Burj is Dubai icon.
But Dubai is further than the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world with 830 meters height and 163 floors.
In spite of its amazing fountain performances...
... And its also surprising neighbours.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktum, UAE prime minister, UAE vice president and emir of Dubai, is a controversial personality.
Recently has been published his book "My Vision" "Challenges in the race for excelence". I have not read it but the sinopsis which is written as a wonderful musical score.
We will see in the future how it sounds.
He has been educated in Cambridge so he knows perfectly about our global times and western aesthetic.
And he plays in a very smart way at the international context all subjects that can, probably will, make a country grow furthest in these competitive world.
And he has the power, he has the energy, the fuel to propel it.
And the pawns to move it such as First Gulf Bank or Emirates airlines, two big ones.
He is involved in fabulous donations related to ameliorate education as well as it is said that he owns 100 cars and he has a yacht which consumes 1.000 petrol liters per hour so up to here let´s say he lives -although in a highest range- in the same contraditions that most of us. 
Apart from that he likes poetry and horses racing, also camels racing, activity which few years ago, 2006, extended a shadow over him due to an impeachment of some fathers of young kids working in camel cares interpose through an american Court indicting to him for alleged responsibility.
But what I have seen is a very modern country, the most modern I have visited in muslim world, a highly developped society of comsumption, with a very visible class media.
Of course all that glitters is no gold, even here glittering every corner, but looking closer you can see empty skyscrapers in main avenue, or within a low maintenance some others, I guess it must be hard to keep clean tons of glass facing the more tons of sand of the dessert.But at the same time some others skyscrapers are being built.
Numerous golf fields.
Diversity of entertainment projects.
It seem like a big bubble impossible to blow up until the oil revenues could disappear and that is not going to happen for long.
And up to then the most expert market strategies are being displayed.Over 1.6 million of annual visitors on a well built hub competing with so many others not far such as Bangkok, Singapore or neighbour Qatar.
And apart from the dozens, some hundreds in all resorts, of skyscrapers pointing highest that so many minaretes too. There are empty and dusty areas among them, even not paved beside luxurious buildings around the corner of the Burj.
Many things done it and to much still to top.
The propaganda of the leader also resembled a bit more to the autoritarian countries than to the modern democracies.
Luxury is spread for all world enthusiasts of that.
Price of luxury great offer is high as high as the Burj or the 400 Dh (100 €) cost to go to the top of the Burj with express service or 150 Dh (37.5 €) if you have applicated in advance.
Excellence is far.
¿What is excellence in 2013?
It is not something linked to harmony, balance, equity, renovables, environment, social awareness, sustainability...
Of course these are also matters that are on the "Vision" focus and also in quite experimental way too developped / talked as I have read in pamphlets and heard on TV ad but it don´t seem to be in the first rank, no the first priority.
In some way petrol -the main sector-, the Dubai´s propel is opposite to all this requirement of this century.
And that can be a hard weakness for the demanded concept.
NEXT : DUBAI ON MY WAY BACK (II)
