Dubai - the world's biggest building site

I've been in Dubai for 5 days now, and I have to say this place was nothing like what I was expecting. Not that I know exactly what it was that I was expecting, really, but whatever it was, it's nothing like it! It's a place full of contrasts and quirky things, but it also has spectacular sights.

Our hotel, the Media Rotana, is listed as 5 star. Sounds great, and indeed it's very good, but 5 star in Dubai is probably not the same as 5 star in other places. The room is very comfortable and nicely furnished. The hotel is evidently new. But look a little closer and you see that cleaning here is not done as thoroughly as you might expect for such a salubrious establishment. The maid who does the room every day does as little as she can get away with. By contrast, the reception area - a public space - is kept so spotless you could eat your dinner off the shiny travertine flooring. I have to say that I think the majority of Dubai is like this. Where the public goes, everything appears sparkly clean and new and polished. Just don't look too closely at the questionable craftsmanship of some of it.

Across the street there is a construction site. Actually there are several, but there is only one where any work seems to be going on at all. I can see the workmen from my window. I don't know an awful lot about construction, health and safety laws and so on, but common sense tells me that these workmen are not following any of them. Some are wearing hard hats, but not all. There is stuff strewn about all over the place - building materials, rusting piles of steel, heaps of sand, stacks of paving slabs and sheets of glass. From the top of the building - which must be 40 floors - workmen are lobbing debris, including bricks, on to a pile below, while others walk past the growing pile of debris, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are inches away from being clobbered with a lump of concrete. Workers on the roof have no visible safety harnesses. Fork lift trucks and diggers whiz about within inches of each other and other workers. The tower crane operator appears to have never operated the machine before, so wildly does this thing swing around. It's fascinating. A lot of Dubai is like a building site. It'll be interesting when it's finished - if it ever is. A large number of these half-finished buildings have been abandoned due to the credit crunch, all the materials just left strewn about. Who knows what will happen to those? I hope they do get finished, eventually.

The good bits of Dubai, though, are amazing. We arrived here during Ramadan, a month-long period where the faithful fast during daylight hours. This, of course, means that as soon as the sun goes down, feasting begins. Almost every eating establishment imaginable has what is known as an Iftar event. Even the fast food restaurants - McDonalds, KFC etc - offer such things as the Iftar Value Meal or some such promotion. But the real Iftar feast is more traditional. This usually consists of a huge buffet. All the major hotels host Iftar events, and we were lucky enough to be invited to two of the best. Various companies pay for a set number of tables for their staff, clients and guests, and there can be several hundred people at a single event. There are Iftar events every night of Ramadan, even though the majority of the diners seem to be Westerners who don't even observe the fast.

The first one we attended was situated in a marquee behind the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, sometimes known as the Wave. To call this a marquee understates it somewhat. It is bordering on palatial, with chandeliers, drapes, crystal, silverware, spotless linens, and even carpets. Such a place can compete favourably with the best dining rooms anywhere. You half expect the Queen or the President to turn up, so grand is it. They even have double glazing, and this particular one was very close to the famed Burj Al Arab, the celebrated sail-shaped hotel. The food was exquisite, the service excellent.

The second event we attended was held behind the Sheraton Jumeirah Resort, once again in a marquee on the beach. We could see the Burj Al Arab in the distance, and also some of the resorts on the famous Palm Jumeirah. All of the above applied to this place, too. Wonderful setting, wonderful food, a really nice night out.

I visited 2 of Dubai's shopping malls this week. The Mall of the Emirates is like any mall you have ever seen. Think of the Trafford Centre and you're there. It even has the same shops - Debenhams, Next, Borders, Virgin Megastore - so you could imagine yourself to be anywhere. The one really unusual feature here is the indoor ski resort. This is a giant freezer, with slopes of varying difficulty, chair lifts, everything you would expect from any Alpine resort, including pine trees and real snow. The whole place can be viewed from the mall through large windows, and some of the restaurants overlook it directly. There's something surreal about sitting in TGI Fridays eating your chicken finger BLT whilst watching people hurtle past you on skis. I reached the mall via a free shuttle bus from the hotel. The journey there took 10 minutes. The journey back took an hour. Oh well. At least it was free, and I got to see a lot of Dubai on the journey.

The second mall I visited was unlike anything else I've been to. It's called the Dubai Mall, and it's huge. It's not finished yet, either. This place is stunning. It has 4 floors, mostly full of high-end designer shops, such as Armani, Versace, Valentino, Garrards (jewellers), Gucci and others. There is a whole floor selling just jewellery and watches, not including the Gold Souk which is on its own. Sections are devoted to electronics, fashion, perfumeries, children's shops (including a branch of Hamleys) and of course a food court, with all the well known restaurants. This mall also has several very unique features.

One of its more famous attractions is the 3 storey high Aquarium. This contains 33,000 fish, sharks, stingrays and other marine creatures, contained within a giant glass walled tank, complete with walk-through underwater tunnel, like Sea World. It's fascinating to watch, and you can do so on three levels and from all sides. When it first opened, there was a problem with the sharks fighting each other and eating some of the other specimens, in full view of horrified customers, but that has been resolved - how, I'm not entirely sure.

Another water feature is a spectacular waterfall. This is also 3 storeys in height, and is punctuated by lifesize silver coloured human shaped divers. There is no real way to describe it. You'll just have to look at my pictures of it.

This mall also has an Olympic sized ice rink, with markings for hockey, although it can be hired for birthdays etc. Very cool!

For me the most stunning feature is located outside the mall. There is a promenade, on to which many of the eating establishments open. This is a beautiful paved area with blue water and yet another souk (market) to visit. But all of that takes second place to something else which immediately catches your eye as you step outside. The Burj Dubai is located right beside the mall. It is now officially the world's tallest building, and it's incredible. On the rare days when Dubai has any clouds, the top of this tower is above them. It's not just the tallest building, it is the tallest by a huge margin. look it up on its own website for the stats. All I can say is, it's one of those things you just have to see, like the Pyramids in Egypt, to comprehend it. It's not completely finished, but it's nearly there. I took lots of photos, and also spent minutes just simply staring at it and saying, "wow".

Come to Dubai for a visit, if you get the chance. The sight of the Burj Dubai and the Burj Al Arab are unforgettable. It is enchanting at night, when all the tall buildings are lit up. Just don't look too closely during the day, and try to ignore the dust, the unfinished buildings, and the absolutely punishing heat, with its hot wind that makes going outside feel like stepping into a fan oven. Thank goodness for air conditioning.