I've never been there mum I just wanted to say hi

I was stationed near Dubai in the 1960's,and at that time it was not very large.The town of Dubai was very underdeveloped and there were not many big shops.In the evening at dusk there was an open market in the main square where you could by fruit and vegetables etc,and all the women did their shopping in the coll of the evening. The town is divided by a tidal river,and there were many Arab Dhows (boats) anchored along the key.Many of them traded with Pakistan and there was a lot of gold smuggling going on.The local army The Trucial Oman Scouts who were stationed at Sharjah had their own motorized Dhow at Dubai and they would go out looking for the smugglers. On each side of the river there was a Suke (Market) which was shaded by palm branches.All the shops were open fronted and there were men gold and silversmiths making jewellery.There were local Arab bakeries which made bread and chapatti's.Other shops sold spices,and others dried fish like sardines,and there were also banks.You could but anything in the market from tinned food to pots and pans etc.To get to the other side of the river you had to pay a ferryman to row you across in a two seat rowing boat. The main roads in the town were tarmac,but the roads outside the town were sand that had been sprayed over with oil and rolled flat.These roads only led to to the main settlements,after that it was sand tracks.Nowadays,Dubai is a modern city with skyscrapers and dozens of hotels,and modern living area's and it is the in place to be for the rich.

My daughter (USAF) was sent there a couple yrs ago. Although she didn't get much leave, the times she actually went to Dubai, she found it truly remarkable. She said it was very beautiful, the places they went were very ultra-modern & unique.

didn't leave the airport, but the airport was rather large and was being extended. very nice ;)

No thank you. Nothing but a building site

Yes around 12/13 years ago. I'm sure its changed a lot now. What I still remember is the stifling heat. I just wanted to get indoors as quickly as possible.

LynfromNM: When I was there I met a lot of Shell Oil men in a Dubai hotel bar.They were taking a break from drilling for oil.Their boss had been a US Air Force pilot in England who flew B17 8th Air Force bombers in the war,and his name was Johnson and came from Texas.

I never have. I'm sure it would be a great experience though. Happy Easter, Mentalmum!

No, but I've seen the pix and read alot. It seems to me that when anyplace is modernized , developed wholly and quickly, the results are routinely amazing. What we normally see is slow development, growth spurts & starts and stops, piecemeal fixes and updates based on economic factors. That doesn't lend itself to modern fixtures, traffic flow, conveniences, etc. Also, it wasn't funded by taxation.... Great question, MM.