Dubai | '23 - Part II

Mesmerised I was still

Not at the city

But the little world that was just enough to speak the past of the Emirates

Those grains of the sand were miraculous too

Their colour, their lustre, their flawlessness were intact yet

Mesmerised I was still

Not at the architecture

But the architecture-lessness of the scene

The sunset didn't escape my eyes until 

it had disappeared into the orange-pink heaven

Mesmerised I was still

Because I had just seen one of those few places

Sapients eloped to

From the havoc of this chaotic world

Mesmerised I was still

Not at the city

But the golden dunes of the desert

That spoke to me in the belief that I would understand

Nonetheless, this young girl wasn't learned enough

So she stood there very still without any verses to come from her;

the silence was loud, and those dunes took it as their praise.

                                                                                               ~Ruhani Bachhal

Ladies and gentlemen, marhaban yet again!

You gave Part I of the Dubai Diaries a lot of love; thus, I didn't want to delay Part II any longer. Each and every moment of March 16th and 17th was well-lived from the very dawn to the very midnight, so, I wanted to make sure that it is equally well-written for my winsome readers.

I hadn't slept much the night before because you have to stop fantasizing about a worthwhile day, no matter what, for a worthwhile sleep. However, I was full of enthusiasm for the Desert Safari I woke up for. We left at around brunchtime and only en route, I had realized that our experience will be insanely wild, and mind you, my intuition has never been wrong. The part of the Arabian Desert in the territories of Dubai lies close to the UAE-Oman border and is extremely peaceful but can be pretty scorching at times. We reached the place we had to start from and I could see many drivers doing their Safari-prep by reducing the gas of their cars' tyres. It wasn't very hot but there is no perfect season for an ice-cream, so I risked some cash for a melted ice-cream stick. I haven't ever regretted my decisions more because my silly soul realised a little later that I could have a Double Caramel Magnum bar and some balance with that money. Anyway, let us count that as an experience, but dear people, please beware of getting legally cheated on as tourists. Some thirty minutes later, after having gorgeously signed our life-liability documents, it was time that we started off. For your information, you should know well in advance that the Safari drivers don't start slow for a trailer; they love their profession and believe in hitting on with the movie without a trailer. Therefore, similar was our one. It was bewildering as the Safari drove up the dune and then drove down along the fierce edges at the speed of some 120 kmph! If you are adventurous, I wouldn't allow you to miss this fun. 40 minutes into the drive and it was about time that we stopped for a nibble-break, without any wish to nibble, almost in the middle of the desert. We started off again and by six in the evening, it was a great time to be digging into dinner. But that wasn't all, it was made spesh with stunning performances like that of the famous Egyptian Tanoura, fire play and the belly dance. Yet again, this evening in Dubai was wondrous too!

The beach of La Mer invited us again on March 17th because it knew it would be better relived. So, we were happy to devote our hours of early noon to that place. My previous post has already told you about the awesome ambience of this location which seems to be pulled straight out of a Disney sitcom, with quirky and colourful exteriors, amazing graffiti art, the most welcoming cafeterias and also excellent play-and-win outlets!

It was a sunny day and so, it was a good day for a sunbath; sadly, I am not one of those who appreciate a sunbath. Thus, if you were there, you would have seen me shifting spots in search of shade. Although I may not be very fond of sunbaths, I deeply cherish oceans and seas. Therefore, I could realize that the salts in the Persian Gulf were a good deal higher than that of the Arabian sea, which also makes it easier to swim in its waters. Later, I went about for a small walk on the beach and the place around, trying very hard to carpe diem.

It was about two in the afternoon that we had the idea of getting back to the hotel. I had to take a shower because the sea water may as well dry up from your skin, it doesn't let the stickiness leave the room. I could really do with a small nap but I was too excited about the very near future.

The evening saw me on a cruise ship. That was too an experience of a kind. Seldom do writers fail at their passion, only because they experienced something too beautiful to be confined to a couple of lines in their work. One such would have been this. Across the shores of the Palm was exquisitely set Van Gogh's Starry Night, which had been extravagantly put to life. Lovely!

Thank you so much for making me feel acknowledged! Stay tuned for Part III.

!Smiles!

~Ruhani Bachhal