Through the looking glass and what Alice found in Dubai

Tags

Dubai, Gulf, hotel balconies, international workforce, Malls in Dubai, picture, sky-scrapers, travel

I landed in Dubai on a hot, steamy morning and made my way through the shiny lobby to a shiny car which took me to my shiny hotel. My little capsule of cool air proceeded to glide noilessly on the wide road, among other white capsules sailing the river of traffic between silver giants.
I pressed my nose against the glass and looked at the occupants of the other white capsules. Some contained energetic Indians, some bored-looking Russians and some impeccably white-clad locals glued to super phones.

I stayed in one of Dubai’s towering hotels. 
All have alluring balconies lining up against the milky sky. Magnificant balconies, thousands of them all through the silver city. All sealed off. After an hour of pressing my face to the glass in silent desperation, I asked Reception. ‘Government regulation, ma’am’ chirped the pleasant young woman from the Philippines. 

In the evening I rode the metro with the thousands of people who work hard in the city of glass and are barely able to keep their eyes open at the end of a hard, long day. Heads lolling against the glass.

I went to a mall with a huge tank inside. Where some people were diving and others were watching them on the other side.

Pressing their faces against the glass.

Come to Dubai, it’ll be class, oh my my, you can touch the glass!

Q is for Quiet in Qatar

Tags

Doha, Female traveller, Gulf, Qatar, quiet, travel

I landed in Doha on a warm evening in April. 

The immigration guy leafed through my passport with a vaguely disgusted air.
Beautiful dark eyes, lean facial features, impeccably white dishdasha.
An eye pleasing ensemble which I was to revisit with equal (purely aesthetic) joy over the next few days.
Pam pam, stamp stamp, out I go to meet my Sri Lankan driver. Nice guy.
Do you like living here? I asked.
Well, he answered. It is quiet.
And off we drove through the quiet of the city. Wide lanes, palm trees, dark buildings. And then more of the same. It was like a film set with no actors.
You know that Bjork song, it’s all so quiet……… bruuuum? Well it was like that but without the bruuuum.
In the evening I went for a walk. Not a soul in sight.
I walked and walked and then walked some more. Past quiet office buildings, past palm trees, past traffic lights (past the Green Sea, past the Live Forest and the Magic Cave – sorry, wrong story) and then I got to a restaurant.
Hurray hurray, weary traveller, I said to myself, now is your time of joy and plenty.
I walked in with a huge expectant smile which froze as 48 male eyes measured me from head to toe in disbelief. A lonely female walker goes into the local bar? Good one, next joke please.
So I went out and walked some more.
And no doubt I’d still be walking today if I hadn’t had to go back and see that immigration official again.
LE: The word “bar” as used above is part of the joke.