Show Me The Money, Honey

Dubai is fast becoming a tourist hub. More Hotels, more Hotel Apartments and more malls coming up. Dubai isn't fortunate to have great historical heritage or places of scenic beauty to attract nature lovers. It has got desert, miles & miles of it and a temperature which in no ways can be referred to be soothing. But Dubai does have the resilience to make a name for it. It attracts tourists who can afford the luxuries of Dubai and if you want to talk about luxuries you can’t find things in Dubai that you can get in other parts of the world. You have the worlds first 7 star hotel in Burj Al Arab. The biggest mall in the Dubai Mall and the biggest theme park is being made in Dubai land and top class call girls (sorry, but for people with money that’s the biggest luxury).
Dubai is also trying to create some artificial greenery, some places which can give your eyes a break after being strained looking at the deserts or the reflections of the sunrays from the concrete high-rises, in terms of parks. Zabbel Park which just got inaugurated in January is a sprawling 20 acre piece of land in the heart of the city. It boasts a playground for children, amusement rides, and cozy nooks for discreet lovers and pathways for simply strolling.
Then there is the sea and the beaches. Most of the five star hotels on the sea shore have private beaches, with opulent facilities. You can find the anemic whites lying on the beach chairs in their birth attire with their bums facing the sun. Then there are public beaches nicely maintained and charged a minimum of 5 Dhs for maintenance. Some days are designated as family day and some especially for ladies (heard so, to find out the authenticity have to be there once and find out how serious they are.)
Dubai tried to put some historical perspective into the city but it’s really difficult. The colonization of the people and formation of states and country started in the 50’s. Before that it was mostly like tribal rulers fighting against one another for a piece of desert. But still half a century gives some historical credibility and the same has been nicely reflected in “Bastakiya”- the history of Dubai. There is also Centre of Islamic Art and other cultural places but nothing to attract the tourists in hoards.
In winter the Dubai Creek and the desert provides good entertainment. There are dinner cruises in lovely wooden steamers in the Dubai creek. Earlier they used to have “belly dance” on board but for obvious reasons that has been banned from 2005. Even you can personally hire an Abra (a small boat) and sail down the creek in the comforting winter breeze.
The desert gets cooler in winter and you have conducted “Desert Safari”. They take you the desert, drive you through the dunes in 4X4, make you ride in camels and provide you with sumptuous barbeque in a desert camp.
The beautiful girls belly dance to Arabic music by the side of camp fire. The experience is intoxicated, pixilated.
But on the whole Dubai is for those who have money and can afford to have people to count that money. Its for the rich, richer & the richest.