To a penny pincher like me, Dubai is dreadful. It requires a fistful of dollars. Nevertheless, I spent 14 days and incurred only US$ 620 plus air-passage and visa fee of $ 285, total being $ 905.  Average hotel-night was US$ 65 and meals roughly 4-dollar each. 

This is what I spent when I was on my own.  Otherwise, I was taken care of by my past-students from Bahria, IBA and Hamdard.  In addition some friends from Face Book came to my rescue.  One was really a gem. He wrote, “I live 150 km from Abu Dhabi in the town called Madinat Zayed.  Your qiyam o taa'am ka bandobast meri taraf,” True to his words, he received me from the Bus-Station, lodged me in his house and asked his wife to prepare a meal of my liking – pulao with bowl full of mutton gravy. Meanwhile, he asked his kids to mingle with me.  I felt perfectly at home. Another friend whom I hadn’t met for the past 18 years, left a number for me to call ‘when I reach Abu Dhabi’.

Places visited

On most of the 14 days, I had a new host with SUV, usually Prado or Expedition. They took me to all the remote corners of UAE such as Jebel Hafeet, a 1,250 m high mountain which offers a magnificent view of Al-Ain City. At its foothills lie hot-springs gushing forth in little steams. Another surprise was Tilal Liwa, a 4-star Hotel on the sand dunes in the western region touching Saudi Arabia. Also, I had a desert safari passing by camel farms and Bedouin camps offering kahwa, nuts and hummus.

At the other end of UAE is FUJAIRAH, a small sheikhdom. There is an historical landmark in the form of Al-Bidyah, a 500-year old mosque. It is also known as Ottoman Mosque. Last but not the least was Dhayah Fort, standing majestically on a hilltop in an area known as Ras Al Khaimah. When climbing on to the top, it offers a fantastic views of palm trees, blue waters of Persian Gulf and heritage villages.

Of course, I have been to Dubai Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, Jumeriah Palm Beach and Ferrari World.  But it is was all artificial and not much impressive to me as I have been to Universal Studio, Disney World, Discovery Cove, Ocean Park and Wet'n Wild.

My hosts entertained me well in Lebanese, Chinese and Arabian Restaurants costing a minimum of 15 dollars per head.  When on my own, I would never spend more than 4 dollars per bite.  I consider it a cardinal sin to blow away my savings.

By the Grace of God, I didn’t feel sluggish or fatigued.  Of course, I couldn’t have a brisk walk or an uphill venture due to age and health. But I did walk for a great length without wobbling or slipping or bumping into someone. I took rest at appropriate intervals and my host-of-the-day was always eager to offer me juice or Aqua Blue Water. Also rubbing shoulders with young ones was itself a motivation to keep going and not to call it a day too soon.

DUBAI

3-Nov-15 Tuesday – 10:55 am

Emirate Flight EK 619 got me into Dubai. Passport and customs formalities were like a breeze. Soon I was dragging my trolley bag on the adjacent Metro Station. On its ticket counter was an African girl with large oval eyes and sharp pointed nose. She must be from Ethiopia but I dare not ask. I told her my plan of staying in Dubai for 3 days and was advised to buy a smart card, Nol, with e-purse for 25 Dirhams valid for all sorts of public transports. Deduction from this card would be based on actual use as one has to touch it to the card-reader on getting in and out of Metro Stations or trams or buses. I got the card and then showed her address of my hotel. She advised me to board the Red Line Train, leave it at Union Station and change to Green Line till ‘Jam Bera’. Experience has taught me not to take “words of mouth” at their face-value and insisted on writing it down. She scribbled some words with a smile and it turned to be “Palm Deira”.  Since the hotel was near a landmark “Al Futtaim Mosque,” I reached there easily taking cues from my own countrymen easily identifiable from their faces and double-checked by their attire “salwar kameez”. I had prepaid vouchers (3 nights @ US$47.5 per night) for Shalimar Park Hotel, Deira and after some formalities got a key to its Room # 302. God be praised, Phase I was complete without a fuss.

In the evening, I went around the hotel.  There were small shops owned by Pakistanis and Indians. In fact, it was old Dubai which has lost its importance in the course of time.  I was

feeling hungry. A strong smell of garlic and onion led me to a South Indian Café.  I asked for Masala Dossa and got a delicious mix of spicy mashed potato wrapped in a rice pancake. This was followed by Lipton Tea topped with Carnation, sweetened condensed milk. The bills was bearable 1.5 dollars.

Next, I went to nearby Galaxy Super Store and asked for a SIM of Etisalat Telecom. My passport and visa were scanned and wired to the company. For 25 Dirhams I was given a SIM which was activated in about half an hour. My mobile number: 505-132-7236 with internet facilities. Through Facebook, I informed all my friends. Soon messages and calls started trickling in. Kamran Malik of Bahria was first to contact and we agreed to meet at the nearby Malabar Gold Souq in about one hour. We both reached the rendezvous on the dot.

We drove towards Dubai Mall, an icon of UAE. Evening was setting in but darkness was nowhere. Rather the glittering towers all around were an exciting first sight to behold.  As we moved on, we could hear call of the muezzin from the nearby mosques rising above the din of a thousand vehicles plying on the Sheikh Zayed Road.

Dubai Mall is perhaps the world largest shopping complex. First we had glimpse of dancing fountains in the backdrop of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building 828 m high with 160 storeys. The water from the fountain goes up as high as 140 meters equivalent to a 45-storey building. As much as 22,000 gallons of water is airborne. It is a world-class water and light spectacle. All of the fountain's performances are accompanied by music played through speakers around the lake. The songs are in Arabic, English, Swahili and even Punjabi.

DANCING FOUNTAIN Courtesy Google Image\

After a short round of the mall, we went to Aquarium featuring one of the world's largest viewing panel having more than 33,000 marine life including over 400 sharks. Next was the Waterfall where water runs through the entire height of the mall. Several palm trees are also set up to replicate the ambiance of a desert oasis.

BEFORE FISH AQUARIUM

We looked around for something to drink but all cafes were jam-packed. After all, the mall handles over 80 million visitors in a year surpassing Times Squares and Niagara Falls. We found an empty table at Tim Hortons Café, ordered two strawberry milkshakes.

From Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa is hardly 1.8 km away and could be reached by a leisurely walk along the contour of the lake. But its entrance ticket of 60 euros is quite outrageous. 

Burj Khalifa - Courtesy Google Image

And what is there at height and that too after spending much time in queues. Just a waste of time and money.

It was past mid-night. Kamran dropped me by the hotel and went away.

WITH KAMRAN MALIK

4 - Nov -15 Wednesday – 9:00 am

I had a simple breakfast of egg and toast and went to Union, a nearby metro station. First task was to get some local currency called Arab Emirate Dirham or AED for short or informally Dh. I exchanged US $ 300 for Dhs 1,095, the rate being 3.65 Dhs/dollar. AED is pegged to US$ and the rate is fixed all over the country.

Secondly, I went to Ticket Vending Machine (VTM) and topped up my Nol Card with Dhs 25. Thirdly, I spotted the Metro Map and found Jebel Ali at the end of line. What is there? I don’t know. Why go? Just to find what is there? No big deal when there is a convenient way and that too inexpensive.

I boarded the train. It was rush hour. I could hardly find a place to stand. I clung to overhead pivoted grab handle. On the fifth station, Emirates Towers, the position eased up and I sat down at a comfortable seat.  I observed the passengers and found a spectrum of human skin coloration – black, white, yellow and brown. Surly, people from all over the world throng UAE to have a ‘piece’ of its prosperity.

At long last the train stopped at its final destination, some 52 km away. I stepped out and was greeted by a gust of hot wind which reminded me that I was still in the Arabian Desert. I saw nothing but a walled factory.  I found answer to what is there? Nothing.

I returned to air-conditioned terminal and was back to the chilled environments.  Three stations down is Ibn Battuta Station. I headed there and it turned to a surprise. Hardly 100 m away, is Ibn Battuta Mall with its grand gate reflecting Moroccan Architecture. Once in, more surprises confronted me. Ibn-e-Battuta mall is a mixed bag, no noisy rush, no hi-fi outlets, no expensive cafés but it is unique with awesome color themes and décor. It is made up of multiple courts each having a big monument. It is designed keeping in view countries visited by the great Moroccan Berber explorer like Andalusia, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China. (In reality, the great wanderer visited 44 countries which were then in Muslim rule.)

Ibn Buttuta Mall

In Indian Court, Indo-Islamic architecture can be recognized by the extensive use of red sandstone and white marble, mixed light and dark masonry, horseshoe-shaped arches and the use of screens carved from stone.

The China court is dominated by red color. A big ship is ‘stranded’ in the corner. Ibn Battuta 
sailed on one of these ships to China.

Egyptian Court in the mall

Due to constant moving I felt tired and hungry.  I looked at the food joints and selected KFC, the only one which had moderate prices. I picked up a Twister, chicken and vegetable neatly wrapped in a soft pita bread for 12 Dhs. The kiosk assistant asked me “cheese?”  I replied “yes”. Spicy? Yes. Olive? Yes. It went on unknown to me that each yes was costing me one Dirham.  The final tally was 18 Dhs.  Look like I was taken by the horn.

I returned to the hotel and straightened my back. At about 7 pm, Ayaz and Tuha called on me. They invited me for an outing. I changed to formal dress and accompanied them. Ayaz had a big car and drove it on Al Taawun Road to an endless way. Ayaz was my pet student in Hamdard University and so I had no apprehension. He stopped the car before an Arabian Restaurant, Al Bait Al Malaky. We entered the place and preferred traditional way. We were served on a cloth spread over a carpet on the floor. The dinner started with falafel balls topped with pickled vegetable and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Main dish consisted of mandi, a dish of lamb and fish served on heaping beds of spiced rice. It came with garlic sauce, hummus and  herbs. We ended with baklava, sweet pastry made of unleavened dough. 

M, Ayaz of Hamdard

Of course, final stroke was herbal tea known as Qahwa, the Arabic Coffee.

Frankly speaking, my sense of taste has weakened with age but it was a marvelous dinner.

Although, it was late at night, Ayaz insisted on me to visit Al-Mahmya Park and waterfront where a lot of families were relaxing.  He wanted to show me safety and security in UAE. I surely want my old Karachi back.





5-Nov-15 Thursday – 10:30 am

I boarded Dubai Metro from Union Station. The rush hour had subsided.  I easily got a seat. The metro passed by World Trade Centre. It has 39-storey and, when built, was the tallest building in Dubai. It features on the 100 Dhs banknote. Next were Emirates Towers. The area looks like Manhattan of New York. It has most stunning architectural highlights on the Dubai skyline. Incidentally, it links to Ravi Restaurant owned by a Pakistani. Throughout Dubai, it is known for butter chicken, creamy dal (lentils), and grilled meats. It is so popular that “The Lonely Planet”, a travel journal of international repute, writes about it as:

Everyone from cabbies to five-star chefs flock to this original branch of the legendary Pakistani eatery (dating from 1978) where you eat like a prince and pay like a pauper.

The travel continued. The train crossed “The Emirates Towers” Station and immediately stopped at “Financial Centre Station” located just at a  stone’s throw. I felt like passing through a concrete jungle since on both sides were skyscrapers. It was the busiest point as a lot of commuters got out and in. Next was Dubai Mall giving a sight of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world with 160-storey and a height of 828 m. Dubai Mall itself is biggest in the world with its famous Dubai Fountain.  I had visited this on my first day with Kamran Malik since it is the top drawcard of Dubai.

I got down at Damac Properties Station. The name looks strange but money speaks. Originally it was “Marina Mall” until Damac, real estate developers, purchased the area and insisted on the change in name.

I came out of the station and through pedestrian bridge went to the other side. The bridge was quite long, since it crossed Sheikh Zayed Road, a wide road with 8 lane in each direction. After leaving the bridge, I came to Marina Tram Station where I boarded a tram.  It passed through an amazing architecture, some buildings were shinning like a new penny while others look like wind-sails of a boat or mini castles. 

A few station further, I got down at Dubai Marina Mall. It was time to walk. But it was a stroll in awesome surroundings. Soon I confronted a bustling waterfront promenade. When I looked around I found myself surrounded by the hotels of fine quality like Mövenpick, Hilton and Ritz. Further ahead was blue water of the sea with a mix of cultures like ladies in swimming costumes as well as in full body dresses.

While walking along the shoreline, I came across an elegant building with the name LADUREE. I could not guess its nature.  Luckily, I saw a young man coming out of it.  He had Bengali features. I casually asked him, “Bari Kotha?”  He looked up with a surprise as he was about half my height and said smilingly,”Bangladesh, Dhaka.” I tried another question, “Kōthā thēkē.”  He was really taken back but composed himself and said, “Segun Baghica”. Having exhausted my Bengali, I switched over to English and said, “I know the place.  I stayed there longtime ago when we were one and the same.  This place is near about Ramna Lake.”  He responded with a big grin, “Yes, it is the same.”

Ladree Bakery

After establishing a rapport, I came straight to me question, “What is Ladruee?” “Oh, please, it is a French Bakery”. Then he told me more about its background but added that it was very expensive, minimum 70 Dhs for croissant, bread, juice and coffee. His English was much better than mine. When I complemented him, he said, “I was a student of Sonargoan University, Dhaka but could not complete my graduation. I landed here with a labor visa and would go back once I had enough money.” I wished him a success and moved on.

I stopped at Subway Outlet and got Oven-Roasted Chicken Sandwich with drink for 12 Dhs. I finished it slowly as I wanted to enjoy the aura and the ambience of the location.

It was almost evening. I returned to Tram station to go to Palm Jumeirah.  There was no direct link and I had to cross a foot bridge to get on the mono-rail. 

Photo courtesy- Google Image

The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago. But once one is in, one see nothing but high-rise building. For seeing the figure of palm, one has to go to very high buildings like Marriott Hotel, Harbor Residence Hotel and Arjaan Apartments.

There were some townhouses of 4 bed-rooms with covered area of 2,982 sq. and a price tag of Rs.22 crores. Not much. Rather chicken feed for bank robbers, kidnappers, bhatta khors and smugglers.

TOWNHOUSES FOR ONLY Rs. 22 crore equivalent

I returned by late night.

Next - Sharjah, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi