Jotting in the Gulf

As they say in this region of the globe, “Peace be upon you.” It has been a while since I’ve jotted in the Gulf, so here is another installment from sunny and starting-to-be-sleepy-Dubai! This entry is all about music, so I hope you will sing and dance along the way. The blue skies are all but gone in the UAE. That said, we are most certainly not “singing in the rain.” With the absence of color in the atmosphere, I look towards the turquoise Gulf and brilliant red flamboyan trees around town to add color to my days. A strange feeling rumbles in my tummy… I can feel the rhythm of New York City in me leaving and the beats of Dubai shouting louder and louder…

…

People that get to know me well, learn two things pretty quickly:

1. I work out every day–the gym and pool are where I get my thinking done.
2. I don’t go anywhere without my iPod. The next best thing to a first class airplane ticket abroad is a piece of music that takes you there anyway.

So, as you can imagine, running with my Nano on shuffle mode is frankly a trip down memory lane… “I’m So Excited” (Pointer Sisters, 1980s car trips across the South, in the company of family and our big blue chevy)… “Teenage Dirtbag” (Weatus, old teenage friend)… “Khuda Jaane” (Vishal-Shekhar, Shilpa Rao & Kk, the Bollywood radio tune that greeted me my first day driving in Dubai)… Over the past few weeks the sounds of the UAE have been all but quiet for this gal of the Gulf, have a listen…

Song: “Don’t Know Why” (Nora Jones cover)
Singer: lounge singer
Location: Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort, BiCE Sky Bar

Another regular evening of merriment with “the boys” (i.e. my husband and our very good friend). Nothing like a full moon, lapping waves and real live music in the background. Relaxing into conversation. Good sounds and good company… “Excuse me sir.” “Yes?” “Sir, we cannot serve you?” “May I ask, why not?” “Sir, you are not wearing pants.” “Excuse me?” “We cannot serve people without pants.” “But these are designer shorts. They match my loafers. This is a beach resort.” “Sir, no pants, no service.” “But, there is no one here. It’s a week night, 11pm. My legs are under the table. We are outside.” “Sir, I am sorry, we cannot serve you.” “Well, what should I do? This is crazy. We’re at the beach!” “Sir, you aren’t wearing pants.” “Well, do you have any pants I could borrow?” “Uh, yes sir.” “Well, can I use them?” “Yes sir.” 5 minutes later… “Here you go sir” (waiter pulls out track pants…) “Okay, on top of my designer shorts, comes these no label track pants. May I order now?” “Yes sir…” Moral of the story—next time you go to the Hilton, skip the Ralph Lauren, Gucci and Prada. Dress code: all but smart, heavy on the casual!

Song: Emirati drum and dance
Singer: 50 local men
Location: the Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall is a bit of a misnomer. With 1200+ shops, hotels, an aquarium, ice skating ring and large sprawling avenues, this place is more like a city with a roof on top, than “just a place to shop”. While I used to be pretty down on malls (open air shopping was my preference), when the day starts out at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, having a covered city to walk in and brush shoulders with the masses starts to make lot of sense.

Now, if you were expecting a peaceful shop, think again! No trip to this city within a city would be complete without witnessing a few street (I mean hallway) performances. The video below is a glimpse that approximates what I saw last weekend.

Song: Silence (actually street horns and lots of them)
Location: Sharjah

En route to the Sharjah Biennial with a craving for art. Lost as usual. Click radio on. “Low” (Flo Rider). Click radio off. With little interest in the tunes on he air and lots of traffic, I begin to look around. Is this the UAE? Or, Pakistan? The streets and medians are packed with men in tan colored tunics with pants—some laughing, some eating, some holding hands. Wooden boats filled with imports from far away lands dot the coast. Pass the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, pass the Radisson SAS, definitely lost. Pull into a gas station and ask a kind woman for directions. Her reply “Yani… yani…” The journey continues. There are times when I feel a part of the landscape and others when I don’t quite fit in… Spotted, one hidden art museum, just in time for it to close. Oh well! At least the wooden door cleaners are worth a snap!

I love exploring!

To music and until next time…

“These boot will keep on walkin’!“

A

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