The Gulf, 2011 A.D.

Old Town Dubai

Ahh, the Middle East.  This is where that Garden of Eden place is supposed to be, isn't it?  It appears I may have made a hasty decision by coming here.  Oh the life and times of the Middle East in its present day.

As a U.S. citizen traveling on a U.S. passport, it's best if I skip Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon.  Add to the situation a successful and forceful overthrow of the Egyptian government, street riots in Yemen, major civil unrest in Tunisia and Bahrain, UN-led airstrikes on Libya, rumblings in Saudi Arabia, and fresh terror attacks by Hamas, Fatah and Hezbollah in the Gaza, West Bank, and Israel, and I'd say this is a unique time to be touring the region.  It seems that more tactical planning may be necessary to avoid complete & total bodily harm.

The United Arab Emirates is safe, clean, organzied, full of nationals from the world around, and very Arabic.  Women wear black drapes and burkahs with eyeslits despite the 140 degree desert heat.  Men wear white.  As a tourist on a tourist visa, it's extremely important to know your place in society.  You are a guest in their country and expected to follow the rules.  Take no photos of the women.  On second thought, don't make any idle chit-chat or small talk with them for any reason.  Ya know what, best not even to glance their way lest you desire a personalized fatwa.  This is the land of Shria law; women are covered from head to toe, men walk the streets holding hands, and homosexuality is illegal with death by stoning as decree.  All of this I do not understand, just to observe- it's all been going on like this long before I came.

Dubai: Civilization here dates back over 5000 years.  From 3000 B.C. the highly populated Old Dubai area was a center of construction, agriculture, crafstmanship and art.  Archaeological finds at Hatta date back to 4000 B.C., and al-Qusais is thought to have been the largest population living in the Gulf.  Dubai was a vital link in the old trade routes between Oman and Iraq during the early days of Islam in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D.

Today there exists a new Dubai.  Oil proceeds and real estate speculation have built and financed a Las Vegas / Disney World atmosphere of odd looking skyscrapers including the Burj Khalifa- the tallest building on Earth.  Ultra-modern hotels like the 7-star Burj al-Arab, indoor ski slopes and ice skating, man-made islands of reclaimed land that can be viewed from outer space, the Dubai Mall (home to the most exclusive retail outlets known to man), and oil shieks who drive around in some of the most expensive vehicles life has to offer.   Yes, it's all good and fun in this desert playland for the rich and infamous.  And currently, it's all under heavy construction and might be for the next 30 or 40 years.  Good things take time but Dubai might look like Hong Kong if these Arabs continue to have their day and way...