Culture & Courtesy at the Dubai Mall

This was my very first time to the Middle East and frankly, I had no idea what to expect in terms of culture and conservatism. Besides knowing that Middle Eastern women wear burkas, I had no idea how conservative I needed to be as a tourist. Whenever I travel, I try to make it a point to research a country and their attire so I can dress appropriately. I’ve learned that it’s safer and smarter when you don’t stick out like a sore thumb, especially if you’re a solo traveler. For this trip, I brought long black maxi dresses, and tried to leave the skin tight clothing at home. When I got to Dubai, I was actually surprised to see that many of the people I saw were dressed very similar to what I see back home in the USA. Maybe I only saw tourists, but I definitely saw my share of t-shirts, skin tight clothes and short shorts.

Something I found interesting when visiting the Dubai Mall were these pamphlets, located at every information booth. It was a little reminder that no matter how many short shorts I actually saw, we were in a country that valued conservatism – and those short shorts were probably offending someone.

Aside from the courtesy procedures, the mall in itself was pretty incredible. I was traveling with someone who was not quite the little shopaholic that I am, but I did definitely make a mental note to come back ASAP. Besides having a gazillion high-end stores, I was more than happy to find a great H&M, and other stores more around my budget range.

Besides the incredible shopping, there was also a giant aquarium, giant waterfall, giant fountain display outside… I guess when you’re in a city made out of money, everything just comes out bigger and better. We didn’t have time again to see and appreciate everything (not to mention the fountains were all cancelled because of the sandstorm) but hey, just more reasons for me to come back to Dubai someday!