“How can I be
reasonable? To me our love was everything and you were my whole life. It is not
very pleasant to realize that to you it was only an episode.”
Cities... Most cities are like men. You arrive, you wander, you observe, and you flirt. You listen, you smell, you taste, and you dream. Then you fall in love, or reject it, or become friends, or have an affair. I cannot love a city. I enjoy the affair: getting fascinated, feeling intoxicated, experiencing infinite emotions while you are together and pleasant sadness when leaving the city. Cities in Kazakhstan and post-Soviet countries are like women. Some are like mothers. They are strong and loving one day, and weak and challenging another. They are full of laughs and tears. They love you unconditionally and teach you life lessons. You cling to them and at the same time you want to run away from them. You love them unconditionally too.
My affair with Dubai was from 1993 to 1999. Dubai was alluring and irresistible. Every time I went back to Alma-Ata, it would pull me back just like an ex-lover.
I first visited Dubai in March 1993 during my “honeymoon”. The trip with my best friend Laura (my husband was not there) began a few days after my wedding. It was a business trip as there was no such thing as honeymoons in Kazakhstan in 1993. I was three months pregnant, excited and we were loaded with cash. Our plan was to buy the electronic goods in tax-free Dubai, bring them back to Alma-Ata and resell them with a profit. There was a demand for consumer goods and cash surplus in hands of the public in Kazakhstan.
Dubai met us with sunshine, happy faces, good roads, abundance of everything and unknown smells from cafes and restaurants. It was my first trip abroad. Our hotel was in Deira, one of the oldest parts of Dubai. Back then, Deira was a prime location for tourists from Kazakhstan and post-Soviet countries as it was home for many souks, markets and shops. We quickly checked into the hotel and decided to visit a beach before a dinner with nice guys (when you are young, you always meet guys) we met on the plane. Laura and I jumped in a taxi and told the driver to take us to any beach. We were ignorant then, not the closed-minded way, but just uniformed. On our first day in Dubai, we thought that all the people there were Arabs and considered Indian people Arabs. The taxi driver took us to the Jumeirah Beach Park, the first public beach park in the residential area of Jumeirah with golden sand, palm trees and green spaces. The warm water of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf was so luring that we didn't pay any attention to people on the beach. We dropped our towels, bags and clothes on the sand and ran into the warm water. When we got out of the water, we noticed few Indian men walking in our direction. They kept their distance from us. Smiling suspiciously, they started taking pictures of each other and used us as a background. There were more men getting around us and taking pictures. They multiplied like flies. Luckily, they were all fully dressed. For a few minutes we almost felt like swimwear models. Then we realized that the situation was getting out of control: we were attracting more and more men. We ignored the fact that our swimwear was wet, quickly dressed and got a taxi back to our hotel. Unfortunately for us, the taxi driver fell in love with Laura in 5 seconds. During the drive he begged to her to go to a photo studio and take a picture with him. Laura politely rejected him. When we got to Deira, the driver didn’t take us directly to our hotel. He was not a man who would take “no” for an answer. The driver decided to drive us around on the streets of Deira till Laura would agree to go to the photo studio with him. When he looped around the same street for the fifth time, annoyed Laura gave up. The taxi stopped in front of the photo studio and they went inside. I refused to leave the taxi and told the driver that I would drive it away if they stayed inside more than 7 minutes. After the photo shoot we got back to the hotel in 2 minutes. It was time for dinner.
The streets in Deira were bustling with shops, cafes, tourists and many-many smiley men from India, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and other countries. Every fifth guy was trying to touch us. The streets were too crowded. The guys from Alma-Ata explained us that it was Friday and everybody was off work as Friday is a weekend in many predominantly Muslim countries. That evening we learned that Dubai is very multicultural due to many foreign workers. We spotted few native Emiratis that night. They looked magnificent in their white “kanduras” (men wear) and black “abayas” (women wear). We also learned that the “locals” were a minority in Dubai.
Next morning, we took a taxi and asked a driver to take us to the best beach (not public) in Dubai. The driver took us to the Chicago Beach Hotel, the first resort hotel in Dubai. The Chicago Beach Hotel was demolished in 1997 to make way for the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the offshore Burj Al Arab. The hotel was far out of town, but it had an exclusive beach, amazing leisure facilities, bars and dining outlets, and excellent service. We were in paradise. After 3 hours on the beach, Laura and I decided to have a late lunch at the beach restaurant. On our way to the change room, we passed a group of young and good looking Americans. One of the guys touched my hand (touching followed us in Dubai). I stopped for a minute to look at him. The guy was handsome and confident. Sun-kissed body, mesmerizing blue eyes, captivating lips and golden-coloured hair. “Hi” he said. “Hello” I replied and quickly walked away despite a sudden desire to learn more about him. Laura and I were placed at a table by the window. The guy was still there smiling at me. My eyes kept flicking at him. No matter how romantic it was, I remembered that I married my amazing husband few days ago and was pregnant. We left the restaurant and the hotel and took a taxi back to not-so-romantic Deira.
I don’t remember his face, but I remember my feelings. They can be best described by a quote from the movie “Changing Lanes”. Please replace “girl” with “boy” and completely ignore the last sentence. Gavin Banek, played by Ben Affleck, said: “It's like you go to the beach. You go down to the water. It's a little cold. You're not sure you want to go in. There's a pretty girl standing next to you. She doesn't want to go in either. She sees you, and you know that if you just asked her name, you would leave with her. Forget your life, whoever you came with, and leave the beach with her. And after that day, you remember. Not every day, every week... she comes back to you. It's the memory of another life you could have had. Today is that girl.”
Dubai seduced us slowly over the next few days: meeting new people, visiting new hotels and restaurants, shopping in Bur Dubai and Deira, a trip to Abu Dhabi and many little surprises and pleasures. Magic.
There were many more trips to Dubai and every time I would see it from a different perspective. It never disappointed me, even when I spent 7 hours in the Sharjah jail in 1995. Dubai introduced me to an amazing woman named Victoria in 1994. We became friends immediately. She was caring, adventurous and funny. We had the same sense of humour and passion for a fast-paced life. Dubai amused us day and night and one day I may write my “One Thousand and One Nights of Dubai”.
At the end of 20th century my husband, our son and I moved to Canada. I forgot about Dubai and started an affair with Toronto.
I visited Dubai again in 2004. It was still familiar and caring, but it wasn’t irresistible anymore. I could see its flaws. We didn't excite each other. We both moved on in our lives.
After 12 years, my ex-lover (and my eccentric and funny university friends Gulnara and Aizhan) attracts me again. I will visit Dubai in 4 weeks. The city is posh and powerful now. Will there be a new sophisticated spark between us?!
Cities... Most cities are like men. You arrive, you wander, you observe, and you flirt. You listen, you smell, you taste, and you dream. Then you fall in love, or reject it, or become friends, or have an affair. I cannot love a city. I enjoy the affair: getting fascinated, feeling intoxicated, experiencing infinite emotions while you are together and pleasant sadness when leaving the city. Cities in Kazakhstan and post-Soviet countries are like women. Some are like mothers. They are strong and loving one day, and weak and challenging another. They are full of laughs and tears. They love you unconditionally and teach you life lessons. You cling to them and at the same time you want to run away from them. You love them unconditionally too.
My affair with Dubai was from 1993 to 1999. Dubai was alluring and irresistible. Every time I went back to Alma-Ata, it would pull me back just like an ex-lover.
I first visited Dubai in March 1993 during my “honeymoon”. The trip with my best friend Laura (my husband was not there) began a few days after my wedding. It was a business trip as there was no such thing as honeymoons in Kazakhstan in 1993. I was three months pregnant, excited and we were loaded with cash. Our plan was to buy the electronic goods in tax-free Dubai, bring them back to Alma-Ata and resell them with a profit. There was a demand for consumer goods and cash surplus in hands of the public in Kazakhstan.
Dubai met us with sunshine, happy faces, good roads, abundance of everything and unknown smells from cafes and restaurants. It was my first trip abroad. Our hotel was in Deira, one of the oldest parts of Dubai. Back then, Deira was a prime location for tourists from Kazakhstan and post-Soviet countries as it was home for many souks, markets and shops. We quickly checked into the hotel and decided to visit a beach before a dinner with nice guys (when you are young, you always meet guys) we met on the plane. Laura and I jumped in a taxi and told the driver to take us to any beach. We were ignorant then, not the closed-minded way, but just uniformed. On our first day in Dubai, we thought that all the people there were Arabs and considered Indian people Arabs. The taxi driver took us to the Jumeirah Beach Park, the first public beach park in the residential area of Jumeirah with golden sand, palm trees and green spaces. The warm water of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf was so luring that we didn't pay any attention to people on the beach. We dropped our towels, bags and clothes on the sand and ran into the warm water. When we got out of the water, we noticed few Indian men walking in our direction. They kept their distance from us. Smiling suspiciously, they started taking pictures of each other and used us as a background. There were more men getting around us and taking pictures. They multiplied like flies. Luckily, they were all fully dressed. For a few minutes we almost felt like swimwear models. Then we realized that the situation was getting out of control: we were attracting more and more men. We ignored the fact that our swimwear was wet, quickly dressed and got a taxi back to our hotel. Unfortunately for us, the taxi driver fell in love with Laura in 5 seconds. During the drive he begged to her to go to a photo studio and take a picture with him. Laura politely rejected him. When we got to Deira, the driver didn’t take us directly to our hotel. He was not a man who would take “no” for an answer. The driver decided to drive us around on the streets of Deira till Laura would agree to go to the photo studio with him. When he looped around the same street for the fifth time, annoyed Laura gave up. The taxi stopped in front of the photo studio and they went inside. I refused to leave the taxi and told the driver that I would drive it away if they stayed inside more than 7 minutes. After the photo shoot we got back to the hotel in 2 minutes. It was time for dinner.
The streets in Deira were bustling with shops, cafes, tourists and many-many smiley men from India, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and other countries. Every fifth guy was trying to touch us. The streets were too crowded. The guys from Alma-Ata explained us that it was Friday and everybody was off work as Friday is a weekend in many predominantly Muslim countries. That evening we learned that Dubai is very multicultural due to many foreign workers. We spotted few native Emiratis that night. They looked magnificent in their white “kanduras” (men wear) and black “abayas” (women wear). We also learned that the “locals” were a minority in Dubai.
Next morning, we took a taxi and asked a driver to take us to the best beach (not public) in Dubai. The driver took us to the Chicago Beach Hotel, the first resort hotel in Dubai. The Chicago Beach Hotel was demolished in 1997 to make way for the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the offshore Burj Al Arab. The hotel was far out of town, but it had an exclusive beach, amazing leisure facilities, bars and dining outlets, and excellent service. We were in paradise. After 3 hours on the beach, Laura and I decided to have a late lunch at the beach restaurant. On our way to the change room, we passed a group of young and good looking Americans. One of the guys touched my hand (touching followed us in Dubai). I stopped for a minute to look at him. The guy was handsome and confident. Sun-kissed body, mesmerizing blue eyes, captivating lips and golden-coloured hair. “Hi” he said. “Hello” I replied and quickly walked away despite a sudden desire to learn more about him. Laura and I were placed at a table by the window. The guy was still there smiling at me. My eyes kept flicking at him. No matter how romantic it was, I remembered that I married my amazing husband few days ago and was pregnant. We left the restaurant and the hotel and took a taxi back to not-so-romantic Deira.
I don’t remember his face, but I remember my feelings. They can be best described by a quote from the movie “Changing Lanes”. Please replace “girl” with “boy” and completely ignore the last sentence. Gavin Banek, played by Ben Affleck, said: “It's like you go to the beach. You go down to the water. It's a little cold. You're not sure you want to go in. There's a pretty girl standing next to you. She doesn't want to go in either. She sees you, and you know that if you just asked her name, you would leave with her. Forget your life, whoever you came with, and leave the beach with her. And after that day, you remember. Not every day, every week... she comes back to you. It's the memory of another life you could have had. Today is that girl.”
Dubai seduced us slowly over the next few days: meeting new people, visiting new hotels and restaurants, shopping in Bur Dubai and Deira, a trip to Abu Dhabi and many little surprises and pleasures. Magic.
There were many more trips to Dubai and every time I would see it from a different perspective. It never disappointed me, even when I spent 7 hours in the Sharjah jail in 1995. Dubai introduced me to an amazing woman named Victoria in 1994. We became friends immediately. She was caring, adventurous and funny. We had the same sense of humour and passion for a fast-paced life. Dubai amused us day and night and one day I may write my “One Thousand and One Nights of Dubai”.
At the end of 20th century my husband, our son and I moved to Canada. I forgot about Dubai and started an affair with Toronto.
I visited Dubai again in 2004. It was still familiar and caring, but it wasn’t irresistible anymore. I could see its flaws. We didn't excite each other. We both moved on in our lives.
After 12 years, my ex-lover (and my eccentric and funny university friends Gulnara and Aizhan) attracts me again. I will visit Dubai in 4 weeks. The city is posh and powerful now. Will there be a new sophisticated spark between us?!
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