{"id":7133,"date":"2012-06-09T02:25:16","date_gmt":"2012-06-09T00:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sodwee.com\/blog\/?p=7133"},"modified":"2012-08-18T23:22:21","modified_gmt":"2012-08-18T21:22:21","slug":"only-in-dubai-holiday-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sodwee.com\/blog\/2012\/06\/only-in-dubai-holiday-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"Only in Dubai – Holiday summary."},"content":{"rendered":"

Well. I thought I\u2019d never get to go back to the sandpit again. But I did. Truth be told, I didn\u2019t even know I would be there two weeks before flying in. Short, sweet and left me longing for more. I kind of felt blue on the way back. Not having seen everyone I wanted to see. I have on the other hand caught up with my vitamin D and some much needed alcohol. Weird in a Muslim country you might think. But Dubai is everything and it\u2019s opposite. You have my word.<\/p>\n

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I knew I was back the moment I sat myself in the aircraft. I had absolutely wiped the fact that Emirates is in fact India\u2019s national airline. Completely forgot how dependent on such a strong diaspora a single operation could be. Without Indian expatriates. Emirates wouldn\u2019t be where it is now. And this can be a cultural shock to many non-acclimatised individuals such as the retired couple sitting across the aisle from me. It was a spectacle they had never experienced, it was probably their first trip abroad after some 60 years of hard labor at work. Poor souls, lost in the tornado of the boarding process that is an Emirates Airline flight to Dubai. Trying to figure out what was to come next after a rather large family finally sorted themselves, their kids, and their grand-parents down for what was to be a un-eventful flight over most of Eastern Europe and most of Irak\u2026 The couple seemed lost in their thoughts, mesmerized by the sight : a cabin packed with loud, expressive and overwhelming passengers (I assumed they were from Delhi, I could be wrong, but from past experiences, I\u2019m pretty certain). Anyway, the flight went on, pax were fed, albeit in a weird sequence\u2026 I think the SFS got lost with meal carts at some point. The right side of Aft cabin being left to starve. This includes my rather large family of overwhelming Asians and their obvious gargantuan appetite.<\/p>\n

The second phase of me realizing I was finally back to Dubai, was to be my Metro ride. I was eagerly looking forward to my early morning eye-opener on this state of the art piece of infrastructure. But alas. My hopes were doomed the moment I got to the escalators leading up to the platform. The damned thing was only opening at 1 pm on this Friday morning. I was going to miss on the joys of having to mingle with Filipino maids and over-reactive middle-class businessmen hooked on their Blackberries\u2026 Instead, I was kindly directed to the taxi rank and the much appreciated, always copied but never equaled Dubai Taxis and all it entails.<\/p>\n

I was pleasantly surprised though. Always being the lucky bugger out there, I was mentally preparing myself for some sweat infused air-con, foot odors wafting through my nostrils and some nasty grunting from the driver at 7 in the morning. Instead, I got a rather swank, clean shaven, and very polite young man in a brand new people-carrier. Way to go Dubai, you\u2019re getting there. Although, my happiness dampened when I checked the pricing of these official taxis from the airport. An added 25 AED to top the already sizable amount of dosh I would have to cough for this first ride from downtown Deira to the other side of the desert, in Al Barsha, all of this just because the Metro wasn\u2019t operating that particular morning\u2026 Got over the mishap rather swiftly\u2026 In fact as soon as I sat down to have breakfast in the Greens (at Bert\u2019s) with some fresh orange juice, the heat rising significantly and the sun disappearing behind an indescribable dust haze\u2026 I knew this was going to be quality vacaycayhs! Did I mention the soundtrack to my taxi ride ? No, don\u2019t think so, give it a spin right now while you read on :<\/p>\n

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[mp3] Angus & Julia Stone \u2013 Draw Your Swords<\/a> [audio:https:\/\/sodwee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/11-Draw-Your-Swords.mp3|titles=Draw Your Swords]\n<\/blockquote>\n

So arrived pretty early in the sandpit. I had to wait for Wesley to rock up from his New York flight which was arriving at about 8.30 am\u2026 As he was my host for the little week ! Thanks Wesley. He got home, wrecked, as you\u2019d expect from a JFK flight\u2026 So we decided to catch up on some sleep with a power nap before unleashing the inner-party-animal in us\u2026<\/p>\n

I was to meet up with Greg, my long time friend and ab-inito in crime here in Dubai (along with the rest of the French mafia) as he wanted to attend the closing party of club-amaze 360 near the Burj Al Arab on the beach\u2026 So we did, but not before checking on Nivine and her new pad, her new life and not so knew shopping habits. We met in Dubai Mall (where else ?) where she was scavenging some swag at a random shop. Met her there, half-way through buying the whole stock of shoes and dresses they had\u2026 Poor shop assistants, had to go back and forth between the shelves and the changing rooms. They got a deal in the end. She spent quite a fortune. Gurls\u2026. Ended in California Pizza Kitchen, by the world famous Burj Khalifa Fountains. Catching up on some long overdue gossip. Turns out she now drives in Dubai, which I thought was kind of courageous. But not only does she drive in Dubai, she drives pretty well. Passive-agressive driving, like it mucho. Especially when you line-up with some pricks at traffic lights and show them how it\u2019s done\u2026 go Nivine !<\/p>\n

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So we finally get in 360 with Greg, Francoise and Brigitte to only get back home at unholy hours of the night. We danced the night away, smiling hidiously at how lucky we were to be here, beneath the mammoth 7 star joint, in the fresh nightly sea breeze passing through. We had a ball. Such a laugh. With a pair of party animals on the loose, it\u2019s bound to be. Having been to a few after-parties after that. We finally make it home. Just before sunrise and after a much needed Subway Sub in place of breakfast : did the job.<\/p>\n

Poolside afternoons, mall-hoping, sun-taning, and music indulging was on our agendas. We did all that, and here\u2019s my favourite so far. The one track I will keep :<\/p>\n

[mp3] GusGus \u2013 Within You<\/a> [audio:https:\/\/sodwee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/1-05-Within-You.mp3|titles=GusGus \u2013 Within You]<\/blockquote>\n

Being back in Dubai sure was creepy, and being back in the same building I inaugurated (see videos below<\/em>) was even weirder. A gut feeling ran through every single elevator ride past floor number 2. I didn\u2019t dare go near my previous flat\u2026 I dunno why, maybe the sheer thought of running into \u201cOthmeister\u201d was enough of a deterrent (kidding of course). Either way I enjoyed seeing how built-up is has become around the place. Got my usual Wagamama Katsu Curry run and some poolside action in for good measure, much to Wesley\u2019s despair\u2026 lol.<\/p>\n