Dubai, the City of Gold

Aaah, Dubai, the unfinished city. Flying into Dubai showed a myriad of oil pipelines criss-crossing the sand and sea, and hidden away in the hazy mist was the city - concealed as it was all you could see of it was the tops of the many sky scrapers and an abundance of cranes, busy building even more sky scrapers. Stepping off the plane was a little like stepping into a sauna - I had expected it to be a dry heat out here, but it's in fact very humid (the average humidity in September is 85%, according to one website); so humid, in fact, that my sunglasses actually steamed up when I put them on (not terribly useful)!
When I first landed in Dubai, from cold Iraq - on my way to Kuwait - I arrived around 10:30 at night. I figured, since it was late at night it would be cool outside. I had always understood that the desert regions are very very hot during the day time and rather cool at night. So, when the plane landed I threw on my leather jacket and got ready to deplane. Then the door opened on the jet. Geesh. It was in the low 30s and sweat starting forming almost instantly. That jacket was quickly packed away and never saw the light of day in Kuwait or Dubai...I doubt it will see any action in India either. Actually I find that Kuwait was hot. Dubai felt hotter...thanks to the humidity. I'm not sure why there isn't the same humidity in Kuwait since they are both located on the Arabian Gulf. I probably should have paid more attention in science classes. For whatever reason, Kuwait has a very dry heat and Dubai is a very humid heat. In the middle of the day it was almost unbearable to be outside...thankfully people in the air conditioning business seem to be having record sales in the UAE. Go Big or Go Home seems to be a motto taken to heart in Dubai. The number of large-scale projects going on is mind-boggling. Projects under construction or recently completed include Burj Dubai, which will be - by far - the worlds tallest structure, four man-made islands that are all visible from space, including one that is shaped like the world, the only 7-star hotel on the planet (which I did NOT stay in), as well as a ski hill (in a Mall of the Emirates) and many other projects all happening, it seems, at the same time. A sign I passed seemed to sum up Dubai for me - "Now Open, the worlds largest ACE hardware store!"
The next morning I braved the public transport system and caught a bus to the centre of town called Deira. It is in Deira where the Gold and Spice Souks are found. I wandered through the Gold Souk, ducking into shops when I got too hot, I trying jewelry on as an excuse to stay there and cool down. Inside the proprietors give you cold drinks which is a great way to keep hydrated for free! Outside I were hassled a fair bit by guys trying to sell copy watches. This bought memories of Asia flooding back. After I had seen enough bling to sink a ship we continued on to the Spice Souk. It was here, I realised that most of the city shuts down for a few hours after lunch when the temperature is at its hottest. There were people lying around, seeking shade and having a snooze before they had to start work again at 4.30PM.
In Dubai it seems that every other road is under construction or being expanded and the public bus system is horrid. A large metro is currently under construction as, it seems, is the entire city. I took a public bus once but the system is not reliable (over an hour late, very slow - and packed) but found that taxis are, thankfully, very affordable and are the only reliable spread out.
Due to the rapid development and 'modernization' of the city, there are only a few historic structures left in Dubai. All these historic buildings are used for tourist reasons which is likely the only reason they are still standing. Dubai Museum is located in the old Al-Fahidi Fort and is thought to be the oldest structure in the Emirate, being built around 1800 to defend the town of Dubai. Dubai Museum had some great displays on the history of the region and life as it existed for people who lived in the area in times past. Heritage village was mostly closed when I visited but it looked like it was just a bunch of shops set up for tourists in a historic-looking building. I don't think I missed too much there.
Despite a big push towards all things modern...one of the best experiences in Dubai cost virtually nothing and is very traditional. The Abras (or water taxis) go across Dubai Creek for only 1 dirham, or about $0.33. They only go when they are filled with people and cross the creek in five to ten minutes, depending on the route. They where a great, cheap, fast way to cross and see the creek area...with traffic congestion a similar trip by car can take over an hour in rush hour. I'm not sure what will happen to the Abras when the new metro system opens up in a couple years though.