Al-khajoor and suchlike
So I decided to finally go for a trip to UAE a while back. I'm back now. Fatter.
But a fun trip, I would say.
It's interesting to notice the difference in culture, landscape and people in general, within a couple of hours of travel. Like those Arab gentlemen at the immigration desk of Dubai airport. Snotty lot. Come to think of it: their cockiness may be justified to a great extent -- there are just too many of us (/people who look like us/people from the Indian subcontinent) in their country. The figure is intimidating. Therefore an immigration desk seems to be an ideal place for them to vent out their angst. Those four or five minutes is their little revenge. Throughout my time in the UAE I observed this snottiness in Arabs in general. For example, if you accidentally bump into them (or somehow if an 'excuse-me-situation' arises) they'll not utter a single word. I wonder if there's an equivalent of 'excuse-me/sorry' in Arab dictionary. Probably, a typical interaction in the moral science class of an Arab school might be like: Teacher: So Majid, tell me, what do you do when you bump into someone, or someone bumps into you accidentally? Majid: Umm, I don't know m'am, hit him/her? or tell dad to arrange for hundred lashes for them? Teacher: No Majid, that's rude! You'll just give him/her 'the look'. Or if s/he is saying 'sorry or excuse me', then turn your face away and walk-on. Aside to the twisted Arabs, one of the best things was good food in abundance. I got to sample a Turkish delight, awesome Afghani cuisine and mouth-watering Pakistani food. All thanks to my cousins and cousins-in-law.
Apart from the family ties, I guess, food would be the only other motivation for which I can visit UAE again.