Familiar and new in Dubai

“Some of the world is still available,” said the guide on the London bus as we drove along the coastal road. Good to know if you have a few million dollars to spare. Of course, she was talking about “The World”, a set of artificial islands being built off the coast of Dubai, and the “London bus” had air conditioning. Nevertheless it reminded me of my daily trip to school in South Croydon, on the 403 bus. I felt even more at home when I discovered that I could go to Marks and Spencer and buy my favourite non-iron, light blue shirt, size 15 .

On arriving I did what I always try to do when I travel and took a walk in the area around the hotel. It didn’t take too long for me to realize that this was not such a good idea. I had imagined a quiet stroll towards the beach with a view of the famous hotel shaped like a sailing boat that I had seen in so many pictures. The first shock was that on leaving the hotel lobby my glasses misted up and I broke into an immediate sweat – not surprising when it’s 45° C with 80 per cent humidity.

At breakfast I realized how deceptive these international hotels are. I was comforted to see a familiar breakfast buffet. Only when I took a closer look did I notice that the milk I was about to pour on my muesli was camel’s milk. It looked the same as “normal” milk but tasted very different. Other reminders of the fact that I was somewhere else were the arrow pointing to Mecca next to the high-tech telephone on my desk and a prayer room between the meeting rooms used by international companies.

I had lunch in the newly built Raffles, modelled on the famous colonial hotel in Singapore. I enjoyed Chinese food with Dutch beer and an Italian espresso together with a magnificent view of an Egyptian pyramid and a Greek temple. The participants in the course I was running in “Internet City” were also very diverse. When I asked them where they originally came from the first manager said, “I’m from Iraq – I used to be in the air force.” The next replied, “I’m from Pakistan – that’s the next country you’re going to invade.” After that I hesitated to ask.