What is behind the gloss and luxury of Dubai

Dubai is the largest city in the population of the Emirates, it is the main trading hub of the Middle East, it is a city of records, sophistication and gloss. It really impresses and attracts with its special aesthetics. I associate his charm with high contrasts and contradictions in things: small - large, low - high, black - white, ordinary - exclusive, sun - ice, water - sand, desert - an oasis, poverty - luxury, vision - reality. To the last I will give a few examples below, and also show the desert city with my eyes.

Economic, social and environmental aspects of reality often destroy the ideal at first glance and large-scale ideas of the authors, leading to utopia:

1. Migrant workers. The vast majority of residents are workers from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries. They work for a penny in the most severe conditions that have developed under the influence of the desert climate, and are often forced to live in slums.

2. Construction. Permanent construction sites - this is the norm of everyday life in Dubai, because Dubai once belonged to the fastest growing cities in the world. But the economic situation, the crisis, falling real estate prices and low oil prices have placed and continue to make adjustments. The construction of many large projects and futuristic villas is either interrupted and frozen for a long time, or the projects are not implemented at all.

3. Ecology. Emirates is a country with one of the highest carbon dioxide emissions in the world. The construction of artificial islands, the movement of coral colonies affects the ecosystem.

4. Garbage, water and electricity. A few years ago there was a big problem with sewage, garbage and waste. The feces of the most prestigious houses (and Burj Khalifa is no exception) did not manage to be transported by truck to the processing sites. They say that at least this problem has been overcome today. Challenge is still equipping fresh water and supplying households with electricity.

5. Unknown climate. Dubai is beautiful in photos and videos, but the image does not convey the high temperatures inherent in the desert. Living the way we all are used to is impossible in Dubai. You can’t walk far at a temperature of 40 and above (and distances do not allow it), the vast majority travel in air-conditioned cars. Even bus stops are air-conditioned. The desert remains a desert, no matter how luxurious and fabulous the artificial paradise was created.

Further Dubai with my eyes.

Dubai International Airport DXB is located just 5 km from the city, very convenient.

You can quickly get to the center by unmanned subway train.

The composition is divided into several sections: for the "golden" class with a more expensive ticket, only for women and the usual section for everyone.

As tickets, replenished pre-smart cards are used. The fare depends on the distance and varies within 1 euro.

The Dubai Metro has strict rules: it is forbidden to eat, drink, chew both on trains and at stations. Station design:

In the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, I traveled by regular bus.

Men in the Emirates wear a long white or light Kandura dress. Often on the head a knitted lace cap is a hafia, on top of which is a gutra scarf.

Women's attire is more complicated: black or colored dresses with long sleeves. Under the dress they put on harem pants. A black abaya cloak is worn over the dress. A thin black shell shawl covers the head of an emirate woman. Women cannot be photographed.

The most common pastime in Dubai is walking through malls, large shopping centers.

Although skyscrapers have their own aesthetics

I tried to look for something more traditional.

The artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, the Burj Al Arab hotel and the Atlantis The Palm hotel complex.

I was in Dubai for the first time and only one day on the way back from Japan, so for the first and more convenient acquaintance with the city I chose buses from Big Bus Tours. You probably already saw or used them somewhere, they are in many tourist centers of the world.

Big Bus Dubai is a hop-on-hop-off bus, it runs on certain routes on a strict schedule. You can ride them 24 hours (or 48 hours, depending on the ticket) with an unlimited number of landings / landings. Routes cover the most interesting tourist spots. They have a great map of Dubai on their website, with which you can create your own individual itinerary.

Inside the double-decker buses there is air conditioning, however, at the top under the awning it is more or less comfortable to be. When boarding the bus, headphones are issued. Having connected to the audio guide, available in different languages (including Russian), he listened about the places that traveled, as well as about various aspects of life in the Emirates. There is always water on board in the refrigerator. A great option for the first acquaintance with a hot city.