I shall start by thanking all those who sent us off at the airport - it made the beginning of this epic trip all the more sweeter.
DUBAI
It was a good 9 hours before we reached Dubai for transit. We were lucky that the immigration allowed us a short respite in the city itself, a better option compared to being cooped up in an airport for 8 hours for the connecting flight to Istanbul. What struck us first was the waft of hot air as we exited the terminal building. Thank God for the metro, we were still able to reach the city proper in air-conditioned comfort.
Dubai is an enigma, really. Behind the facade of glossy buildings and monumental structures standing as beacons of man-made economic success - a mean feat to achieve within 10 years, from scratch no less - Dubai lacks the human touch. The Burj Al-Arab and Burj Khalifa were amazing in their own right but still it does not reflect much on the people who occupy them. This poor soul is not to be blamed though - I mean, with virtually no history to speak of, it's no wonder Dubai lacks identity. What culture can you speak of then? It is much like the parched sands the city's foundations were built upon.
You see Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, and a speckle of Chinese, Japanese, or Koreans even, but where are the Arabs? It is amazing that within such a short time frame, the natives of the land have themselves become a rarity. And perhaps, that is why it is hard to proliferate the same Arab culture that strongly characterises other cities in the region.
And don't even begin to talk about the heat! I must say, if you're not made for the desert, you'll find the mercury-boiling temperatures a bitter pill to swallow. And if you're a baggage wielding luxury traveller who thrives on air-con comfort, I say forget about tackling those streets on foot. Sure, you're better off seeing life through a coach window, but you haven't seen life as life is meant to be in the desert (or in this case, a desert city) if you can't trade luxury for sweat. Prissy much.
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