The trip didn’t start off very well.
Due to an expected strike, I had to take the 6.15 am flight to Frankfurt and then wait for the 1.40 pm flight to Dubai. Oh well! On the positive side, I had some time to work on my laptop in the Lufthansa Lounge.
Then, at the gate, I ran into a friend of mine from Bologna that was also going to Dubai, who haughtily informed me that the strike had never taken place.
So, I was exhausted for nothing and on top of that, my mother had been calling me incessantly with worry over the desert, scorpions and who knows what other potential dangers!

After an extraordinarily long wait at passport control, I exited the Dubai airport into a sea of white-robed men waving signs for a myriad of “Ms. Carters” and “Mr. Smiths”.

My hotel room was enormous and it was only a standard! It had a beyond king-size bed, two sofas, a table for 16 people, a bathroom a la Marie Antoinette and a mega flat-screen TV.

On the upside, Marion, our Dubai representative, took me for cocktails on the beach near the 7-star Burj Al Arab Hotel, which I enjoyed photographing before and after the sunset.

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A few thoughts on Dubai that go beyond the usual “what to see” and “where to shop” guides:
1) almost everything is fake, it’s like being in Las Vegas;
2) a lot of people are disgustingly wealthy;
3) the air conditioning was so high that I had to call the reception desk and ask them to light the fireplace.

From Dubai to New Delhi
On the plane next to me was an Indian woman whispering what sounded like Hindu prayers. That was not a good sign!
Despite the usual crying child behind me, I fell into a deep sleep and awoke as the plane landed.

The ride from the airport to my hotel was an adventure.
The taxi driver tried every trick in the book to get around the incredibly heavy traffic. He took alleyways, he slalomed around taxis, he even drove on the sidewalks. In our wake, we left a sea of startled people dressed in colorful silks that billowed in the wind created by my frenzied taxi driver, who happily chatted away with me while plowing into pedestrians.
After arriving safely at my hotel, I thanked all the saints and even the goddess Kali and swore that I would never complain again about 20-km traffic jams on the expressways back home.

After work, I went shopping for Indian silks and clothing. It was wonderful even if I did spend almost 500 euros.
Then I had an amazing dinner in an Indian restaurant with our retailers Manpreet and Gulpreet. Like many Indian people, we ate our meal with our hands and not cutlery.
So, afterwards we were brought rinse bowls with fresh lime wedges. Being a typical Italian, I swiped my complimentary bib as a souvenir!

My greatest memory of this trip is the sense of dignity I saw in the eyes of the Indian people, especially the poor of New Delhi. It looked as if they were saying, “before you give me any help, please give me your respect”.
I will never forget that.

Technorati Tags: Dubai, New Delhi, Burj Al Arab Hotel

This entry was posted by Andrea Signori Friday November 30th, 2007 at 12:53
and is filed under People, Travel
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