Dubai's Scary Laws

Here's a scary story about a US citizen working in Dubai who is facing criminal charges for simply e-mailing from his work e-mail account. Click here for the story.

Egypt

I like Egypt.

The three most impactful things I take from my short visit in Egypt are: (1) the genuine Egyptian smiles, friendliness, and sense of community (even in Cairo); (2) infectious optimism; and (3) the triumph of ancient Egyptians’ mind over matter in building Karnak and the Great Pyramids. Oh yes, before I forget, tipping 1 Egyptian pounds when using the bathroom is customary. In fact, tipping between 1 to 5 Egyptian pounds is apparently customary for anyone that does you a favor. Our tour guide was constantly handing out tips to museum guards, the ice cream man, and those clearing traffic to allow our mini-bus through.

Cairo. Being stuck in 1.5 hours of traffic on a 250 feet bridge is frustrating, but navigating through probably the most congested streets in the world yields a special treat: experiencing an Egyptian sense of community where everyone becomes a traffic police in directing the flow of cars. Our car was stuck in a narrow street in Islamic Cairo in a 10 car pileup going every which direction when a plump and unfortunate looking woman dressed in blazing orange cloth came to give her hand in untying the traffic knot. Within 1 minute of her effort, she was trapped in a perfect triangle formed by the sides of three cars including ours. She threw her hands in the air and certainly shouted Arabic profanities as the other drivers looked on and laughed! This was a charming and unforgettable experience! The Cairo Museum is literally overflowing with ancient treasures and is a definite must-see.

Islamic Cairo provides a fascinating glimpse into Egypt’s Muslim community. The streets are cozy and rich with Islamic history. The Al Azhar mosque, founded in 970, is touted as the second oldest educational institution in the world. The mosque also serves as Egypt’s religious authority. Enter the mosque and explore the large prayer rooms and beautiful inner white marble courtyard. The Khan al-Khalili bazaar is just a quick walk over. Smaller mosques lined with beautiful Egyptian carpets and brass lamps hanging from above make this walk more than just an outdoor mall. While exploring the smaller alleys, I befriended a few people and bargained over delicately crafted wooden boxes with Islamic art inlays. Although the alleys are dusty, unpaved, and littered with trash, I felt safe at all times because residents were constantly waving, smiling, and showing what I think is the best side of Egypt!

Gingerly nestled within Old Cairo, Coptic Cairo boasts of the Roman Towers, a Mosque, the Ben Ezra Synagogue (where the pharoh’s daughter found Moses in the reeds and where Mary drew water to bathe baby Jesus), and seven Churches (including the Hanging Church and St. Sergius or Abu Serga built over a cave where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus sought shelter after fleeing to Egpyt from King Herod of Judea’s wrath).

Luxor. With nearly 3000 years of history and over 1500 years of constant additions, the Temples of Karnak are an awesome sight. The Great Hypostyle Hall had a roof which could contain both Rome’s St. Peter’s and London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral propped up with over 134 sky bound papyrus stone pillars. Ancient Egyptians believed the papyrus surrounded a mound of earth in which life was first created. Apparently the Nile waters used to flood this hall with several feet of water with the coming of the summer floods. I suggest skipping the 9 hour overnight train for the hour flight between Cairo and Luxor. The double passenger sleeper train we took spanned the length of my leg. Early 90’s overnight sleeper trains in China and Indian trains exude luxurious qualities in contrast to the Egyptian train.

Valley of the Kings is home to King Tut’s tomb. No visit is complete without walking into the long tomb corridors lined with hieroglyphics, burial chambers, and other rooms in which post-life offerings were kept.

Valley of the Queens is home to Nefertari and at least 74 other tombs.

A sunset stroll within Luxor Temple is also an unforgettable experience as you take in the beautiful carvings, colonnades, and other ancient Egyptian art.

Alexandria. A 3 hour one-way drive to Alexandria from Cairo is somewhat worth the views of the Mediterranean, Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, Roman amphitheater (Kom Al-Dikka). This is the only place on earth where Greco-Roman-Egyptian cultures are intertwined as one and evident throughout the city's ancient sites.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)

Dubai shows you that you can buy just about everything if you have the money. Money, however, cannot buy a replacement for this city's history, culture, and heritage. The ruler should spend even more money on developing these truly unique and irreplaceable treasures.

In itself, Dubai as a city does not impress me. Who can be impressed with mega malls marbled from top to bottom, uncontrolled urban sprawl, out of control real estate development, and artificial everything!? The entire city seems to be teetering upon unsustainable resources from imported water to workers. What happens when Dubai can no longer afford to continue hiring from abroad and engage in outrageous spending on yet another building?

The bigger picture, however, reveals a resourceful government converting sand and nothing into incredible wealth and garnering world attention. Even license plates are for sale! Apparently the lower the license plate number, the more expensive the license plate number becomes. Thus, a license plate with the numbers 5678 could fetch nearly $80,000 USD! If Dubai can sell license plate numbers and sand in the desert, then they can sell anything! I also had no real interaction with any local Dubai residents except for the very unfriendly customs officials. Every other person in Dubai is probably an exploited workers imported abroad from every possible country in the world. Driving in a fortified 4 wheel drive SUV on a desert safari was the most memorable experience here! I loved it! We were able to drive up the walls for tall sand dunes. I also enjoyed walking in the red sand barefoot, watching the desert sunset, camel ride, belly dancing, and Arabian desert bbq. I am sure these are 110% tourist activities, but so unique so as not to miss them!

7-star scam. The Burb Al-Arab is a 7-star scam. First, no hotel in the world is 7 stars except for this self-proclaimed wonder of the modern world. We were lucky enough to visit our friend’s $2500 a night room and experience the overall lack of service. We spent $150 per person at a dinner buffet much to our chagrin. Service was flat and the food sucked. Emirates is also a 5-star airline scam. Rated as 1 out of 5 of the world’s five star airline, the only good thing about Emirates is its star constellation lighting system and comfortable cabin temperature. The service is hot and cold with none of the flight attendants truly anticipating the customer’s unconscious expectations. Thai, Singapore, and even China Airlines still rule in this department. The food service seems disorganized and rushed with the flight attendants shouting at each other and running up and down the aisles. The food falls flat, beverage selection limited, seats uncomfortable, and the 4 flights I took were all delayed by at least 1 to 2 hours. The Emirates terminal at Dubai International Airport, moreover, is a crowded mess. Every single men’s bathroom I visited had a line out the door. I ended up checking out the upper floor restaurants, health club, and hotel to use their empty bathrooms.

Visit the Dubai Museum, take a boat ride on a water taxi in Dubai Creek, visit old Dubai in Bustakiya, Burj Al Arab if not just to form your own opinion on this 7-star scam, and the Dubai souqs. Also check out the Bellagio copy-cat water fountain show at the base of the tallest building in the world, the Emirates and Dubai Malls, the largest indoor ski slope, and the mega mall aquarium.

In Abu Dhabi, drive by the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi Heritage Village, and the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque.

In Sharjah, visit the Sharjah cultural museum.

Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland

Twice as many Poles died in the Holocaust than Jews. Traces of WWII trauma and Polish suffering is evident everywhere--from brick ruins to worry lines on the faces of elders. Gdynia was the port town we sailed into, but we took a 30 minute train ride into Gdansk which is Poland's fourth largest city.

We visited and recommend visiting: Gdansk main town (take a walking tour of the Old Town); St. Mary's Church (the world's largest brick church...we climbed to the top of the tower); enjoy lunch at one of the many waterfront cafes and restaurants.

The entire town was celebrating either the Dragon Boat race or a soccer match:

Oslo, Norway

Nestled within forests and at the end of an island-studded fjord, Oslo lays peacefully as it claims Scandinavia's oldest capital city. Oslo is clean, modern, progressive, vibrant, and terribly expensive! I confirmed the rumor that Burger King's value meal costs a whopping $20 USD (but it includes fries, burger, and a drink)! A one-way bus fare cost about $7 USD. Forget it! It reminded me of the $12 USD 6-inch subs I had in Reykjavik, Iceland. Notwithstanding the heavy price tag on just about everything, Oslo has an amazing atmosphere.

We visited and recommend visiting: Vigeland Sculpture Park (features Gustav Vigeland's work); Viking Ship Museum (houses 3 Viking long ships dating back to 800-900 A.D.); City Hall (an ugly, but important building where the Nobel Peace prizes are given out); National Gallery (closed on Mondays so we didn't get to see Edvard Munch's Scream); Akershus Fortress and Castle.

A medieval Norwegian King, pointing at this spot, declared it the site of Oslo: