Up until a few years it was possible for me to visit Dubai, but things have changed a lot in the region in the last few years, and so this year after the pandemic started to ease up I got my first chance to visit a middle-eastern country, and see the Emirates. I’ve heard a lot of things about the Emirates before, but had a hard time imagining what it’s like. I think the brainwash I had growing up stood in the way of me seeing it for what it is, and the photos I saw and stories I’ve heard have not prepared me for the Dubai intensity.
It’s… well, it’s impressive. Very. Say what you will about the skyscraper mania and architecture gone wild, that they’ve built one of the most advanced cities in the world as fast as they did in the middle of scorching hot year-long weather is nothing short of remarkable. The place constantly challenges what you think you know about cities and wealth. To some it may feel a bit fake, or perhaps over the top, but there is no doubt that this city is impressive. The technological achievements that have made this possible, the grand planning and structure behind it all, shows an incredible ability to execute. The few expats who I know or have met who live there swear by it, it is an expat city, and despite the many conservative restrictions and authoritarian control, it seems to deliver in what seems like very high standard of living.
[UPDATE 2023: Revisiting Dubai]
[END OF Update 2023: Revisiting Dubai]
Lucky for me, though it was 2022, because of the pandemic, the Expo 2020 was still running, so I got to visit yet another Expo and see a bit of the world, atleast the way countries want to be presented, all in one place.
Videos:
Location: