2nd March 2015
I was at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
all set to board my flight flying to Dubai. I had no clue what to expect. Yeah
I had seen Dubai quite a few times on Discovery Channel and Nat Geo but I don’t
trust television so much. I have full faith on my pair of big black eyes. So
there I was waiting eagerly to see what Dubai had to offer.
12th April 2015
Woohhhh … It’s been almost a month and a half since I’m in
this wonderland. Dubai isn't a city, it is an amusement park. Being a writer I
have this bad habit of observing almost everything thing around me as if a
story will pop out of it. Well here is Dubai from my point of view…
Let me not get into Dubai’s History and Geography and bore
you to death. Let me start by talking about Dubai’s Culture. Well Dubai according to me is a cake which is
layered with different flavors. Where else do you find people of so many
cultures gathered at one single place in the hope of making it big in life? You
name the country and Dubai has at least a few of its citizens residing in it. I
have observed Asians, Africans, Europeans and the Native Locals all around me
almost every single day of my stay in Dubai Up till this very date. I just met
a Bangladeshi before typing this down. Back in Hyderabad I only saw Hyderabadi's.
So for a guy like me this crazy fusion of different cultures all gathered in
one place is a magical experience. Dubai, take a bow.
Now let me tell you something about Fashion. Yeah well I
wanted to be a model at a point of time in my life but I ended up playing games
with my pen and paper. Fashion excites me and once again I started observing
the fashion statement out here very keenly.
The local Arabs out here are always dressed up in a Thawb (Traditional Arab wear) and almost all the Pakistani’s that I've
observed here are dressed up in Traditional Pathani’s
most of the time. The most fashionable people out here are the Filipino’s,
hands down. I’m sure most of the Expats like me would agree to this. They sure
do know how to dress up and look stunning. Their fashion statement just speaks
about one thing and that is they are always ready to party. The Europeans here
are mostly very sophisticated and are always dressed in business attire. They
look smart no doubt. I am lucky I didn't get arrested for observing people so
closely here.
I've just ordered a Shawarma, seriously very hungry. Let me
talk about Food. Now it’s pretty clear that with some many cultures here comes
a variety of cuisine. You name the dish and in all probabilities you will get
the dish. From authentic Chinese cuisine to the local Arab food, you get
everything here. I’m not very keen on experimenting with food but I did try a
variety of cuisines here and I so loved Pakistani food. That is only because I’m
a lover of rich spicy food and Pakistani cuisine gave me exactly what my taste
buds wanted. In Dubai you have a common square
meal for around 10 Aed which I guess is pretty manageable. So if you’re a lover
of sweet, spicy or let’s just say bland food you will get everything here and
that too with a crazy variety. You will end up looking confused like me when it
comes to food most of the time. Ohh well my Shawarma is here. Care for a bite?
I love to party and Dubai is the hub of night life Ladies
and Gentlemen. Almost 80% of the people
residing here rise before the sun and are off to make two ends meet. This is what I have observed. I don’t go by
facts on paper; I usually go by what I see and this is exactly what I've
seen. They work hard all day and they
party harder all night. There are a
variety of night clubs and pubs out here with some seriously hefty and beefy bouncers.
You can drop into anyone of them and have a good time depending on the size of
your pocket. Well you know, things can get pretty expensive inside a pub. So
make sure you’re loaded with the greens in case you plan to step out of the
house at night. I’m a Sheesha lover
and the Sheesha that they serve out
here is a little different from the ones that I got back in India. They have so
many flavors to offer here. So almost in everything you have a hundred of
options here. WOW!!!
Ready... Get set... Vrooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yes you got it right;
I’m talking about the cars out here. Being and Indian and stepping in Dubai for
the first time I freaked out looking at the cars out here. From a Fast and
Furious Shelby Cobra to an elegant and classy Limousine, from an all muscle
Dodge Challenger to a Beastly GMC. They have it all. The roads of Dubai looks like a car exhibition
every single day. My dream machine is a Hummer and I've seen enough of it in
Dubai. Hope I get to own one someday.
Dubai is also a land of skyscrapers. It is still hard to believe
that all the gigantic buildings here were actually constructed by man and not
God. You can just keep watching these buildings for hours without getting
tired. The only question that is still loitering on my mind is that how the beep did they build such huge buildings?
The city is beautifully planned and even more beautifully executed. Most of the
roads out here have five lanes and in spite of that you will experience some
crazy traffic. Didn't I talk about cars a few seconds ago? Beautiful place I must say.
Well this is about it for now. I will be back with another
article shortly sharing a little more of my experiences as an Expat in Dubai.
Take care.
