Dubai likes to see itself as the center of commerce, investment, and even culture, in the Persian Gulf. It is where the global rich can opt to become even richer and where investors can live out their dreams. It is also a place where people from the poorer parts of Asia flock to make a living and send money home. In the process Dubai has become the center of everything we love to hate: globalization at its worst, consumerism at its most extreme. Whereas old Dubai, situated around the Creek, has retained some of its charm, the new endlessly sprawling Dubai is a glitzy, unreal mega-Disney world focused on high-end shopping, leisure and entertainment. A boat ride across the Creek in old Dubai costs one dirham; crossing the bridge over to the Burj Al Arab hotel, situated on an artificial island in the Gulf, costs 200 dirhams or 70 dollars! The contrast is enormous >>>Full text 123 next › last » 
