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~ Life as a passport, one stamp at a time.

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Category Archives: Middle East

Visiting Petra – Fulfilling a life’s dream

13 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Anita in Jordan, Middle East

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Archaeological Sites

Matt and I at the world-famous Treasury

Matt and I at the world-famous Treasury

This post was written about April 10, 2014.

I had wanted to visit Petra ever since I was a small child. I’d seen a documentary on it when I was about 7 or 8, and then, of course, I’d seen the Indiana Jones movie that was set there. Several friends of mine had visited and I’d seen their photos – this was at the very top of my must-see travel lists.

Matt and I had planned to have two full days in Petra and we’d also planned our week’s itinerary around being able to attend the famed “Night show” at The Treasury. After our dusty camel ride out of Wadi Rum, we enjoyed a very scenic two hour car journey to Petra. Checking into the Petra Palace hotel early was not a problem (they let us use our room to shower even before they’d had it cleaned!) and freshened up, we felt ready to take on the giant historical site.

The stunning Siq

The stunning Siq

Following Yoann’s suggestions (whom we’d met in Wadi Rum) we walked the full six miles all the way to the Monastery first and then back-tracked to visit what sites we wanted to, always knowing how much energy we had left to make it the full distance out of the site. After purchasing tickets and descending a pale rock gorge, one enters a tunnel-like bright red rock gorge known as “The Siq”. It was so beautiful, so narrow, with walls towering either side of you – the sight of it, plus the emotion I was feeling at the realization that I was finally here, after all these years, moved me to tears.

After about 3 kilometres, you emerge from The Siq and your eyes are immediately drawn to The Treasury – one of the most stunning ancient buildings I’ve ever seen – carved out of the red rock possibly as early as 312 BCE as the capital city of the Nabataeans. I was so immersed in the beauty of the Siq that it wasn’t until I caught Matt staring at me, waiting to see my reaction to my first glimpse of The Treasury, that I actually noticed it.

I do not have words to describe how it felt to be in it’s presence. Something like awe.

The Monastery

The Monastery

The entire city of Petra continued to defy belief as we walked the miles to the “end” of the main city to a site known as The Monastery. Stopping to enjoy a traditional Mint with Lemon after climbing over 800 steps, we sat and just soaked in the atmosphere.

Summoning a little more energy, we climbed a little higher up to a viewpoint known as the High Place, with godlike views over the peaks down to the far-distant Wadi Araba, over 1000m below.

View from "The High Place" above Wadi Araba

View from “The High Place” above Wadi Araba

Heading back as the sun was starting to go down and the crowds had already left the site, was a real treat as we felt as if we increasingly had the site to ourselves. The temperature was also a little more forgiving. We took in the Roman Collonade, imagining what it might have been like to live here in Roman times, the incredible Amphitheatre, and of course, all the numerous royal tombs.

By the time we got back to the Treasury, there were no more horse carriages taking people back up through the Siq. We were going to grab one back to the main entrance to save our legs (and Matt’s poor ankle which gives him a lot of trouble) because we knew we were going to be turning around and walking back down to the Siq in less than two hours for Petra by Night!

It was pretty special to have the Siq all to ourselves though.

We grabbed a quick dinner and got in line for the almost procession-like descent back through the Siq at nightfall. The entire route was lit with ground-based candles, making it feel almost like a religious experience.

Candles everywhere

Candles everywhere

Arriving to the Treasury, the entire land mass in front of the edifice was a sea of candles and we were all shown a row to sit in and take in the atmosphere. After a few minutes, once the several hundred people had found a comfortable place to sit or stand, a man came out and started playing a flute-like instrument.

It was hauntingly beautiful.

That is, until he had played in excess of 15 minutes. At which point, you just started wanting it to change or stop altogether. Was this it? We’d paid to come down the Treasury to listen to an hour of Flute?

Me and my Indiana Jones : We know how to have fun together

Me and my Indiana Jones : We know how to have fun together

Matt and I proceeded to giggle incessantly after pointing out to one another that this show could use some production value and choreography. I suggested a Las Vegas style show with dancers doing high kicks to Arabian music. Matt got me laughing so hard I almost snorted suggesting that if this show were being staged in the States, they’d simply cover “that old monument thing” with a giant cinema screen and project the most awesome scenes from Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, with lots of loudspeakers blaring the musical anthem to rev up the crowd. Then I suggested that they hire an Harrison Ford Look-a-like to then “appear” high above the crowd to zip-line his way over our heads for the grand finale.

It was a memorable night, not for the candles and flute playing, but for painful laughter-suppression hour I shared with my wonderful boyfriend.

Wadi Rum – Living like Lawrence of Arabia

11 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Anita in Jordan

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Atop a natural bridge in beautiful Wadi Rum

Atop a natural bridge in beautiful Wadi Rum

(Visit was April 8 and 9, 2014) Wadi Rum has epic scale to it. It’s the kind of desert landscape that inspires awe at every turn. However, what makes Wadi Rum so special is the unique culture and sociology of the local Bedouin people, who’ve made Wadi Rum their home for thousands of years.  The people make this a very magical and memorable place on earth.

Wadi Rum in vibrant orange

Wadi Rum in vibrant orange

In preparation for our visit, Matt and I watched Lawrence of Arabia together in snippets spanning the previous week or so. I was surprised at myself for not having seen it yet, and both the cinematography and performances lived up to the hype. It set the mood and left us excitedly anticipating our camel riding journey into this landscape.

Wadi Rum is an easy 90 minute drive from Aqaba. We had booked an overnight safari with Rum Stars Camp – one of the many Bedouin run camps that arrange 4 wheel drive jeep tours into the park along with an overnight under the stars stay in an authentic goat haired bedouin tent.  Our group comprised Yoann, a French man living in New Caledonia, and two lovely ladies traveling together from Edmonton and LA respectively. Within minutes, it became apparent that this was going to be an exceedingly good group. We had great chemistry right away and were laughing and talking our way through introductions as we bumped up and down on our bench seats in the back of the open-air truck.

Our 4x4 truck

Our 4×4 truck

Throughout the day the conversation was no-holds barred, and often sank to the ranks of lewd and vulgar. That we all giggled without any eyebrow-raising prudishness among us was really adding to the enjoyment of the scenery as our guide, Awad, showed us various viewpoints, rock formations and canyons. We would often stop for Bedouin tea which was delicious, infused with cardammon and very sweet. Sometimes we’d get it with camel milk which I had been anxious to finally try. The Bedouin people are extremely relaxed in their social interactions: nothing is done in a hurry or without purpose. Sitting around and communing with “family” – which nearly everyone living in this section of Wadi Rum can claim to be – is a very important part of their working day. However, they are also very serious Muslims, and our lunch picnic and subsequent hike was very carefully timed so as to allow our driver a chance to turn towards Mecca and pray.

Several “in-jokes” that our group got to enjoy together made our day and a half in Wadi Rum so memorable. For example, when Matt was trying to explain to Yoann why he should ensure that he pays for a camel for himself to ride, and a camel for his guide to ride too, he helpfully added “You know, it’s like 1st class camel vs. economy camel.”  I was dying.

Awad, our Bedouin guide preparing us tea

Awad, our Bedouin guide preparing us tea

In the afternoon, our guide took us to a massive rock formation that was appropriately named “Mushroom Rock” for very obvious reasons. We were given 10 minutes to get a closer look and snap a few pictures. Towards the end of our visit to the rock, Yoann yelled out “Oh my God, you guys!! It’s a MUSHROOM ROCK!” The comedic timing of his line was brilliant.

The sunset was beautiful. We climbed up high on a rock escarpment and had a view unobscured by a single man-made object for miles and miles. As the temperature dropped, I was glad for having brought my puffy jacket. I sat cozy and wrapped in Matt’s arms and life felt very good indeed.

As we drove to our “camp” for dinner and some subsequent local bedouin entertainment, our group consoled one another that we would now have to integrate with the rest of the guests, who would surely not be anywhere near as much fun as we all were. Yoann cracked us up, talking about “Oh – the good ol’ times…you know,when we first met….this morning…things will never be the same with the others!”

Sunset

Sunset

The camp itself was marvellously situated. Matt’s and my tent had 5 beds in it! I was shocked to find running water and toilets – not what I was expecting at all. Dinner was buffet style and extremely delicious. We sat with our group and grumpily eyed the other tourists, deciding that they were “The Others” like on an episode of Lost.

Following dinner, the Bedouin guides answered questions about their way of life, their culture and their women. The last point was a difficult one for us Westerners to swallow as our speaker told us that women could not be tour guides, since the work is too hard, the driving is too difficult, and sometimes the trucks break down… Sigh. I looked at Matt who squeezed my hand and exhorted that I “Just keep it inside, babe”.

When the music started it was very obvious that like most Arab music we’d heard so far on the trip, this music had many half-tones and no western major/minor scale to it. It made melody practically non-existent which is why Matt had me in stitches when he commented in the middle of the 5th tune “oh! I love this song! It’s the one that goes nah-ah-nah-nah-bah-nah-rah-bah!!!”

I slept like a baby and awoke before sunrise to go wander out into the desert and watch the sun come up. It was cold and I could see our camels being geared up for our 2 hour saunter back to the park entrance.

On my camel with our guide Ibrahim

On my camel with our guide Ibrahim

I had never been on a camel. The trickiest part is trying to stay on top as the camel rises after lowering to the ground to allow you to climb on. Once I was situated, it felt ok…especially after our guide, Ibrahim, showed me how to sit with the right leg crossed under the left. Matt and I took off on our own, tied together to Ibrahim’s camel. After about 1/2 an hour, Ibrahim untied all the camels and we were free to go at whatever pace we (or the camel!!) wanted.

Being alone out there in the middle of the desert with breathtaking vistas as far as the eye could see was surreal. I felt as though I was in a movie. Pretty spectacular and something I’ll surely not soon forget.

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining: Arriving in Jordan

07 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by Anita in Jordan

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Tags

Diving, Travel Days

The beach in Aqaba

The beach in Aqaba

The saddest part about missing our flight to Amman was that with only six days left to explore Jordan, we were going to miss out on our one opportunity to dive the Red Sea in Aqaba.  Since driving out of Aqaba to Wadi Rum involves gaining several thousand feet of altitude, divers must stay in Aqaba at least 12 hours before driving out to avoid getting “The Bends”.  As it stood, our flight was early in the morning, but we had a 3-4 hour drive to get to Aqaba and we wouldn’t be arriving until late afternoon.

After looking at several other alternatives, we decided to go ahead with our visit to Aqaba and try to go snorkeling and enjoy what we could of the town that evening before heading to the desert of Wadi Rum the next day.

Our flight was pretty uneventful other than the fact that my stomach hurt from being gluttonous in the Emirates club lounge and then having a second breakfast on board.  We entered the country of Jordan and headed south in our rental car on a stretch of highway that cut through sandy desert as far as the eye could see, sporadically dotted with small villages and settlements along the way.

It was hot.  And as it turned out, it was hotter inside the car. We’d rented a car with broken air conditioning.

So, I admittedly did not arrive in Aqaba in the best of moods.  I was tired, sweaty and pissed off about the lateness of the day.  To make matters worse, we realized that the address I had for our hotel was wrong and that it wasn’t in the center of Aqaba at all, instead being located about 20 miles further south along the beach and close to the Saudi Arabian border.  We took the opportunity to go to the Dollar Rental Car office in the center of town first and we managed to switch our vehicle for a slightly newer Hyundai with functioning air conditioning.  It was dirty, had been in a front-end collision, and there was still cigarette butts in the ash tray – but by God it was cool inside and that’s all that mattered.

The Red Sea Dive Center - Our hotel in Aqaba

The Red Sea Dive Center – Our hotel in Aqaba

After mistakenly driving past our hotel 2-3 times and having to make a U-turn at the Saudi Arabian border, we finally pulled into our hotel, The Red Sea Diving Center, around 4pm.

I was greeted by Omar, the wonderful owner who had been so kind and responsive via email that I felt I knew him.  He welcomed us to Jordan as he gave us a key, and I tearfully told him how sad I was that we had to leave in the morning and that we’d missed our flight and our one day opportunity to dive.

Then something truly magical happened.  Omar looked at his watch and said that if we hurried, he’d be willing to take us out on a one-tank shore dive at that very moment!

Me and Omar after our wonderful shore dive of "The Cedar Pride" Shipwreck

Me and Omar after our wonderful shore dive of “The Cedar Pride” Shipwreck

I couldn’t believe it!  Matt and I excitedly changed and followed Omar’s van down to the beach and the location of the shipwreck dive “The Cedar Pride”.  Most of the dives in Aqaba are shore dives which makes them very accessible.  Omar explained that visibility would only be 30-40 meters…to which we replied “Only?  That is pretty amazing as far as we’re concerned!”

The dive was pretty spectacular.  The ship was dramatically laying on its side and had turned into a beautiful artificial reef that was teeming with sea life.  We even got to see one of the largest turtles I’d ever seen in my life, though he had a damaged front leg which Omar later explained must have been from a shark attack.

Happy after our first dive together

Happy after our first dive together

It was a truly memorable experience, and my first dive with Matt who is a very accomplished diver.  Emerging from the water, everything felt right with the world again.  Omar had saved the day and turned out to be the first of many Jordanians that we met on this trip who showed us kindness, hospitality and a genuine desire to help us have the best experience in Jordan that we possibly could.

Matt experienced the first in a series of interactions that catapulted him to stardom in the eyes of the locals.  Upon leaving the water, he was approached by a local family who asked him to take a photo.  After motioning his agreement to take their picture, the family hilariously started shaking their heads and indicating that no, they wanted to take a picture of HIM!  Tall, white, and James Bond handsome, my boyfriend got a lot of attention in Jordan.  My favorite moment during this interaction was when they asked Matt to hold their baby while happily taking photos of him.

He is my Superman.

Upon our return to the hotel, we both had giant smiles on our faces but we were also famished.  We changed quickly and drove back into Aqaba to the famed Ali Baba restaurant and dined on a feast of fantastic food that included spiced fish, cinnamon-infused rice, grilled steak, Arabian salad, and Petra beer.

Our first day in Jordan had been completely salvaged.  And the cherry on top for me was seeing a random camel wandering multiple times through the restaurant as we sat and toasted our fortune.

Travel mishaps on the way to Jordan

06 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Anita in Jordan

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Flights, Transport, Travel, Travel Days

IMG_8066

The most delicious $45 breakfast I’ve ever had

Monday, April 7th. This was going to be a relevantly uneventful day.  All we had to do was bus back to Dubai,  take the subway to the airport, board our flight to Amman, pick up our rental car, and drive 3-4 hours to the red sea port of Aqaba where we would be going on a dive the next morning. As it turned out the day had something completely different in store for us.

It all started to go “tits up” (an expression that’s very English and for which I’m unapologetic) upon arrival at the Abu Dhabi buts station. It turned out that all of the public transport in the United Arab Emirates works on a card system, much like the orca card we have here in Seattle, you simply add credit to the cards balance in order to use it on public transport such as buses and subways. If you don’t have enough credit for the full fare of a particular journey, you have to top up the card in order to use it.  Which is all pretty simple, unless you happen to be at the Abu Dhabi public bus station, and you happen to be one Dirham short on each of your two bus cards.

Not only were none of the vending machines that allowed you to put credit on your cards working, but in order to purchase brand-new bus tickets, you needed to have cash, which we didn’t have since this was our last day in the United Arab Emirates. To make matters worse, there were no ATMs in or near the bus station, at least any that were working.

So we were facing a dilemma, which was growing worse by the fact that time was pressing and the first bus to Dubai had already left without us.  I did have the two extra dirhams that we needed, but no one was allowing us to pay the difference on the cards in cash. Each card essentially had 24 dirhams left on it and each of the bus fares was 25 to Dubai.

Getting super frustrated, Matt set off to find an ATM nearby while I improvised and try to find a way around the problem. As per usual in a foreign country, it was not the fact that the machines weren’t working, nor the fact that there was no ATM nearby, it was the fact that nobody seemed to offer any sort of assistance nor anything but a blank stare when I explained our predicament to them and asked for help and understanding.

Eventually, thinking outside the box saved the day. I explained our plight to a local who spoke perfect English. He sympathized with us, and essentially took our cards as payment for paying for two one-way tickets for us on the bus himself in cash. I was so grateful to him and eagerly motioned for Matt to give up his ATM search and join me on the next bus that was departing. It was already starting to get a little late.

Finally breathing a sigh of relief on the bus, it wasn’t until 30 minutes into our journey that I turned to Matt in horrified realization.  “Please tell me you remembered to grab our passports out of the hotel room safe?”

Matt’s eyes closed as he started swearing under his breath.

Next thing I knew, Matt had asked the bus driver to pull over on the side of the highway for us to get out and catch a cab presumably. While he was busy pulling our suitcases out of the luggage hold, a group of locals were exhorting me not to get off the bus because nobody would be able to pick us up on the highway! I expressed this concern to Matt, who logically stated that there was no point getting any further away from the one thing that was gonna enable us to get on a plane to another country that day: our passports!

So we disembarked the bus and I will forever have stamped in my memory the image of Matt carrying his luggage in the opposite directions of traffic on the hard shoulder of the highway from Abu Dhabi in the glaring midday sun. After a few minutes of walking towards what we hoped was a slip road, a taxicab pulled over only to inform us that it was against the law to pick up any individual on the highway! I guess he thought we were in some sort of physical trouble (which we sort of were) but it wasn’t worth €3000 fine that he would receive if he took us back to the city.

Great!

Ever less hopeful, we resumed our belabored walk back to the slip road, knowing full well that if we did not secure a ride back to the city within the next few minutes, there was no earthly way we were going to be able to check in on time at the airport.

The new Royal Palace in Abu Dhabi, under construction

The new Royal Palace in Abu Dhabi, under construction

Lucky for us, a pickup truck pulled over and a Sri Lankan man by the name of Rosita picked us up telling us he would take us to the taxi rank for the little town that we were in. So we threw our luggage in the back and got in. After elaborating on our story, Rosita made a U-turn and showing extraordinary kindness, declared that he would take us back to our hotel, an easy hour and a half out of his day!

An unplanned benefit to this predicament was our chance to talk to Rohita for the next 25 minutes about what life is like for him as a construction site supervisor and immigrant to the United Arab Emirates. He spoke of how the Emirati were a class of men all their own, neither requiring nor caring to follow any rules and laws of this state other than the ones that precluded them from drinking alcohol in public. There was never any doubt who was in charge, and for the most part, Rosita spoke of how immigrants were looked down upon, mistreated, and if they were lucky enough to also be female, perhaps not even paid the full $700 the average service worker made (for example staff at our hotel) a month. He did, however, speak with tremendous enthusiasm about his wife and new baby boy back home in Sri Lanka, very excited to be flying home the next week to see them again.

Thanking Rohita profusely, we jumped out of the truck — Matt grabbing cash from the ATM for what was going to be one of the more expensive taxi rides of our trip, and I ran into the lobby to grab our passports.

It was an hour and a half’s journey to Dubai airport, it was 12:45 PM, and our flight left at 3:30 PM. We might just make it.

Unfortunately, our taxi driver very much obeyed the speed limit (it would seem that many of the locals fear breaking any Emirati rules) and also insisted on making a stop to get gas despite having half a tank, more than likely to simply reset his meter which he didn’t want to go over certain amount.

Emirati Palace Hotel

Emirati Palace Hotel

We arrived at the airport with 45 minutes to go before the plane took off. Unfortunately for us, we as yet did not have our boarding passes and were told with very stern and unrelenting faces that we had absolutely no chance of making the flight if we hadn’t already checked in. There was no question we would’ve actually made the flight, it would simply appear that they had given our seats away since we had not checked in online before.

Lesson learned!

Feeling emotionally worn out from the anxiety of the day, we headed off to rebook our tickets and were lucky enough to be allowed to fly out first thing in the morning for only €100 change fee.  Of course it wasn’t the money that was disappointing, it was the fact that that was our one day to go diving in the Red Sea. But it couldn’t be helped, and so Matt and I sat down at Café Costa, grabbed a coffee and try to get online to find somewhere to stay the night.

We chose the Holiday Inn at the airport since we would need to be getting up so early the next day for our plane. By the time we got to our room we were ravenously hungry and didn’t really feel like doing much else in Dubai. We sat in the hotel’s bar and ordered a bucket of ice cold beer and some beef kebabs and tried to have a good laugh about the day.

 Snuggling up and finishing Lawrence of Arabia in bed seemed like a really great way to end it anyways.

Abu Dhabi: Gold and Grand Mosques

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Anita in United Arab Emirates

≈ 1 Comment

Super luxurious and futuristic lobby at The Jumeirah Etihah Towers

Super luxurious and futuristic lobby at The Jumeirah Etihah Towers

On our second day in the United Arab Emirates, we decided to take the bus to Abu Dhabi, the richer neighboring emirate state.  Like Dubai, Abu Dhabi was created in the 1970s from what was essentially before that a sandpit next to the ocean.  Still struggling to find the main attraction in what is essentially a man-made concrete mass, I was at least curious to visit the famed grand Mosque and also to stay in the new Jumeirah Etihah Towers Hotel – a luxury Matt and I had decided to splash out on because at $250 a night, it was only a fraction of the cost of a similar hotel in Dubai.

The bus journey went without a hitch… and I remembered how fondly I feel about taking public transport somewhere foreign. It brought me closer to the day-to-day experiences of the people living in the country. On arrival however, we took a cab to the hotel and entered the lobby — and I felt as if I had arrived at Starfleet Academy, 200 years into the future, shimmering marble, ornate, futuristic light fixtures, and glass as far as the eye could see providing a horizon view of shimmering blue water and a private lagoon beach.

Lunch outside our hotel overlooking the beach

Lunch outside our hotel overlooking the beach

Matt and I took an expensive and immaculate lunch on the veranda of the seafood restaurant overlooking the beach. The view was surreal: and again I found myself imagining that I was somewhere years into the future, perhaps on a different planet. The architecture of the towers themselves reminded me a little bit of the cinematography that I had seen in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.   This being our second day of fighting our bodies’ need to sleep at different times than what the sun was dictating, first we made the decision to lay by the pool and take our afternoon nap, and head out to the grand Mosque in the evening when the temperature might be a little more forgiving and we a little more rested.

Our room was almost as impressive as the hotel’s lobby – situated on the 43rd floor, it had floor to ceiling glass windows looking out over Eastern Abu Dhabi, all the skyscrapers, sand and sea of it.  It was very impressive, as was the opulence of the furnishings and details that went into them.
I honestly didn’t have very high expectations for the grand Mosque, and I was experiencing some trepidation about how women were expected to dress: loose clothing covering essentially all parts of the visible skin as well as the head. I had yoga pants that seem to fit the bill as well as a long-sleeved hooded shirt that should do the trick, but it’s not like I had ever planned on combining that as an overall outfit.

Fashion sense was not the point here.

First glimpse of The Grand Mosque

First glimpse of The Grand Mosque

Matt and I got in a somewhat heated conversation in the taxi on the way over, I’m not even sure I remember what it was about.  What I do remember was both of us stopping mid-sentence as we caught a glimpse of the Mosque for the first time.

The Courtyard as night fell

The Courtyard as night fell

It was magnificent.

We happily spent the next two hours or so wandering around the mosque’s grounds, inner courtyard, and equally astounding interior.  This place had such scale, and though only built within the last 20 years, we agreed that it was equally as beautiful and impressive as the Taj Mahal — a comparison I do not take lightly. This place was also a photographer’s dream: the colors as well as the people gliding along the marble floor, heads bowed in respect creating postcard-worthy shots at every turn.

Interior of The Grand Mosque

Interior of The Grand Mosque

Inside is one of the world’s largest hand-woven carpets, and enough bling in the numerous chandeliers and wall coverings to invoke dropped jaws as we wandered through.  It was definitely the right decision to come around sunset, because as the night came, the colors in the sky magically created a gorgeous framing for the white of the buildings pillars and domes.

Gold Vending Machine!

Gold Vending Machine!

Afterwards we took a cab to the Emirates Palace Hotel which was another “site” we’d been told was worth visiting, however, the only noteworthy feature besides looking to me like another big Las Vegas resort was the Gold vending machine.  That was pretty unique.

So, in a land that saw hardly any pedestrians, we crossed the busy highway out front and walked back to our hotel for a delicious and now all too familiar expensive French dinner before we crashed heavily in our well-appointed room.

Dubai: First Impressions

28 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Anita in United Arab Emirates

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Culture, Opinion Pieces

It’s not every day that you land in a new sub-continent for the first time. I had been dreaming of coming to the Middle East from very early on in the incubation phase of my travel bug, but unfortunately didn’t take advantage of it’s closer proximity when living in Europe. And so I found myself a few weeks’ shy of my 38th birthday landing at Dubai Airport with my boyfriend, Matt, complete with those tingles that accompany me on every foreign adventure but have rarely been triggered since my last long term travel in 2010.

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Along the waterfront in Dubai

As usual, I eagerly anticipated that first moment one leaves the airport. I wanted to smell the air, and feel the temperature engulf me like a warm embrace. Feel the palm-bending sand-filled breeze blow into my face and bid me welcome. And as it did, a big smile crossed my face and I knew I was ready.

A little more than 24 hours later I find myself despite jet lag pulling at my eyelids eager to encapsulate my first uninformed, potentially disrespectful and doubtless politically incorrect impressions of this Islamic Arab state. Which I will state for the record, are as unequivocally influenced by my own values (arguably Western and Christian-centered) as any Arab visiting my homeland would be by his. For any offence I might cause, I profusely apologize.

Our adventure started with a very clear message regarding the absolute separation of gender roles, rules and expectations in the UAE. Lining up to get into a cab, Matt was informed that we would need cash for this journey to our hotel. Upon returning from the ATM, I happened to be the first member of our two person party to approach the cab rank, only to be ushered to a different section of roadway where pink-roofed cabs lined up patiently waiting for female passengers looking for a female cab driver. I was fascinated. Our driver’s name was Raquel and she was from the Phillipines. She explained that many women arriving in Dubai do not feel comfortable getting into a cab with a male driver, and so this service is naturally provided, with no difference in fare. Thinking this was an anomaly, we were later again surprised when Matt was politely but firmly ushered out of the subway car we were riding in the next morning because he was sitting in the “Women Only” section of the train. Red-faced he quickly retreated, and the woman gave me a kind smile and gentle head bob that let me know it was ok, we couldn’t have known any better.

Matt was always being stopped at the Souk and had the headdress put on him

Throughout this first day, as I’ve watched women in this city – who’s appearance and behaviors have a greater scale of extreme than perhaps anywhere else I’ve ever observed: from the flesh-baring, heavily made-up, skin tight mini-dress wearing, high heeled women that walk the same halls of shopping malls alongside their “you only get to see my eyes” burka-clad fellow citizens – I’ve wondered if this separate treatment and service for women stems from their own fear for their safety, or is it more heavily based in religious and moral standards? What is life like for the women all in black who patiently walk alongside their pristinely white robed, red headscarf wearing husbands? How do they feel about their small daughters they carry in their arms wearing pale yellow knit cardigans, and Mickey Mouse ribbons in their hair, knowing they too might face a future where their face must be covered in public? And how much is this a personal choice vs. an obligation created by family or husband?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. Matt and I talked about the possibilities. But we both agreed that this feels like the first and only place where access to those answers might be limited to what one reads in books. Actually opening up a dialogue with an Emerati just feels like it’s off-limits. They don’t make eye contact. They don’t engage foreigners. At least in the little time I’ve observed them thus far. It will be interesting to compare what I sense is true here to what I witness in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.

Other than wonderfully rich social observations and people watching, Matt and I have enjoyed a wonderful albeit exhausting day in this oh-so-modern metropolis of wealth that has blossomed right out of the desert like a layer of mushrooms sprouting from the forest floor. Dubai, though settled many centuries ago by merchants and fishermen, was not even a town or city until the 1970’s. Since then it has experienced break-neck expansion into an almost unreal Disneyland like concrete urban oasis that blasts the senses with excess in all forms except those incongruent for the locals to their Islamic faith. This is a city it’s easy to get trashed in, but many restaurants do not serve alcohol. The “real” and still operated market “souks” are now copied in a version made more appealing to tourists with the modern amenities of air-conditioning, refreshments and a lack of hawkers.

Today we wandered the Clothing, Spice and Gold Souks, and rode the water taxi, sweat pouring down our backs in the punishing sunlight. We visited the Dubai museum which provided us with the story of Dubai, complete with wax models and stuffed camels. I had my first taste of that glorious selflessness that usually accompanies tourists when they descend like barbarian hordes on an attraction such as a museum. G.P as my friend Christine used to call it – or dealing with the General Public. I was trying to get a photo of a re-created scene of a typical early settlement, where a woman was sitting in her kitchen weaving. Two women were standing and reading about the exhibit taking up the space that four persons could comfortably share. I politely enquired if I might squeeze between them to get a photograph and I was informed “No, I’m still reading because it’s very interesting” as if that were a reason she couldn’t move one foot to the left and let someone else be interested also.

Camels on the beach

For lunch we headed to the Marina Mall and planned to head to the beach for a bit after. Having read that public displays of affection were strictly forbidden here in Dubai, especially between unmarried individuals, Matt and I had opted to don “wedding bands” in an attempt to avoid causing offense to the people we came into contact with, such as when we checked into our hotel. Walking through the Food court, Matt put his arm around me and I reminded him that we should be more careful to which he retorted “come on, we’re married AND we’re passing a Cinnabon-that’s gotta make it ok.”

The extent to which Dubai has been built up into a concrete skyscraper jungle is most clearly visible from the beach itself. The miles of white sandy beaches and azure water is back-dropped by miles of glittering, numerous and modern architectural high-rises…and the odd camel. It’s a wonderfully unique world and a constant crash of the traditional and the current.

It was the current that entertained us both evenings thus far. Last night we dined al fresco at the Souk Madinat Jumeirah on Persian food overlooking a man-made canal all lit up with fairy lights, overlooking the Burj Al Arab hotel. We followed that with $25 cocktails at a bar with bean bags situated outdoors in an amphitheater bar, and even got to smoke a few rounds of sheesha that a waiter inexplicably brought to us without our ordering it. This evening took us to the Las Vegas-like wonders of the Dubai Mall, beginning with a tour of the observation deck of the world’s tallest building the Burj Khalifa.

At the top of the Burj Khalifa

I was a little underwhelmed, especially after the mile-long pedestrian tunnel that we had to walk through to get to the mall from the very clean/efficient subway system. The elevator ride to the 124th floor was impressive (10 meters per second) but the view from the deck was mostly obscured by the hundreds of people there and while it was a really long way down, I think my brain lacks the ability to distinguish the height difference to other skyscrapers I’ve visited, such as the Sears Tower.

Next came my highlight of Dubai thus far – the Fountains! These were modeled after the fountains of Bellagio in Vegas and they did not disappoint. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is about a wonderfully emotive and powerfully broadcasted piece of music juxtaposed with jets of water shooting into the sky – but for me it’s a potent combination and I find it very moving. For an extra spot of luck, we managed to secure outdoor seating overlooking the lake and caught 4 shows during our delicious meal. Speaking of food – you can get any kind you want in this city. So far, the most local items I’ve identified have been mint lemonade and Rose Milk. Yes, milk that tastes like Roses.

The city is modern. It is vast and was built upon sand. All the freshwater comes from giant desalination plants. Only a few green palms sparsely dot the landscape.

I cannot imagine a life here. A day or so? Yes…I can imagine that quite well now.

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anitagotravel

anitagotravel

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