Despite what we thought we knew about Dubai before arriving, our impression of the place continued to evolve as we saw more, spoke to more people, had new experiences and travelled around the place.  How would we summarise it now?  Perhaps its best described as a clash between three forces: traditional Middle Eastern Arab culture, almost unlimited new wealth from the oil, and monstrous western influences in culture, language, architecture, business and leisure.   Sometimes these combinations work well together, sometimes they make for curious outcomes and sometimes it just doesn’t work.  But you’ve got to see it to believe it.    

And everyone tells us it only rains one day per year in Dubai!

We spent some time in the area called ‘Old Dubai’ to distinguish it from the distinctly New Dubai.  Old Dubai straddled the Dubai Creek and was where the fishing dhows started coming up the creek centuries ago.  Today Old Dubai looks about 40 years old but some of it is much newer and just designed to look old.  We walked through the Textile souk where we bought a mock Aladdin’s lamp (still no genie but I haven’t given up) and had a coffee overlooking all the boat activity on the creek.  We then caught an Abra which is an old wooden boat used to transport people across the creek (more like a river).  For one dirham you jump on this well worn wooden boat and wait until there are about 20 other people wanting to go the same way and then they push off and chug over to the other side.    

It doesn't get any bigger than this - the Burj Khalifa

The northern bank is where most of the large transport dhows tie up, sometimes four deep on the wharf, while they are loaded with goods headed for other shores.  A taxi driver told us most of the goods are heading for Iran which is just on the other side of the Persian Gulf.  We saw dozens of Toshiba refrigerators, water tanks, machinery and motor parts, timber and other building materials, just an endless stream of goods coming and going.  Good stuff.    

I've been looking for a pair of shoes just like this

Moving inland from the wharf we wandered through the Gold Souk with its modern shops and dazzling gold pieces, some necklaces and other articles must have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  We also visited the spice souk where we saw dozens and dozens of different spices stored in huge barrels or bags, all beautifully on display.  And the shopkeepers were very quick to talk to us, answer our questions, even let us sample their goods.  That’s how we found out, for example, that frankincense is made from the sap of a tree.  I bet you didn’t know that.     

We ended the excursion with lunch at a very local little restaurant where we had to ask for cutlery and where Julie cut a unique (and stunning!) figure in a very male environment.    

But today the real tourist attractions of Dubai are in New Dubai and by that we mean the enormous shopping malls, spectacular building architecture and modern community developments.  And when it comes to shopping malls – and there are dozens – two stand out.     

The first is the Mall of the Emirates which would rival or exceed anything in Australia for size, features and activities.  We arrived there via the Dubai Metro, a super-sleek modern elevated train that whisked through town in a scene from the Jetsens.  Hundreds of stores, restaurants, a huge cinema complex, a massive area to entertain kids that looked more Disneyland than Desert, what a spot.     

Yes, indoor skiing in the middle of the desert, and why not?

But the Mall of the Emirates has one feature that can’t be beat – a very extensive and impressive indoor ski run.  Yes folks, you’re in the desert but for 180 Dirhams they will provide the ski clothes, hire you all the gear and then send you through the magic door into a -1 degree world with room for toboggans, sledding and T bars for the beginners and a long chair lift that disappears around the corner and up the indoor mountain.  The scene was straight from Squaw Valley or Perisher except it was in Dubai where summer temperatures hit 45 degrees or more.  Of course it warranted the purchase of a Ski Dubai T shirt.    

But the Mall of the Emirates is not the biggest mall in Dubai, in fact, not even close.  The biggest mall in Dubai is also the biggest mall in the world, cleverly named the Dubai Mall, and it provides the foundation and base to the tallest building in the world, the famous Burj Khalifa.  Because in Dubai, everything is big. And Dubai Mall has over 1,200 shops scattered across an area so vast that it becomes a brain-melting blur of lights, signs, noises and people.  The Dubai Mall will gobble up the most dedicated shopper, do not underestimate its debilitating (and entertaining) powers.    

If skiing isn't your thing, what about ice skating?

As an example to these forces, it has an astounding aquarium with windows two stories high that you can watch a wild array of fish, including sharks and sting rays, swim around.  And to top it off, while we were admiring the fish through this huge window I noticed a sign on the corner pillar.  It said that I was looking through what the Guinness Book of Records had accredited as the single largest continuous piece of clear acrylic.  You don’t get that sort of thrill at home, I can tell you.    

This is an ATM where you can get gold bars out, just in case you need one in the shopping mall

All this is dwarfed (literally) by the Burj Khalifa, which was opened in January 2010 and stands at an ear-popping 828 metres above the shopping mall.  A landmark of unparalleled proportions, it took 30,000 workers to build (up to 12,000 on any single day) and of course has the fastest lift in the world which whisked us to the outdoor viewing platform on Level 124 in less than minute.     

The day we were up there it was pretty grey and overcast so visibility was fairly limited but as someone pointed out it doesn’t really matter because on a clear day all you can see in the distance is the Persian Gulf and endless sandy desert.  But the view was stunning, so high, so amazing to look down on a forest of huge skyscrapers, most of them only half finished, and the 16 lane highways way down below.  We were reminded of our height when a small sightseeing airplane flew past well below us.    

We also drove past (and stopped as close as we were allowed to take photos) the beautiful Burj Al Arab which is reported to be the only 7 star hotel in the world and cuts a dashing figure as a giant sail billowing out on the ocean breezes.  Sadly the company travel policy does not cover the Burj Al Arab so we had to marvel at it from a safe distance.    

Dinner with the beautiful Ashleigh, resident teacher and tour advisor

The other unbelievable man-made attraction is Palm Jumeirah.  You’ve seen the photos, a series of islands and reclaimed land that is shaped like a giant palm tree out into the ocean, on which a variety of hotels, private homes, condos, amusement parks, marinas and shopping malls are built.  Just your normal standard stuff.     

We caught a taxi to the unspeakably luxurious Atlantis Hotel (closed to non-guest riff raffs like us) and after exploring the area a bit we caught the monorail back.  As you do.  The problem with this place, same as most of Dubai, is that it is half finished, probably permanently so, and completely unnecessary.  I don’t care if David Beckham has a place there, frankly he’s practically the only one.  We passed huge abandoned construction sites, numerous ‘fronds’ poking out into the ocean without a single building on them, empty marinas and a general feel to the place that reminded me of Day of the Triffids.  Still, we took massive photos.    

We also had a fantastic bonus experience while we were in Dubai because Ashleigh, the oldest daughter of our good friends Jann and Chris, now lives in Dubai where she is teaching in a private school and tutoring rich Arab kids.  We enjoyed two fabulous dinners with her, learned about life in Dubai for a beautiful young western woman and one night even found a restaurant outside the five star hotels that served alcohol (an absolute rarity) where we dined while watching the spectacular water fountain and light show in the pool around the Burj Khalifa (probably the world’s largest water fountain show but I didn’t see the sign).    

So Dubai, you amazed us, you amused us, you entertained us and you awed us with your size, glitter and outlandish personality.  But we also walked away feeling you’ve got some issues, like countless unfinished buildings left over from the financial crisis, a total reliance on foreign guest workers (who make up about 75% of the population) and no real purpose other than to dazzle us.  On that point, you definitely succeeded.