2012: Dubai

In Pursuit of Peace and Happiness during Ramadan in an Arab country-Visit to Dubai (August 11-13,2012)

by

Dr. A. K. Srivastava

E-mail: aks46@rediffmail.com

'If we are peaceful, If we are happy ,we can smile and blossom like a flower, and every one in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace....... we have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize'

Thick Nhat Hanh, famous Vietnamese thinker, writer and spiritual leader

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar(this year it started on Friday, the 20th of July and continued for 30 days until Saturday, the 18th of August 2012). All dedicated Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. all are to make peace with those who have wronged them, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up one's lives, mind, thoughts, and feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" ( sawm) literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words. During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast. Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person's body and soul to the spirit of the fast. It is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one's self on the worship of God. Muslims are lucky to have an opportunity every year to do so and advance on the path of Peace, happiness and Spirituality. It has a special significance to see Muslims as a community to do so, while being in an Arab country, as Islam as a religion took birth and started growing from there in the seventh century AD .The literal meaning of Arabic word Islam is only peace and submission.

At the same time, It is widely understood that peace and happiness in ones' life is not possible, till he is fully contented and in constant contact with and communicates freely with the almighty God. But, how to get the God? It has different meanings for different people. People believe that God cannot be exactly defined. Many wise men and philosophers have been trying since long to understand and define the god. For some the God is an idol, with definite characteristics and attributes, wherein many others think it is without any attributes and is 'Nirakar'. Eighth century AD Indian philosopher and one of the greatest exponent of the doctrine of Advaita (non-duality) Vedanta and a savior of Vedic Dharma has defined the God as ” I am not the body, breath, mind, intellect, ego or memory-- I am the ever pure consciousness whose nature is bliss, I am that innocence and benevolence”. Friendliness, Compassion, Contentment, an attitude of sharing and caring etc. –all these are some of the attributes of the Godly qualities. In almost all faiths the God is widely known to be beyond and without any characteristics or parameter of color, tastes , odor, time-beginning, middle, and the end; size ,weight, shape, sex, origin etc. Then, how to search and find the God in a foreign Arab land to be happy and peaceful? But then the God exists everywhere and all the times. Simply one need to have the vision to see, feel and identify Him, when ,where and how He happens to come to your contact and communicates with you. I have been regularly going to pilgrimage-places, various religious places viz. temples, gurudwaras, churches, masjids to get peace and happiness and have many times actually found satisfaction and inner peace there . Recently in May 2012, I went to Mount Kailash and Mansarover Yatra in western Tibet, China; Pasupati Nath temple in Kathmandu(Nepal) in search of peace and happiness. It was an unique experience. This time, the quest for Peace and Happiness took me to Dubai and I was lucky to did meet it in a very strange way. And the story follows.

Why to go to Dubai only ? The answer is very simple and fast. Dubai is a cocktail mixture of the best of the new world and the warmth of the old Arab world. It is a live, vibrant cosmopolitan, mega, modern city with population from all over the world (only about 17 % population is of Arab origin and rest are derived from more than 151 nationalities, out of which more than 51% are from India only ), modern, development oriented good administration, best Political and Economical stability, easy visa regime, peace loving-friendly people. In spite of being very well a part and parcel of Arab world, it is most modern, fairly non-conservative( it is the only Arab country where ladies can even bear European dresses like bikini at the Jumeirah Beach Park, Ladies club, on every Wednesday during the time reserved for ladies) , global thinking and attitudes, with most modern and vast infrastructure. Its infrastructure can very well be compared , if not exceed, with many of the big cities of Europe and America. It has unique colorful culture of its own, while still retaining the past, good weather, good food, sports, entertainment, vibrant leisure and night life and over all one of the best law and order, safety and security. I had been to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Qatar earlier also, but could not at the time of Ramadan. Also, as my these visits were for business purposes, I went alone and had little focus and, hence, spare-time to see the places and meet people in an open set-up. This time I was with my wife: Mrs. Shanti Srivastava and was in ease, free to set my own targets to see the country/city and meet people. I was on way back to India from San Francisco, U.S.A., where we went to meet and live with our daughter and her family. As we were back, after more than 6 weeks in U.S.A, having visited /shopped at many places in Utah, Nevada, Oregon states and Northern California we had lot of luggage, almost full as specified and allowed by the international carriers. During our return journey, the courtesy, dedication, professionalism shown by the young lady at the Emeritus Airlines checking-in-counter at San Francisco International airport earned our appreciation. It must be a routine affair for her, but for us it was an experience to remember. It had not only gave me ample of happiness and pleasure but lot of regards for that individual person in particular and the airline in general. With this incidence I was assured the God was on my side. After almost 14 hours 35 minutes long non-stop air travel, we reached at Dubai International Airport in the late evening of 11th August 2012.The flight was comfortable, pleasant with frequent and good tasty food/drinks; nice on board entertainment ;smart , good looking and helpful cabin-crews in their typically designed red- maroon-cream/off-white colored dress. Also the flight was in time.

Figure: 1 & 2: In search of Peace and Happiness in Dubai. Mrs.Srivastava in local black Abaya and head scarf: shayala.

The first thing which a traveler notices on arrival at Dubai is the grandness of the vast expanse of the uniquely designed off-white colored modern Dubai air port, with big pillars, various mega size large facilities, many amongst them fit to be bragged with the tag of being the best/largest in the world. All three Dubai terminals currently have a handling capacity of around 62 million passengers a year. Capacity will rise again to at least 80 million passengers and over 5 million tons of cargo a year when planned expansion works to all terminals are complete by late 2012/early 2013.The airport is the hub for Emirates Airlines. Almost all major airlines world- wide operate from or through Dubai airport. Dubai is called as Mecca for shoppers. The airport has over 1,729,020 m² (18,611,000 sq ft) of space spread between its three main terminals for shopping and eating outlets, with Terminal 3 having the largest amount of retail space at 28,278 m2. The Dubai duty-free shopping area in Terminal 2 covers 1,400 m2 (15,000 sq ft) in departures and 50 m2 (540 sq ft) in arrivals. The 3,437 m2 (37,000 sq ft) extension included a larger arrivals hall as well. Extensive upgrading work on existing retail areas since 2004 in Terminals 1 and 2 has increased foot fall and hence, sales. Therefore ,the Duty Free outstrips other shopping malls in Dubai. Dubai Duty Free recorded more than 21 million transactions with an annual sales of Dhs3.95 billion (US$1.1 billion) in 2008. Liquor and perfumes are particularly popular, accounting for over half of total retail sales, followed by watches and tobacco products. The airport enjoys "one of the highest concession revenues per passenger in the world" compared to other major international airports. As of August 2009, Dubai Duty Free was the biggest single airport retail operation in the world ahead of London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon airports. Dubai currently tops the global duty free spending league, with shoppers at Dubai Duty Free spending more than US$ 46 a head on average, which is three times more than anywhere else in the world. In continental Europe, the average Duty Free spending is less than US$ 15 per head and it is below US$ 10 in north America. also It has the deepest and largest in the world baggage handling capacity of 8000 bags per hour. The system includes 21 screening injection points, 49 make-up carousels, 90 km of conveyor belts capable of handling 15,000 items per hour at a speed of 27 km/h, and 4,500 early baggage storage positions.

We did have a valid paper Marhaba-visa for 96 hours stay in Dubai, duly formally applied in New Delhi and issued on line, which needed to be authenticated/stamped by the local immigration officials at the Dubai airport, before one was allowed to proceed to one of the counters for actual immigration and retina-mapping. The counter for visa-stamping was empty, a bit far away, surprisingly poor lighting in that part of the air-port and isolated in a corner. Though there were total 6-7 counters, many specifically for travelers from Pakistan, India etc.-all empty and without any attendant. We had to wait for a few minutes for some-one to appear and to attend us . Finally, a gentle-man in white Arabic kandura, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or cotton appeared, crossed the tables to reach the other side of the counter, started his computer leisurely , asked for the paper- visa, stamped them, without checking/ looking any- thing into them and gave back to us. He was supposed to check the details/authenticity of the visa on the computer, take retina maps for the tourists and then forward for next step. We were shocked seeing the casualness. Certainly it was not possible in any of the European / U.S.A. airports. Once we came to the main hall, the huge rush of travelers, both home bound locals and tourists like us during the Ramadan festivity were reason for long serpentine queues at the immigration counters. There were no separate lines for the Dubai citizens and foreigners. Many in the lines were with small kids, already tired having traveled long hours, already on fast and eager to break it as it was about 8-30 PM in the evening. Only four 4 counters (out of about 50) were operative and the lines were moving very slowly because of the casual and indifferent attitude of the people manning them. Of course it was roja-fasting times and I suppose all of them must have been on fast, but so were the others in the queue. It took more than 1 1/2 hours to clear the immigration and X-Ray of the hand baggage, before moving to collect the checked-in luggage, lying un attended at the carousels, then moved to customs and finally exiting after 1/2 KM walk (airport is so huge) within the airport. This experience could have been better with a little efforts.

The taxi system at the airport is nice and very efficiently managed. There are 5/6 big companies who manage the taxi rental service throughout the Dubai city. The traffic police and almost all the taxi operators/drivers at the airport are polite, neat and clean with proper dress/badges, taxi's with GPS system fitted, hence no chance for cheating and over-charging. The meter at the airport is down with first reading of 25 AED ( AED-Arabian Emeritus Dirham is the currency for the whole of UAE and is quite stable since last about more than a decade, since I know about it. 1 AED is equivalent to Indian Rs 15.095 approx. and 1 US Dollar is 3.672 AED approx.), whereas anywhere in the city the corresponding figure is AED 3.The taxi-bill up to the hotel, with approximate distance of 15 KM and 6 large luggage was AED 45.0. Since the driver helped us in organizing the luggage, we paid AED 50.0 for the journey. The hotel web-site indicated for their charges for one way trip from airport as AED 125.0.

We had a hotel-booking in a 5 star property in the heart of the city, in the Burjuman centre area of the city. The standard size 390 number rooms: hotel Park Regis Kris Kin Dubai, Sheikh Khalifah Bin Zayed St. Opp. Burjuman Centre, Bur Dubai, P.O. Box 8264,Dubai , U.A.E., Tel: +971 4377 1111, Dir: +971 4377 1106,Fax: +971 4357 4477, Email: sbutcher@parkregisdubai.com ,Web: www.parkregisdubai.com was chosen and room booked by my friend : Mr. R S Sharma, one of my ex-colleague in PDIL, Sindri/Noida, who is currently in a consultancy job in Dubai, since last more than 4 years. The central location( Most of the famous restaurants like Chhappan Bhog,Sukh Sagar, Bikanerwala, Mc Donald, etc were within a walking distance of 100 yards), rooms were of standard size with queen double beds ,nicely appointed with all modern amenities and still cheap, being off season: with rate of AED 360 per night. The distance from the airport was small (about 15 KM, Taxi fare AED 45.0+tips) and well connected being central business area. The services at the hotel were very good. One could book local city tour, desert safari tour etc. from the ground floor Travel desk. There were many other facilities. Though there was certain restrictions, on timings, for foods and beverages to be served in the city restaurants and hotels during Ramadan month, in our hotel buffet breakfast /dinner was available on 19th floor restaurant in the dining area, for dinner after sun-set from 7-11 PM, on a cost of AED 135 per person. For hotel guests a special offer, with coupon against the room number, available from the hotel reception, was AED 95 only, per adults, 50% concession for children below 12 years.

We stayed the night in the hotel, as tired after a long journey. Dinner in the room. The weather in Dubai was just contrary to what we had in California's cool morning and evenings. Still it was pleasant. We scourged the 110 or so cable TV channels, most of them either from Arabic or European countries, apart from Indian Zee, Star, etc from Indian sub-continent and other standard international channels like BBC,CNN etc. and from other Asian countries.

Figure: 3 & 4: The entrance of the hotel Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel, Dubai

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Next day morning ,the Sunday: 12th of August 2012, after breakfast ,we planned our schedules for the day. As shops in the main and famous shopping areas like meena Bazar etc. were closed for most of the day-times and were scheduled to open after seven in the evening, we planned to take a city tour in the first half of the day and desert-safari in the afternoon. The tickets/reservation for both the trips were available from the counter on the ground floor, near the reception of the hotel. We did booked our tickets for, both the city tour and desert safari.

City Tour--The Dubai city

Dubai is a country and part of United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).The UAE is a federation of seven emirates (equivalent to principalities), each governed by a hereditary Emir, with a single national president. The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Also with the same name Dubai is a city within the Dubai emirate, which is the capital of the Dubai Emirate. The emirate is located south east of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population (2.3 million, against UAE's total 8.3 million-2010 census ) with the second-largest land territory by area ( 4,114 km2 against UAE's total 83,600 km2) of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by Oman and by the emirates of Ajman (in the west) and Ras Al Khaimah (in the north). The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai City is located on the emirate's northern coastline. The population density is 408.18/km² – more than eight times that of the entire country. Most of the population lives in the Dubai city only. There is no water body like rivers, ponds, lakes in the rest of the emeritus. Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert. However, the topography of Dubai is significantly different from that of the southern portion of the UAE in that much of Dubai's landscape is highlighted by sandy desert patterns, while gravel deserts dominate much of the southern region of the country. The sand consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is fine, clean and white. East of the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains, known as sabkha, give way to a north-south running line of dunes. Farther east, the dunes grow larger and are tinged red with iron oxide.

The earliest mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum. In 1966 oil was discovered in Dubai .The oil economy led to a massive influx of foreign workers, quickly expanding the city by 300% and bringing in international oil interests. The modern emirate of Dubai was created after the UK left the area in 1971. In 1973, the monetary union with Qatar was dissolved and the UAE Dirham was introduced throughout the UAE, in place of Gulf Rupee. A free trade zone was built around the Jebel Ali port in 1979, allowing foreign companies unrestricted import of labor and export capital. Today, Dubai City has emerged as a global city and a business hub. Although Dubai's economy was built on the oil industry, the emirate's current business model drives its economy mainly from tourism, real estate, and financial services, similar to that of Western countries. Currently Oils contribution in the Dubai's economy is less than 6%. It is estimated that Dubai produces 50,000 to 70,000 barrels (11,000 m³) of oil a day and substantial quantities of gas from offshore fields. The emirate's share in UAE's gas revenues is about 2%. Dubai's oil reserves have diminished significantly and are expected to be exhausted in 20 years. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented made property more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004–2006. A longer-term assessment of Dubai's property market, however, showed depreciation; some properties lost as much as 64% of their value from 2001 to November 2008. The large scale real estate development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the Emirates Towers, the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Islands and the world's fourth tallest, and most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab. Dubai has added more and more area by reclaiming the sea and the process is on . Some of the current and future mega projects on hand are based on the reclaimed lands.

Dubai is also a hub for service industries such as information technology ,education and finance, with industry-specific free zones throughout the city. Dubai Internet City, combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave whose members include IT firms such as EMC Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organizations such as MBC, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Sky News and AP.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) was established in 2006 to develop education and human resource sectors in Dubai, and license educational institutes. The education city has many famous and international brands as their local campuses for higher learning as engineering and other technical/professional colleges/ universities, apart from government and other private schools, from throughout the world, for elementary and middle level education . The school education follows the UAE education system. At the same time ,the New Indian Model School, Dubai (NIMS), Delhi Private School, Our Own English High School, the Dubai Modern High School, and The Indian High School, Dubai offer either a CBSE or an Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Indian syllabus. Similarly, there are also several reputable Pakistani schools offering FBISE curriculum for expatriate children. Approximately 10% of the population has university or postgraduate degrees. Many expatriates tend to send their children back to their home country or to Western countries for university education and to India for technology studies. However, a sizeable number of foreign accredited universities have been set up in the city over the last ten years. Some of these universities include Manchester Business School, RIT Dubai, Michigan State University Dubai (MSU Dubai), Middlesex University Dubai campus, the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani – Dubai (BITS Pilani), Murdoch University Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, Hult International Business School, American University in Dubai (AUD), Gulf Medical University Gulf Medical College, European university college(nicolas and asp postgraduate dental college), the American College of Dubai, Mahatma Gandhi University (Off-Campus Centre), Institute of Management Technology – Dubai Campus, SP Jain Center Of Management, University of Wollongong in Dubai, University of Waterloo - UAE Campus, and MAHE Manipal. In 2004, the Dubai School of Government in collaboration with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) were established in Dubai. In 2010 London College of Fashion began to run its twice-yearly portfolio of fashion short courses

Dubai has been called the "shopping capital of the Middle East". In addition to various old and tradition markets/bargain hunter's paradise-places called souks viz. Dubai gold souk, spice souk, fish souk, perfume souk, Meena Bazar etc., Dubai is famous for modern day's shopping malls also. Dubai alone has more than 70 shopping malls, including the world's largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall. The city draws large numbers of shopping tourists from countries within the region and from as far as Eastern Europe, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. While boutiques, some electronics shops, department stores and supermarkets operate on a fixed-price basis, most other outlets in old Mina Bazar and other places consider friendly negotiation a way of life. Dubai is also known as City of Gold, a major part of economy based on Gold trades in Dubai. The souk is located in the heart of Dubai's commercial business district in Deira, in the locality of Al Dhagaya. The souk consists of over 300 retailers that trade almost exclusively in jewellery. Retailers in the souk include both well established stores like Damas, ARY Jewellery, Shyam Jewellery and Joy Alukkas as well as smaller stores that operate mainly in the gold souk. By some estimates, approximately 10 tons of gold is present at any given time in the souk. Dubai's gold Sauk has more than 300 outlets dealing with only gold and jewellery and total gold trading volumes in H1 2011 reached 580 tones (average price US$1,455). Apart from traditional gold souks, there are many jeweler and

Figure: 5 & 6: The entrance of a hall in Dubai

gold shops situated in various malls, doing brisk business. Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Burjman center, Mercato Mall, Dubai Maria Mall, Dragonmart, Times Square, IBN Batuta Mall etc are some of the famous malls/shopping areas in the city popular with the tourists/shoppers.

During the local city-tour, we had about 8 people besides the driver: Mr. Anwar and the guide: Mr. Sajid, in the air-conditioned mini -bus, with a capacity for only 16 persons , of the tour operators: Turan tourism LLC Dubai ARE. The city tour was scheduled for about 4 hours ,starting from 10 AM and the charges were AED 125 per person. The tour-operator had organized to pick us from our respective hotel rooms and to drop after it was over. The Kerala-India born guide was very cooperative, mild-natured and had good command about the Dubai city and UAE, including important statistics / events/dates/places.

As normal with any old city, Dubai city has also broadly two parts. One segments of old city and the other of new city--though not formally divided but cannot be missed and easily distinguished. The Old city places like Deira, Bur Dubai etc still maintained all the good things of warm Arabian culture-- be it traditions, religion, food, dresses, houses, way of life etc, where as the new and modern Dubai has one of the finest and most extravagant of international traditions, Malls, Hotels, restaurants, Clubs, Business Centers, sports and Entertainment etc. There are rooms in some of the luxury hotels in Dubai, where per night room-rent only runs in US $ 28,000 for a nights stay only, food and other expenses extra.

Deira is an area in the old city bordered by the Persian Gulf, Sharjah and Dubai Creek. Historically, it has been the center of Dubai, but has been losing its importance during the past few decades due to recent development along E 11 ( Sheikh Zayed Road ) road and areas further down the coast toward Abu Dhabi. Port Saeed is a small port along Deira's shore of Dubai Creek. Port Saeed holds some of the dhows and small shipping boats in Dubai.

Bur Dubai is a historic district located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name literally translates to Mainland Dubai, a reference to the traditional separation of the Bur Dubai area from Deira by the Dubai Creek. This is because Bur Dubai historically consisted of all districts between the western bank of the Creek and Jumeirah. The Ruler's Court is located in the district adjacent to

Figure: 7 & 8: The old city area of Deira and Bur Dubai in Dubai city

the Grand Mosque. The district is home to several mosques including the Grand Mosque with the city's tallest minaret, and the blue tiled Iranian Mosque. The country's only Hindu Temple is situated between the Grand Mosque and the Creek.

It is home to several popular places for tourists including renovated historic buildings and museums. The district is full of shopping streets and souk, including the textile souk near the abra boat station, though most of the well known souks are located in Deira. The Al Bastakiya historic area is located to the east of Al Fahidi Fort (now home to Dubai Museum) and features old Arab courtyard housing which are identifiable with their wind towers. Shindagha to the north west, located between Bur Dubai, the creek and the sea is the historic location of the ruler's house on the peninsula facing the sea and the creek. As of 2008, work was being undertaken to extend Dubai Creek back to the sea, turning Bur Dubai into an island. Bur Dubai is a popular living area consisting of a lot of building apartments. The Dubai Metro Red Line goes through Bur Dubai connecting with the airport.

After visiting these places, having some photo-shoots , we moved to other locations on the way. The guide continued to tell us about the special features, important data and details, and if required to get the mini-bus slow down or stop at the side. we mostly covered the so called New Dubai area on the Arabian gulf beach area on the 25 Km long first bitumen based Jumeirah road in the city, seeing various icons, land marks of the Dubai.

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House is a historic building and former residential quarters of Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, former ruler and grandfather of the current ruler of Dubai. The building is located along the Dubai Creek in the locality of Al Shindagha. It was built in around 1896 and made up of coral reef covered in lime and sand and was established as the seat of the Al Maktoum family. The building is now fully renovated and converted into a museum that contains arte facts and images of the old town of Dubai.

Dubai Museum is the main museum in Dubai. It is located in the Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1787 and is the oldest existing building in Dubai. The building was the residential quarter of the then rulers, seat of power, military barracks and prison and now a museum and starting point of a walking tour to the ancient Bastakiya district. The current museum was opened by the then ruler of Dubai in 1971, with the aim of presenting the traditional way of life in the Emirate of Dubai. It includes local antiquities as well as artifacts from African and Asian countries that traded with Dubai. It also includes several dioramas showing life in the emirate before the advent of oil. In addition to artifacts from recent discoveries as old as 3000 B.C. The museum opens daily between 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM, with an entrance fees of AED 3.0 per adult.

After the museum, our mini-bus started on road no. D 94, also known as Jumeirah Road, Jumeirah Beach Road or Sufouh Road Al. It is a road in Dubai, which runs parallel to Dubai's coast along the Persian Gulf and along E 11 (Sheikh Zayed Road), connecting the sub-localities of Jumeirah (Jumeirah 1, 2 and 3). Once in the locality of Al Sufouh, D 94 becomes Al Sufouh road. Important landmarks along D 94 include Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Wild Wadi Water Park, Burj Al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah and Palm Jumeirah.

Hyatt Regency Dubai with top floor Revolving Restaurants is a modern and luxury 5 star hotel located in the Deira district along the Deira Corniche, Dubai’s renowned waterfront promenade. The 414 room hotel, famous for Dubai Al Dawaar revolving restaurant on the top 25th floor of the hotel , charging AED 175 for lunch and AED 235 for dinner per person, respectively only provides not only the convenient access to many of the Dubai's land marks like the Museum and the Bastakia Quarter, but also with great views of the Arabian Gulf at the mouth of the Dubai Creek.

Dubai Customs Center is the central office and head quarter of the Dubai Customs Department, situated on the Jumeirah Road near the Port Rashid area. The main building has a unique design and is in the boat shape. The other offices are spread throughout the city and on main Dubai International Airport and other ports in the city. The story behind the such growth of the Dubai is mainly due to very low or nil customs Duty on many of the items and in the free zone areas, thereby creating very good business environment .In the first half of 2012 it did a business of 600 billion AED, for the first time in its history.

Figure: 9,10,11,12,13 & 14: The Dubai Museum in the old city area .

The Jumeirah Mosque in Dubai is counted among one of the largest ,picturesque mosques ,rising proudly above the northern end of the Jumeirah Road. Built in quasi-Fatimid (Egyptian) style, the mosque is reminiscent in appearance (if not quite in size) of the great mosques of Cairo, with a pair of soaring minarets, a roofline embellished with delicately carved miniature domes and richly decorated windows set in elaborate rectangular recesses – though as with many of Dubai's more venerable-looking buildings, appearances are deceptive, since it was actually built only in 1979. It also has the added attraction of being the only mosque in Dubai that can be visited by non-Muslims thanks to the thrice-weekly tours run by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding(an entrance fees of AED 10.0 per adult). Entertaining and informative guides explain some of the basic precepts and practices of Islam before throwing the floor open for questions on any subject.

Figure: 15 & 16: The Grand Jumeirah mosque in the old city area .

Burj al-Arab hotel is basically a 7 star luxury hotel and an iconic Dubai landmark . It was uniquely designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC, resembling a billowing sail, soaring to a height of 321 meters and in 60 floors, with a 28th floor helipad . The hotel cost US $650Million to build. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 meters (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It features the tallest atrium lobby in the world at 180 meters. It is formed by the building's V-shaped span, dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up over 1/3 of the interior space. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The cost of staying (room-rent)at a suite begins at $1,000 per night and goes up to at US $ 28,000 per night each for the most expensive of 8 number royal suits. For a real glimpse into "how the other half lives", (self-proclaimed as the only 7 star hotel in the world), afternoon tea, or cocktails, may be an interesting experience. Entry to the hotel requires a reservation which will be confirmed at the entry gate, although residents of adjacent Jumeirah hotels may be able to visit by arrangement. Other tourists may occasionally be able to book tours of the hotel itself, however these will not run when the hotel is full. A "very smart casual" dress code applies. Reservations are usually required about a month in advance for a room, but a few days will generally suffice for a meal.

Figure: 17 & 18: With fellow tourist - The Burj Al Arab in the background

Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, is a 5-star hotel resort , having 1539 rooms in 23 floors and modeled after Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas. It is the majestically beautiful focal point of Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island. .

This breathtaking resort offers both thrills and relaxation for families and couples alike, including a striking landmark hotel, pristine white beaches, unique marine habitats, an exhilarating water park, an indulgent spa, world-class cuisine and cosmopolitan boutiques. The 5 star resort also includes the 16 hector (40 acres) Aquaventure theme water park, a 45,000 m² (480,000 sq ft) conference center, and 1,900 m² (20,000 sq ft) of retail space. The resort also has a Dolphin Bay in which guests can swim and interact with dolphins at Atlantis. The per night cost of staying (room-rent) varies between AED 2,300 to 45,000 per night(taxes extra) depending upon the type of the rooms. The Atlantis work force consists of more than 3000 highly skilled persons, from 42 nationalities and speaking more than 68 different languages. To visit or stay at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai Hotel is to experience a dream come true amidst warm Arabian seas.

Dubai Marina. One of the newer and more popular areas of Modern Dubai, both with residents and tourists. It offers numerous features such as a phenomenal skyline, world class hotels, a fabulous beach, a mall, and 2 different walkways (The Walk and Marina Walk) with coffee shops, restaurants, and shops. Marina Walk is right on the "Marina water", and there are many yachts there. You can rent a yacht for a cruise around the area. The Walk has a nice open market run from October till May, every Fridays and Saturdays at daylight.

In order to create the man-made marina, the developers brought the waters of the Persian Gulf into the site of Dubai marina, creating a new waterfront. Another key factor in the design of Dubai Marina is a large central waterway, excavated from the desert and running the length of the 3 km site. More than 12% of the total land area on the site has been given over to this central public space. Although much of this area is occupied by the marina water surface, it also includes almost 8 km of landscaped public walkways. Upon completion, it is claimed to be the world's largest man-made marina. The first phase of Dubai Marina, costing AED 1.2 Billion , covers 25 acres (100,000 m2), which includes six freehold apartment buildings (Dubai Marina Towers). Three of the towers are named after precious stones, Al Mass, Fairooz, and Murjan, and the other three are named after Arabic scents, Mesk, Anbar, and Al Yass.

The Phase II of Dubai Marina will consist of high rise buildings, which are mainly clustered into a block, known as "Tallest Block in the world" with the majority of the skyscrapers ranges between 250 meters (820 ft) to 300 meters (984 ft), which includes Infinity Tower, Ocean Heights, Marina Pinnacle, Sulafa Tower and few are taller than 350 meters (1,148 ft) meters and 400 meters (1,312 ft), which includes Elite Residence, 23 Marina, Princess Tower, Marina 101, Marina 106, Damac Heights, and a supertall Pentominium, which rises to 516 metres (1,693 ft) meters.

PaIm Islands. The three largest man-made artificial islands in the world are located just off the coast of Dubai, adding to a total of 520 KM of beach area ; a major urban development to add a significant amount of upscale beachfront property to the area. Each of the islands is shaped like a palm leaf, with a trunk connected to the mainland, fronds extending from the trunk, and a crescent (a breakwater encircling the trunk and fronds). Of the three planned, the Palm Jumeirah, at 5 square KM and near Dubai Marina, is the only one yet open, connected to the mainland by a freeway bridge and a monorail and sporting marinas, luxury resorts, and upscale shopping areas. The entrance to the island is through 1.5 KM long tunnel under the sea. The main island consists of a tree trunk, a crown with 16 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that forms an 11 kilometer-long breakwater. The island itself is 5 kilometers by 5 kilometers. It added 78 kilometers to the Dubai coastline. The first phase of development on the Palm Jumeirah already created 4,000 residences with a combination of villas and apartments and residents began moving into their Palm Jumeirah properties at the end of 2006, five years after land reclamation began. The Palm Jumeirah is virtually the house of who is Who in the world. Many rich and famous personalities throughout the world ,be it film-stars, businessmen, players, politicians, it is said even extremists and drug peddlers have their houses there. Our famous Indian Bolly-wood super star: Shah Rukh Khan is said to has a bungalow there and

Figure: 19 & 20: A view at man-made city: Palm Jumeirah. Atlantis Palm Hotel in the back ground.

our guide directed us to a bungalow on the way claiming it to be his. One of our fellow tourists : Mrs.Agnihori from CR Park, New Delhi, who met us in Dubai during the city tour and on way to London to solemnize her daughters marriage, was so excited to see the Shah Rukh Khan's bungalow and started crying hysterically. It is understood that a 2 BHK flat and a 3 BHK villa shall cost between AED 3.0-5.0 Million and AED 5.0-20.0 Million respectively foe a 99 years lease. No foreigner can purchase a property in UAE on free hold basis, but mat lease it for a fixed tenure.

The others Palm islands are Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira. The first two islands will comprise approximately 100 million cubic meters of rock and sand. Palm Deira will be composed of approximately 1 billion cubic meters of rock and sand. All materials will be quarried in the UAE. Among the three islands there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas etc, as planned .

Air Conditioned Bus Shelters The other thing which attracts attention of a tourist is the hot weather conditions of the Dubai city, especially in the day times, when the temperature in the summers goes up to 53 degree Centigrade and its 970 number AC bus stops. They are nicely designed and properly maintained and are actually cool.

Burj Khalifa After seeing ,appreciating and having taken photographs of various other land marks at the beach side locations, our bus turned back for the most talked about icon of the Dubai city, the highest building in the world: Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa is 828 Meter (2,717 feet) tall super skyscraper, built at a cost of US $ 1.5 Billion and is the world's tallest man made building ever built. Before its opening, it was called Burj Dubai. The building is 160 stories high. Its Construction was started in 2004 and officially opened on 4 January 2010. The building is more than 300 meters (980 ft) taller than second tallest Taipei 101, the tallest building until 2010 before Burj Khalifa was built. The building is not only the tallest structure in the world, it also holds the following 13 number of world records:--

Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 M (2,717 ft),Tallest structure ever built, Tallest freestanding structure, Building with most floors: 160 nos. ,World's highest elevator installation, World's fastest elevators at speed of 64 KM /h (40 mph) or 18 M/s (59 ft/s),Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 M (1,988 ft),Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 M ,The first world's tallest structure in history to include residential space^, Highest outdoor observation deck in the world (124th floor), at about 440 M (1,440 ft) , World's highest mosque (located on the 154th floor),world's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 M (1,680 ft),World's highest swimming pool (76th floor).

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Figure: 21 & 22: A view at man-made highest building: Burj Khalifa and Largest Mall : Dubai Mall in the back ground.

Burj Khalifa was designed to be the centerpiece of a large-scale, mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels( big five star type like the 304 rooms Armani Hotel, the first out of four by Armani group, occupies 15 of the lower 39 floors ) , 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare (30-acre) man-made Burj Khalifa Lake. The Burj Khalifa is designed to be home to about 25000 people, like a big city in itself and hence a total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators are installed. When the real estate prices were on peak the office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US$4,000 per sq ft (over US$43,000 per m²) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US$3,500 per sq ft (over US$37,500 per m²).The planning, design, architecture, construction, erection & commissioning of such a large structure is subject matter of a doctorate thesis. Lease rents for a 2 BHK flat in Burj Khalifa costs anything around AED 1200-2000 per month on one year lease.

We came back to hotel, as it was lunch time .As during Ramadan times food /drinks are not served in the day times at the restaurants/hotel before the sun-set and the scheduled time for the breaking the fast: called Iftar, we went to a nearby Indian restaurant: Chhapan Bhog and got our lunch packed and delivered at the hotel room. In the afternoon, we were booked to go for the famous Desert Safari. We were informed at the time of booking of the tickets for the desert safari that in the Ramadan times, there would not be belly-dances, instead there would be other Arabian dance performed by male artists.

Figure: 23 & 24: A view at Desert Safari and our Hummer the 4 wheel drive in the back ground.

Desert Safari, also known as Dune bashing, is a form of off-roading, using an off-road vehicle to explore sand dunes. Whilst in some parts of the world, such as the fragile coastal dunes of Australia, it is illegal, in others such as the Middle East, it is a booming attraction for tourists. In the United States, there are a couple of areas as well, most notably the Silver Lake area in Mears, Michigan and portions of the Glamis Dunes in California.

The following activities were included in our Desert Safari package costing AED 175 per person :-

Pick up by Air-conditioned 4x4 wheel Drive from the hotel, Drive through the desert along Al Awir Road - Dune Bashing , 25-30 minutes Dune Driving, Sun Set Photography, Camel Rides, Belly Dancing ( being Ramadan times, it was substituted with an Arabic Tanoura-dance show by a male dancer ), Henna Painting, Hubbllee Bubblee (shisha-Hookah), Arabic Coffee gahwa and Fresh Dates, Traditional costumes, Unlimited soft drinks, tea coffee and mineral water, Buffet Dinner and B.Q.(vegetarian/Non vegetarian).

Similar to auto-racing, in dune bashing also experience and skill is required to maneuver the car and prevent accidents. Hence, in most cases, a professional driver accompanies the group. The vehicle used is normally a 4x4 Toyota Land Cruisers SUV or equivalent. Low floor vehicles are avoided as it is more risky and prone to roll-over. cars were fitted with roll cage to protect the occupants from being injured in any accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over in the desert which is very rare. Plus there were seat belts for every passenger. All the cars and passengers therein were also covered under insurance. A group can consist of as many people as there are working seatbelts in the vehicle. In our group apart from us two, five more from Kazakhstan were there. Before entering the desert in an everyday-use SUV, it is essential to reduce the tire pressure. This is done to gain more traction by increasing the footprint of the tire and, therefore, reducing the downward pressure of the 4wd on the sand as there is a greater surface area .For example, tires with a recommended pressure of 35 PSI, would be reduced to approximately 12-14 PSI.

With 4WD Hummer our driver gave us the feeling how formula-1 racers must be. The driving skill of the driver was amazing. Many of the sand dunes were as high as 80-90 feet and while coming downwards it was like going into a deep gorge, sometimes the vehicle tilting to more than 45 degrees. Our fellow passengers from Kazakhstan, though mostly youngsters , were shrieking constantly out of fear. We did also gasp our breath many times. The name of our driver was Mr. Noor, a devout Muslim young man in his late 20s, hopefully from Pakistan. His command over the spoken Urdu/Hindi language was excellent. He picked us up first from the Hotel and then a family of 5 persons from Kazakhstan also joined our group from another hotel. After driving for about an hour through the busy city road and then on a high way, we reached a semi-arid desert mountainous place: Hatta Mountain Safari, where one can experience the spectacular Dubai desert, scenic drive in mountainous terrain of Hajar mountains. A dozen of sand scooters and SUV were either tracing the up/down topography of the mountain-desert, with great familiar sound of full throttle-engines or just waiting to be taken for a fascinating ride inside the sand dunes spread in miles, till the sight was merged in the horizon . The majestic tapestry of the changing sand dune colors from golden yellow to beige, to dark red of panoramic windswept desert vistas, towering sand dunes, bizarre rock formations, brilliant blue skies providing the contrast, a setting sun in the west casting its orange glow over the rugged

Figure: 25 & 26: A view at Desert Safari topography and chick-peacocks in the back ground.

desert landscape-- making it all a perfect setting for anyone to become a poet ,even for a certified fool. Imagine all this and much more which is exotic, exciting and fascinating and is less than a hour away from the dust and din of magical Dubai city waiting to be unraveled, invented, and finally enjoyed. In the Hatta safari area there was some greenery, a few trees, a worship place, a few shops for water, soft-drinks, camera-reels, souvenirs, shop for reducing SUV tyre pressure, renting of scooters/SUV. We enjoyed a herd of chick-peacocks moving in the rest cum shopping area. The sun was though west ward, but sun set was still a bit away. Though being moderate cool inside the Air Conditioned SUV, the outside temperature must be more than 43 degree C, skin licking dry hot wind, being west ward the sun on the face, the fasting Ramadan times and our driver was engaged in pulling out another stuck SUV in the deep sand dunes at a dangerous height, full with tourist, lurching to roll over any time. Driver Noor was at his best at maneuvering and pulling the stalled-vehicle when he heard the call from the Mosque far away indicating the time to end the fast and to go for Iftar. He was tired, drenched with perspiration, must be hungry and eager to end the fast a-s-a possible. He suddenly slowed down the SUV, opened a cane of cold drink, took a sip from it, closed the eyes for a moment, uttered a few words silently in prayers . I was constantly watching him and in the glow of peace, happiness ,fulfillment and gratitude to Almighty on his face, I had an extra-ordinary experience and wondering if I have found the god as He was there at that moment with him and with us.

Figure: 27 & 28: A view at Desert Safari -Can you guess the artists in the local Arabic Dress?.

How can one define and explain such experiences? My whole objective of coming to an Arab country in Ramadan times was achieved and fulfilled. Now I feel that I have been given much more than I deserved and aspired for ! On the way further in the desert, we stopped at certain places and tried to take some pictures of the places/moments in the light of orange sky after sun set. Soon we crossed the desert and started driving on a metaled road which leads to Abu Dhabi. After about 12 KM again the SUV took turn on a dirt road and after 15 minutes drive it directed towards a closed gated compound in the middle of the desert. It had 2/3 permanent rooms, toilets for both gents and ladies and most of the other area must be a big tented structure. In the big court yard arrangements were made for the dance plate-form in the center and sitting arrangements all around on the floors with cushions/carpets and rugs and low height dinner- tables. Separate chairs and tables were also provided for those who have problems sitting on ground. We decided near the dancer and on the ground floor.

After some snacks /cold drinks, we did some net-working with other tourists, many from Indian sub-continent like Pakistan , Sri Lanka; Middle-East like Iran, Bahrain ; CIS countries, Europe etc, we went for henna paintings, photo-shoots in local Arabic dresses etc. In the evening we had dinner buffet in the desert camp. Great food ,both in variety, taste, quality and service. The waiters ,it seems, were from the local community as service was excellent, quick, and accommodative to individual taste and likings.

Figure: 29 & 30: An evening at Desert Safari-Local Tanoura-Dancer in the back ground.

Entertainment was through about one hour long program of famous Egyptian Tanoura-dance-show by a male dancer. It was mesmerizing, entertaining, divine and spiritual, like a prayer.

My eyes had fallen and got fixed on moving colors and swirling twirling beauty. I got involved with the dancer and his round moves. The dancer made all possible geometric shapes and contours with his whirl of the long skirt like dress, having different colored patterns and embedded with glass works. His moves were uniform in a rhythm, circular and un-interrupted. Looked as if the sun rotates around itself and all the planets surrounding them, but they were all figures in motion on stage. That’s exactly how your imagination would take you during the show. Egyptian culture feels like a fantasy in all its forms of arts, music and dance. Malawi's believe that the world begins at a point and ends at the same point, taking after the circular motions. The Tanoura dervish dance is originally a religious cultural contemplative practice, where you might get the feel of a spiritual connection behind all these swirls and turns, the groove, the music and the colors are just overwhelming. Sufi men are usually passionate, creating this symbolic dance of Zikr (Acknowledging God).In the customary dance a young man dressed in a yellow skirt with four colors representing the four seasons of the year, and other dancers wearing a different color that varies in reflection of different planets rotating around the sun. It is said that it reflects the relationship of the earth, sky, God and man, connecting them all through that deep and oriental dance. Especially when a dancer opens his arms wide open receiving God’s acceptance and beneficence. The live music and setting was so complimenting and satisfying .We fully enjoyed the food, dance, humid- hot desert evening, warm Arab-hospitality. It was very difficult to choose one and say which was the best. Poora Paisa Wasool. At around 9:30 in the evening we started back for our hotel. While returning, we all were silent and speechless, without a word, though enjoyed the day in totality and with full mileage. Spent the night in the hotel, as tired and fully satisfied.

Next day was August 13,2012 .We go- up early as we wanted to re-do some of the luggage according to the revised situation. There was a weighting machine in the bath-room, and we made full use of that while re-packing. After breakfast, we wanted to go for some shopping, but could not as most of the shops were closed due to the Ramadan. We decided to do the shopping at the famous Dubai duty-free at the airport .I am convinced one cannot fully justify the stay in Dubai in 2 days. At least 3 to 4 night stay is recommended and for shoppers Ramadan times are the best as many of the discounts and schemes are announced. However, Dubai always remains a paradise for shoppers and Tourists.

We took our afternoon Emirates flight EK 514 scheduled departure at 15:40 PM and reached Delhi Airport at 8:30 PM.

Dr. A. K. Srivastava

Note:-The travelogue is written at the instance of my dear wife: Mrs. Shanti Srivastava. Some of the facts and figures have been taken from the official web-sites and /or Wikipedia.