A Hedonist Paradise: Dubai

Dubai..... "If I live here, I would have committed suicide by now...." my internal thought.

It's not a bad place. It really isn't. I just found it:

1) Highly superficial

2) Most entertainment = being in a mall. Shopping - go to a mall. Ski - go to a mall. Aquarium - a mall!! (I am not a 'mall person'!) - understand this is the case with most countries with soaring temperatures

3) The level of wealth 'paraded' is beyond my comprehension! I mean you would think that of Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, or Belgravia, but no, Dubai surpasses them by leaps and bounds (and prices are exorbitant!)

4) It felt like everyone is chasing for that 'pot of gold': luxury, and extreme pleasure, to the point that there is no 'soul' left (Hence, why I might have killed myself..lol. Well, I guess it is not for me!)

Most parts of Dubai doesn't feel like you are in the Middle East. It feels like you are in a developed country. 

In the Dubai Mall, in Downtown Dubai

Burj Khalifa

In Atlantis, The Palm

In order to feel the 'soul' of Dubai (or what is left of it), spend more time at Deira Creek or Bur Dubai.

Shop and wander around the souks (markets): Gold Souk, Spice Souk and take a boat across the Deira Creek to the Old Souk. 

The Spice Souk and Gold Souk area, in Deira Creek

One other thing everyone must do is the Desert Safari. There are many desert safari operators, offering the same deals. The operator will pick you from your hotel in the evening and take you to the desert for a 'real-life roller coaster ride'. The safari ends with dinner and belly dancing performances. 

The best part of the safari is the 'real-life roller coaster ride'. It is extremely exhilarating! 

The desert

The 'roller coaster'

For those who are prone to car-sickness, I suggest you bring a bag along :S

I am not prone to car-sickness, but at one point I felt like puking (I didn't, thankfully!). And at some points, I felt like the jeep could have overturned! What a great rush of adrenaline! :D

You can also go for a camel ride before dinner

Dubai is also known for its shopping. It is! There is a vast variety of options and brands: British brands, European brands, American brands, Canadian brands, you name it, they have it! However, it is so expensive - isn't Dubai duty-free? It is probably cheaper to shop in the UK! For example, my regular perfume, which usually costs less than 100 Euros, costs 150 Euros in Dubai! I wonder how the locals survive!

Regardless of my feelings for this place, I am glad I spent some time here. I learnt something about myself. I have always wanted to have that much wealth and luxury. But after seeing it in Dubai, I don't think I can handle it and it will not make me happy. I guess I just liked the idea of it.
Dubai is not a place I will revisit. It doesn't suit me, or I don't suit it! (Sorry Dubai-ans and Dubai - lovers).

Bye Dubai. I will probably only see you at the airport from now on! Hahaha ....

Portuguese Voyage - Stop 3: Lisboa (Days 7 - 11) - Slowly Falling In Love with Lisbon......(Part 1)

Ah....... Lisbon, Lisboa.... there is a myriad of things to say, and I don't know where to start!

View from Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, Alfama

View from Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, Near Bairro Alto and Principe Real

View from Miradouro de Santa Luzia, Alfama

The famous Tram No. 28 - Take a ride to catch a glimpse of the different neighbourhoods of Lisboa

Since I ended my last post on Fado Coimbra, I shall start with Fado Lisboa!
Without a doubt, I prefer the Fado Lisboa to the Fado Coimbra. The Coimbra one is a bit duller and 'heavy' (if you heard the song in the last post). In contrast, the Fado Lisboa, although also due to sad motivations, is slightly upbeat and is sung by women!

Rainha do Fado (Queen of Fado) Amália Rodrigues, in Alfama

The motivation: the feeling and sense of saudade... Finally the word is introduced! This is an example of a word, that, in English, there is no word which can accurately capture the essence of it.

Now imagine this: When the likes of Vasco da Gama and Afonso de Albuquerque were on their mission to find 'treasure' (spices!), they hired the poorer men, of the Alfama neighbourhood, and ex-convicts as their crew. (Ahem ahem... to all my Serani friends out there, your great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather might have been an ex-convict... #justsaying...lol)

So when the husbands set sail, their wives, families, etc, obviously missed them, added with a sense of longing, sadness, wondering if they will ever see their loved ones again. That is what saudade means (well, in my interpretation :S. If there are any Portuguese out there, would truly appreciate if you could assist in clarifying... :D).

This influenced the wives to sing songs filled with their emotions, sorrow, feelings - Fado.

The beginnings are also hard to determine. One theory says it is from the Moorish culture (Lisbon was conquered by the Moors in the 700s - 1100s). The sadness and melancholic characteristics, as well as the rhythm, of Fado, are said to be from Moorish culture. The other theory says it originates from the songs of Brazilian slaves - singing of their journey at sea and hardship on land.

Whichever it is, head to the A Tasca do Chico to listen to some live Fado! There are two branches - one in Alfama and the other in Bairro Alto. I went to the one in Bairro Alto. The performance starts at 9pm but be sure to get there early as it gets crowded.

A Tasca do Chico

If you do go after 9pm, you will have to queue outside - my advice, GO EARLY!
The singers are not professional Fado singers, but they are exceptional.. I nearly had goosebumps!

*Just some cool info: Fado was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.*

Now, that's it about Fado.... There is so much more to Lisboa: the different neighbourhoods, the GLORIOUS period of Portugal, the city's glow, the enchanting monastery and much more - which I will detail in my next post(s)... hhehe

One last advice: A fellow traveller once told me, "Wherever you go, ALWAYS go to the highest point to view the city, be it a hill or a tower.... ALWAYS!"
As you can see from the pictures above, my crazy-self went to all the viewpoints in Lisboa! Lol... (There is one more picture missing). Well, it's a good advice to adhere to :)

Até logo..