Nice post! I used to live in the UAE too (Abu Dhabi, flight attendant for Etihad). You did a great job describing Dubai and its contradictory culture.

I'm glad to see you covered all aspects of it - not just the cool stuff such as the over-the-top decadence and futuristic landscape. The city is fascinating and very innovative, but it's true much of it is built on slave labor and indentured servitude - workers from third-world countries whose passports are often witheld for several years. As if that wouldn't suck enough, these people are doing manual labor all day in temperatures that can rise up to 120 degrees. And you're absolutely right when you say there's a hierarchy based solely on what part of the world you come from. Someone with a EU passport will be treated much differently than someone from Bangladesh. It's both sad and surprising that a city as modern as Dubai can be so behind when it comes to labor standards and the basic rights of its workers.

But oh man, do I miss all the badass Indian and Arabic food. And shisha/hookah being included on many restaurant menus. Were you there during Ramadan?