Dubai - Simona's View

We moved from Abu Dhabi to another accommodation. Again, we chose with the airport in mind, so we wouldn’t have to travel long on departure day. We stayed in Sharjah, another of the 7 emirates, neighboring Dubai. The originally booked accommodation via Airbnb was canceled at the last minute by the guy because those staying before us got sick and needed to extend their stay. So he arranged a replacement for us. We arrived at the location. I would describe it as an Indian neighborhood. There were Indians everywhere, or Pakistanis, I can’t quite tell them apart. The man who welcomed us in what appeared to be a more luxurious apartment on the 23rd floor was nice and tried to make sure everything was okay. When he left, we took a better look around and I had a slight déjà-vu from Baku. An apartment that looks luxurious, but in reality is totally disgusting and run-down. I honestly felt disgusted by everything there. The only thing that comforted me was knowing we would only spend two nights there. I’ve already planned for the future that I’ll carry an emergency kit with soap and basic cleaning supplies on such trips. The bathrooms were covered in black mold. I only entered them when absolutely necessary. Despite the external heat and constant sweating, I chose the lesser evil and simply decided that the children and I wouldn’t shower in that tub. I was just praying in my mind that the next accommodation would be clean, so I could shower without gagging. I don’t know what kind of people stayed there before, but all the doors were kicked in or shattered at head height, so someone must have been banging their head against the chipboard… well, to be honest, I also felt a similar urge when looking at those moldy bathrooms. The kitchen was only slightly better than the bathroom. It was just covered in old oil and small cockroaches were running around. A musty, smelly towel hung on the wall and it was clear to me what the glass I was drinking water from had been wiped with. Well, so overall it was paradise for a hygienically functioning individual. The advantage of this accommodation was at least that on the ground floor of the complex there were groceries, a food court, and several shops, so we could easily get food. Johnny immediately ran down and ordered us pizza with a note that he requested chili on his. So when he came up with the haul, we found that chili was on every single one, so the smaller children complained. What saved them from starving was that Matyas brought a burger which he generously gave to them, so in the end everyone managed to fill their rumbling bellies.

After a hearty meal, we set off on public transport. Here, unlike the capital of the UAE, it actually existed. We walked to the stop and just as we arrived, a bus heading to Dubai pulled up. The children really appreciated it because it was not only air-conditioned, but also had a tablet on each seat where they could play. The hour-long journey passed smoothly.

We got off at the bus station, which is directly connected to the metro. There Johnny bought everyone cards for Dubai transport. The metro in Dubai is special because it’s not underground, but above ground. You can see all of Dubai from a bird’s-eye view.

We took the metro to the area where the Burj Khalifa is, so we could see this landmark in person. We got off and found ourselves in a lllllong passage between the metro and the largest shopping mall. Really another endless journey in a crowded space. After almost a kilometer of nothing, we finally reached the heaven of all shopaholics. A megalomaniacal anthill with millions of people running around, with more than 1,200 stores. It was evident that Christmas was coming and the whole world had come to buy exclusive gifts. We at least bought ice cream there. We originally wanted to see it too, but you only live once and we rather focused our attention on the tallest building in the world. As we pushed our way to the exit that led to the square with the “lake” fountain, we saw a bizarre display of status. A sponsor had rented 2 small cars so he and his lady wouldn’t get tired while shopping, with each car having its own personal driver. In the first car sat the shopping person with their haul and in the second car sat the person with the credit card who financed everything.

The square was full of life. It had already gotten dark, so outside was a pleasant summer December evening. Everything there was lit up. Music was playing and the fountain shot streams of water to the rhythm. When the music stopped, the fountain turned off and then there was the option to take a boat ride around the lake. Everything is bordered by lit-up high-rise buildings. There’s just beautiful light smog. The Burj Khalifa had a sparkling effect and it looked very beautiful. There’s also a children’s playground nearby with a well where you can get fantastic chilled water.

We soaked up the evening atmosphere, and I dare say that lit up in the dark it’s certainly more beautiful than during the day, because the whole scene sounds completely different in light contrast, and we headed back on the metro, bus, and to the accommodation.

On the way, Simeon fell asleep in the carrier. With the sleeping child, we still decided to buy some groceries for the morning. It was around ten o’clock in the evening and the commercial space was bustling with activity. Children were running around, jumping, chasing each other on scooters, adults were sitting and chatting in the food court, in some (probably) newly opened store hundreds of boxes were being unpacked and a group of people was literally drowning in that pile of junk. It seems that in these parts they don’t really care about bedtime. Especially with children, that surprised me. I wonder what morning wake-ups and a normal family routine look like then. From that madness that prevailed there, I packed up and left with the sleeping family member to put him to bed, while the rest handled the shopping.

The night was terrible. Besides the fact that the smell of mold from the bathroom was wafting into the bedroom, the air conditioning was horribly loud every 5 minutes. As if I had my head right next to an elevator shaft and every 5 minutes someone was riding the elevator.

The next day we had another trip to Dubai planned, but to a different part. So we went to a completely different stop than the day before and took a double-decker to the Golden Souk. To the golden street. Our little treasure hunter was completely done. So much gold and beautiful jewelry was sparkling at him. We also saw the largest gold ring in the world. I admit, I tried to soften Johnny up to buy me some trinket there, but he didn’t give in and quickly led us away to protect us from the seductively alluring sirens in the form of sellers.

From there we got to the bay, where you could take boat rides. Since the price was favorable, we rented a boat just for us and a nice, apparently, Indian man took us there and back, with a pleasant breeze blowing in our hair and the sun baking us. The smallest member of our expedition slept through this entire experience.

We stopped for food at an Indian restaurant, where there was a bit of a problem ordering for the children, because from the menu it wasn’t clear what was spicy and what wasn’t. So the food we adults ordered wasn’t spicy and the children’s food could only be eaten with a sip of water after each bite. So we had to somehow combine it so no one would complain and everyone would be satisfied.

From there we took a bus that took us to the beach. We got a bit lost and ended up in some area where there apparently used to be a resort with a beach, but its best days were over and it was just an abandoned and gradually decaying complex. The beach, however, was pleasantly sandy and the water in the sea was warm like in a bathtub. Since we wisely didn’t bring swimsuits with us, only the two youngest could splash around. We others just quietly envied from the dry land and watched over their safety.

When the sun set, we left the beach. We set off on a long evening journey towards the accommodation. First, however, we fortified ourselves at a proven fast food place. We took the bus to the metro. When we reached the platform, it was around 19:01. We stood at the marked spots and waited for it to arrive. When the doors opened, our gaze rested on human sardines in a can. There wasn’t even a millimeter of free space. We decided to wait. Fortunately, during rush hour the metro in Dubai runs on a one-minute interval. But a minute later the scenario repeated. We stayed standing in our places and waited patiently. Another minute later we witnessed the same scene. After several minutes of standing, nothing changed. So we sat on the benches and with stoic calm we told ourselves that sooner or later it had to stop and we’d board when it was really possible. We waited very patiently. We went to the bathroom a few times. The children ate Dubai chocolate from the Indian restaurant. We chatted. We ran around the platform. We watched the human fates of the desperate who stood squeezed in the carriages, but also those who literally had to fight with their elbows to get out, the strategies of families who had to split up so they could board with a stroller… Working people who go through this every single day must be really very hardened. I should note that the traffic outside on the roads didn’t look any more favorable. As I already mentioned, the metro in Dubai at this time was coming every 1 (one) minute. We managed to board at exactly 20:03.

When we arrived at the apartment after several hours of traveling, we quickly tried to pacify the children, pack what had been unpacked, and we were already looking forward to an early morning wake-up and the journey to Bangkok.

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My impressions:

Dubai strikes me as something pulled out of a catalog. Built according to marketing manuals. Tip-top clean and safe city. Public transport is developed. For me it’s rather boring there, but it’s definitely a good choice for escaping the depressive winter in our parts and lounging on the sandy beach. In December the sea was as warm as bathwater.