April 7, 2024
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Day 93 of 137
This morning, we arrived in Dubai at noon. It is strange because it is only 376 nautical miles from Muscat to Dubai. The Mariner has a maximum speed of 21 knots. Ok, maybe that does make sense. At maximum speed it would take 18 hours. We left Muscat at 16:00, so 16:00 to 12:00 is twenty hours. The Mariner will be berthed here until 23:00 tonight. So, we get nine whole hours to explore the city. But don’t fret, we will be back here in two days as we head to Africa.
So exactly what is the UAE or Emirates? The UAE is an elective monarchy, although the people don’t get the option of electing anyone. The British controlled this area after taking it from the Portuguese. However, by the end of the 1960’s the United Kingdom decided it couldn’t protect and defend the area anymore.
So, in 1971 Bahrain and Qarter became independent states. In 1972 the British-Trucial Sheikhdoms treaty expired, and the emirates became fully independent. In December of that year, six emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain) agreed to enter into a federation called the United Arab Emirates. A few months later Ras al-Khaimah decided to join the other six states. Together they formed the Federal National Council (FNC); it was a forty-member consultative body appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates.
The UAE is a member of the Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, OPEC, Non-Aligned Movement, World Trade Organization, BRICS and the United Nations. Abu Dhabi became the UAE’s capital, although Dubai is the most populous city and an international hub. Each emirate is an absolute monarchy governed by a different sheik. In theory the FNC elects a president and two vice-presidents. In practice, however, the ruler of Abu Dhabi serves as president whiles the ruler of Dubai is the vice-president and prime minister.
In the 21st century the UAE has become less reliant on oil and gas and is economically focusing on tourism and business. From everything in the news, it has done very well. It’s record on human rights isn’t quite as promising. There are reports of imprisonment and torture and families being harassed by the state security apparatus. Assembly, association, the press, expression and religion are said to be severely repressed as well.
Well al lot of those things can be said of Singapore as well. Different people have different ways of living. They grow used to it and adapt to it. If it works for them there is no reason to think less of it. People want to impose their own ideas and culture on to others, that is just wrong. Ok, sufficient preaching.
We have decided not to take the excursion this morning because it looked like just another drive around. We decided to checkout out the Dubai Mall. There has been a lot of hope about the mall. So beautiful, so big, so clean, so modern. We went through the terminal, wow! This is a really nice terminal, and it has free Wi-Fi. It looks like brand new construction, but clearly it is to well organized to be new construction. We have to do a face-to-face immigration inspection. It is hard to believe they can efficiently process some 600 plus passengers and 450 plus crew very quickly.
Down the gangway and into the terminal. Suite Number? 904. Here are your passports please stand over there. No line, walking right up to the immigration officer. We hand the passports over, he directs us, wordlessly, to look into the camera, one at a time, compares it to the passport and nods in the direction of the exit into the terminal. We’re done in five minutes, max.
The terminal has various tourist trinket shops, a coffee shop, a small convenience store, places to buy clothing, including thobes and head scarves. Plenty of places to sit. This is probably the most efficient and commercial cruise terminal since we left Miami. However, the shuttle to the mall is getting ready to depart so we have to hustle our butts out to the motor coach area.
Again, it is very organized with people directing different excursion groups to their particular motor coach. There is the shuttle to the mall. This motor coach even has room of the knees! The space between the seats is probably the largest yet. The air conditioning works and you can actually feel the air coming down on you. Now it might just be the 30 or do degree temperature difference we are feeling, but it feels good anyway.
Looking out the windows of the motor coach as we exit the immediate area of the cruise terminal the first thing you notice is that this area is just for cruise lines. The merchant vessels are somewhere else. You can’t see the commercial terminals, but you can see the cranes, for what must be, the commercial terminal off in the distance. The other thing is that everything is under construction. Yes, there are buildings under construction, but it is the roadway that is a total maze of detours and bypasses.
We have emerged from all the construction and on a beautiful road leading into the center of town. The architecture here is amazing. Although they are all modern, or recently constructed, they actually have some design elements to them. Much like the buildings in Amsterdam. Everything is clean sparkly. There are few trees or green patches to be seen, but it is probably too hot here, not to mention too dry, to spend too much time outside. Except maybe at the beach.
The mall doesn’t look anything like an American mall. This is a city unto itself. The motor coach pulls into a parking spot near the parking garage of the mall. It even says tourist coaches on the sign. They are expecting our money, oh excuse me us. Walking from the coach stop to the mall is probably a kilometer. People are dressed every which way. Many in modern immodest western dress to thobes and burkas. It is an interesting mix. It is Ramadan but the number of people out is unbelievable.
This placed is huge! No it is really big. They have an aquarium where you can take diving lessons among the fish, and you are basically in a fish tank which is 100 meters long and three stories tall. There is an nice skating rink. And Grace, there is every store you could ever want. Leave nothing off the list, because they are all here. The isles or walkways between the store is wide. We are walking around one floor and wondering if we will be able to make it back to the motor coach in three hours we have. There are two other floors, or maybe three, that we won’t even get to. You would need at least a week to explore this place.
We found a restaurant call Nando’s. It appears to be a chain. Mind you this is one of fifty or sixty places to choose from. Yes, there is a McDonalds, Burger Kind, Pizza Hut and Subway to choose from as well, but being good tourists we choose what looked like “local food”. We ordered the Ramadan Special, funny because it is way before sundown and during Ramadan you have to wait until sundown to eat.
The meal: Chicken Trinchado, garlic break, a choice of two soups (lentil or mushroom, we chose lentil), chicken catalana, half a backed chicken, French fries, coleslaw and a drink. There was enough food for a family of four, way more than two older people could eat in one sitting or in even two days. It was all great. The flavor was wonderful. We’ll post a photo on facebook so you can see the menu. It was AED205. The translates into about $56. Amazing.
Let’s see what else? There is a See’s candy! Baskin Robbins, and a Hard Rock Café store to get Grace’s T-shirt. And a new thobe for me with the traditional head gear. If you wanted to living in a high rise building and didn’t care much for the out of doors, then this might be the place for you. This mall could be anywhere in America. All the same stores, maybe the merchandise is a little different in some of them, but all the brand names you could want or imagine.
If you lived on a starship traveling through space, this is what your life would look like. Everything planned and programmed. Well ok, we are on a starship, the Planet Earth, traveling through space. It is a little to sterilized for us. We are going back to you section of the starship with a little more character and charm. Different strokes for different folks.
We’ll be back here in two days and take the formal tour. Right now it is back to the Mariner, rest, and then off to Abu Dhabi.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria.
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