At the end of January 2026, Wendy and I embarked on our first trip for the year. This concluded with a few days in Dubai.
On Feb 28, just three weeks after we left Dubai, Bibi Netanyahu, in cahoots with Donald Trump, attacked Iran, annihilating the Ayatollah and his entire cabinet in one foul swoop. As 'The Weekly', TV program remarked: "When you've ended eight wars (as Trump repeatedly claims), you get a ninth one free".
Predictably, Iran immediately lashed out in retaliation, sending a missile into a hotel in Dubai. Apparently, United States personnel were billeted in that hotel. They must have been senior people as it is considerably up-market from the one we'd used, around the corner from the 'InsuranceMarket' METRO stop.
Trump's war had the impact of shutting down the airport, and preventing at least six major cruise ships from leaving the Persian Gulf when the Strait of Hormuz was closed to general shipping. Imagine a large cruise ship being hit or sunk. Just one of these, the MSC Euribia, carries over six thousand passengers.
In the background is TUI Cruises 'Mein Schiff 5', on a 7-night "Zauber des Orients" (Magic of the Orient) cruise
The ship carries 2,600 passengers. mid-sized, so there were many passengers in town.
At the time of writing, the war is still under way. According to the Emirati defense ministry, in the first week, more than 540 drones, 165 ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles targeted the United Arab Emirates. Most of those projectiles were intercepted, but 21 drones struck civilian targets. Compared to other targets, Dubai suffered minor damage: the international airport was damaged, injuring four people; the sail-shaped hotel, the Burj al-Arab, caught fire after its facade was hit by falling debris; and explosions shattered the windows of apartment towers and the Fairmont hotel on Dubai’s man-made Palm Jumeirah island. Three migrant workers were killed.
By the Friday after the war began, over 15,000 cruise passengers had become trapped in the Persian Gulf, adding to the many thousands of stranded airline travellers.
That week our house cleaner, Lily, congratulated us on our timing, yet again we were home before the trouble started. Thanks for that go to Azamara. We'd timed our trip to suite the cruise line.
The other good thing about our timing was the weather. Last time we were in Dubai it was intolerably hot. If it was not air conditioned, I couldn't be there. So, the Hall of the Emirates where there was already a ski slope with real snow, was a big attraction, otherwise the hotel beckoned. This time, the ski slope has grown into a mini-Winterland but had lost much of its attraction, as the temperature outdoors was a balmy 25 or so.
The Metro is also new since I was here last. Wendy had already used it, as she's been here in the interim. She reported that it was mainly used by the Emiratis with their multiple wives and children. But now, it is mainly used by the, huge workforce who mainly come from the Indian sub-continent so, that at peak times, it is impossible to move, as people are so packed in, despite another train every four minutes. At other times it's quite comfortable. The trains are driverless, and generally spotless. On one trip on the Eurostar, a woman's melodic voice repeatedly informed passengers after every stop: "A clean train is a nice train". As a result, when the occasion, occasionally warrants it, as it did in Dubai, one of us is likely to say - "a clean train is a nice train".
The Burj Khalifa was already finished the first time I was in Dubai. For the past 16 years it's been the tallest building in the world, easily surpassing Taipei 101, the previous tallest building, (see our 2016 trip to Taiwan). But on that earlier visit to Dubai, the top of the Burj was shrouded in clouds. So, I resolved that, if it was clear, next time I would experience the one thing that one can only do in Dubai.
Very tall buildings, are principally vanity engineering projects, icons, with little practical justification. For me, their construction is always interesting but otherwise, just ticks on my bucket list: Taipei, New York, Chicago, Shanghai and older tall things: Paris, Tokyo, Seattle etc.
Apart from the ever-present air pollution, there was not a cloud in the sky. So, this was it. Probably the only chance I would ever get. Wendy was not interested.
I looked at the prices. For around 200 dirham I could go to a lower indoors viewing window (higher that Taipei 101 but pointless for my bucket list), doubling the cost would get me up another 23 levels (still no tick) but for a nearly four-fold cost I could go all the way to level 154 and go out on the open-air viewing platform on level153. As the publicity says: "The Ultimate Burj Khalifa experience with access to all levels and experiences. Enjoy VIP luxury at the world’s highest lounge, a Guinness World Record holder at 585 meters. Skip the lines with priority access and enjoy exclusive privileges. Sip bubbly or house beverages with gourmet canapés, while multilingual guides provide an insightful tour. Relax in a sleek, modern setting with breathtaking panoramic views of Dubai. Avoid the crowd and enjoy the best views of Dubai in style."
If you're going to do it at all, do it properly, I told myself, as I took out my credit card. Around $300 AUD - with several drinks and a light meal, not too bad, I reasoned.
There are more of my photos in the album - see below
It is quite spectacular. Let's hope that Iran doesn't see it as their next target.
Wandering about in Dubai's Souks is what Wendy comes here to experience, and she loves to bargain. So, we also engaged with the bag and watch sellers, going up up in dodgy little lifts, in shabby buildings, to hidden sales rooms. Returning, in most cases, empty handed, after some extended but unresolved bargaining.
And wander we did. I had no trouble meeting my step-count target, several times over. We repeatedly caught the Metro to and from the mega-malls and walked, from several different stations, in the balmy weather.
Dubai is a vast building site. There is construction going on as far as the eye can see. A booming economy. I previously contrasted this with South Africa.
It will be interesting to see what the impact of Trump's war will be.
