0:00:00 > 0:00:02joining us. Coming up next, it is The Travel Show.
0:00:09 > 0:00:1220 years ago, Dubai set out to become one of the most
0:00:12 > 0:00:16talked-about towns in the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Since then, this young city state, one of seven emirates in the UAE,
0:00:20 > 0:00:27has largely succeeded.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It's become one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations
0:00:29 > 0:00:31on the planet synonymous with spectacular skyscrapers,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33gigantic shopping malls and high-end hospitality,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and also the occasional stories of tourists who fall foul
0:00:36 > 0:00:45of local customs.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50But scratch deeper and there's much more to this place.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53No longer the brash new kid on the block, Dubai is now
0:00:53 > 0:00:58an established hub and one of the world's few truly global cities.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Oh, yes.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And although the impulse to impress is still here,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07there's now a more complex identity taking shape,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and I'm here to see how that's changing the look and feel of Dubai,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14its people and its future.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34This is The Creek, the real heart of old Dubai, and gorgeous
0:01:34 > 0:01:37in this light.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Now, this used to be a real trading hub for the city and the kinds
0:01:41 > 0:01:44of boats you can see behind me bring in spices and other goods
0:01:44 > 0:01:59from countries like India, Iran and much further afield.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02This is my personal favourite part of Dubai, the old town,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05where you get a real sense of the past, as it's a contrast
0:02:05 > 0:02:12to the skyscrapers and shopping malls downtown.
0:02:13 > 0:02:13What is this?
0:02:14 > 0:02:15This is cinnamon.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Cinnamon, yeah, I recognised that.
0:02:16 > 0:02:17Very good.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19This one is turmeric.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Turmeric, yeah, very good for cooking.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25This one is for cooking, and this is for the face massage.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26For the face massage?
0:02:26 > 0:02:27OK.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28And what is this?
0:02:29 > 0:02:31This is a long piece of wood, what is it?
0:02:31 > 0:02:32This is more cinnamon!
0:02:32 > 0:02:33Very good!
0:02:33 > 0:02:35You're testing me, aren't you?
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Tell me the difference, that is bigger?
0:02:38 > 0:02:40This is bigger and this is smaller.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Is that it?!
0:02:41 > 0:02:42LAUGHS.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Frankly, if I hadn't stopped him, I think he would've taken me
0:02:45 > 0:02:47through every single spice in the shop.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53This one is for smoking and for soup.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Of course, if you're into bling, you don't have to go too far to find
0:02:57 > 0:02:59that here too, but to find authentic arts and crafts,
0:03:00 > 0:03:0221st century style, then you'll need to venture even further
0:03:02 > 0:03:05from the glitz and skyscrapers and head to be gritty Al Quoz
0:03:06 > 0:03:08industrial area, where a flourishing warehouse-based community arts scene
0:03:08 > 0:03:13has sprung up.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18This is 'calligraffiti' - a mixture of traditional Arabic
0:03:18 > 0:03:21calligraphy and graffiti - and it's the signature style
0:03:21 > 0:03:24of a French-born artist of Tunisian origin who goes by the name of eL
0:03:24 > 0:03:32Seed.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35He'd taken his unique approach to street art around the world
0:03:35 > 0:03:37with astonishing results, including this monumental project
0:03:37 > 0:03:45he created in a working-class district of Cairo.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51So what's he doing in Dubai?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54For me, Dubai is like, a new city.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I look at it, I try to have a different view to it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01A lot of people coming from outside say, "Oh,
0:04:01 > 0:04:02it is fake!
0:04:02 > 0:04:04You are an artist - how could you be here?"
0:04:04 > 0:04:07For me, there is this kind of growing art scene,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09there is a growing art community.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12As an artist, it's always good to see that I am part of this,
0:04:13 > 0:04:18I am part of making a change and making this movement.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22If I can question you on that, it is also a place that is glamorous
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and wealthy, you have a big expat population, you have some very
0:04:25 > 0:04:26rich people here.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27Is that inspiring for you?
0:04:27 > 0:04:31We are here in the middle of the industrial zone that has been
0:04:31 > 0:04:37turned into this cultural and art community.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Like, when you cross the road, you have still factories.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44This is the Dubai that I want to see.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I am not interested in the shiny things.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47That's not for me.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49But some people say that they want it.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51I think at some point there is a switch.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Dubai will show people, this is what we do.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Some people love Paris - I love Paris - some people hate
0:04:57 > 0:05:09Paris.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Some people love New York, some others hate New York.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15You cannot compare.
0:05:15 > 0:05:22For me, it's too naive.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23But what I look, at,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26yes, what has been done here in less than 30 years is crazy.
0:05:27 > 0:05:34I think people should just salute that.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38While the artists there are busy feeding the soul,
0:05:38 > 0:05:43many locals and expats here in Dubai are also now keen
0:05:43 > 0:05:46to exercise their bodies, some of them in the most
0:05:47 > 0:05:48quintessential Emirati locations.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Now, you wouldn't normally associate Dubai with cycling.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53In fact, riding through the Dubai rush hour is definitely a no-no.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55But the sport is becoming increasingly popular here thanks
0:05:56 > 0:06:02to facilities like this, a cycling track.
0:06:02 > 0:06:11It's long, smooth, purpose-built and flat as a pancake.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13In a country not famed for its exercise culture,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16these days, many locals are now getting into a whole
0:06:16 > 0:06:20range of sports.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And in case you're wondering, I'm going to leave this one
0:06:23 > 0:06:24to the experts.
0:06:24 > 0:06:38Hi, I am a wake boarder in Dubai.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I'm all about board sports - so snowboarding, wake boarding,
0:06:41 > 0:06:42kite surfing, all accessible in Dubai.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Living in the desert, the closest mountain is in Lebanon
0:06:45 > 0:06:52or Georgia or something.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55You have the best instructors, you learn how to snowboard
0:06:55 > 0:06:58here and when you go into any mountain from the Alps
0:06:58 > 0:07:10to Colorado, it's simple.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14The younger generation is actually crazy here in Dubai.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16They're crazy when it comes to extreme sports.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17They're trying to compete more internationally.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24It's actually really nice to see.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27The vibe of the city is all about work hard, play hard.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31You put in so many hours at work, so the little time you have left,
0:07:32 > 0:07:43you don't want to waste it just lolling around.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Keen to get another fix of the great outdoors,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I'm now heading out to the desert early in the morning to experience
0:07:50 > 0:07:59something new that I am told you can only see here in Dubai.
0:07:59 > 0:08:13It's a new twist on traditional Arabian falconry.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19I hear it's going to be truly breathtaking.
0:08:19 > 0:08:232,500 years ago, people relied on the falcon the way you and I rely
0:08:23 > 0:08:24on the supermarket.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Falcons put food on the table.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Traditionally the way it worked, birds from Europe and Asia migrated
0:08:30 > 0:08:34from the Middle East to Africa.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38On that migration, they would trap them from the wild and then use them
0:08:38 > 0:08:42in the winter months.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45At the end of winter, they would untie them and release
0:08:45 > 0:08:46them into the wild.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49It is a beautiful system of borrowing a bird from the wild
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and then giving them back.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We are about to release Oberon from the basket and I'll untie him.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59You'll see he's wearing a transmitter on his tail -
0:08:59 > 0:09:02that's so I can find him if he flies away.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I'll pop his hood off in a second.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09This device is called a hood, and this is keeping him
0:09:09 > 0:09:12calm and relaxed.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13That comes off.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16OK.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Ready, guys?
0:09:19 > 0:09:41Five, four, three, two, one...
0:09:41 > 0:09:42Wow!
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Amazing.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Hey!
0:09:46 > 0:09:46Good boy.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Do you want to have a go?
0:09:50 > 0:10:01I would love to, let's try.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Oh, yes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Peter has helped to hand-rear these birds from birth and the bond
0:10:07 > 0:10:09of trust between them is vital.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It's clear that to him the falcon's welfare is paramount,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and months go into training the birds to get them used
0:10:16 > 0:10:27to the sights and sounds of the balloon and its passengers.
0:10:27 > 0:10:27It's practised.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29These birds are in good shape.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31So the bird is not suffering.
0:10:31 > 0:10:31Absolutely not.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33What more could you ask for?
0:10:33 > 0:10:38A unique experience and a beautiful animal.