- The heat is borderline unbearable – I'd even argue that, without portable fans/air conditioning, Dubai would be uninhabitable.
- There is no (or very little) greenery. Only fake roadside gardens with synthetic grass.
- The glitzy and glamorous reputation Dubai has earned in recent years is one earned through the blood of foreign labourers; 800 metre tall buildings and artificial islands aside, Dubai continues to house thousands of South Asian workers in conditions unfit for animals - and since the government confiscates their passports upon arrival, they can't leave.
- It's expensive as fuck. I paid the equivalent of £7 today for a raspberry slushy in the smallest possible cup size.
- All the cranes. They're such eyesores.
- The airport is ridiculously big. After getting off the plane and collecting the bags, I'm genuinely not lying when I say I walked a full mile to reach the exit. It's ridiculous.
- and when I did step outside, I was met with the heat, which is comparable to pointing a hairdryer on at full blast in the direction of your face.
- The rich people who live here (mostly middle-aged European & American expats) are the most vain, materialistic, superficial and down-right boring folks I've ever had the misfortune of encountering.
- The roads are shambolic.
may 6 2014 ∞
may 17 2014 +