After InfoComm
India the next station is InfoComm MEA (Middle East & Africa) held in
Dubai, simultaneously with GITEX where tremendous amount of money is invested
in the booths and appearance.
Before the trip,
Dubai was in my mind as an artificial town with no special history or natural
beauties. After the trip, the first two things that come into my mind are
glittering and amazing crazyness that couples with endless amount of money. I
can tell you that in Dubai everything is shining. The huge buildings in themselves,
returning the undisturbed rays of the sun. Even the most simpliest articles for
personal use are created to shine. If India was the country of colours, Dubai
is the town of golden-silver sparkle. If ever again I have a wedding, my
wedding dress will be get from Dubai...
About Dubai: as
a business and major transport hub of the Middle East, it is the most populous
city in the United Arab Emirates located in the Southeast cost of the Persian
Gulf and is one of the 7 emirates that make up the country. Oil revenue
first started to flow in 1969 but today, less than 5% of the emirate's revenue
comes from oil. The main revenues now coming from tourism, real estate,
financial services. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many
innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become
iconic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the world's
tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Even the local
people says that things change so quickly, sometimes they also have
difficulties with finding certain places. If you are in the city and somebody
asks you where you are exactly, the answer is not correct if you say I can see
Burj Khalifa because Burj Khalifa can be seen from everywhere. So the distances
are very illusive; you think that the buildings are closer than they are in
real because of the sizes. You easily realize this after a few hours walking
when you still haven't reached your target.
First morning I
encountered two vantage points for myself. First is a juice bar with heavenly
delicious shakes and juices in the hotel's neighborhood, second is the feeling
of being privileged on the metro while traveling in separated cabins reserved
only for women and children. It was funny when we women in our cabin were only
a few of us and behind the line the men were standing packed like sardines. But
uninvited ignorant male tourists were found every time among us, at the expense
of paying penalty. While sitting separated alone but together with many women,
I was thinking about our mission that all women have and this is what we have
in common.
For me, Dubai is
the town of world records and achievements. It is very easy to bump into some
things which are the biggest, tallest, fastest, most expensive, most elegant
something in the world - even within an afternoon, or so.
- The Dubai Mall
where we usually wound up after exhibition is the world's largest shopping mall with its 1200 shops and over 13 million
square foot which is equivalent in size to more than 50 football fields. Also
it is the world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination.
- The world's
largest acrylic panel (Aquarium) and largest sweet shop (Candylicious) inside
Dubai Mall.
- The Dubai
Fountain is the world's largest choreographed fountain system set on the
30-acre manmade Burj Khalifa Lake.
- Burj Khalifa,
the megatall skyscraper is the tallest existing and ever built freestanding artificial
structure standing at 829.8 m with the highest and longest travel distance
elevator installation inside and so on, and so on...
- World's
largest indoor snow park can be found in the Mall of the Emirates.
- Burj Al Arab,
the famous luxury hotel is called "the world's only 7-star hotel".
The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. Several
events have taken place on the helipad 210 m above ground to attract media
attention. There is a dress code for those who enter. The cheapest way to enter
is the price of a tea for about USD 50.00 and the cheapest room costs more than
USD 1,000.00 for a single night.
The DESERT. This
is something that totally gingered me up so I definitely need to write about it.
We were recommended and invited to a desert safari by our distributor company
located in Dubai. Some colleagues missed it because they were not interested.
Not me. I knew exactly that this is a must to try here. The experience is indescribable.
The timing was
perfect. We were picked up at 3 PM and took about 1.5 hour to drive out of the
town. We were in the desert a little before sunset. Oh my God, what a view,
what a climate! But let's go step by step:
Sitting in the
SUV seeing the precisely worked out roll bars let us foreshadow that something
craziness must happen. Once we were out of the town and saw the sand swirling
on the road surface in front of us (just like the snow swirled in Alberta in
front of us), the driver switched over the opposite lane immediately, and then with the same immediate
action drove down and we were off the road - welcome to the desert!! Our driver
got out of the car and started to paddle on the wheels. I saw him
doubtfully
that's why he told me not to worry, he was just let the pressure down. Aaaand
the fun just began! It was high time for a crazy drifting, up and down the
dunes. Up high, on the top of the dune we could just suspect how steep the
other side of the dune. Just like in a funfair. We needed to hang on strongly,
the sand always covered the windshield and all windows sideward. Big wow. Then
we stopped and had the opportunity to see wild camels. Once arrived the desert
camp, the sun
started to go down. And I really really enjoyed the whole
situation, the circumstances. From the top of a high dune watching the sun's
orange glow over the vast expanse of rippling sand all around me as it sets. Sunset, endless
sand, rolling dunes, barefoot, soft wind, wooow. All these were enough to my
happiness and was unnecessary to try quad or sandboard but experienced a short
camel ride, got on the niqáb (worn by Muslim women), let my hand painted with
henna designs, enjoyed a 
feast of grilled meats, fresh salads, Arab sweets
served under the galaxy of stars while being entertained by belly dancers.
There is still a lot to write about like
Bastakya by night (Old Dubai - for me it 's Aladdin town), the world-famous Palm Jumeirah with Atlantis that can be seen from the space such as the Chinese Great Wall and was approached by monorail and also under the sea. The morning Dubai
Creek filled with ancient ships and dhows with large quantity of products shipped by sea. The officially amazing Burj Khalifa which let us being "at the top" and seeing down the country while experiencing
its elevator which let us reach the 124th floor within a minute. The new rainforest investment of which luxury apartments
are on sale now (got it? rainforest in the desert!). And a wonderful business dinner at Grand Hyatt. Thank you Suraj, Yati, Gopan to contribute making our stay unforgettable.
If you are in Dubai, you are amazed and can't get enough of it. Thank you that I could be there.
