The UAE is quite the centre point that conveniently connects to anywhere on the globe. Our two airlines are world class and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have become busy hubs for world travellers.
After living here, many expatriates who knew nothing beyond their little suburbs have benefitted from travel to exotic places around the world; and have discovered many wonderful people everywhere.
The British palate has gotten used to Indian curry; the Italian gourmand painstakingly uses chopsticks to enjoy sushi; and the Arab connoisseur loves Chinese food. The best part of living in a global community is the easy access to restaurants from different countries. Ever been to The Quartier Latin in Paris? Its unassumingly hip demeanor permeates its surroundings. People sit back to back in little restaurants, and greeters welcome more customers to join in. You feel completely global, fitting in with everybody else. In the UAE, a visit to the global village or a walk to the souk gives that same feeling of oneness.
When I was 18 years old, I had a deep desire to visit new places. I could spend hours gazing at two post cards in my collection- one of the Golden Gate Bridge and the other of pasturelands in New Zealand. I visualized running down the bridge, or singing on the green fields surrounded by bleating wooly lambs. I promised I would see the world after I got married.
Luckily the man I married has a bucket list – with me, his beloved companion – and we have already had many adventures together.
One time there was the horror in France of getting stuck at an unmanned tollgate, with the bar not lifting, and our billet eaten up by machine. There was not a soul in sight, and while we tried to speak broken French to the machine, the other cars drove right through without stopping to help. Finally after 20 grueling minutes, a woman jumped out of her car, unheeding her angry husband, and in a crisp British accent said, ‘I think you folks need help’. She then spoke in proper French and got us to reverse into another slot. We fed the exact change into it, and voila the bar opened and we drove to freedom. I could have sworn that woman who helped us was an angel.
Another time we were driving from Fussen to the Munich Airport, on a singularly narrow country road, when we were caught behind a slow moving farm truck that prevented us from over taking. The tension was unbearable, and we miraculously, in the nick of time, caught our flight to Abu Dhabi.
In Paris, the car rental service gave us a French GPS and we couldn’t convert the instruction into English. When we asked for someone for help, the man hurried off, possibly because the infrequent traveller considers anyone who looks different from him a threat.
In Greece, a young gypsy girl thrust a rose into each of our hands very sweetly and then demanded four euros from us for each of the roses. I thought they were gifts for having dined at the restaurant, and when I refused to give her money, she became angry. We quickly handed her the money and left.
But in spite of all the petty misadventures, the holidays were always perfect, and brought us many wonderful memories.
Written by: Marien Oomen
