We arrived early in Dubai (Libby and I were still asleep). Since we’d already spent time here and mostly planned on checking out downtown, we slept in (not a bad thing since we’ve only been going to bed around 1am) and left Port Rashid in the late morning. We headed straight downtown to the Dubai Mall (the world’s largest mall… having superseded the Mall of the Emirates, which is also in Dubai) and Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building at 2,716 ft). Noticing a theme here?
I’m not sure what to say about the Dubai Mall. How to describe it? Take Madison Ave. in New York, New Bond Street in London, Rue d’Rivoli in Paris, and the Galleria in Milan. Pour on top the Mall of the America in Minneapolis. Put it all under one roof. That’s merely a start to the Dubai Mall! It was both amazing and horrifying. A microcosm of arguably everything that’s both right and wrong with Dubai (and the wider world). Be it the McDonaldization of society, the implications of globalization, or the excesses of consumerism – the Dubai Mall speaks to it all (and then some). But, it’s also a testament to the power of audacious goals, the consumer choices provided by free market capitalism, and the benefits of a little (or a lot) of hedonistic pleasure.
Dubai Mall, Interior
The surrounding downtown area, including the Burj Khalifa, provide similar examples of breathtaking excess: awesome, audacious, and astounding. All built to be the largest, greatest, and grandest – like nothing else in the world. But, is it sustainable long-term?
Burj Khalifa -- hazy day, which matters at that height!
We returned to the ship, packed our bags (more of a challenge with the side-effects from “retail therapy” upon us), had dinner in the Windjammer, and went to the Farewall Show.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We’ll pick up a car and drive to R.A.K., passing through three other emirates en route. That means we’ll set a personal record: four new ‘countries’ in a single day! Seems fitting to do that from Dubai… 😉