South Africa (Part I: Getting there)

I just returned from a 10 day rapid fire tour of South Africa, little bit of Zambia, and a very little bit of Zimbabwe. I also had a quick run through Dubai, which, first time around, had a 2 hour layover and second time a more substantial 8 hour layover. I've also never been to an airport at 12AM and have THAT many people in it...Jesus, it was like Manhattan rush hour crammed all into a small space.

The take away message of Dubai is I hate plutocracies. Granted, I spent all of 10 hours in the T3 DXB airport (which is also the largest building in the world, judging by usable square feet), I felt I learned a lot of about this small, yet SUPER WEALTHY state.

First, everyone who works there isn't remotely Emirati (a person from Dubai). Shit, 85% weren't even Arab. Most are Indian, Pakistani, Asian, or Bangladeshi. Emirati people don't really work, they're rich. They also only make up 10% of the total population. Funny enough, Arabs are the minority in this Arab nation. It is truly an immigrant country. Because of this immigration, a tour book that I read while at the airport claims "Emirati only make up 10% of the population...this leads to a surprising open-mindedness and guarded self-segregation". I read "guarded self-segregation" as Emiratis are rich, the rest not so much, and let's keep us separate, because, truthfully which Emirati wants to be seen with a poor person, unless they're cleaning their house or driving them or something. Dubai is also a country cited by many human rights groups as having deplorable tenement housing for its working class immigrants. Don't believe me? Check out this article on the riots that broke out while constructing the Burj Khalifa. Fuck those immigrants that want to be paid US$60 more, so that they get US$231 a month!

On the other side of the spectrum is the spectacular wealth of the nation. Consider this, in a country that has just over 1 million people, it possess:

• The world's tallest building
• The world's largest building
• One of the world's most luxurious hotels
• One of the world's largest malls
• Indoor skiing

Now, the US also has these things and I guess if a nation is rich enough, I can't really fault them for wanting the best of everything. But sometimes the socialist in me feels that maybe it would be better spent on universal health care, education, social programs, or paying immigrants more than $200 a month.

If your rich (which I am far from that), Dubai is your playground. Just at the airport you can get:

• A $50,000 cover for your Blackberry. Made of titanium, platinum, diamonds, and other fun stuff
• A Swiss 999.99g 24K gold bar. Yes, a solid gold bar like you see in cartoons and movies making fun of rich people.
• A $9000 bottle of Vintage 1985 Lafite-Rothchild
• A $1500 bottle of 30 yr Macallen
• Caviar and tons of it
• Any electronic invention you can think of (laptops, computers, anything Apple)
• Every single designer label that sounds Italian or French
• Jewelry
• You can also win a Bentley just for exchanging money.
• Pinkberry (I was surprised that they went international, but a quick look at their website, I see that the whole UAE is a huge fan of them)

The only thing you can't find there, and it's ironic, is Arab stuff. Anything that local, or Arab, or cultural, is hard to find. There's only 1 store selling Arab stuff (trinkets, tourist friendly things, keffiyeh aka hipster scarf, etc.) And everything there isn't made anywhere in the Middle East. It's all from either China or Malaysia. The Chinese produce the cheap shit, while the Malaysians produce anything that is Muslim or Qu'ranic in nature.

Surprisingly, it is not all about spending and living the rich life. Since tithing is a pillar of Islam, there are donation bins everywhere that support the Dubai foundation, which does great work in the Muslim world. It builds schools and hospitals, provides healthcare, and alleviates poverty around the world. I just wish they gave more and also helped people in there own countries more.

One of the most beautiful and calming things is also morning prayers, especially during Ramadan. The call to prayer is played over all loudspeakers. No planes board. No gate agents blaring over the PA system. No carts driving down the hallways. Just a call to prayer and then silence for 15 minutes. It is truly a sight to see and just taken in the peace for a little bit.

I would never visit Dubai out of my own fruition, but since I was laid over, I try to take in as much from the airport as possible. I wouldn't go back there. But there is capoeira there with Grupo Nacao.

Next stop: Cape Town