Skip to main content

THE OASIS DREAM – TEN THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST




When I say exotic, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Middle East. Something about this place excites me. It could be the fact that it is the cradle of civilization; it could be the imminence of tall, taller and tallest buildings which adorn the sand dune-y landscape; it could be the flavor-rich food which comes from there. Let me list some here:
 
 
Falafel – A falafel roll is something I can have for lunch every day, really! The flavor which comes from the chickpeas and beans, ground and fried is out of the world. (Thanks to Masterchef Australia for teaching me the gastronomic mumbo jumbos) Did you know that the Halwa which is a celebrated sweet dessert in India originated from the Middle East?
 
The Glitterati – Who doesn’t like glamour? Parties and celebrations add glamour to the Middle East. With supersonic economic growth, we shouldn’t be surprised at the glitterati we see here. It is one of the most ambitious places in the world which always thrives for bigger and more extravagant in everything
 
 
Landscape – The teal blue waters and the creamy white sand, pitch-dark seas, the way the city hugs the water, captivating night views where series of lights form a glowing necklace, the canyons, the sandy-windy aura (All of which I have seen in the movies and in pictures).
Fancy Food - I was flabbergasted when I heard about the fact that you get some of the most expensive food here and I am craving to get at least a glimpse of it. They say in Burj al Arab, a dish made with white truffle decorated with gold foils costs more than 500 American dollars. Actually, it would be cruel on my part to call it a dish because the portions are unbelievably scarce
 
 
Feeling High - The insatiable appetite for building tall buildings is something to watch out for. I have often wondered how it would be to feel on top of the world. Dubai has an answer. Feeling high at Burj Khalifa is on my to-do list for quite some time now after I heard one could actually see the earth’s arc! Can that get any cooler? Or should I say eerier?
 
Ambitious cities - This place is known for its Innovation and technology. Be it roads or attractive infrastructure, the Middle East is for sure, a forerunner. The palm-shaped artificial island in Palm Jumeirah is one to quote. Did you know that the fireworks here were filmed by a passing satellite?
Do hips lie? Lovely women dancing to the tunes of a trance-like Arabic number, the infamous belly dance, which is spellbinding, originated from the Middle East. I would love to watch a dance sometime and I know for certain, hips don’t lie.
Natural Resources - The fact that oil is cheaper than water makes me wonder how scarcity of natural resources affects geographies across the world. Considering the fact that I have enough water to drink makes me content but I really want to go to this place where oil is abundant.
Gold mine, gold souk, gold paradise – that’s Middle East for you. Did you know that Burj Al Arab’s latest offering for children is 24 carat gold iPads? This is where luxury meets lunacy.
 
 
A beautiful language called Arabic – Although the language is predominantly used in a religious context, I would love to learn to read and write in Arabic someday. I absolutely love the sound of the Arabic words; they are trance-like and so reflective, it immediately shifts the listener to meditative mood.
 

*All the pictures are sourced from Google Images and Wiki
 
 
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 12, 2014 at 7:35 AM

    :)
    my place
    V

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 12, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    Wanna go there sometime? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Red HandedMay 28, 2014 at 4:55 AM

    I so want to visit the place!!! Maybe just maybe at the end of this year! FALAFEL!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 28, 2014 at 9:30 AM

      Don't miss a chance buddy! :)
      Thanks for dropping by :)

      Delete
  4. SGJuly 23, 2014 at 10:28 PM

    It is 10:20 PM here in California. I come back to read your post because, me think, you write like me. That is similar to having a conversation one to one in our family room.
    I just read your post. I have a few doubts.

    By Middle East, did you mean the whole Middle East which consists of 18 different countries OR just Dubai only? I like what you wrote. But it is all applicable to UAE only. Not for the many of the other countries.

    Just FYI. I was a Country Manager for my Company in Saudi Arabia for 3 years. We can talk about The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly about this country privately, if you want. Otherwise, it is ok.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 25, 2014 at 6:53 AM


      //It is 10:20 PM here in California. I come back to read your post because, me think, you write like me. // That is a huge compliment, and honestly, I admire your writing a lot.
      I wish I could write as good as you (showcases heights of modesty here) ;) :D

      //By Middle East, did you mean the whole Middle East which consists of 18 different countries OR just Dubai only? I like what you wrote. But it is all applicable to UAE only. Not for the many of the other countries.// Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt were some of the countries I had in mind when I wrote this, so I just stuck to the 'Middle-east' tag, although most of the points seem utterly appropriate for UAE/ Dubai alone :)

      //Just FYI. I was a Country Manager for my Company in Saudi Arabia for 3 years. We can talk about The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly about this country privately, if you want. Otherwise, it is ok.// Wow, 3 years?! That sounds interesting, feel free to email me.

      Delete
  5. SGJuly 25, 2014 at 10:02 PM

    Sure will write about this place. Very interesting. We had a great time because we have American Passports and an important American Company sent me (us). Will write email.

    ReplyDelete
  6. SGJuly 26, 2014 at 9:53 PM

    Just one more FYI. I am glad you had Lebanon in your mind. Before all the troubles there, Beirut was considered as the Paris of Middle East. That shows I am a little bit older. HaHaHa.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diet Horror Story

Food in the time of dieting. This is exactly like love in the time of Cholera, only, here, the love is for food. Your cravings are at an all-time high, you surprisingly become more lazy, you feel anxious when eating out, you are looking up every diet plan there is in the planet, your best friend suddenly looks thinner, your weighing machine needs repair and perhaps you are even subconsciously praying to god to help you shed those extra luggage. It is not because you have started eating a pea less than before that your body feels so weird when you start a diet. No. If you have any of these symptoms , trust me, your body has nothing to do with it. I am not a diet expert or an aspiring model, but I know what I am talking about. I have been through this outrageously pathetic stage of my life during my adolescence when I felt that cringing need to diet when some really jobless people called me a pumpkin, literally. I was too young to reason with myself. I started this tailored diet pl...
3 comments
Read more

A life without pencil erasers?

This morning, I got a good dose of philosophy from the newspaper. It isn’t very often that you get to read unique articles and this particular one definitely made my Friday morning a thoughtful one. It was the ‘World View’ column with the title “Pencil Erasers may be the ‘devil’” that caught my attention. It got me thinking about the process of unlearning taught to us at school. A lot of questions popped up. Why do we hide our mistakes? Why isn’t it okay to make mistakes? Why are we taught to make up for a mistake? Why aren’t we taught to look at the mistake and learn from it? Why do we erase a mistake? Why aren’t we being naturally ourselves? Why do we need an eraser? The last question is what instigated me to write this post. What if Edward Nairne had not invented an eraser by accident? What if we were never introduced to the concept of the eraser at school! I should admit that the little wad of rubber that undoes all the mistakes made by your mighty pencil is inde...
11 comments
Read more

Make Up and Me (Not Me)

They say people who don't know to dance have two left feet. Although, I might have two left feet myself, what is more interesting is I might actually have two left hands. Okay, I understand that's funny but here is why: If you are a girl or a boy or a boy who looks like a girl, you would probably know that it is a thing now to have a makeup blog or vlog or youtube channel in your name. I bumped into this world of cosmetics, beauty blogs and tutorials only a few months ago. For those who don't know about it, let me tell you, it is a crazy, ruthless and unbelievable world. Picture sourced from Google Heard of these? Snail slime masks, Placenta hair masks, Seaweed bathing creams, Microblading.... and endless other such insane stuff. These are insane but quite popular among beauty enthusiasts and they even swear by the benefits of such products. These are otherwise cringe-worthy products in my world. I use gramflour+tumeric face mask, Coconut oil hair mask and  a...
7 comments
Read more