Being a guest in the world’s tallest hotel ought to be a peak travel moment, said Toni Salama in the Chicago Tribune. “And it was.” Still, something bothered me as I settled into the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, which occupies its own little island in the Persian Gulf. There’s an unreal aspect to the recent transformation of Dubai into a sun-splashed paradise of ultra-luxurious leisure. This tower seemed not so much anchored to the ground as floating above the desert horizon like a mirage. “Maybe the heat was getting to me.”
A visitor to Dubai soon learns that fully one-fourth of the world’s cranes are currently in use there, at work building 5,000 more new buildings. One of those, the Burj Dubai tower, is already the world’s tallest and likely to keep on growing. Right now there’s a constant cloud of construction dust in Dubai and an “eternal rivalry” of desert heat by day and seaside humidity at night. Despite all the bustle, there is “not all that much to ‘do’” here, except perhaps go on a cruise, head out on a desert safari, go to the beach, or go shopping. One convenient way to get about is to board an abra, or ferry, which for a 28-cent fare will take passengers for an hour’s cruise up Dubai Creek almost to the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. The brightly painted hulls of wooden cargo boats contrast sharply with the city’s glass office towers.
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