Dubai – I have had always wished to explore this city – City that exudes richness, glamor and opulence basked in the color of gold. They even have the luxury of having choice for color of gold – The color the world craves for along with the other variety – black !
Enough of me trying to prove my nonexistent prowess to shape thoughts into expressions – but these 1685 minutes spent at the city of Dubai did help me to pump up my otherwise deflated emotional air bubble !!!
We all live in our own bubble, don’t we ??
Rewinding a little, I was in the course of planning my yearly vacation, and thought of rewarding myself a day of fun in the city of Dubai was taking its shape. The only challenge was to have booked myself with Emirates airlines with the limited budget I had in my kitty, as it helps my tour as well as free visa. Week of research, applying for new credit card and trying a number permutations of the travel dates – finally I could seal the deal at a bargain. Stopover for a day – to be precise 1765 minutes !!
NYC to DXB : 12 hrs 30mins of flight time onboard EK204. I have had developed this uncanny liking for this aircraft A380. May be am biased due to hype the thing has or somehow I feel it has that single inch of extra elbow room which makes me feel comfortable. What-so-ever it be so long it fits my pocket – bigger the better.
I was supposed to land at 0810 hrs GST, but thanks to a missing passenger and the search for his luggage at JFK, 80 mins of delay caused me to have 1685 minutes at my disposal now.
Touched down at 0930 GST. I have had booked myself a stopover package though the Emirates agent in Canada. Real nice coordination they have. You would have someone meeting you before the immigration, guiding you through the documents and booking references, helping you with the baggages and then whisking you off to your hotel. The trip to the hotel might be a longish one – as the coach would have other fellow tourists headed for different hotels, so it takes a round about route through the city, which I liked nevertheless. I was to see the city and it was offering me the same !!! No complaints !!
I had booked myself into a hotel near the Dubai mall thinking about ease of access. Towers Rotana – check in was smooth, room was cozy, though had no time to enjoy it as minutes passed by. A quick warm shower and even quicker chicken bites at KFC and I was ready – Jet boat ride !!
This was an impromptu plan I had made while being driven to the hotel – and trust me it was fully worth it. They are to take you bouncing through the Dubai marina and then going around the Palm islands – sounded thrilling enough to me to allow me to swipe my card – booked !
Took a cab ride down to Dubai Marina where the bright yellow boats awaited me.
This also offers a kinda different angle to view the architectural wonders like the Burj-al-Arab and the Atlantis hotel. Catching these imposing structures from the sea gives a complete different punch, not forgetting the bumpy ride you get with the small rubber float trying to survive on the high sea. No wonder they want us to sign the dotted line before the tour –
“They are not responsible if you drown, they only help you to get nearer to it. Period ! ”
90 mins of exhilaration and then a comfy cool ride back in the cab to my hotel. Cabs come cheap here, with a 20 plus kilometers ride pinching me by $15.
Quick refresh and then its the time for Desert Safari !!!
Yooooo hoooooo !!!!
Dot on time, I had the 4WD Pajero waiting for me. Just loved this SUV.
So sexy, so powerful, so sturdy, so manly – just awesome… 90 minutes drive out of the city and we entered the desert camp. First pit stop – to witness a falcon show. My attempts in capturing the bird and its beauty….
And here comes the trainer – he was a awesome man, enjoyed the way he spoke and enthralled us. Awesome talent and pretty knowledgeable.
After witnessing the flight of the falcon, we now braced ourselves for the cruise through the desert. Here is he deal –
The 4WD is planned to ride us through the dunes which is expected to be no lesser than a roller coaster ride and if we survived then a sumptuous dinner awaits us at the camp – sounds like a plan !! Lets hit it….
Hope pictures tell the story as to what I had the luck to witness…
Phewwww !! well it didn’t come without hiccups – Bumped my head thrice, the guy beside me almost got flicked out of the car and thus we survived – What a ride it was…
Did I tell we got stuck as well ??
While maneuvering through the dunes, the car got itself stuck in the sands… I have a hunch our smarty behind the wheels had been trying a lil’ too hard to show his skills off.
Eventually we got dragged out and the continued our drive.
The desert camp was serene and beautiful – have had only seen such setting in movies earlier – but here I was witnessing it myself. I had a strange feeling of containment and fulfillment – I felt happy.
You get treated with yummy food and exotic belly dance – awesomest combination !!
Now was the time to trace my way back to city and experience its vibrancy. Lot is left to be explored and experience and I had only few minutes left.
… its just 2200 GST… night has just begun… ‘raat aabhi baaki hai mere dost !! ‘ …
While we drove back into the city, I got myself dropped off on the Sheikh Zayed Rd – idea was to make a quick entry to the Dubai Mall bypassing the long queue up on actual approach road. Cannot say it worked to my expectations, as I was actually standing on the elevated freeway with no exists to get on the road below which would have led me into the mall.
After checking with 5 people and then taking a 3 mins lift from another tour group and finally walking on the median for 10mins – I managed to reach. Awesome me !
The mall is humongous. Its a mini city in itself.
Clock ticked past midnight, but seemed like the night just started.
Opulence was the norm here. Shimmer and glitz prevailed.
and it had a aquarium. Yeah, within the mall. Clock ticked on and I bought myself tickets to explore the underwater world. Quite a small one, would take you maximum like 30 mins to explore it – but think of it – On the weekend you got out for a little shopping at the mall and you could simply have the option of walking through the aquarium with the sharks swimming over you – Incredible feat !! Let me make you meet with the fishy friends I met there…
As I hailed my cab to get me back to my hotel I felt like I was in a halo ! 14 hours of flight time followed by almost a day for tour – I have been enjoying this city like there is no tomorrow. Factually – there was not. 1000 minutes of my allowance was gone.
As I was just about to sink myself into the vibes of the city – I could feel its energy and grandeur, its sheer craze to surpass the limits and make their presence felt to the outside world – I closed my eye.
I was tired but refreshed.
Following morning I took time to relax and enjoy the sumptuous breakfast.
My return coach called on time and helped me reach the airport. Time permitting I had the option of exploring the shopping arcades and bought myself a good share of chocolates.
As the quota of 1685 minutes neared an end my flight took off for Kolkata – I have had already consoled myself by promising – “This stopover is happening again soon …”
Till then..
Cheers,
-AM
Anupam writes... 