in the US. Big buildings with cars on platforms and large signs, something that was totally absent from my London trip.
You know those cities of the future that those 1950's films promise. Or maybe something like the jetsons, with buildings reaching above the clouds, all with sleek designs. Yea, that dream may not have hit the US yet, but it alive and kicking here in Dubai. In many aspects the technology of the city either meets or exceeds that of the most advanced US cities. New York couldn't hold this city's jockstrap, its more like a Las Vegas, meets Miami, substitute the cubans for Indians, and add a dash of the film Alladin and thats Dubai for you. Then amp up its technology three fold and you finally get the idea. It is shocking the rate at which this city is growing, Ali was telling me that the entire area next to our school was just sand when he started here four years ago. Now its all skyscrapers, not even half the city is built yet and its still amazing. Once all of the current construction is completed, probably 4-5 years from now, I do not think there will be a city on this planet that could rival this place.
At the mall again, I purchased the correct power converter and some toilet paper as our bathroom is only equiped with a bidet or whatever its called, you know one of those hoses that spray you off, and I was not down with that. I wondered the mall some more, just trying to grasp the majesty of it (mind you there are several more malls of this caliber in the area and construction is still in the process of the largest mall in the world which will only be a little ways further down the road). Throughout the mall there are little booths trying to sell new apartments or investing oppurtunities. They would pay little attention to you unless you looked like a serious buyer, and so I decided to play the role of Jay Benson, millionaire internet entreprenour. I snagged some property brochures earlier so as I approached the desks they would see that I was serious about buying property around here. I told them I was here on business for a couple of weeks, representing a small internet company looking to branch out in the area. People were falling head over heals to serve me, giving me cellphone numbers and trying to persaude me on where to invest. I told them I was looking to sink 1.5million dirhams into an apartment, or a little less then $500,000. That could get me a luxury apartment with finest views. All of the complexes I looked at by the way, are not even finished being built yet. Now you may be thinking "How does a 20 yr old pull off looking like a millionaire?". Simple, maybe 1 in every 15 or 20 people here are white, and of that, I'd say maybe another 10% of them are America. So those few of us Americans who do make it out here are assumed to have big money, as many of the Europeans here are typically wealthy as well. After talking real estate for some time, I decided it was time to get home. It is now 11:30pm, May 11th, although I will probably not be able to post this until tomorrow, as my computer isn't charging and I have no internet in my room.
Please send emails and questions, and don't worry Uncle Jim the postcards are already purchased and will be on there way before the end of the weekend. Also, Kevin I already bought you a baby camel, and its on layaway so start prepping the backyard for it. Moreover, as the excitement of Dubai slowly wears off I imagine my posts will be far shorter, so bear with me while I jabber on these first couple of days, and for those of you who skipped directly to the end, shame on you