Home Sweet Home

After one and a half years, I came back to the UAE the previous Saturday morning.

I guess you can call me a snob, but I like travelling in 'Ish-style'. So I always prefer Emirates. This time, however, I felt the need to be responsible as my parents now live in Ajman (Another emirate of the UAE) and not in Dubai anymore. So the nearest airport would be Sharjah and the flights would be limited to Air Arabia.

Air Arabia is a budget airplane. I booked the tickets with trepidation, consoling myself that it would be a red-eye flight and hence would be more concerned about sleep rather than food and entertainment during the actual flight. And I was right. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. But I also found out why people prefer Air Arabia. The seats are bigger and there's more leg room. Since it's a night flight, you dont spend the extra money on food. You do have to pay for your own blankets though. Another plus point: Sharjah Airport is much smaller as compared to Dubai Airport. You really don't have to walk that much to get to the exits.

My home place hasn't changed all that much since I last left. Yes, there are more malls. Speaking of which, I went to Dubai Mall, the day I landed, with my sister, brother in law and my mother. Dubai Mall, is supposed to be one of the Gulf's biggest malls, but I didn't really take it to heart. 'How big can it be?' were my thoughts. I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore.

But I was wrong. Dubai Mall is HUGELY big. I was tired after I finally got back. And we hadn't even covered 25% of the mall!

Anyways, I felt like a country bumpkin that day because a lot of things have changed from my day. The information screens, which were placed at strategic points all over the place, were touch screens. Touch and you'll find where you need to go. Touch and you'll find a list of shops that you're interested in. The restrooms- well, I've seen sensor taps before. They're common in India too. But I was a lil surprised to see sensor flushes. You place your hand over a screen once you're done and it automatically takes care of cleaning as long as your hand is still on the sensor. This looked so much more cooler than the multi functional toilets back in Korea.

Ok, enough about toilets!

There were shops that I had only heard of in books and movies: Bloomingdales, Ralph Lauren FOR KIDS (Yes, you read right!!), Tiffany's, House of Graff... The jewellery on display was especially amazing, though kind of depressing because I knew I couldn't afford a single piece.

We visited a small-scale aquarium. Even though it was small sized, it still looked remarkable. There were sharks as well as manta ray among other giant-sized fish. And I know that these are all artificially enhanced containers, but aquariums have this connection with nature that can take your breath away. :)

A few of my girl friends think I'm slightly off but I like electronics stores just as much as the next guy. It's always fascinating to see how technology keeps advancing with the blink of an eye and you should always keep abreast of it, I think. My bro-in-law loves gadgets too. So he and I spent a considerable amount of time at a particular electronics gallery, ooh-ing and aah-ing (guy style, of course) over some, while comparing prices of others. My sis and mom were waiting impatiently outside. 'What took you so long?' my sis demanded after we were done. I couldn't help supress a smile.

Anyways, this one mall was a surprise for me, with all its Ice Rink, Water Fountain, Gold Souks and all.

I'm going to Dubai again tomorrow. I hope to be pleasantly surprised again! :)