24 Hours in Dubai (1) ٢٤ ساعة في دبي

[Xander202]

This is the first part of 2 threads on Dubai.

Dubai is somewhere I thought I might never go to. I found a cheap flight on Emirates to Japan, which of course stopped in Dubai. I decided to turn it into a full 24 hour stopover to see the place for myself. I arrived late on the first night, slept, got up early and really spent the full day exploring the city, before leaving early the next morning. It was exciting to see a city which causes so much polarisation, and it was also my first time in the Gulf, or in an Arabic country for that matter.

I have to say, like Singapore, Dubai exceeded my expectations. Yes there are some unbelievably crass monuments to bad taste, yes there are parts that are sterile, but a slight scratch away from the surface reveals a more interesting city than many give credit for. Even the sterile parts are amazing to see, as the level of extremity is quite unbelievable.

What I please please request is that people enjoy this as a photography thread and and insight into Dubai. Please don't derail it with city vs city type arguments. I have seen a lot of other Dubai threads that desend into this, and I will ask a moderator to delete any such comments.

So without further ado....

[Danny]

WOW! Spectacular photos and spectacular city. Thanks for sharing your experiences in Dubai, Xander.

I´ve liked all your pictures of Dubai, above all your night shots of the city, the density of some areas, with so many skyscrapers together, and your people shots.

Just for a 24 hours stopover, you did a great job, as you use to show us.

Dubai, I imagine, must be a city of contrasts, and I hope to have the chance to visit it someday. It must be an impressive city.

Looking forward for part II.

Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain.

[marcus]

Wonderful photos! I really enjoyed the photos of the people. I think sometimes I see Dubai as a sterile city, and showing us deeper subjects than just skyscrapers really brings in a sense of urbanity and a human aspect that isn't always connected with Dubai. Bravo Xander!

[ColDayMan]

There has been a nice uptick of quality Dubai threads lately. This is no exception, well done!

[Chef]

Great thread! Dubai seems like a profoundly surreal place.

[SHiRO]

Thanks! Amazing pictures! Can't wait to go there (May 2015).

I love the people and streetlife pics especially!

[jtown,man]

I wouldn't believe you were only there for 24 hrs unless you said so! Incredible pictures!

[ue]

Wow, fantastic thread! In spite of all the vanity, it still seems like Dubai is an interesting city, particularly on the street.

[Nightsky]

Fantastic shots of Dubai! I'm glad you visited the old part as well. 24 hours in Dubai is definately not enough but you manage to see a lot!

There seem to be many Dubai bashers, I noticed that in my thread about Dubai, so it was very clever to declare that these kind of comments are not welcome!

[diskojoe]

Good thread. I really loved seeing all the smiling faces. The people look extremely friendly.

That flat bread looked on point too.

[downtownpdx]

Beautiful thread with great people shots! That twisted high-rise is crazy.

[pallo]

such beautiful photos, what camera do you use?

[mSeattle]

Very nice. I notice that different from your other threads, there are few to no women photographed. Would this be Saudi cultural influence?
You must have connections to get people on the street to allow you to take their photo as a portrait.

[Xander202]

Thanks for the comments all!

@Pallo: Thank you. I use a Canon 5D Mark II

@jtown, man: Yes I consider it the day in my life where I did the most! I got up very early and went to be late basically, really packed it in!

@Nightsky: You say 24 hrs isn't enough but actually I felt the opposite. Maybe 48 hours would be ideal but for me, although I do feel I uncovered some of the real Dubai, on the whole it is still too sterile for me to spend any more time. I would have gone to Abu Dhabi if I had one more day though. When I woke up in the morning after my day, I remember being happy and relieved to be leaving and getting to Japan! I would go back to Dubai though, but again it would only be a stopover for me.

@mSeattle: I'm not sure what you mean by Saudi cultural influence exactly... UAE is a lot less strict and more liberal than Saudi, but of course it is a Muslim Gulf nation, so some aspects of the culture are very similar. Actually that was an interesting observation you made, I honestly hadn't thought about it. Its true, there is no way I was going to get a portrait of any female locals for cultural reasons, as you mention.

[Aqua_Chicago]

Originally Posted by pallo

such beautiful photos, what camera do you use?

YES, THE PHOTOS ARE GREAT¡¡¡¡ the image is very clear. it's been a pleasure to see this thread¡¡¡ thanks. and only in 24 hours¡¡¡ wow¡¡¡ you did manage to visit a lot¡¡¡

[Aqua_Chicago]

THE PHOTOS ARE GREAT¡¡¡¡ the camera is fantastic, the image is very clear it's been a pleasure to see this thread¡¡¡ thanks¡¡¡
and only for a 24 hours visit ¡¡¡ wow¡¡¡ you did manage to visit a lot¡¡¡

[Buckeye Native 001]

Incredible photos! Thanks for sharing

[FREKI]

Truly a pleasure to watch your photos mate!