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Luxurious, sophisticated, and magnificent with an ever-changing skyline Dubai sparkles on the global horizon with a flourish that marvels the beholder...

We were in the commercial-tourist centre of the most modern world. It is known as a wonderland which gave off gold in return for one’s sweat. And the best place to spend that gold too. Yes, it is not possible to imagine any other place than Dubai which will perfectly fit the picture. The same old place which has grown to be the star of the Middle East.

The city welcomed us with a charming ambience rooted in traditional Arabic hospitality topped with an ultra-modern flourish. This contrast in its nature had always perplexed me. But, as it always had happened, we were feeling very comfortable within a few minutes of landing there. This was in fact our third journey to Dubai and we were more or less familiar with the places around there.

The 'city of merchants'

It was not oil, the life-blood of the region, which built Dubai, it was tradeIt was not oil, the life-blood of the region, which built Dubai, one among the 8 emirates of the UAE. It was trade. The revenue that Dubai gets out of oil and related products is only 3% of its net revenue. The rest is derived from tourism, real estate, financial services, and the separate economic area of Jabal Ali Free Zone. Then, the Dubai Harbor is one of the major ports in the world. Once known in the region as the ‘city of merchants’, Dubai has welcomed seafarers and traders for generations. Today, it is not only the commercial and financial centre of the Middle East but also easily its entertainment, shopping, sports, and culinary capital.

Affluence is the mark of the city. There is an infinite scope for shopping, starting from the very traditional the Spice Souk and Gold Souk to the likes of Deira City Centre, BurJuman Centre, Gold and Diamond Park, and the Computer Plaza. Popular malls are not only centres for shopping but also for entertainment with a variety of restaurants and cinema theatres. In fact, the city’s upscale malls like Wafi City and Al Ghurair City are known for high-quality entertainment. The Dubai Festival City, the city’s latest leisure venue sprawling across 1500 acres, marvelously blends shopping, hospitality, entertainment, business and residence facilities in a single setting and gives visitors a taste of Dubai lifestyle. People from all over the world reach Dubai to witness the Festival held in every January. The Festival City overlooks the Creek.

A world around the creek

The Creek! Here the sea creeps into the land separating the two commercial hubs, Deira and Bur Dubai. The creek provides a magnificent view of the impressive Dubai skyline on one side and the old traditional dhows on the other. On either side, the roads are neat and wide with aesthetically set gardens and clear signboards along their sides. And with those skyscrapers setting the skyline, the view is quite beholding. For 1 Dirhum you can cross the creek in the traditional ferry known as abra. The boat journey seems to be easier than getting through the ensnaring traffic jams of the roads and more, a trip across the creek in the colourful abra is an experience by itself.

We had booked our stay in Deira located on the northern side of the Dubai Creek. Deira, housing old souks and covered market places, is a convenient location for both business and leisure travelers. Here, the business districts, shopping areas, Spice Souk, Gold Souk and Dubai International Airport are all within a few kilometers. But it is Bur Dubai, lying on the south of the creek, which is the heart of the city. The city’s rich legacy too is displayed here in the Dubai Museum and the lively Heritage Village.

A tour of the city through the arterial Sheikh Zayed Road is always a must. I do it every time I visit the city. The road is quite iconic with its ever-changing skyline brought about by new additions all the time and is thus a witness to the changing face of Dubai. It takes you from the Trade Centre right up to the border of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The highway goes against the backdrop of such landmarks as the Emirates Tower and the sky-breaking wonder of Burj Dubai and a host of other skyscrapers which line its sides. Just off the first interchange of the highway is Downtown Burj Dubai, embodying the vision of the new Dubai, by superbly combining the various aspects of modern urban life. The Downtown is also home to the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world.

Further down the road various shopping malls line up, inviting the passers-by with their beautiful edifices and glittering facades.The Mall of Emirates, Dubai’s second largest mall, is also along this road and it houses the famous skiing centre. A large snow capped mountain of Switzerland is recreated here and the temperature inside the centre is minus 4 degree Celsius. You can have fine skiing experience with all the skiing and snow-boarding equipments by giving 140 dirhams for two hours. The Ski Dubai is the world’s largest indoor ski park.

The most splendid sight that the great highway offers is, perhaps, of that wonder among the new age hotels, the Burj al Arab. At 321 metres high (it is taller than the Eiffel Tower), this awesome sail shaped structure gives off the impression of a huge steel galleon in full sail. The hotel is part of the Jumeira Beach Resort which is built on a man-made island 280 meters offshore and 15 kilometres south of Dubai city (28 km away from the Dubai International Airport). If you pay 100 dirhams you can go up to the 27th floor of the hotel. It is said that every room of this hotel has to be booked for the next 400 years to retrieve the capital invested on this 7 Star enterprise owned by the Sheikh of Dubai. The suburb of Jumeira, where this iconic hotel is located, is even otherwise popular with its villas, shopping centres, spectacular hotels, and the beautiful Jumeira Mosque adorning the pleasant beach road.

'The Ibn Batuta Mall, where you will find some ‘theme shops’ built after some heritage themes of China, India, Egypt, Tunisia, Andalusia et al Located along the same road is the Ibn Batuta Mall, where you will find some ‘theme shops’ built after some heritage themes of China, India, Egypt, Tunisia, Andalusia et al. The Mall is home to a 21-screen cinema Megaplex, including the UAE’s first IMAX theatre. The Media City, another wonder to be seen, is near to this mall. All the world’s top media and advertising companies assemble here. The Internet city is located next to the Media City. All of these are self reliant autonomous areas and they bear just another testimony to the farsightedness of the rulers of this Emirate.

An amalgam of wonders and cultures

There is no dearth for wonders in Dubai. The canvas for these wonders is set by the sea. A new fun is being enacted now in the form of the creation of a new water-front world by cutting and pasting certain portions of land on to this canvas and then constructing a number of buildings on them. The construction of the Palm Islands, designed on the model of a palm leaf with a number of 5 star hotels and luxury villas, is on the final stages. The islands will increase Dubai’s shoreline by 120 kilometres.

The kaleidoscopic blend of people and cultures that you can see in the city is in itself a wonder. Dubai offers you the world on a platter and the city is an amalgam of a unique fusion of influences. Dubai plays host to immigrants from over 30 countries and this expatriate population comes to about 71% in total. 51% of Dubai’s population is comprised of Indians hailing from various states, most of them being Keralites. You can find a number of Indian hotels, with branches of many leading hotels of Kerala among them, in the city.

The cosmopolitan nature of the city shines through every aspect of its life. Dubai is a party city, with a vibrant nightlife. Night clubs and dance bars blink their eyes open upon the fall of dusk. Nearly every hotel has a discotheque, nightclub or lounge hosting both local DJs as well as international names. Partying will stretch long into night on weekends. Middle Eastern nightclubs with Arabic singers, belly dancers and musicians render the necessary local flavour. Dubai is now a popular destination on the concert circuit of the world too. The Madinat Theatre, set within the precincts of Souk Madinat Jumeirah, is home to Dubai Inernational Film Festival and to a wide variety of shows that include drama, opera, film screenings, magic and musicals.

The star of the Middle East

Dubai has something to offer to everyone from holidaymakers seeking a relaxing break to adventurous tourists looking for a new exciting adventure. Certain entertainment programs such as yacht cruise and desert safari are specific to Dubai. The numerous shopping malls of the city feature some of the world’s best brands at competitive prices. The prospects get even better during the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises. On these occasions people from all across the globe throng the city for a ‘never-before’ shopping experience.

Fifty years ago, before the discovery of oil, it was trade and herding camels that provided sustenance to the Emiratis. And they cultivated a few crops that the harsh climate of the desert allowed them. In just fifty years that life around camels and sand dunes changed to one of chauffeur-driven Mercs and state of the art highways, from palm barastis to seaside villas, and a tax-free existence. The prosperity that began to boom with the spurting of oil is in evidence all across the Gulf world, but it was Dubai which went on to earn a top place among the most luxurious and expensive places in the world. And it has set precedents for the entire region with its vision and diversity.

The city which illuminates the whole of Middle East is now fast on its way to become the global capital of entertainment, shopping and fine-dining. It is its traditional environment, modernity (something unsurpassed by any other city in the world), and its philosophy of enjoying the finer things in life, which make Dubai a fascinating and exciting destination.

Heralding a silent revolution, Dubai RTA has inaugurated its metro network on 9th of September. With 10 strategically located metro stations this milestone in the development of Dubai transportation system is the first of its kind in the Gulf States. When complete, it will become the longest fully automated driverless metro service in the world. Public transportation was a missing feature among the blessings of Dubai. Its population was almost entirely dependent on private vehicles and taxis. The exorbitant hike in the taxi rates and the extreme climate had hit the outing prospects of those who didn’t own vehicles. The metro project hopes to redress this grievance.

The Metro promises an increased cultural exchange in a city with multi-ethnic and multi-national population that still confine themselves in to separate ethnic pockets. The Metro aspires to dismantle the fences that people had put on around themselves and thus open up the society. And it is likely to happen given the enthusiastic public response since the day of Metro’s inauguration. (Dubai metro trains offer a standard 'silver' class, a women and children only section and a first-class 'gold' section).

But the full benefit of the system can be experienced only when it becomes fully operational the next year. A more comprehensive complementary transport service with feeder buses and taxis are yet to be pressed into service to help the people use the Metro for their daily commute. Within a year it will become the backbone of a modern integrated mass transit system.

Business owners say that they are yet to experience the “Metro effect” on their trade and the skeptical ones hold that people will have to be persuaded to get out of their cars and on to the train. But Metro is sure to make a considerable impact on tourism in the city as is evident from the hordes of people (many of them are residents of Dubai for years) who hop on the train just to see and visit areas they had not been to before because of travel difficulties. All the Metro stations are strategically located close to tourism hubs and the business centers.

 

For more information : http://dubaimetro.eu/

© travelbird