The moment I stepped out of the air-conditioned airport terminal, the heat hit me like a slap in the face — a slap with a hot, wet rag. It was just after one in the morning and, according to a nearby temperature gauge, 32°C.
The traditionally garbed official who had met us in the arrivals hall said most flights land at night to avoid the heat. Well, I thought, we haven’t succeeded. As luck would have it, I had arrived in spring. “This is nothing,” everyone kept telling me. “You should feel what it’s like in August.”
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Dubai is usually shopping — quality gold and electronic goods at bargain prices, made even cheaper by the fact that it’s all tax free — you never think about the fact that it is in the desert, right?
Slapped neatly between The Gulf and the Arabian peninsula, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), of which Dubai is the second-largest of the seven emirates, is a land of opposites, with beautiful white beaches on the one hand and dry, dusty desert on the other.
Dubai bills itself as the travel destination with everything: beaches, sun, desert, sun, mountains and — yes, you’ve guessed it — sun. And now it is going to feature snow as well. What it boils down to (literally), is that it’s one helluva hot place. If heat is your thing, then this is the destination for you.
But be prepared — it’s not the traditional Arab city you might expect. None of the sense of ancient civilisation and heritage that is so obvious in a city such as Cairo is present here. Dubai is all about modernity.
In fact, I found it more than just a bit strange. The entire place has the feel of a huge construction site — buildings are going up everywhere: each one vying to be the tallest, shiniest, most unique in the world. Cranes compete with skyscrapers for the skyline, construction vehicles move in a constant stream to and from sites and the din is ever-present.
The government has a master plan: by 2010 it wants to have the infrastructure to cater for a minimum of 60-million visitors a year, and the development is aimed at putting the plan in place. No small feat in most countries, but in the UAE nothing is seemingly impossible.
Major projects include the Jumeirah and Jebel Ali Palms, two man-made palm tree-shaped islands off the Dubai coast, comprising residential, leisure and entertainment complexes with estimated completion dates of 2006 and 2008 respectively; The World, a residential development of 300 man-made islands in the shape of the globe to be completed in 2008; and Dubai Land, a 22,5-million square metre development, which will incorporate, among others, Dubai Sport City and the Ski Dome — a 1,4-million square metre area consisting of a revolving ski slope passing through and around an artificial mountain range.
The most ambitious of the lot must surely be the “ski resort” at the Mall of Emirates, which will open its doors in 2005. Billed as the world’s third-largest ski facility and the first of its kind in the Middle East, 6 000 tonnes of snow (imported, I guess) will be used to create five ski runs and a 450m ski slope, where up to 1 500 visitors can escape the desert heat and frolic in a winter wonderland.
For the tourists who are not prepared to wait until these developments are completed, there is already a host of hotels and resorts to choose from.
Even our own Sol Kerzner has got his feet wet with his One&Only Royal Mirage Resort in the exclusive Jumeirah Beach area. South Africans will feel right at home, because despite its attempt to conjure the magic of Arabia, there’s just something about the Royal Mirage Palace that reminds you of The Palace at Sun City. Maybe it’s the enormous bronze sculptured camels at the entrance.
Probably the most famous of the completed hotels in Dubai is the Burj Al Arab (Arabic for the Tower of the Arabs). Built about 280m offshore on a man-made island, the all-suite hotel was designed to resemble the sail of an Arabian dhow, and at 321m is taller than the Eiffel Tower (but 60m shorter than the Empire State Building).
The height of luxury, with a price tag to match (a deluxe one-bedroom suite will set you back $1 000 a night), a stay at the Burj comes with private receptions on every floor, in-room check-in and a “brigade of exclusive butlers” as standard. And if you’ve brought the kids along, don’t worry, access to the Wild Wadi Water Park is complimentary.
Wild Wadi is the Middle East’s largest fully-themed water park with 23 rides, many of which are unique to the park, because, as the brochure says: “Why just build a water park when you can build the best in the Middle East?”
Geared as it is towards the tourism industry, Dubai society, while firmly rooted in Islam, is remarkably tolerant of different lifestyles. Foreigners, who comprise 80% of the population, are free to practise their own religions, alcohol is served in hotels and the dress code is liberal. The one thing the government is intolerant of is crime, and top of that list is drinking and driving —KwaZulu-Natal has nothing on the UAE’s zero-tolerance policy!
For holidaymakers not content with just lying on the beach or next to the pool baking in the sun (and with average summer temperatures of 45°C who can blame them?), there are plenty of excursions to choose from. Among the most popular are 4×4 safaris into the desert, combining the excitement of dune-bashing with a glimpse of Bedouin life in the form of a visit to a camel farm and a braai under the stars while watching belly dancers shake their ample booty. Adventurous tourists can join in the dancing or, if you can drag yourself away from the sisha (hukka pipes), get a henna tattoo.
Of course, no trip to Dubai would be complete without a visit to the souks. Inhale the heady smells as you wander around the spice souk; try on, or buy, your weight in gold at the gold souk or practise your techno-speak at the electronic shops on Al Fahidi Street. And remember, bartering is expected.
Die-hard mall rats can get their fix at a plethora of shopping complexes throughout the city and for last-minute purchases there is always the vast duty-free area at Dubai International. But be warned, the shopping experience is not as cheap as it’s made out to be, especially not when your king’s ransom of hard-earned rands has become a mere pittance once converted into dollars and dhirhams.
So, if you can tolerate the heat, don’t mind the bigger-is-better mentality and have some dough to spare, wing your way there. It will be an experience you’ll remember.
Edwina van der Burg was hosted by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing