K.T.'s Journeys: Dubai Tour

Mosque

Boat Ride on Dubai Creek

This afternoon, the tour company picked us up from our hotel for a guided tour called "The City of Merchants." I know that sounds like a shopping trip, but it was actually a tour of some of the historic and cultural places of Dubai. It was conducted in both English and German. We learned that there are no taxes for the 8 million residents of Dubai because everything is government-owned. Water is more expensive than petroleum which makes sense. Dubai was also voted as one of the safest cities to live because the laws are extremely strict, so the crime rate is very low. A conviction for causing an accident while drunk will lead to eviction from the country. Stealing may cost you 3-15 years in prison. Among several stops during our 5 hour tour, we visited the outside of a mosque, the Dubai Museum showing what the city looked like in the 1800's, the spice market and the gold market, but my favorite was a short boat ride across Dubai Creek. It was beautiful being on the water. The weather was very hot and dry. After the tour, we went to the Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world. It was massive and it looked like what you would expect from a massive shopping mall in Dubai. Every store imaginable was represented and then some along with many American restaurants such as CPK, TGI Friday's and Dean & Delucca's. There was an Indian restaurant, but of course, we didn't eat there. 40% of the population is actually from India which is interesting. Every 30 minutes, they have a fountain show set to music and it was very impressive, especially since its backdrop is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Every show is different. Dubai gets my vote as the city with consistently the cleanest restrooms. There is no trash on the ground and the city overall is very clean.

We have enjoyed our stay in Dubai and I am thankful for this unique opportunity. We leave tomorrow at 8:55am for our flight home.