Dubai, U.A.E.

Dubai... the city where it's men in white and women in black, where Thursdays and Fridays are the weekends, where the poor people are imported, and where it's home to the world's largest indoor ski slope and the one and only 7-star hotel. Above all though, Dubai is the city of construction.

I think I was five years too early for this trip. Everywhere I go, there is construction - to my left, to my right, to the front, to the back. Even the five star resorts are surrounded by them. I went on the most-expensive hop-on-hop-off bus ever today. For roughly $40 or so dollars (150AED), I got to see mostly malls, five star resorts, and more constructions. I was disappointed. If I actually had to pay for my room at the Hyatt Regency, I would have been quite annoyed. Luckily, I got the hook-up from a friend of a friend of a friend so I can pretend to be part of the high-class society that has a reason to be in a place like this. Seriously, unless you are rich and plan to buy one of the countries in the World Islands, or are here to start a business that enjoys tax-free status, there's no point to be here. When Sheikh Mohammad decided to build a landmark (Burj Al Arab) to rifle the Eiffle Tower, he knew exactly what he was doing. It put Dubai on the map and many tourists like me are probably fooled into believing the over-hyped surrealism actually exists here. Perhaps when all of the construction is finished, it could be a place worth visiting. Still, when you hear things like a prerequisite for buying an island is that you own a helicopter or a yacht, I can only imagine that the place will be home for the filthy rich. Speaking of residents, with the many skyscrapers and residential areas being built, I have to wonder how the city will cope with this expected exponential increase in population. The traffic conditions here are already mad during rush hours. There aren't any reliable public transportation system that a typical tourist would use. Worst of all, there is a lack of 'green' in the city that could worsen the constant haze that hangs over the city.

Well, needless to say Dubai gets a thumbs down from me. The most interesting thing I've seen so far are the Arabs in their traditional outfits (abayas for women and dishdahsa for men) standing in line for such places as KFC and Pizza Hut in the Mall of Emirates. I've got a few days to kill yet so I'll either be participating in some cheesy dessert tour, checking out the other emirates, or perhaps try to make my way out to Oman for a day. Alternatively, I could just live-it up here and do a dinner at Burj Al Arab, or spend a day in a spa. I don't know, but at the very least I have the sun and the pool.