Dubai Facts :: Things to Know

Dubai Facts is a text that will delve into a few more interesting details that deserve mention but didn’t find space in the previous travel stories from this series (Travel to Dubai :: My Story).

After everything I have seen, heard, and experienced, I tried to sum up the impressions and all those Dubai facts I’ve learned during my trip. A day to rest a bit, without touring around the city.

I had promised myself to try and have that macchiato on the balcony of the café by the promenade, outside, with newspapers in hand—despite the 45-degree heat! Still, I made sure to come early in the morning, hoping there would be less humidity by 8 a.m. (Remember our Dubai weather in August?)

There was only one café in Dubai Marina that opened its terrace early, as most places typically open at 10. The promenade was eerily empty, save for one other enthusiast who seemed to be hoping for an early morning jog. I turned the page of my newspaper, looked around—and there they were again: cranes.

Dubai Facts :: Things to Know

Cranes Everywhere

In the forest of sleek, towering buildings, all gleaming with glass and concrete, there’s a crane on almost every corner.

You can’t help but be struck by the fact that the city is still under construction. Everywhere you look, there are construction sites, workers, and redirected traffic.

I encountered another surprise when I headed towards the famed Palm Jumeirah, the artificial island shaped like a palm tree. I were told that living there in the summer can be challenging because the intense humidity causes condensation to form on the apartment walls.

 

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As we drove along the “tree trunk,” flanked by building blocks on both sides, we reached the privately-owned “palm branches,” just before arriving at the luxurious Atlantis Hotel. On the way, I saw a massive hole in the ground. Above it, a bridge with a small train station, part of the special rail line for the Palm. But beneath the bridge—yet another construction site! They say that in a year or two, a new shopping mall will rise here, and of course, it will probably be—the biggest.

Christmas Lights

I also couldn’t help but think that the buildings surrounding me were almost invisible at night. It’s no surprise that they’re marked with flashing lights to be seen by planes.

Every night, colorful lights flicker, wrapping around palm trees like Christmas decorations in Europe. One of the Serbian guys living in Dubai joked that the city celebrates New Year’s Eve “all year round.”

This festive vibe is even more apparent on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays in the Emirates). Most foreigners work from Sunday to Thursday and eagerly anticipate the weekend.

They rarely socialize or go out on workdays, but on Thursday nights, they pour into bars and clubs. (See the post about Dubai nightlife for more.) This is especially noticeable in the summer, when everyone hurries home to escape the heat, only to reemerge on the weekends.

Dubai Facts :: Expensive Drinks

As evening falls, people come out, hailing taxis and heading to the big hotels. Inside, you’ll find clubs of every type—Irish, Russian, British. Alcohol flows freely, and smoking is permitted (while typically banned in public places like malls, restaurants, and metro stations).

 

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Alcohol is only served in clubs and bars within hotels, and a pint of beer costs at least three times more than in Europe. If you want to buy a bottle or two, you’ll need to visit one of the specialized stores, which require an alcohol license.

Regular clubs and cafés (“regular” by European standards) are usually tucked away, and entering them feels like stepping into a hidden world. Behind heavy wooden doors opened by burly doormen, a different scene awaits.

Stand-up Comedy

English and Irish pubs are common here, which makes sense, given that the British are the dominant European group in Dubai. Dubai also spent a long time under British control. As a result, you’ll find large British supermarkets in most malls, and all street signs are written in both Arabic and English.

Once a month, you can catch stand-up comedy nights with British comedians. I remember one we went to see who said: “I saw a bidet in my hotel bathroom. We don’t have those in Liverpool; we don’t even know what a bidet is! But I’m not lazy—I filled it with water and put my beer in to cool!”

The mostly British audience roared with laughter, sipping beers they’d purchased at the entrance, kept cold in small tin buckets of ice.

 

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Welcome to Dubai

…And then, I glanced at my newspaper again, an Arabic-English publication, as I sipped that macchiato at the Italian café at 8 in the morning. I gazed out at the towering skyscrapers, rising amidst the sand and humidity, with expensive speedboats swaying on the surface of the sweltering sea…

There was a story about an Emirati woman who was taken her case to court because she wasn’t allowed to remarry. She was a widow, but according to national law, a male relative—her father, brother, or son—must grant permission for a second marriage. Her father was deceased, her brother lived in Canada, and her son was only 11. The court was now supposed to decide if her son was “old enough” to make this decision. Had the court ruled that he was too young, she would have to wait until he grows up…

I looked around, thinking of the Emirati woman, when I saw an English girl walking by in a short skirt, sunglasses, and flip-flops. It’s nothing unusual for the streets of Dubai. But still, she probably uses the special metro cars reserved for women and children when commuting to work. It wouldn’t be so comfortable in the unisex carriages, dressed like that.

I folded up my newspaper, smiled to myself, and whispered: “Oh well, welcome to Dubai!”

The End

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