Dubai. I think it was my first ever trip outside of Europe. This was 1998, 28 years ago. My brother was doing an internship there and I got to visit him. Back then Dubai felt upcoming, international, a bit mysterious. I returned again around 2007 when the Burj Khalifa was still rising out of the sand. I wouldn’t say I loved Dubai, but it intrigued me. Ambitions, loads of money, international, skyscrapers, and over the years I kept checking what they were building. Now I could finally see it for myself again.
Burj Khalifa: The Platinum Experience
I love super tall skyscrapers and I’ll start at the place I wanted to go most: the Burj Khalifa, highest tower in the world, or so I thought…. At the ticket office I asked the lady, “So I’ll stand at 800 plus meters?” She said no, the public highest observation deck is 585 meters. Apparently the tower uses a 250-meter spire to add to the height. Is that fair to the 629 meter high Shanghai Tower which does not use a spire i thought? But that is another discussion…
Still I was excited. She offered standard, gold, or platinum. Normally I would pick standard or maybe gold, but for some reason I chose platinum. I didn’t know it then, but I’m glad I did, it made all the difference!
Most tall observation decks are behind glass, even the “outdoor” ones. But here, with the platinum pass, there was a terrace with an open, unobstructed view. If it had been behind glass, I think I would have left after thirty minutes. Instead, I stayed for hours with a small group of people who also seemed surprised by how real it felt. Looking far out over the desert and the city, with the wind and fresh air, I felt the first moment of magic in Dubai.
From the top I could see the JW Marriott where I had checked in a day and a half earlier. From 585 meters things look better, but that first day from street level it was messy. Tall buildings packed together incohesively, highways looping around each other, overpasses, an above-ground metro line, and construction everywhere. No space to walk nicely either.
The Dubai Mall Experience
My arrival didn’t help. My SIM was not working and after checking in the hotel the concierge sent me to the biggest mall in the world, the Dubai Mall. It is enormous. It was so big and unclear that it took me an hour to find the Du mobile store (but hey, I did get to see sharks swimming on the way!). And then I was told the waiting lines were too long. Not the best start….
Walking to the tour bus cost me another hour and I finally went on my way. Sitting in the bus towards Dubai Marina and Palm Island, the street scene I described earlier did not change. I had a dystopian feeling that never left me.
After spending hours stuck in traffic the bus brought us back to Dubai Mall. That night I watched the Kalifa fountain show, overpacked, but entertaining. Dubai felt like a theme park trying to be a city.
Al Seef & The Creek
A tip always helps from someone who lives there. And that tip was Al Seef in the old district. I was glad to spend time there. The Dubai Creek I remembered from 25 years earlier when Downtown Dubai wasn’t even there yet.
I also visited the heritage villages and souk across the river. On my way back I visited the Dubai Frame (again, highest in the world, this time for frames) which had a scary glass floor on top, and I saw the impressive Museum of the Future. But like everything else it was squeezed in and very close to the highways and overpasses looping around. No space to breathe in Dubai.
Dubai Marina & Bluewaters Island
I went to the massive Dubai Marina and yes you guessed it, the biggest marina in the world! Huge, over commercial, I strolled around in awe of how big it was. From there I walked to Bluewaters Island and watched people lying on hotbeds, waterskiing, skydiving.
I got on the ferris wheel (should i mention it is the highest in the world ;)?) which was nice to do. But behind glass of course… I was spoiled from the Burj Kalifa experience.
My last afternoon I walked around and saw still so many tall skyscrapers under construction. Dubai is far from finished. At least the construction workers smiled at me!
La Perle & Blade Runner feeling
At night I stumbled upon a show called La Perle. An highly rated acrobat-light performance. Strange but with moments of magic.
Walking back afterwards I passed under a viaduct where water was falling from the highway above with bright pink colours. It felt weird. And seeing this made my blade runner feeling complete 🤣.
Reflecting on my days in Dubai
Dubai wasn’t for me. I am all for tall skyscrapers and impressive buildings, but I found almost no beauty, tasteful spots. I think the way the city has been set up, with buildings scattered everywhere and an incohesive feeling, they lost track somewhere. Also it is over-commercial and busy everywhere. On the entertainment front they obviously have lots to offer. It feels like Las Vegas / Singapore on steroids in a way. So it is also a matter of perspective and expectations when coming here.
Context matters as well. Maybe I booked the wrong hotel location? Maybe I should given it more time? All I know is that after three nights I wanted to get out, to Abu Dhabi, my last stop before flying back to Shanghai. Only 1.5 hours by taxi, but a different world.
