Caliban – Opinion and Righteous Anger

We’re back at home in Amsterdam, after arriving early yesterday morning.

To round off our travelogue, I should tell you about our last day in the UAE.

We began Monday with a nice lie-in, since it was our last morning and we wanted to make full use of the noontide check-out and the beautiful, unobscured views from our suite. We’d been told there was even a chance of a late check-out, but in the end that didn’t materialise.

And so we were packed and out of the room by noon. To the Burj’s credit, we were encouraged to continue to make use of any and all of the hotel’s facilities for as long as we wanted, including Wild Wadi if we so desired.

We paid our bill (ouch!) and our bags were wheeled away to be stored until later in the day.

We had a 12:30 reservation at the Al Mahara restaurant down in the bowels of the Burj. Reservations up to a month in advance are required for this restaurant and being a guest at the hotel is no guarantee of getting in, so we were glad we had availed ourselves of the situation and reserved our table some weeks earlier.

Unfortunately, the submarine lift that takes you to the restaurant was broken (and had been for a month already, due to the difficulty involved in obtaining the correct replacement part), so we weren’t able to enjoy that part of the experience. Instead, we took a normal lift down.

The lift, by the way, has a couple of hotel staff manning desks next to it. They deal with reservation requests and welcome diners to the restaurant, the effect of which is that you can’t just waltz in and take the lift to the restaurant for a look around; you have to have a reservation before they’ll even let you enter the lift.

Down below, a short walk leads past a bar and into the restaurant, where a gigantic oval aquarium fills most of the available space, with the dining tables positioned in a loop around the edge The aquarium reaches all the way from the floor to the ceiling and is a living work of art. It’s huge, spotlessly clean, populated by all manner of tropical fish — including a couple of sharks — and obviously flawlessly and lovingly maintained.

As we entered the restaurant, a diver was feeding the fish. It was an incongruous sight to see a man fully emerged in a gigantic tank in the middle of a restaurant.

The menu was surprisingly small: a few set meals, a couple of signature dishes, private label caviar and that was about it.

Since the signature dishes were both lobster, of which neither of us is a fan, we went for set menus. I had tuna and duck, while Sarah plumped for Dover sole. As we waited for the appetisers to arrive, I took a couple of photos, but was then asked to stop. During our meal, other customers went to take photos and were similarly politely asked to refrain.

The food was excellent, but I actually preferred the lunch I had had the day before, in Al Muntaha. The prices were actually very similar.

Dessert, on the other hand, was out of this world. I had the mango crème brûlée, whilst Sarah had the unusual chocolate sphere. The serving of the latter dish was very impressive.

First, the plate containing the sphere of chocolate was placed in front of Sarah. It was literally a ball of chocolate. Then, the waitress poured hot chocolate sauce over the top of it, at which point the top half of the sphere melted away to reveal a small amount of mousse and raspberries inside. The effect was very impressive and added to the mouthwatering appeal of the food.

The chef at Al Mahara is obviously highly skilled, and there were some interesting and adventurous creations that blurred the border between sweet and savoury. What to think of blue crab milkshakes? And my mango crème brûlée came with curry ice-cream, which was genuinely spicy. I’ve never tasted anything like it.

Lunch lasted nearly two hours. It was the most expensive meal we’ve ever had and neither of us drank any alcohol, which could easily send you spiralling into ruination.

Afterwards, we went to the children’s play area at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel opposite the Burj and relaxed while Eloïse climbed and ran around.

When she grew tired, we went for a walk along the circular path that surrounds the small man-made island on which the Burj is perched. This takes you past the swimming pools and sunbathing area. We sat down on a couple of sun beds and, before we knew it, a waiter turned up with complimentary Evian facial sprays, lavendar water, cold flannels and a couple of bottles of mineral water.

It’s the little touches like that that make you appreciate staying at such a luxury hotel. You’re paying for every last perk, of course, but because so many of the little touches are unpredictable and unexpected, they still come as a nice surprise and make you feel that you’re getting something you hadn’t bargained for. And, once you’ve enjoyed a few hot and cold flannels at moments when you really appreciate them, you start to desire them. And so it is that one quickly becomes accustomed to luxury.

The three of us fell asleep there at the water’s edge, looking out over Palm Jumeirah and the beachfront. At moments like that, you thank your lucky stars for what life has given you and remind yourself never to take anything for granted, even for a moment.

Once we awoke, we took a taxi back to the Mall of the Emirates. I wanted to return the compact flash card I’d bought the day before, as it had turned out that I hadn’t got the great deal that I had thought I had.

With that out of the way, we had dinner at the mall and then talked to a real estate agent about property on Palm Jumeirah, just to find out a little bit about the market and how it operates in this part of the world.

Then, it was back to the Burj to collect our bags. Again, the hotel proved how slick it can be. I gave the concierge our luggage ticket and expected our bags to be wheeled out in due course. Instead, a few minutes passed and then I was informed that a taxi containing all of our luggage was now waiting outside for us. Impressive.

As we went outside and surveyed our bags, I wondered how on earth we were ever going to get this lot onto the plane. Even the bags we intended to take on as hand luggage seemed they would be impossible to juggle with a baby and a car seat.

On the way to the airport, I quizzed our taxi driver about living in Dubai. He noted the disadvantages, but then raved in appreciation of all the good things the city has to offer. The enthusiasm people have for the city is contagious. It’s big, bold, shamelessly confident and bustling like nowhere else I’ve ever been or seen. Dreams are big here. Who else would build a ski slope in the desert? If any city’s star is rising, it’s Dubai’s.

At the airport, we paid our taxi driver and were swooped upon by a porter, who somehow managed to pile all of our bags onto a single large trolley, tilt it at an angle, and proceed at speed through the airport towards the check-in desks.

There, it was confirmed to us that our bags were considerably overweight, weighed down as they were with oils, perfumes, (frank)incense and burners, a new camera, CDs, a Persian carpet, luxury toiletries from the Burj’s bathroom, etc. We’d weighed everything on our scales that morning and knew that excess luggage fees were a real danger, but there was little we could do.

Happily, I was offered the option of paying for the excess, which was only charged at half-rate anyway, with KLM Flying Blue points, so we didn’t have to part with any cash. Our carry-on bags were loaded with as much heavy stuff as we could cram into them, so we were getting off quite lightly, as I’m sure those were over the official weight limits, too.

Dubai truly never sleeps and the airport is at its busiest around 01:00. Airports in other cities are all but deserted at this time, but here, it’s more alive than at any other time of day. A buggy driver spotted us and gestured to us to come aboard. We were scooted from one end of the terminal to the other, our baby seat and baby buggy trailing on two wheels behind us.

The duty-free area was like a city bazar. It was already midnight and even the post-office was still open. The airport was packed with people of every conceivable nationality.

We proceeded to our gate and then I doubled back to visit the duty-free shops on the floor below, where I bought a few more CDs (which Sarah doesn’t know about — she’ll doubtless have something to say on the matter when she reads this).

We finally boarded the plane around 01:00 GST. Soon after take-off, Eloïse fell asleep. Thank God; she had been really melting down in the half hour prior to boarding. 01:30 really is no time to fly with a not quite yet two year old, but the only other choice would have meant getting out of bed at some obscene hour.

Sarah and I fell asleep during the flight, too. The landing came at around 05:40 CET, after a flight lasting some 6.5 hours. It’s a slightly implausible sight to see yourself flying over Iraq on the flight tracking screen, knowing what kind of chaos the land below you is suffering.

Amsterdam was cold as we disembarked. Our luggage came through instantaneously and we donned our best poker face for the stroll through customs’ ‘nothing to declare’ channel.

A similarly large taxi brought us to our front door, but at a vastly higher fare than any Emirati taxi ride would cost. You could probably get from Dubai to the border with Oman for the same price.

And then we were home. We crashed for another few hours in our own bed and then got up and went for bagels and juices to ease ourselves back into the 7°C and decidedly unsunny climate.

In the afternoon, we took an almost dead car (battery <10% charged) to the supermarket to stock up on provisions and then relaxed in front of the TV. Eloïse was very happy to be reunited with her toys and books.

Last time we went away for a prolonged period, the sight of a dead mouse welcomed us home. This time, a very much alive rodent scurried across the floor of the sitting room at one point during the evening. When the cat’s away, the mice really do seem to play in this house. We’re going to have to catch the little blighter and set him free.

We’re already mostly back in the domestic groove. The post has been sorted, appointments have been made and contact reestablished with friends. I hope to get started very soon on putting our photos on-line.

This morning, we unfurled our new Persian carpet after moving our couch out of the way. It took about an hour to move the furniture, roll up the old carpet, hoover the floor and unroll the new carpet, but what a reward! We really love this new carpet and it’s a heartwarming bonus to have bought it whilst travelling. Every time we look at it, we’re reminded of our wonderful Arabian adventure and of Abu Dhabi in particular.

The same goes for the frankincense that is now wafting into my nostrils from the other room as I type this entry. What a wonderfully exotic scent. As I breathe in the delicious vapours, I’m instantly transported back to the souq of Salalah and the ring-nosed Dhofari women are once again right before my eyes.

This is a trip we’ll never forget.

No haze this morning, so the day welcomed us with fabulously sunny views over the Jumeirah beach and Palm Jumeirah.

What a shame we have to check out of our place. 24 hours from now, we’ll be back in Amsterdam.

With no special activities on the list today, we started with a bit of a lie-in. By the time we got up, we decided we should have only a light breakfast, since we had a lunch reservation in the Burj Al Arab’s Al Muntaha restaurant.

So, we headed down to the beach area by buggy and found a nice continental breakfast buffet for a reasonable price. The setting was idyllic, outside by the water. The temperature was lovely and cool, too. A helicopter fired up its engines and we say it lift off and fly away from the Burj’s helipad. What a way to get around town. Talk about leaving and arriving in style.

Afterwards, Sarah took Eloïse to a nearby playing area, while I went back to the hotel to do a spot of on-line research. Our trusty Minolta A2 camera started having electronic viewfinder problems yesterday and looks like it’s on the decline. We wanted to take advantage of being in the UAE to pick up a reasonably priced alternative, so that necessitated some on-line research prior to visiting any shops.

Sarah returned at about 12:30 and we began to prepare for lunch. At 13:00, up we went to the 27th floor, where a window table enabled us to look out over the water. The view was still partially obscured by the haze, but it was still spectacular.

The food was amazing, too: easily the best meal of this holiday and one of the best I’ve ever eaten anywhere. I had the Wagyu beef filet and Sarah had the sea bass. I noticed that the children’s menu even featured Wagyu hamburgers.

Eloïse shocked both us and the restaurant staff by biting a chunk out of her water glass. Amazingly, she wasn’t hurt, and the one large piece of glass and several smaller shards fell onto her lap or the baby seat on which she was perched. We wonder if the glass already had a hairline fracture, as nothing like this has ever happened before. Whatever the reason, we’ll be trying to give her exclusively plastic cups from now on, or a straw to drink through at the very least.

I got back down to the room before Sarah, who left when Eloïse started to tire of sitting in one spot. The floor manager (each floor has its own) handed me computer-printed copies of De Volkskrant and even De Telegraaf, the latter of which I hadn’t requested. No Boston Globe for Sarah, unfortunately. I was also given a complimentary copy of the Burj Al Arab DVD I wrote about yesterday, by way of an apology for the inconvenience associated with the newspapers.

I discovered why the laptop can’t print: in their zeal to upgrade all of the computers to Vista, they either overlooked or deemed unimportant the fact that the new version of Windows doesn’t have a driver for their custom fax/printer device. I had to get a member of the IT staff to print an important e-mail for me, which contained important camera shopping advice from my good friend, Peter.

Armed with that sheet of paper, we all piled into a taxi and went to the Mall of the Emirates to see what was on offer. Peter had recommended the Canon 400D to me, but he called it by the North American market name of Rebel XTi, so when it came to looking around the shops in the mall, I thought that no-one carried it.

From the models that were on sale there, I quickly decided the 400D was the one that suited our needs and the budget we wanted to spend, so that’s what we came home with. Only back at the hotel did I discover via Google that this was, in fact, the very same camera that Peter had recommended.

I purchased a UV filter and circular polariser to go with the camera, along with a 16 Gb CF card. That ought to provide all the storage we need for our future trips.

With the bulk of our purchases mounting up, we decided we had better buy another case in which to lug all of this stuff home. Accordingly, another case was acquired.

We had dinner at the mall, as none of us had the energy or inclination to seek out anything more sublime. The food was actually good, in any case.

The queue for taxis was very long. As we filed along, getting ever nearer to pole position, I noticed another yellow Lamborghini (why are they always yellow?) and a rather nice V10 Audi S8, the first I’ve seen.

The queue of cars at the Fuck Off Centre was very long, as each of which had to have its occupants justify their attempt to enter the hallowed grounds of the Burj. Eventually, we were back at the hotel and able to dump our stuff in the room.

All in all, today more than made up for the many times we visited a mall during this trip and left empty-handed. Shopping in Dubai is such an integral part of experiencing the city that it was fun to indulge for a change, and it’s not like we have no use for the things we bought.

Turn-down service today provided complete his and hers sampler sets of Amouage scents. Very nice. Sarah was also presented with a vase of roses and a cube full of potpourri, in honour of Mother’s Day. For some reason, they gave this to her on the British Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday as it’s known there. Mother’s Day in the UAE (and other Arab countries) isn’t until the 21st of the month.

Soon after we returned to the room, there was a knock at the door and our butler entered with a plate of gourmet chocolates, made in-house by one of the chefs. Mmm. Delicious. What a nice touch. He also brought us the bill for our stay, the only thing so far given to us that we’d rather not have had.

To unwind after a hard day’s shopping, the three of us climbed into the jacuzzi and bubbled away the tension.

Tomorrow signifies the final time we will check out of a hotel on this trip, as we say goodbye to the Burj Al Arab and while away the day to meet our 01:30 flight on Tuesday morning.

Before we know it, we’ll be back in Amsterdam. The current weather forecast for Tuesday is for rain and a high of 6°C. Back to reality, we go. It’s the right time to leave, though, as we’ve done all we came to do and the season is changing. Life here will be impossible soon, as far as we’re concerned.

It’s been an incredible trip: fulfilling, educational, eye-opening, exciting and diverse. The region is full of contrasts and disparate elements that blend in harmony, rather than jar in discord. If only people were as friendly and accepting everywhere.

I’ll doubtless have some reflections to share once the cold light of Amsterdam cements my perspective. For now, I’m going to enjoy my last night in our sumptuous suite and hopefully awaken to a crystal-clear view of Palm Jumeirah in the morning.