Today we toured some of Dubai’s opulent constructions. First we went to the top of the Burj Dubai, the world’s only 7 star hotel. It is a beautiful structure actually, representing a ship with a sail. At night, they light the sail up from the outside in rotating colors ranging from deep red to aqua blue. If you are one of the decadent guests in this hotel, you are met at the airport in a Rolls Royce and accompanied to your room by your own personal butler.
Speaking of cars, not only is Dubai one of the more traffic-ridden cities I have encountered, it is also home to some of the finest cars on the global market. The Emiratis (natives of the UAE, who ironically only make up something like 10% of the population—don’t quote me on the numbers, I am only recounting what has been told to me by others) and the ex-pat community (another 10% of the population) drive outlandishly large and luxurious vehicles. Unlike the rest of the world that is beginning to awaken to the reality of both global warming and dwindling oil reserves, the UAE seems to be living in naivety. Perhaps it is the curse of the nouveau riche. 30 years ago, Dubai was a small desert city full of Bedouin nomads. The next generation suddenly found themselves endowed with vast sums of oil money and became the recipients of the capitalized world’s finest products and services. Today the wealth is dichotomized with Islamic morals, creating a unique haven in the Middle East for introduced Western industry.
But back to cars. To escape the stifling heat of the desert summer, it is a necessity to have the windows of your vehicles tinted. Preferably the darkest color possible across all windows. Unfortunately the Sheik doesn’t allow this unless one meets some minimum standards. Notably, you must prove that your wife is of such great beauty that no one must be allowed to see her as she conducts her business throughout the city. Her utmost exquisiteness is not only worth concealing, she may cause accidents should others catch sight of her.
Odd rules such as this one notwithstanding, the Sheik Mohammed, ruler of the Dubai province, is a noble and humane lawmaker. The morning’s newspaper reported the Sheik enlisting one law or another that benefited the people. 70% of Dubai’s population consists of foreign workers that work round the clock to build the city of desert dreams. Today, the Sheik declared new labor laws to protect the workers. Yesterday he set the goal of creating 100 new air-conditioned bus stops (mostly used by the workers) by this upcoming summer. Never before have I encountered a totalitarian state that runs so efficiently.
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