Fear and Loathing: Dubai // A look in to Luxury - Artspoon

Over the past 3 years, I’ve been lucky enough to have been dragged across the globe to one of the worlds most talked about but less well known  locations. When you think about the Emirates, you may have the following spring to mind, Air Lines, Arsenal, Arabs, Gold, Oil and Islam. While most of these typical thoughts are true, being there is a much  different experience.

Dubai, desert paradise of the UAE. The jewel of the Emirate’s. That indeed it is, this dry place, not once dry, it still fries. Is known to all but really hidden in depth. Like the gold it sells and oil it wells, you know of its existence but not many will venture close enough around it to really love it or hate it. Described by “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum” as a place striving for the highest standards of luxurious living. You begin to feel that nothing will be normal. With little helpers at every turn, from sweeping the dust off the roads, to watering the desert grown grass, everything  has been put here by man, as if he were God.

You could say being here, that you are a disciple. That is true, in the UK you are a part of 60 million people, and here there are only 2 million, in the space the size of “citation needed” of greater London’s boundaries. That’s a 1/12 difference. 80% of the population are ex-patriots, 50% Indian and you will find more nuclear families per square mile. You can feel the tension of a fallout of angst, iPad in one hand – Ice cream in the other.  Tears and screams exploding from their face; like any other child. I suppose,  with all the luxury,  being with your tax free income you have no choice but to squander what you earn whether you like it or not, gambling on the happiness of consuming because everything’s got a brand you can trust back home. You won’t drink the tap water; it’s just “refined” sea water. Despite popular belief alcohol is not illegal but not easily obtained unless you are over the age of 21.  Find yourself in a hotel or at your place or most ex patriots homes. Despite this, where you find alcohol, you will find pork. It’s a natural pairing here in the desert.

With every necessity a purchase,  you begin to see you rent-a-life unfold. Mall to mall like casino to casino,  this is truly the antithesis Las Vegas all be it, still in the desert. If you don’t hop for the shop, you’ll drool for the cool.  At the time of  writing this  the  average temperature is 34c  but it is set to go up to the 50s by August. There isn’t much else. People leave their car engines running with their air conditioning on at gas stations whilst they fill up, just not to get caught out by the heat. There’s a theory amongst ex-pats that you can hop cars from here to Abu Dhabi and back, just by finding an empty car with its engine on. Although steal anything (Pick ‘n’ Mix included) here and you’ve got 4 years of real hell (Human Rights) minimum. You can leave your suitcase, child, gold plated Ferrari, out for weeks on end, knowing it will not be touched. The heat never stops with or without cloud and even now as I wrap this up, I’ve accumulated another 4 scout badges from my mosquito masters.

There is a lot of ground to cover, the malls, the communities, the land its shaped upon and the hygiene (oh universe the hygiene).  The backbone and the ambition , the true Veil beyond the shepherds and ninjas, (those wearing local clothing) and the direction this Emirate is going. But for now I hope you get the idea.

The Gecko