Dubai Dairies.
A paradise state or suppressed emotions? I had the privilege of visiting Dubai, yes I say privilege as the entire state is created around tourism but unlike Thailand or similar there is a very upmarket polished feel to the entire place. First world experiences at almost third world prices. World class attractions, almost all the points of interest placed in close proximity to each other. Not more than thirty minutes of drive will take you almost everywhere you need too which for someone coming from Mumbai is like a walk in the park.
Being wheelchair bound for movements entailing more than a few minutes of walking I had my reservations initially about going there. But my relative also our tour organizer assured me of seamless movements in the wheelchair and I was surprised, very pleasantly so at the ease with which I could be taken around for all the nine days. Every attraction designed in a fashion that the movement disabled would have absolute access to every nook and cranny both internal and external with the staff everywhere going out of the way in accommodating, forget accommodation but I was fast tracked in every queue, every elevator. Never had I in my three years of constricted movements felt this special and taken care of. For in India nothing is wheelchair friendly except malls and five star hotels so frustrated had I become the I had stopped traveling within the country except for known access friendly places. But Dubai was a revelation. For all fellow disableds who have been planning a visit I promise you right from boarding the plane and for all the days you plan to be there your trip will be without a hitch.
I won’t go into details of the attractions, as every information is available o the internet, all of which are meticulously planned and designed to world class standards and it would be a sacrilege to miss any of them. Minimum ten days are a must to check out that Dubai has in its arsenal. Right from the desert safari and Burj Khalifa and dhow cruises which have dominated itineraries for ages to the recently added parks and gardens and museums it is miss them at your own peril. Scrupulously maintained and planned city it is indeed a paradise very close to our shores and should be a must in every bucket list from a tourism point of view and also as an immigrant as testified by the relative who has been staying there since the last decade and organizes tours for Indians coming to Dubai. We are spoiled rotten here she states contented with no intention of returning to the motherland.
But is all as hunky dory as she valiantly tries to portray or did I sense some resentment and discordant notes when we were discussing government censorship and heavily curtailed freedom of expression. I have a habit of getting into conversations with the drives porters servers when I am on holidays or even in India, a habit which would be frowned upon by the bourgeois who would look down their noses at the help as they probably would say but I on the other hand have no qualms getting into lengthy conversations with them. What I had observed there was people kept their head down and went about their ways quietly. Too quietly. It was almost eerie for me who was used to boisterous expressions and assertive mannerisms. Having always maintained that it is better to be first class citizens in a third world country rather than second class in a first world one where you are just about tolerated with barely veiled disdain by many if not most. No dissidence and lot of diffidence was what I observed by the migrant population there. As one of the porters put it at the airport that they don’t voice their opinions political or religious as Indians Pakistanis and Bangladeshis coexist in seeming bonhomie but the tensions simmer just under the lure of Dirham which keeps them going about their professions as diligently as possible. The critical voice is nipped right in the bud be it social media like WhatsApp which is monitored and any censorious voice is instantly asked to cease or any other such expression.
With a migrant population far exceeding the indigenous community the city state probably has no alternative but to wield the baton at the first signs of trouble.
As a tourist destination the marks are full but for extended periods I would give it a miss. And for all those who shout themselves hoarse simianly chest thumping about the perceived lack of freedom of expression in India should try and live in Islamic countries for a while.
I plan to do Switzerland next health permitting of course. Will keep you posted.
Till then.
Veeru.
