"This is a show-off culture" explained the excitable young man dressed in Lacoste shirt, Armani jeans and Puma trainers to his newly-arrived-to-Dubai friends. A fact confirmed by the parade of beautiful people strolling along the sea promenade, the street cafes bustling with expensively dressed haute couture on view.
The walking pace was quicker than the convoy of exotic cars crawling along the parallel beach road. The music blasting from each car denoting their origins (or maybe not: Indian Michael Jackson anyone?), as each Ferrari/Porsche Cayenne/Merc/Beemer attempted to outdo each other in the pulling stakes. It's not good enough to have a top of the range auto; it must be pimped in additional ostentation. Big engine? No problem. Gold door handles? Much better. The Audi R8 was one of only 200 limited edition tuned V10s, with wider wheels and rear spoiler. Mercs must be AMGs at least. Schnitzer M5 with extra wide wheels and rear diffuser is so slow over the speed bumps he causes a tailback. Two five inch race-tuned exhaust pipes sound great, though. And this pattern filters down to lesser models. You can't buy a VW and spec up; it's already fully loaded with maybe two versions to benefit the dealer. Who needs a sun roof in 50oC.....but it comes with the car sir.
At dawn I ran along Dubai Creek and through the gold souk market. Gold bracelets and pendants are designed and made in the street for your loved one, all in complete safety. In the Mall of the Emirates there is a vending machine selling gold bars. Villas are fitted with the latest high-end Italian fittings, money no object. The Malls are fabulous shopping temples with prices similar to London's west end and are anchored by the luxury brands. Dubai acquires the best and wants to be the best in the world. Its Metro is efficient and designed with stylish marble-flooring - and is the second cheapest in the world behind Iran.
The show-off culture extends to the ex-pats. I am told the local wags are nicknamed Jumeirah (name of the beach) Janes. They drop the kids at school and rush to their gym/ladies club/tennis/golf club/pool/coffee shop. I took a late lunch in the world famous Jones the Grocer....and found the noise levels from the ladies quite impressive. It beat even Costa's in Godalming, the epicentre of yummy mummies. Of course, to attend said gatherings one must have hair styled twice a week, nails at least once a week, waxing... and the requisite maid to perform the chores whilst Jane is busy socializing. These fit women are serious ladies who lunch.
Is there a cost to this lifestyle? Yes, but most ex-pats seem to be able to afford it if they came out in the boom period and their contracts continue at the high pre-boom/bust levels. Unfortunately, Margot will be severely disappointed as mine is post-boom. Well, you'd expect me to say that as an accountant, wouldn't you, whether true or not. I wonder what the migrant Pakistani/Indian/Asian workers think of this lifestyle that they will never be able to obtain? Nonetheless, they possess their own aspirations dressing elegantly in their vibrant saris and vivid, colorful scarves. There is another story I heard about an Indian billionaire on his yacht with his Russian 'clients'. Or maybe the reverse but it's not for print.
Then there is the cost of face and ego. What is that worth? The world's tallest building in Dubai is a massive symbol of the progressive nature of the country, firmly planting its image in the world's eye. In fact, in any top ten/twenty-five/hundred list of tallest buildings, Dubai features top in them all. They are truly spectacular 'wow' structures....two with crowns on top that light up at night. One has lights streaking up the front. Another, and this really is jaw-dropping, has a front perspective facing south. The building then manages to rotate in a twist such that the south face finishes 80 floors higher as the west face at the top of the building. The beautiful Burj Al Arab is the most iconic of towers where Federer played Agassi on the helipad at the top. Boring it isn't.
Dubai's economy did overheat, however. It did over extend, and did need a bail-out. You will know that Abu Dhabi has considerably more natural resources than Dubai. They loaned several billions to Dubai with an interesting price tag. The Burj Dubai, world's tallest building, is a prime centrepiece, broadcasting the country's modernism, progress and stupendous growth. Till the crash. The price of the over extension? The tower is now named Burj Khalifa after the UAE President in Abu Dhabi who supported them financially. A very high price indeed. Bling bling.
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