From LA to a brief stop in New York, An Endless Summer continued.  New York brought more time in Brooklyn where my apartment came with a swing between the bedroom and lounge room, I thought it was very cute…although my friends informed me of its’ real purpose.  I thought after that nothing could amaze me…well hello Dubai and a new level of unnatural awe.

Within a few hours of being on the ground it wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary if at any moment a car flew past…Dubai is the true representation of a modern city.  Buildings represent modern architecture, eye catching and are endlessly intriguing.  I was captivated within moments, Vegas has nothing on this place…even so, there are cranes on every corner increasing the footprint of the city to make this the beacon of the future’s future.

The Emirates Group of companies is a driving force here with over 35,000 staff…and they need it, as the detail the airline and the city have gone to in every step of their tourism process is first class.  From the three terminals for Emirates to the fast, efficient and next generation metro…everything is a piece of art and a joy to experience.  It makes Sydney’s single airport look old and down right rural.

At night the new souks come into play…they are cool (thankfully in every sense of the word), dimly lit to create an escape from the day’s heat, and full of restaurants, although the restaurants are still largely chains.  They are enjoyable and when housed within the funky surroundings…intimately pleasant.  I only have great respect for a capital that could create these so intelligently, when Australia’s version…Darling Harbour…is such a travesty.  For those wanting to escape the chain restaurants the hotels have signature establishments, but you will need that signature to be on a very large credit card to enjoy the finer end of town, as it is staggering expensive. A single cocktail on one menu was $100,000 Australian dollars!  Gulp.  Perhaps taking a ‘tiny sip’ is more appropriate.

One does have to put aside the fact this is largely driven from oil and royal money, like so many structures and installations here what most people call reality is far, far away.  I researched and took a drive around Saayidat Island…effectively a man-made Sanctuary Cove on steroids with mind-blowing buildings, museums and plans…here they are building tomorrow’s future.  During this drive I started to reflect on the mass of the country, the building going on, and the average earnings…let’s hope there is someone here who can afford this future…otherwise these will be the best looking ghettos in the world.

Not everything is brand new, The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi (the capital is also the name of the Emirate) is worth the forty-five minute drive…blue water, gold touches, and white tiles come together for a spectacular effect.  Not far from here is Ferrari World, but in terms of style and class it is a world away.  This ‘brand-park’ has cheapened the brand, making it more a ‘car-park’, one played with the Ferraris like toys as opposed to holding them as an element of aspiration…you could see why others hadn’t followed.  Next to this is a suitable partner in architecture crime…Yas Mall…which looks exactly like Australia’s Parliament House, but twice as big…well at least we weren’t the only ones to make that design mistake.

The scale of Dubai needed a new perspective, so I took to the air.  The helicopter ride, sourced from a discount website, was worth every penny…especially when this rather large group of Americans took up the entire weight of the helicopter…I was bumped to the next flight which was the longer one at no extra cost…for the first time being single with a touch of holiday weight played in my favour.  The city looks small from the air as the soaring height that is so dominate from the ground doesn’t have the same effect.  ‘The World’ which is a man made representation of the actual world is in tatters, looking more like a golfer’s nightmare than a destination of the rich and famous…hopefully the dreams of the Sheik and the community don’t follow the same path as this, a victim of the global financial crisis and the constant need of outside financial success.

A desert safari was next with the four wheel driver showing off his skills on the sand dunes…it was exhilarating as we moved along the dune tops at eighty kilometres an hour, sand falling away around us, I wondered if Pamela Anderson would come running along the sand to save me.  It must have been the heat as she didn’t, but I laughed at how everyone who took a photo would then instantly check the shot to make sure it was perfect, being in the moment long gone…it was as if the camera had just been invented and the idea that you could press a button and see yourself on a screen was the best thing since the kebab.

After the compulsory terrible tourist dinner in the sand we headed back into the city and onto a dhow for a ride along the creek.  At night Dubai becomes a romantic oasis, soft lighting draws out the cultural architectural icons along the water while the LED lighting through-out the modern part of the city makes it look like you are on another planet…in many ways I was.

Oases can only last so long and I was about to face the next challenge…the southern hemisphere part of An Endless Summer…gulp indeed.

Oh, and for those asking about the swing in Brooklyn…you tell me what it is for?