Another city of contrasts -A place that it is hard to form a clear opinion right away.
At first sight, everything is luxurious and shiny.
On the desert…manmade huge futuristic buildings, palm trees, highways, beaches, islands.
Dubai, the Disneyland of the East. The locals that run the city – the arabs are only 10% of the population, the majority of the population is from India and the rest expats from western countries.
Many describe it the city of opportunities, others the city of inequalities and social exclusion. Perhaps it is a combination of both. What is striking for the mind to process, is that the so luxurious facade – that aims for the impossible – the highest building on earth for instance – contrasts with the traditional customs of the locals.
I tried during the few days that I was there to search for authenticity and beauty through this contrast. I tried to let go my westerners point of view on what beauty is. A hard task that I think I did not really succeed.
I found beauty in-
The little’s fishermen old wooden boats crossing the creek
The immigrant workers lying down below the palm trees shade to rest from the heat, talking to each other and perhaps thinking on their family back home
The Arab men dressed in their white traditional clothes and the women in black –
as if the roles have reversed- the men are the brides and women the grooms-
The old markets- souks-
Hidden beauties in this so new, fast growing, so wealthy part of the world where literally palaces are built on the desert.
While I was there, I remembered two greek songs –
“It is bad on the desert to build palaces, the north wind will destroy them in pieces”
“Even if you leave to travel around the world, you will always be mine, we will always be together.
And I will not miss you, because my soul will be the song of the desert that follows you”
(In Greek they rhyme better)
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