March 19th, 2008
Around 9 am, generally too early to be out of bed for most of us, Journey 2 new home started for both of us with same catchword "Keep discovering" - Tagline of Emirates

On flight:
After boarding EK 545 Boeing 700, being an MBA specialising in marketing, one thing I couldn’t stop doing is “COMPARE”... The pre-boarding services, flight ambience, on-flight entertainment, exotic food deserve some laudatory adjectives.

450 channels for entertainment in all major languages, approx. 12 beautiful airhostesses all from different GMTs, on flight calling and internet facilities, made an arduous task of sitting for 4 hrs a cakewalk.

In Dubai:
Yeah! I am talking about the dream destination of 10 million tourists, Dubai.
Though Dubai boasts of its state-of-art facilities at its airports, i have 2 wait for 2.5 hrs in different queues to get my original visa stamped...

Few things that catch my eye as a newcomer are:

1. Bustling metropolis – more cars are registered than the number of babies born <7.5>
2. Dry, humid and hot weather – air-conditioner is a necessity
3. Buildings, sky scrapers, everywhere – in all possible geometric shapes
4. Miscellaneous Car brands – Detroit of the middle-east
5. Traffic – Imagine u having a sports car and are forced to drive 10km/hr
6. Multi Culture – 80% are expats from around 150 nations; So dont presume tht u find ladies only in burqas
7. Public transport – Hardly exists; Taxis – fantastically expensive & difficult to find on time
8. Cities inside a mega city – Internet city, sport city, healthcare city, knowledge village, automotive city, media city, souks, plethora of free zones
9. Heavy “malls & restaurants : people” ratio – U need a day or more 2 just see some malls
10. Money – Easy earnings both by legal and illegal courses &&& no tax
11. Fun –Innumerable night bars, hotels, beaches, party spots, cruise trips, desert safaris, sisha cafes
12. Radars & cameras – drive crazy and get fined immense
13. Or-cut / Torrents - Blocked for God know what reasons
14. TGIS Vs OGIS - For most people its “Thank God Its Sunday”; here "Oh God Its Sunday"
15. Illogical Deaths - Reasons can be exorbitant rents, skyrocketing education and commodities cost

Some Heart-Breaking infos ( 1 dh = 10.8 rs)

1. 1 bhk rent - 50,000 – 65,000 dhs p.a
2. 1 Idli - 2 dhs
3. Haircut - 15 dhs
4. Popcorn - 10 dhs
5. Petrol - 1.65 dhs/lit

With the backdrop of sea and sand, Dubai is a stellar place to live in with no limits to your definition of fun. I am yet to explore this whole new world waiting for me.

Araka, Ma’a salama!