Dubai - Days 52-54

Dubai is ridiculous. I think coming here from the US would have been a shock, but coming from Ethiopia absolutely has my head spinning. The contrast is actually giving me a headache.

In Ethiopia, there were beggars almost every few meters and everything was dusty and falling apart. Macchiatos cost 50 cents and public transportation was minibus jalopies. A 4 hour flight and sleepless night later, I was in Dubai. The city is spotless and everything seems as if it was built yesterday. The public transportation system is undoubtedly the easiest and most intuitive I've encountered. Stops are announced in Arabic and English along with display on the monitors. Piece of cake finding my host's place :)

I'm staying with a Indian guy who has been working and living in Dubai for the past six years. He has a nice apartment on the west side of Dubai that's pretty accessible by bus and metro, but it takes at least 30 minutes to get to the city center. The first couple of days I basically mall hopped and saw some of the major sights around the center of town. Day one was spent walking about Dubai Marina, the Mall of the Emirates, and Jumeirah with its 7 star Burj al-Arab hotel. About half of the day was spent looking skyward at all the highrises. There's still construction everywhere and new buildings being erected - each one taller, quirkier, and shinier than the next. The Mall of the Emirates and also the Dubai Mall, which I visited on day two, are like indoor, air conditioned mini-cities. Indoor ski, park, ice rink, aquarium, etc...you name it and they have it. It's amazing to see the extravagance and wealth here. Despite all the modernity and wealth, there's something almost insincere and intangible about the city. Even looking at the skyline from my host's apartment - these massive clusters of skyscrapers just rise up out of the desert like a mirage, especially with the glistening glass. Nobody pays you any attention (which is a nice change from Africa) so you glide through feeling somewhat disconnected from the culture. Can't quite put it in words but you definitely feel like a "visitor" in this country.

Anyway, I went to the Burj Al Arab and they wouldn't let me in. Not just me; they wouldn't let anyone in without a restaurant/bar reservation. I was politely handed a list of restaurants and the associated charges. I think the cheapest was a $25 hookah/sheesha experience. Also, the tickets to go up the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building) were sold out until Tuesday. Fail.

Today, my third day in Dubai, I went for a LONG ride with my host and the Harley Davidson Club of Dubai. He mentioned his plans the previous night and I shamelessly invited myself along, but he was really excited that I expressed interest so I didn't feel so bad. We arrived at the meetup point at 6:30am, had coffee and left a bit after 7am with about 45 riders. Rode East through five of the Emirates and arrived before 10am at Cove Rotana Resort for a super fancy breakfast buffet before heading back individually. My host, Girish, took me back via a different route through the dessert and also stopped in Sharjah for a quick break. Then we rode back to Dubai and stopped at a french bistro at the Jumeirah Beach Walk for lunch. Amazing day and I'm broke. We're going out for drinks tonight too...