Desert Rose

It is ubelievable that this desert rose to such prosperity.Dubai being one of the seven Emirates of the UAE is one of the richest cities in the world.It produces nearly a tenth of the world's oil and has a per capita income of around USD 21000.Apart from the discovery of oil,British colonalism and trade with India there is no significant historyto talk about.Indians have a reason to be a majority since India was the first trading partner and the rupee was the official currency and the Dhiram came only about 50-60 years back.

Sep 10, 2006.

After wrapping up my traineeship,came to Dubai to work for Safmarine (A P Moller Maersk) in Marketing and PR for West and Central Asia.When I first set foot in Dubai International airport what hit me wasthe intense heat. It felt like a furnace.Then I was greeted by Marhaba meet and greet service that literally hand held me through immigration and customs.

6 A M and the clouds had descended among us.Traffic crawled out of there. I was amazed to know we were in a traffic jam. What was more note worthy was the fact in spite of the choked roads people waited as patiently as queueing up for a concert ticket.Then we drove through Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai's biggest thoroughfare.The hotel and office were both located on the same road.I have never seen so many sky scrapers together in my life. It is a 14 lane road with each building being atleast 50 storeys tall and nearly each one of them covered with glass or mirror. It has got some of Dubai's famous landmarks - the Emirates towers, the clock tower etc. And I felt lucky not to have acrophobia as I peered down through the 27th floor of my hotel apartment.

Office was an arm's length away. However the 5 minute walk to the office can cause enough perspiration to make you embarassed. First two days were quite uneventful and we began with the handover process.Next day was my first outing. We went to Mall of the Emirates. It is by far the biggest shopping mall I have ever seen in my life.Versace,Gucci, Armani, Debbenhams, Dolce and Gabbana - I cannot stop rattling off the biggest designer labels.It was unbelievable the kind of purchasing power that is present here. Inside the mall there is anartificial ski mountain! It has artificial snow, artificial pine trees,artificial mountains and chilled to -5 degrees celcius. You are allowed to ski only if you are a professional else you are expected to take Skiclasses. It can be rightly called one of Dubai's biggest tourist attractions.Enroute to MOE I spotted the famous Burj Al Arab standly woefully in its own man made island in the shape of a sailboat.We also spotted Burj Dubai which is touted to be the tallest tower in the world. It's height is top secret however experts claim it to be anywhere between 700 - 800 metres.

Shopping is Dubai's national passtime and sport. Being a 100 % duty free zone there is a deluge of imported goods. As a result branded goods are much cheaper compared to India or any other importing country. The range and variety of goods you can get is mind blowing. It is likegoing for a buffet and finding dishes from every single cuisine in theworld. Hence i prefer to call this city 'Do buy'.Then we went to IBN Battuta Mall to see a movie. The mall is set indifferent themes. One will be definitely struck by the impressive architecture based on the themes. As a result there is a China court,India court, Egypt court, Persia court and so on. India court was adorned with the ubiquitous royal elephant which never ceases to represent India.

Driving in Dubai is the most convenient way of getting around inspite of the frequent traffic snarls. One just cannot help it if petrolcosts AED 6 for a gallon or INR 18 for a litre in a country that has such a high cost of living index. As we drove through we saw Computer street and Bank street both called so due to the sheer number of their respective kinds. What also caught my eye was the amount of greenery.They are the most pampered beings in this country. Sprinklers and drip irrigation is a very common sight on the lawns and the tree arcade in order for them to survive the dry and arid climate here.

The next day we went to do some gizmo shopping.Ramadan being the slackseason in Dubai we were offered some of the best deals.The next day we went to pick some furniture at the Ikea showroom located at the Dubai Festival Centre. This has been my best shopping experience so far.The scale of the place is incredible. You have to literally pick up your own couch, cots, tables and chairs; put them in a bag and take them home. The whole concept is to save on wages which is very high in the UAE.So one has to pick up a catalogue, choose from the showroom and pick up your own goods from the racks. You are even expected to carry your own furniture home and assemble it there.We shopped for 8 hours till we dropped.

During weekdays outings were mostly in the evenings. So it was long walks. We walked to the creek which runs through Dubai. It has an Abra station which is a very pretty sight at night. Abras are cheap ferries for locals.The other side brings you to Deira. This is a very busy cargo handling area with stevedores heaving back and forth with heavy loads on their backs. A sharp contrast to the opulence of Sheikh Zayed Road.

One of my most memorable walks was through Mina Bazaar. It is a wholesale textile market full of Indian shops. It is an upgraded version of Bandra's linking road. The Karama area also had a similar get up.Another evening we made a trip to Jumeira beach. The warm water and the spotlessly clean beaches is quite a refreshing change.The artificial palm island is something to look forward to in this area.And if you prefer Sachin Tendulkar, Angelina Jolie and Michael Jackson as neighbours make sureto invest your millions here. These are some of my initial thoughts of Dubai. Everything here is larger than life - the buildings, the cars, the malls, the hotels including some of the well fed locals. The Emiratis believe in doing everything with grandeur and aplomb, otherwise they dont do it at all.It is a living proof of man conquering nature and how.How else can one ever imagine green pastures, cool temperatures, ski mountains albeit artificial in a desert ? However nearly everything here is artficial including plastic smiles by concierges expecting a fat tip.

There is so much more I have to do and see in this place. The list includes a desert safari, tea at Burj Al Arab, visit to Abu Dhabi,drive on Jebel Hafeet mountain.Insha Allah I can do all this and more as I join the expat club of UAE which makes up about 80 % of the population here.