Ever since Burj Khalifa was inaugurated in 2010, I was waiting for the right opportunity to get a direct glimpse of the towering beauty in reality than merely reading about her in books or watching the images and imagining it. My interest heightened to a stunning 828m when Tom Cruise performed an unimaginable daredevilry in BK during one of the stunts in MI - Ghost Protocol. Likewise, the presence of the fastest roller coaster in the world and the colorful Miracle Garden had always wanted me to visit Dubai and enjoy its magnificence at an opportune moment. Little did I knew then that I would be seeing the wonders of this dazzling place not in happy circumstances but under a sad and bad situation.
So, when I decided to travel to lighten the heaviness in my mind and heart, there was no inkling of a doubt that the first place would be Dubai. As I was reeling under the burden and gravity of my sorrows, I left the complete itinerary to Makemytrip.com. I was helped by a sweet, soft-spoken, friendly and expeditious representative - Neha Nair - from the Makemytrip office in Nungambakkam. All I had to do was to choose the right package according to my mode of preference. Apart from Miracle Garden, there was everything which I had wanted to see in their set package. Neha took care of all the Visa and other formalities with swift action. All was set and done and prior to collecting my travel documents, I was informed that a representative would be waiting in the airport to receive and drop me in the hotel.
The D-day arrived. I was ready to begin my adventure-spiritual journey - without parents, relatives or friends to watch me over for the first time in my life - at the first stop in Dubai. Since I desired to see this wondrous destination, it was the only planned place in my "The Emotional Catharsis Trip". That was the name I had given to the entire backpack roving as it reflected my then mood and emotions in to which I was being sucked into like a water going down the sink.
After arriving at the Dubai airport and clearing the immigration formalities, I got my first brain freeze. The representative who was supposed to pick me up wasn't there. It was then I realized that I should have got a Dubai Sim before setting foot on the Dubai soil, okay concrete! I tagged a marker in my brain to remind myself to get a Sim firstup to communicate with the guides in case of any emergency such as the one I was facing then. Luckily, the instructions in the schedule were as crystallized and refined as sugar that I followed them to the t and ended up in the right place - Limo counter - where I was to board a BMW and alight at my destined, pre-booked hotel - St. George.
After filling in the required forms in the hotel, I was asked to wait for some time due to the discrepancies of the checking in time. Not wanting to waste time by simply idling, I asked the concierge to point me to the nearest Sim dealer after my initial hiccup at the airport. They were courteous enough to offer me a ride in their own cab to the close-by City Centre Mall.
Enquiring as to how the Burj Khalifa wasn't to be seen anywhere, it was then I knew that Dubai was divided into Bur Dubai and Deira Dubai separated by the Dubai Creek and that BK was in the industrial hub - Bur Dubai. Also, the world-famous Gold Souk was just behind my hotel. I was told by the driver with his manageable English that if I had some spare time I should definitely pay a visit to the place even if I don't buy anything to simply witness the hustle and bustle of the market.
Politely nodding my head, I was awe-struck by the way that the people of Dubai had completely transformed a barren and arid desert by nothing but Black Gold in their reserves to pave the way for accelerated development in less than 4 decades. But, after travelling to Singapore, I realized that SG was better than Dubai for the fact that Singapore did not possess any valuable natural resource like oil but still were able to show the world that is possible to have growth and prosperity by sheer discipline, hard work and sincerity.
Having dropped me at the mall, I zeroed in on the dirt cheapest Etisalat connection as I just wanted a namesake local sim to speak with the guides. By the end of the trip, I was cursing myself for not trusting the arrangements of Makemytrip as everything, besides the initial problem, was arranged so pucca by them that I felt I shouldn't have wasted my money on the sim but rather should have had the creamy, different-flavored and the many multi-colored ice-creams that was near the 'At the Top' centre in the Dubai Mall.
Hiking a cab after activating the sim, I was asked to wait for sometime before a room was allotted as it wasn't still the time for check-in. Seated comfy and reading the papers, I experienced my second brain freeze. I heard one of the couple saying that they were scared of the IS related happenings all over the world and that the USA should take strong steps to prevent such horrible attacks. It was after they said it that I had a bout of overwhelming realization that I was actually close to those terror people and I started to feel shit scared that someone would stab a knife in my brain. In the meantime, I was shown to my room. I freshened up quickly to be ready in time for my pick up to the first activity.
I voiced my apprehensive concern to my guide during the Desert Safari drive and he patiently reassured me saying that Dubai was an extremely safe place for everybody as even their numero uno used to drive alone in his car and their own women can walk in the night without any fear. Such was their level of law and security that has ensured Dubai to be a much-sought after place for tourists.
Hearing his comforting, realistic and assuasive words, I heaved a sigh of big relief as I was already drowning under my own emotional duress and the last thing which wanted me to bother like a noisy mosquito was the cloud of an IS attack. I was mentally relieved and fully geared up ,pun intended, myself to experience the ballet with the golden shiny sands of the desert courtesy the guide and Makemytrip.com.
Having dropped me at the mall, I zeroed in on the dirt cheapest Etisalat connection as I just wanted a namesake local sim to speak with the guides. By the end of the trip, I was cursing myself for not trusting the arrangements of Makemytrip as everything, besides the initial problem, was arranged so pucca by them that I felt I shouldn't have wasted my money on the sim but rather should have had the creamy, different-flavored and the many multi-colored ice-creams that was near the 'At the Top' centre in the Dubai Mall.
Hiking a cab after activating the sim, I was asked to wait for sometime before a room was allotted as it wasn't still the time for check-in. Seated comfy and reading the papers, I experienced my second brain freeze. I heard one of the couple saying that they were scared of the IS related happenings all over the world and that the USA should take strong steps to prevent such horrible attacks. It was after they said it that I had a bout of overwhelming realization that I was actually close to those terror people and I started to feel shit scared that someone would stab a knife in my brain. In the meantime, I was shown to my room. I freshened up quickly to be ready in time for my pick up to the first activity.
I voiced my apprehensive concern to my guide during the Desert Safari drive and he patiently reassured me saying that Dubai was an extremely safe place for everybody as even their numero uno used to drive alone in his car and their own women can walk in the night without any fear. Such was their level of law and security that has ensured Dubai to be a much-sought after place for tourists.
Hearing his comforting, realistic and assuasive words, I heaved a sigh of big relief as I was already drowning under my own emotional duress and the last thing which wanted me to bother like a noisy mosquito was the cloud of an IS attack. I was mentally relieved and fully geared up ,pun intended, myself to experience the ballet with the golden shiny sands of the desert courtesy the guide and Makemytrip.com.
More on the action-packed tryst with the weather beaten grains on the hot desert mounds, the engineering marvel of BK, the multifarious hues of Miracle Garden and adrenaline-pumping Formula Rossa will be covered and completed in Part 2.
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