Dubai (2)

Dubai aspires to have the biggest, the tallest, the most unique. We're staying in a hotel close to the biggest shopping centre in the world — the Dubai Mall, which covers an area of 1.12 square kilometres. While we are definitely not shoppers, the mall is not only about shops. Why wouldn't you have an aquarium in a shopping mall?

Or an ice rink?

Or a real diplodocus skeleton from Wyoming?

Of course there are shops for all the usual multinational brands. We glaze over. But we did have a coffee and pastry at a Japanese patisserie that had been recommended by a local friend, and I did buy a book at the huge Kinokuniya bookstore (although we've been to the even bigger flagship store in Tokyo — take that, Dubai).

A section in the Mall called The Souk has a Middle Eastern focus on products — high end fashion, fragrances, jewellery — rather than an international focus. It was very atmospheric, but I did find the Cheesecake Factory a slightly anomalous presence.

Shopping malls in Dubai are more than a place to shop. Providing entertainment and airconditioning, they're a place to bring the family over the weekend. I find Dubai's airconditioning setting really pleasant at 23 degrees. Much better than the frigid sub-20 conditions in many Asian malls (Macao, I'm looking at you).

A quick shout-out to some nice public art in the mall ...

... and the fountains. The Dubai Fountain is the world's largest choreographed fountain system and a major tourist attraction. The fountain is in the Burj Khalifa Lake, next to the Mall, which is next to the Burj Khalifa, and this is what they look like when they are not performing.

Note the shiny building to the right of the photo, behind the water. That's the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. I've included another image of the Burj (Burj means 'tower') that shows the very pretty building without the haze. Credit: Donaldytong

The world's tallest building has the world's highest restaurant — At.mosphere (that's not a typo) on the 122nd floor. On a friend's recommendation, we decided to treat ourselves to cocktails and dinner there. The lift to the 123rd floor was amazingly quick and only slightly wobbly.

Note the fountains way down below.

The view is spectacular as the sun sets and the lights go on, but the hazy air persisted and we weren't able to see very far in the distance. I'm not sure there is much to see beyond the built environment, but it would have been nice to check that.

I had a pleasant martini and a glass of rosé from Provence, and Ken had an expensive couple of Coronas. We ate some excellent hamachi ceviche, lamb doner and nicely braised beef cheeks. I asked the waiter where the hamachi was from, and he said Scotland. I was taken aback. Scotland? I said. Off he went to check, and came back apologetically — he'd confused the hamachi from Japan with the salmon from Scotland.

The only food that Dubai produces itself is dates and camel milk. Everything else is flown in from somewhere in the world, such as Australian oysters at A$40 for one. Yes, you read that correctly. We did not have Australian oysters.

The supermarkets are stocked with gorgeous fresh fruit and vegetables (the peaches in Waitrose looked amazing) and fresh foods from all over the world. But they're really, really expensive compared to our food at home — unsurprising, as none of it is grown here. In this little pocket of luxury, I feel uncomfortable about the food miles loaded on every item; our focus at home on 'eat local' and 'eat sustainable' is completely at odds with the Dubai situation. I also wonder about food security in this region.

But maybe I'm the prophet of doom looking into the void. (Joke. Sort of.)

As we were leaving, we noticed the fountains below.

Giddy from the height (sorry) of luxury, we took a taxi home driven by a young man from Ghana. I asked him how long he'd been in Dubai. About six months, he said. His aim was to save enough money working in Dubai to get to Europe. Where in Europe do you want to go? I asked. Anywhere, he said, anywhere in Europe will do.

Here we are back on the ground, in the taxi going home with our young Ghanaian driver, passing the tallest building in the world.