Desert Wonderland

THE MORNING I DECIDED to point my camera at the iconic Burj al Arab, the sun was harsh but the air was surprisingly hazy. “Desert sand,” explained our guide.

The haze was probably due more to the frenetic construction activity than the proximity of the desert. They say one in every six cranes used in the world today is in Dubai.

The emirate, one of seven making up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has some of the largest—Imeldific comes to mind—construction projects in the world.

High-end condominiums and office buildings, surrounded by lush parks, rise improbably out of the desert. The Burj Dubai, the centerpiece of the $20-billion Downtown Burj Dubai complex, will become the world’s tallest building when completed, topping other pretenders to the throne by nothing less than the proverbial mile, perhaps to ensure Dubai holds the distinction for some time thereafter.

The emirate is compiling other record-setting accomplishments. When completed, the Dubai Mall is expected to become the biggest in the world. What will be the world’s largest airport and cargo hub is rising 40 km south of the city center.

At present, the world’s third largest indoor ski slope at the Mall of the Emirates offers winter delights while the sun blazes outside.

No longer an oil economy

Dubai’s mega projects may raise questions about sustainability and environmental impact but there is no denying the city has attracted investors and tourists.

While the discovery of oil in the 1950s sparked Dubai’s boom, today only about 6 percent of its revenues comes from oil.

Dubai aspires to host some 15 million tourists by 2010, while the Philippines, with its 7,000 islands, is targeting only five million by that date. And, irony of ironies, Filipinos provide essential support to Dubai’s thriving hospitality industry.

Some 165,000 Filipinos work in the UAE. Dubai has about a third with 60,000. Even immigration officers speak a smattering of Filipino.

Mark, a former philosophy instructor in a computer college in Makati, was Kofi Annan’s personal butler when the former United Nations secretary-general was in Dubai. He proudly says he also assisted Hollywood stars like Morgan Freeman and Orlando Bloom.

The money is good, Mark says. The income is tax-free. The employer provides free housing in villages complete with sports and recreational facilities. Mark says he’s happy.

But Robert, a waiter in a hotel restaurant in a small vacation town over 100 km from downtown Dubai, is unable to hide the sadness in his eyes. He also left a teaching job in the Philippines for his current job.

In the town where Robert works, the arid nothingness of the desert gives way to rocky, desolate mountains. His complaints are many, from a “slave-driver” boss to the absence of intellectual stimulation.

Humble and intimate

A visitor sidetracked by these small personal struggles is reminded of what he came to see—the Dubai Museum. While Dubai now seems bold, brash and extra-large, the museum has recreated the humble and intimate city of the past.

Ensconced in the restored Al Fahidi Fort erected around 1787, the museum shows a Dubai of dark, labyrinthine souks selling pearls and spices. The exhibits trace the development of Dubai from a few thousand years ago when the area was filled with small fishing communities.

In pre-boom Dubai, life revolved around the natural inlet called the Creek, where ships from the Indian subcontinent traveling to the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, moored.

By the turn of the century, Dubai transformed itself into the major trading center it is now; its souks then were already reputed to be the largest in the Arabian Peninsula.

Wonders never cease in Dubai but perhaps the pinnacle of the emirate’s mega projects are the three Palm Islands (I thought one was impressive enough) and the World, a replica of the earth and its continents, to rise on land now being “reclaimed” from the waters of the Persian Gulf.

When completed in 2008, the World will have 300 sandy islands, each meant for exclusive ownership. Rocker Rod Stewart reportedly already owns one and so does the former Formula One racing champion Michael Schumacher.

It is said the Palm Islands and the World will boost Dubai’s coastline from the current “natural” 70 km to 1,500 km.

Even though one may not be rich enough to own a piece of the World, he/she can still see it for free. One only has to go to the restaurant on the 28th floor of the Burj Al Arab, whose lobby is a visual overkill of gilded awnings and dancing fountains, to see the artificial islands taking shape.

In this restaurant, everyone gapes and cameras click incessantly. Yes, we are indeed in Wonderland. - Patrick S. Larraga, Contributor, Philippine Daily Inquirer, August 01, 2007