關於奢華城市迪拜的十件趣聞(上)

Dubai has seen some truly astonishing urban growth in the last 30 years. Although the city has long been an important port and trading hub, Dubai managed to become a modern metropolis and the most expensive city in the Middle East. Oil money and heavy investment in real estate have seen columns of skyscrapers erected throughout the city, and some of the most lavish construction projects conceivable are making their stake (or at least they will be when building work is finally finished) in this new economic and tourist hotspot. The dazzling city has had some outlandish rumours attached to it in recent years and, remarkably, some of them happen to be true.

近30年來，迪拜的城市發展非常驚人。雖然迪拜原本就是一個至關重要的通商港口中心，但它依然努力成長爲一個現代化的大都市和中東最奢靡的城市。不動產中的石油收入以及大量的投資使得一幢幢高樓大廈拔地而起。人們想象中最爲奢華的建築工程正在這個新的經濟旅遊熱區崛起（起碼竣工時他們會屹立在這塊土地上）。然而近幾年來，一些與這個令人心馳神往的城市並存的怪異傳言讓人困惑不已，值得注意的是，謠言當中的一部分卻是事實。

Police Drive Around in Sports Cars

10.警察開着跑車巡邏

Dubai really likes to make an impression, even when it comes to outfitting its local police force. The city's top of the range fleet of police cars includes McLarens, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Bentleys and Ferraris. Painted in the city's white and green colours, the cars make for a startling sight as they patrol some of Dubai's many highways in pursuit of speeding lawbreakers. However, the vehicles act mainly as a deterrent for would-be speedsters and they are typically found patrolling tourist areas where officers issue tickets for parking and other lesser motoring offences.

迪拜的奢華總能讓人大吃一驚，即便是當地警察的裝備也能讓人目瞠口呆。迪拜警車的頂級車隊包括麥克拉倫、蘭博基尼、阿斯頓·馬丁、賓利和法拉利。警方在高速公路上追捕違法的超速駕駛者時，這些豪車成爲了這個城市的白領與綠領中的一道靚麗風景線。然而，這些豪車的主要職能還是爲了給那些蠢蠢欲動想要超速違章駕駛的人敲敲警鐘，它們通常出現在警察給違規停車開罰單和其他較少出現違章駕駛情況的旅遊區巡邏時。

e are Gold Vending Machines

9.自動售貨機可以買到金條

Nothing says 'disposable income' like buying gold from a vending machine. The 'Gold to Go' machines dispense gold items – bars, jewellery, customised coins – in exchange for market value prices (the machines have an Internet connection and their prices are updated every ten minutes). Some of the gold items come in attractive gift boxes and all are dispensed with a certificate and an anti-counterfeit hologram label. Although Dubai isn't the only place in the world to house Gold to Go machines, these gold-leafed novelties feel right at home in the over-the-top indulgence of the city.

從自動售貨機裏購買金條是作爲可支配收入的最佳選擇。這種自動售貨機可提供金器販賣——金條、珠寶以及客戶定製的硬幣，售賣方式是以市場價等價交換（機器配有互聯網連接，每十分鐘更新一次價格）。所有金器出售時都帶有證書以及反假全息圖標籤，其中一些金器還會以精美的禮品盒包裝好。迪拜並不是世界上唯一擁有黃金販賣機的城市，但這些裝飾着金葉子的紀念品總能讓人在這個紙醉金迷的城市裏有賓至如歸的感覺。

Founding Father was Sceptical of the City's Long-term Plans

8.國家領導對城市的長遠發展持懷疑態度

Economists are eyeing the prosperous situation in Dubai with scepticism. The city was rocked by the 2008 global recession and its real estate projects stagnated as investors and financial institutions held back from pouring in more money. Although construction projects have resumed in recent years and the city's excesses are nothing like their pre-crash levels, some say the supply and demand of the real estate market in particular is very risky. A famous quote attributed to Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum – who ruled Dubai for 32 years from 1958 until 1990 – was: "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel". The famous line referred to Dubai's reliance on oil and the city's need to transform its infrastructure and economy. However, it proved to be a prescient warning when the bubble was at risk of bursting completely in 2008 and Dubai's financial outlook appeared to be very grim. Although Dubai is less reliant on oil trade and now primarily depends on commerce, tourism and other services, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for its economy and if it has learned anything from the 2008 crash.

經濟學家對迪拜的繁榮景象持懷疑態度。這座城市因2008年的經濟衰退而受重創，當投資者和金融機構不再向房地產項目扔錢的時候，這些項目也大都停滯了。儘管近幾年建築項目有所復甦，但他們的經濟實力卻回不到經濟衰退前的水平了，有人稱房地產市場的供給與需求尤其處在危險當中。酋長謝赫·拉希德·本·賽義德曾經說過一句很著名的話——他自從1958年就開始治理迪拜，直到1990年，共計32年。那句話是"我的祖父騎着一隻駱駝，我的父親騎着一隻駱駝，我開着一輛梅賽德斯奔馳汽車，我的兒子開着一輛路虎，我的祖孫應該開着一輛路虎，而他卻騎着一隻駱駝。"這句話說的正是迪拜高度依賴石油的經濟現狀以及它面臨的基礎設施的緊缺和經濟轉型的問題。沒想到，這句話竟然是2008年經濟泡沫存在徹底爆炸的風險的提前預警，那時候迪拜的金融狀況也不容樂觀。儘管如今迪拜已經減少了對石油貿易的依賴，其當前經濟來源也主要依靠商業，旅遊業和其他服務業。如果迪拜已經從2008年的金融危機當中有所收穫和啓發，那麼觀望迪拜未來的經濟發展將會是一件有趣的事情。

was Once Home to 25% of the World's Cranes

7.迪拜曾經是世界上25%的起重機的家園

During the city's pre-2008 property boom, Dubai was dubbed the crane capital of the world. The skyline was peppered with huge towering cranes as construction projects ran riot throughout the city. The statistic – which amounted to around 30,000 of the world's 125,000 cranes – was a startling indication to just how much construction and expansion was being carried out in the city before the financial crash. With the economy back on the rise and with more projects underway, cranes and other construction machinery are making their mark in Dubai yet again, but it is doubtful they will reach the same ubiquitous levels as they did in the past.

在2008年前城市房地產的繁榮時期，迪拜被稱爲世界起重機之都。建築工程在迪拜遍地開花的時候，城市的半空中滿是巨大而又高聳的起重機的身影。有數據顯示，世界上12萬五千臺起重機裏大約有3萬臺都出現在這裏，這都告訴我們在金融危機之前迪拜的建築工程和其擴展程度是多麼驚人。經濟復甦之後，更多的項目也被投入建設，起重機和其他的建設機器又重新成爲了迪拜的一道風景線，但能不能回到過去那種起重機無所不在的時光，倒真的要打一個大大的問號了。

United Arab Emirates has Ridiculously Strict Drug Laws

6.阿聯酋有着非常嚴格的禁毒法案

The UAE has a zero tolerance policy on drugs. Serious drug trafficking charges are punishable by death and even residual traces of illegal narcotics can result in a lengthy spell in prison. In fact, the UAE even considers the presence of illegal drugs in a person's blood stream as a count of possession. Unfortunately, some tourists in Dubai have found out the hard way just how seriously the country takes drug-related offences. A Swiss tourist received a 4 year sentence when police allegedly found poppy seeds on his clothing and a Briton received the same sentence when less than 0.003g of cannabis was found in the tread of his shoe at Dubai airport. In 2013, three British tourists were pardoned from their 4 year drug sentence in a Dubai prison after 3 months. The men alleged that they had been tortured, tasered and beaten throughout their sentencing process in Dubai.

阿聯酋對毒品持零容忍態度。嚴重的販毒指控可能判處死刑，即使是非法毒品的殘存痕跡也將判處多年監禁。實際上，阿聯酋甚至考慮將血液中是否含有毒品作爲涉毒的參考。不巧，一些去迪拜的旅行者用自身慘痛經歷發現了這個國家對待與毒品相關的罪行有多麼嚴肅。一個瑞士旅行者的衣服上被警察發現有罌粟籽後被判刑四年，而一個英國人在迪拜機場中被檢測出鞋底有不足0.003克的大麻後被判同等刑罰。2013年，3個英國遊客在迪拜監獄待了3個月後從4年刑期中被赦免，他們聲稱自己在迪拜的量刑過程中經受了虐待、電擊以及毆打等折磨。

審校：喵喵 編輯：凱珊 來源：前十網