Shop until you drop in Dubai

ALISTAIR SUTTON
After a gruelling 16-hour flight from Australia, I land in Dubai around 8am. My car fails to arrive so I phone the hotel and arrange for them to pick me up. After finally checking into my room, which was not ready, I fall asleep exhausted. Awakening, I dress and go for a walk. There are lots of little old streets when you leave the main avenues with all manner of exotic shops, smells and people.

I visit the Jules Bar in the Le Royal Meridien Hotel, which I had heard men frequent. There are no gay bars as such. I order a drink and try to relax as I survey the trade. I am chatted up by a sleazy man who claims to be the Minister of Tourism and I decline his invitation to see the sights, one of which I was sure would have been his penis.

Dubai is one of seven emirates which comprise the United Arab Emirates, UAE, on the Arabian Peninsula. Huge shopping malls, theme parks and resorts are set amongst a backdrop of traditional Arabic culture. A visit to the lobby of the Burj Al Arab Hotel will set you back US$100. I take some good snaps from the outside. Designed to resemble a billowing sail, it is the only seven star hotel in the world. All the gold in the building is real, not paint. It has its own fleet of Rolls-Royces.

Dubai Creek, or as it is referred to by the locals The Creek, divides the city and is still used by traders who sail in dhows, traditional Arabic sailing boats. A tour is thrown into my holiday package, which includes the 200-year-old fort and a trip on an abra (water taxi). My guides, two accommodating Iranian men, flash a card and to my horror a boatload of Indians are shooed off the abra by the driver.

I can’t look at the crowd as I am ushered aboard; I’m sure they are giving me evil looks. For the next half hour I sit self-consciously in princely isolation as Japanese tourists take my photo in the mistaken belief I am important.

Eleven percent of the population are UAE citizens, the rest are expats or workers on three-year visas, many of whom are Indian or Pakistani. There is no sales tax so the shopping is fantastic. Shop until you drop is the go here. Driving is not recommended. There are speed limits which nobody obeys. Taxis are a cheap and readily available alternative.

I can certainly recommend Dubai for travellers who want to experience a culture totally different from our own. It is much westernised and a handy stopover for Aussie tourists on their way to Europe wishing to break the long trip.

FAST FACTS
Getting there: Go to www.emirates.com/au for flight information to Dubai.
Best time: Go around February as the weather is lovely.
Language: UAE are English-speaking but for most people it is their second language so it can be a little hard at times.
Age of consent: Although very westernised, Dubai is an Islamic State so homosexuality is illegal. It’s not done to flaunt yourself in public, either straight or gay.
Shopping: Go to: www.dubaicityguide.com/shop and check out the links to some of the best shopping malls you will ever see.