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Holiday Diaries #7: Farewell Dubai!

Heading towards The Global Village, an iconic tourist destination in Dubai, the landscapes shifted drastically. Concrete and tar gave way to fine sand and pebbles and the bus gave an occasional bump as it rolled along the loose gravel and soil. Towering skyscrapers transformed to lower and older buildings. The true form of the desert by which Dubai is surrounded; began to manifest, shallow but endless piles of sand stretched into the distance. The sun was extending its brilliant rays onto the Earth when the bus whirred to a slow halt by the entrance of The Village.
As the name suggests, this place of interest harbours and caters to several nationalities around the globe. When I entered the Village through its massive entrance, I was dazzled with awe. Miniatures of prominent monuments and buildings belonging to famed cities across the world loomed before the tourists, almost smiling as if by way of welcome and greeting. Chinese and Japanese traditional pavilions were silhouetted against the bright sunshine, the Burj Khalifa rose in all its silver glory, gleaming, golden beams accenting its beauty, The Eiffel Tower stood tall, The Leaning Tower of Pisa emerged from the ruins of the Colosseum, The Big Ben’s clock tower almost seemed to chime an hour and last rose the Taj Mahal, ever standing in its marble splendor.
Already impressed, we walked ahead and my wonder knew no bounds as magnificence stretched onwards. Gateways flanked the boundaries of the Village, each titled proudly, bearing a flag of its respective nation. They were also exquisitely styled and customized according to how its country was known. India proudly displayed a massive palatial gateway, Iran in traditional aristocracy, Egypt in all the mightiness of its pharaohs and sands, Africa in tribal exquisiteness and Thailand a colourful marquee. Tens more towered high on either side, forming an avenue of brightly lit buildings. A sparkling stream cut down the middle bobbing in the sunlight, providing the perfect contrast of calm and serenity to all the energy and vibrance.
Vigour levels rocketing upwards, we targeted as many nations as we could. To me, The Global Village was unconventionally and extraordinarily unique, in the sense that it combined so many different cultures, traditions, cuisines and lifestyles, offering each person a medium to explore and discover the various differences that run free, their flow like a gently bubbling creek, across the Earth. I was fascinated when I understood that it was designed to be a blend to uncover the different secrets of innumerable nations. It was a singular initiative and idea and well-executed too!
Curiosity spiked as we roamed this stunning place, entering one doorway, exiting and tirelessly unraveling what the others had to offer. Turkey had on display exotic crockery and cutlery, exquisitely designed and delicately painted. Glass chandeliers, each exclusive in design shone in varying shades. Fragile glass jewelry glinted and each pendant and earring’s pattern seemed to beckon more than the previous. Lush and rich Turkish shawls attracted everybody, their inimitable cloth soft to the touch.

Africa was even more bountiful in its cultural depths and brimming with colour. Masks of all shapes, sizes and hues were bound together, hanging in the thresholds of stalls.
Miniature musical instruments were finely arranged on circular platters and small wooden tables, drums, flutes, pipes and organs were arranged.
Handmade, indigenous jewelry was strung up and laid down on coarse cloth, mostly made from wood and metal. Cream tarpaulin was stretched over twisted barks and logs, jute strings attached on both sides, running down to very bottom on either side, wondrous devices made to emit unusual sounds. All in all, it was a reflection of liveliness and joy, the country Africa truly is.

The Indian representation gave an insight into the beautiful land of our country and Egypt boasted pieces of posh furniture, threaded and woven with immense grandeur. Small brass ornaments clinked and other utensils chimed in the light breeze. It also flaunted a historical museum, giving information on it’s eventful past.
As the sun sunk lower, The Village glowed brighter. All luminescence was given birth as each part lit up, welcoming more tourists into its already teeming lanes.
The Thailand, Chinese and Japanese traditional pavilions were bursting with the deep-driven roots of their traditions. Small, illuminating paper lanterns were strung up and women in kimonos smiled invitingly, a silken sash tied around their waists.  Glimmering teapots were lined up in rows and cane baskets were artistically arranged, adding icing to the already delicious cake. Intoxicating smells drifted over from the French entryway, statues of Gods resonating with power made way for Greece and wine, cheese and pasta announced the arrival of the pavilion of Italy.
Stone and granite sculptures decorated the space but what was truly enchanting was the work of a very talented artist. He pulled out a sheet, some cans of paint and few tools including a delicate knife and scalpel. He proceeded to effortlessly shake the paint cans and spray vibrant hues of yellow, orange and quaint pink. He then, protected a space in the middle with the help of a bowl and sprayed some darker shades of indigo, violet, midnight jet black and white. When he removed the bowl, the fast-gathering admiring audience let out a gasp of marvel when we saw that his clever thinking and imagination had formed a planet comprising of sunset orange and dandelion yellow framed against a starry sky. As if this wasn’t enough to make his audience applaud deafeningly, he pulled out his mysteriously sharp-edged tool and scraped it along the glossy paper, quickly sketching out the Burj Khalifa, The Burj Al-Arab and an array of other buildings, materializing from low-lying sand dunes.
Now, the crowd’s applause rang even louder, echoing into the depths of a very similar, starry skied-night. The artist laid it down beside his other equally as awe-inspiring works. I walked away with new perspective. It had been brought to light once again what the power of imagination was, ceaseless, boundless and spiraling into infinity. Whole kingdoms and worlds were the fruit of an imagination which knew no barriers or hurdles, that deemed everything possible, be it whether one had only a brush and paint in hand or ink and paper.
We sat on the stone steps leading down to the rails, leaning on which we could look over the peaceful straits of water. Sitting there, a light and cool breeze lifted our hair and our spirits, washing away tiredness, giving us a new energy.
To end this spectacular evening, fireworks twisted into the night sky, exploding in showers of bright colourful sparks, coursing towards the ground. They burst in a well-co-ordinated pattern, letting out booms, trails of smoke and hued detonations of light.
It was an evening well spent: one of discovery and exploration, a better enlightenment of different races, nationalities and mingling traditions and cultures.
The next day, we were visiting a place I always highly anticipate touring, be it any city in the world: The Dubai Museum! Museums always attract me like flowers draw bees. They offer so much of information, along with loads of artifacts, historical events, the lifestyle of the people who live there along with fascinating objects like ancient weaponry, musical instruments, jewelry and paintings; that too, all in one place! The Dubai Museum seemed smaller in size, but boy was I wrong as I found out when I entered it. It was constructed in the historic Al-Fahidi Fort.Beside the museum, a huge battle ship was anchored magnificently, it carved old, polished wood gleaming, looking ready to blow out it’s mast and sail into the ocean.

The museum opened out into a courtyard where various weapons and objects the people used to use in olden days were placed. The canyons were worn out, rough, hewn from black, solid, heavy rock, a water tank uniquely designed stood serenely in a corner, ready to tip out cool water to a thirsty passer-by, a one-of a kind bronze canyon sparkled when the sun kissed it and a cane and bamboo shack offered shade from the sun. The hut could have fooled me to think that it was right in the middle of a desert where villagers still dwelled because it had a very real feel to it. Coloured, thin spreads were hung up to protect it from the scorching heat, an ancient chest was placed in a corner and a big bed with a dyed quilts offered relief from a day’s hard work!
Doorways led off from the main courtyard and each room pulled behind a veil from the caves where Dubai’s different treasured secrets were stored. Stunning musical instruments, made from various materials like cork, wood, iron, deerskin, shells, cowries and even stone stood proudly in glass cases while an informative article gave information on their creation. Jewelry of gold, pearls and metal were hung delicately and broken and intact pots and vases in differing shades were arranged around a large hallway.
The last doorway opened out into a scene depicting life-sized statues from every walk of life.
A grocer smiled from a little shop containing spices stored in little sacks, a potter was frozen in his movement of moulding a clay pot on his wheel, tailors waved, hanging their clothes out for display, children played traditional games, jewelers peered at their various tools under their monocles, camel drivers reined in their animals and blacksmiths squatted down by their fires, blowing into it to make the metal melt. It looked so real that I had to stop and check every now and then whether it was indeed a statue or a real person!
The way everything was so beautifully arranged made the whole scene seem like a lane in a colourful teeming market, with everybody trying to attract customers and sell wares, a picture full of and overflowing with life.
Another room was curiously blue and I found out why when I noticed that it was depicting a scene of a major livelihood on the coast in the earlier days: pearl diving. A video showed the tremendous efforts undertaken by the pearl divers and the risks they had staked to obtain a few oysters and scrape out a meagre livelihood. Such videos depicting the actual people in those professions going about their work were put up in various locations of this life set. The blue colour of the room was justified when I looked overhead and saw the underbelly of a wooden boat peeking and a diver with his gear trying to clutch at something near a glass case filled with little chests of luminosity, shimmering brilliant pearls. It was made to seem as if we were underwater and were observers from beneath the great ocean. The concept of the museum was unlike any other I’d ever seen, unique, unconventional and fascinating.
Other sections displayed life in the desert and the essential components of the sands, oases, palm trees, dates and falcons and the magnitude of their prime importance. A board put forth Dubai and Dierra’s (the city on the other side of The Creek) history from the 1940s up till the present. I was quite shocked to know that in the early 1900s, this city was nothing but barren land where people found great difficulty in thriving and making a livelihood, when the great reserves of oil and petroleum had not yet been discovered. The ports were abandoned, no cargo-filled ships anchored by the docks and it will be safe to say that the people lived in poverty, heat and disease, the lack of water and good crop constantly dangling precariously over their heads like Damocles’ sword, threatening to collapse, scratching off days in shacks and slums. From the 1960s, the efforts of a dynamic Sheikh led to a great industrial and economic boom, which in turn brought about a true revolution, one that changed the entire nation for the better. There were more job opportunities, better economic returns and more money started rolling in due to the oil exports. The 1980s and particularly the 90s saw tourists coming in to see the magnificence of a city built from utter rubble and destruction, adding even more to the country’s treasury. I was truly inspired and full of admiration after reading it’s action-packed history, a city which had hardly had any resources had risen up and proven itself to be none the worse for wear and one of the most popular destinations in the world today! I would have loved to spend more time in the museum but alas, we had a plane to catch.

As the plane took off the runway with a resonating whirr of its wheels, I glanced out into the night sky upon the fading City of Gold, as it is rightfully named. Glimmers of lights sparkled all the way along its coast to the heart of its inland city, forming a reflection of light to the twinkling splash of stars above. It looked absolutely wonderful, full of light, joy, buzz and activity. After a while, it became difficult to differentiate Dubai from the other Emirates since they were so closely spaced throughout the sea, each emitting the same radiance and illumination, united in the face of the light. I let out a sigh of satisfaction and contentment, bidding adieu to a wonderful journey of discovery and joy, promising to return someday.

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