Dubai. To buy or not to buy.
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2008
1
26
38
Trip End
Apr 22, 2008
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Dubai boasts they will have the largest airport in the world, the tallest building (164 floors), the only place you can snow ski indoors & houses on islands made in the shape of palm trees. I have never seen such a place. Construction is going on everywhere.
Another couple & I negotiated a taxi for several hours (at an unbelievable bargain of $20. each including a nice tip). We drove along the waterfront admiring one palace after another. The Sheiks didn't live there. They only use these palaces for tea & dinner. They are allowed to have a max. of 4 wives. Each wife has her own palace. The first wife must be a local & gets 20,000 Euro from the Govt. Wife #2 and #3 get nothing. A Muslim man can divorce his wife here by merely saying I divorce you 3 times. The woman gets nothing but her gold so as you can imagine, there is a lot of gold for sale.
We drove by the Burj Al Arab, a huge hotel & the most expensive in the world. One of the Princess tours went there for tea. Tea, that's all. $299. per person. We also drove to The Palm-Jumeriah (or something like that). It is in the shape of a palm tree. You can only drive down the "trunk" as the "branches" are private homes. The palm tree is surrounded by a circle of homes, accessible only by private helicopter or boat. Some of the owners of The Palm include President Clinton, Prince Charles, Michael Jackson and the Beckhams.
The couple who shared my taxi are avid sailors so you can imagine their surprise when I suggested we stop at the Dubai International Yacht Club. With my Oceanside Yacht Club card, we were allowed in, another memorable moment. We saw Sheik Rashid's yacht, the largest in the world.
Also stopped at the United Emirates Mall where every U.S. store imaginable was represented. This is the mall where you can ski indoors in a huge dome. Clothing is provided. Imagine taking ski lifts inside a shopping mall. Makes Mall of America look puny. I bought a Starbuck's coffee cup & some MAC makeup. Took photos of the MAC ladies applying makeup to customers-all fully clothed in black. The mall is also the only place where you buy real estate. Kiosks are set up throughout the mall where you can purchase your dream home. There will soon be 3 of The Palms and one called The World which, when completed, will look like a map of the world from the sky. All of The Palms are for private homes and spectacular hotels.
I am now in the glistening clean marble floored cruise terminal(the World cruise ship is next to us, here for a few days for horse races.)Dubai even provided a room full of computers for us to use free. I'm taking a shuttle bus to another mall where I will ponder the question, To Buy or Not To Buy.
It will be goodbye Dubai this evening & we will be on our way for 6 days to Safaga, Egypt. This cruise just keeps getting better and better. Did I say I was having fun?
Linda
