Does Dubai live up to the hype?

Hello Dubai, by Joe Bennett (Simon & Schuster, RRP $40):

He’s a busy bloke Joe Bennett, managing to churn out a great newspaper column each and every week, punctuated by some of the quirkiest travel writing you could hope to find.

This time around the target of his interest is Dubai, the modern marvel that matches Middle East traditions with modern wealth.

He says of Dubai: “It’s Muslim. Its laws are not western laws. Its press does not enjoy the freedom of the western press. But the one outstanding truth about Dubai is that none of the facts have deterred hundreds of thousands of people from travelling to Dubai in search of a better life.”

Because of those masses who have made the trip to the skiing, sand and shopping in Dubai, Bennett has decided to follow them to find out if it lives up to all the hype.

He asks whether Dubai has sold itself out for the corporate dollar and whether the country can go on as it is.

And, as always, the answers he comes up with paint a picture that is funny and believable.

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