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Travel: A tale of two Dubais
What’s the biggest cliché that comes to your mind when you think of Dubai? Gold taps? Shopping festivals? Ice slopes in a desert? ‘Seven-star hotels’ and man-made islands? Or the world’s tallest, fastest, biggest of… everything? I’m of the Burj Al Arab generation who discovered Dubai in the early 2000s, long before the Burj Khalifa was constructed
What’s the biggest cliché that comes to your mind when you think of Dubai?
Gold taps? Shopping festivals? Ice slopes in a desert? ‘Seven-star hotels’ and man-made islands? Or the world’s tallest, fastest, biggest of… everything?
I’m of the Burj Al Arab generation who discovered Dubai in the early 2000s, long before the Burj Khalifa was constructed. The sail-shaped hotel seemed so luxurious when it was new that it was labelled seven star, even though no such rating exists. It was so much more ostentatious, it just had to have more than a mere five stars!
Twenty years ago, people went to Dubai to shop, quite like they do today. Unlike then, electronics aren’t cheaper in Dubai any more, and it isn’t as easy to get gold. Dubai is, instead, lucrative for the variety and the sheer convenience it offers: brands from all over the world will be in one mall, under one roof. There are also ample entertainment options that can keep the average tourist busy.
As the years went by, Dubai cemented its place as the most modern city in the Middle East. Dress codes were relaxed, alcohol was available and, while the UAE still remained a conservative country at large, a lot of Dubai’s dalliances were overlooked.
I got cheesed off when I felt the city wanted to be the biggest, fastest, best at everything. A street graffiti artist from New York was commissioned to recreate some of his best works on the walls of Dubai a few years ago, and I wondered: Why can’t Dubai be original? Why does it not encourage local talent? How will it develop its own character?
A chance visit post the pandemic, however, has made me reconsider my grievances. Here are five experiences that may help you discover a different side to Dubai that’s not a poor copy of what’s in the West.
All in a name
Set for another ostentatious welcome to a hotel with gold taps, too much fabric, a large-sized bed that can sleep four people, and a bathroom bigger than my bedroom, I was pleasantly surprised by the modern “studio” I checked into at the new 25hours Hotel.
A Berlin concept hotel run by the Accor Group, its young, irreverent vibe is something that you’d not expect to find in the conservative religion-led nation.
The relatively new hotel is low key. The Emirates concierge handing out limos kept calling it 24 hrs, and the Pakistani driver innocently pronounced the name “25 Whores.” I laughed.
Do you know what “whores” means, I asked. Embarrassed, he recoiled, then said, “Ghode ko kehte hain na, horse [whores]?”
The hotel lobby has a double height ceiling, but no ostentatious chandeliers. Instead, there are swings hanging from the ceiling, and an amphitheatre-style seating with books to read.
The coffee shop beyond has become a hub for creative individuals, mostly locals, and London’s Tandoor Tina has its Dubai outlet here.
The hallways to the rooms are lined with fun sayings and various coloured handbags. My studio came with an open bath, a wooden tub, and a hammock by the window overlooking the stunning Museum of the Future.
Where I spent the maximum time is anyone’s guess!
Avenue of ideas
Of all the things it’s known for, Dubai isn’t known to be a land of independent thinkers. But a visit to Alserkal Avenue in the Al Quoz district, not far from downtown, will help change that perception.
An independent cinema called Akil, an open stage, a sneaker store, loads of art galleries (including many with Indian artists)… this compound has all this, and more.
I sat at the Dubai outpost of Delhi’s Café Dori and watched as locals and expats attended dance classes and yoga workshops, and inhabited modern co-working spaces.
This could have been anywhere in Europe or Australia. If this place becomes a platform for new ideas, Dubai will have come a long way from what it was.
House of knowledge
Move over gold souks, Dubai seems to have another hotspot that most locals haven’t discovered yet.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is a modern, glass and steel structure that was completed only after the pandemic. It’s so new that the authorities haven’t decided on an entrance fee yet, and anyone, tourists included, can access it.
At first glance, it reminds you of the Scandinavian public libraries that don’t just have books, they also have audio recording studios, meeting rooms, printing arenas, play areas, and more. Only, you know this is Dubai, so it’s going to be all that, but bigger and better.
Not all floors of the library are functional so far. But one look at the collection of books, with categories properly sequenced, and all tied in with technology, one knows that this place will be a hotbed for knowledge seekers in the not too distant future.
Creators of good food
Would you like to go to Zuma or LPM for dinner? We could meet at Galleries Lafayette and pack in a spot of shopping as well.
If you wonder how an evening meal at one of London’s famous restaurants could be preceded by a shopping spree in Paris’s iconic store, be reminded that we’re in Dubai. Where copies appear bigger and brighter than the original.
However, two restaurants changed this impression for me a bit.
The first is under-the-radar Indian chef Himanshu Saini, whose TresInd studio puts out a theatre of finely prepared plates that have their heart in Indian cuisine but carry an identity that can charm the world.
The second is a Dubai-original: Orfali Bros in Jumeirah, run by Syrian born Mohd Orfali and his brother.
Both chefs Himanshu and Mohd call their food “world cuisine” and refuse to be tied down to a region, irrespective of how influenced they are by it. In Dubai, both millennials find the space to be creative and individualistic. What they probably don’t realise is that they’re giving Dubai a uniqueness it badly needs.
Both restaurants will be known as Dubai-originals, and when they are replicated in other world cities, Dubai must remember to thump its chest in pride.
Equal kneel
On my last day in Dubai, I wanted to relive past visits that had shaped my opinion of the city two decades ago. I went to Bur Dubai to visit the original Dubai Museum, which is still more interesting than the Dubai Mall (try it!). But I found that it hasn’t reopened after Covid.
So I walked towards the abra (local boat) stand, where locals cross the creek for a basic fee. Instead, I found my way to a Hindu temple. As I watched the faithful line up to pay their respects, it was heartwarming to see my fellow countrymen being allowed to worship in a place they called home.
On the recommendation of a friend, I found myself at the famous Arabian Tea House. And what I saw here warmed my heart. For, gone are the days when Indians were just the servers or restaurant managers. Today, there are an equal number of well-to-do Indian investors, who we saw at this tea house, who are happy to sit alongside locals who one would—just a few years ago—not mix with. One also spotted single ladies occupying tables and clicking food pics and selfies to keep themselves entertained.
This equality alone is a Dubai I’d never known. I can’t wait to go back and discover some more.
Follow @JamalShaikh on Instagram and Twitter
From HT Brunch, October 29, 2022
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