Dubai on the rocks: An undiluted, 5 top of mind early impressions
Beyond 5, they aren’t early. Neither are they top of mind!
1. As 9W 546 Jet Airways from Chennai, India to Dubai, UAE started its descent, one couldn’t but go gaping at the vast expanse of the desert, looking strikingly similar to a sandal colored satin interspersed with concentrated green locks here and there not forming patterns of any sort. The airport is nothing short of sprawling and advanced with an enviable signage system (so explicit that even a signage-challenged person (read me) could move around hassle-freely!) and technological backing. And yes, the airport was visibly empty. *was rolling eyes* To have been told about the super high volume of people thronging the Dubai airport, this was one of the first changes to be noted.
2. A car window at a particular instant sports a view of at least three cranes on an average. Statistics say that 25% of the total number of operating cranes is found at Dubai. This is indicative of the booming real estate business that helps the Emirate soar high and higher. At the same time, the seeming passivity of the cranes currently suggests the shelving of activities and there is this unfinished feel to the Emirate. “It’s not the number of cars that measures the growth of the economy but the number of heavy vehicles carrying construction material”, exclaims a friend who’s been around in Dubai for more than two decades. Golly!
3. Yin and Yang. While the cloud-kissing skyscrapers and towers make one appreciate the architectural finesse, the evident earthy charm that the other face of Dubai sports encompasses you with a certain haunt. It’s a truly elegant display of the soul of Dubai- the tall and bold Dubai exuding commercialization with tinges of elite glamour and a simultaneous display in the lines of a beautiful, shy and demure bride. Be it the Dubai creeks that makes you soak in its naked beauty or the Manhattan-like skylines that awe you oh so much, it’s always picture-undoubtedly-perfect out here.
4. The traffic’s crazy despite the supreme discipline followed. There are no unruly, brash truck drivers who drive as if they own the roads (Indians, am sure can so relate to such a genre). It’s the sheer humungous number of cars whizzing past each other and across Emirates, I tell you. And the speedometer of the cars flirting with 100 and beyond is definitely a first for me, am already feeling Schumacheresque! And oh don’t I miss my daily haggling routines with the autowalas back in India. No early morning disturbing conversations, no bargaining and all that jazz, it’s all smooth but for the.. (ah well you guessed it right!) traffic.
5. Dubai with much pride plays merrily with the spirit of globalization. Delightfully multicultural, a stroll round Dubai spanning for say half an hour, you’d have spotted Filipinos, Iranians, Chinese, Brits and of course Indians, the natives apart. The sheer bandwidth of varied demographics in a single Emirate translates into the number of options available practically in any sphere you name. Dubai has got the plush Atlantis and the Burj Al Arab donning one side of the spectrum and there are endearing Shawarmas and Gujju-oriented specialty restaurants catering to a certain niche on the other side. Fashion, design and pretty much everything. The number of ingredients in the cultural cauldron that Dubai is on a perpetual swell and why not.
So, that’s that. Nothing, absolutely nothing about mall hopping, you might wonder? Well, everyone waxes eloquent about them, don’t they? Hence, I chose otherwise! But really, there’s so much more to the soul of Dubai than just malls. And yes, I am mighty sure that the memories that I’d carry would evoke expressions and not just fancy, plastic words.
Bows to you!
