The day started off really early 4 am. I wanted to make sure I gave myself extra time just in case. We were flying to Abu Dhabi (which is in the U.A.E. second largest city next to Dubai.) The crew had never flown for work before and we were checking in a lot of equipment. Loading in Bahrain went without a hitch. The problems started when we got to Dubai. Im not sure why...but the guys Manoj and Saji didn't have their visas. I thought they had stamped in their passport but apparently someone screwed up. Since the buck stops with me...ultimately its my responsibility. A wave of panic went up for just a moment. The guys might be stuck in the airport for two days while I had to hoof the equipment and operate two cameras and conduct interviews myself. Its something I could do and have done before, but its not very impressive to an important new client you are trying to win over. I put my American passport and salesmanship in action. Its amazing how much power/crediblity, my American passport will get me. I was friendly, joking, and since the guys were with me, they allowed a temporary visitor visa. Whew...just $50 USD. Moments of prayerful panic really do work.
Im here to help drown out misconceptions of the Middle East. Well, i had my own mis conceptions that needed fixing. I was absolutely amazed at Dubai. Its an incredibly modern city. I knew it was nice...but not this nice. i had only seen it previously from the airport point of view. It is absolutely gorgeous. They call it the Paris of the Middle East, i can see why. There is so much wealth here. Its very very similar to New York, only with cooler Arabian nouveau architecture. Like any big city, its getting to be quite expensive and the traffic is a nightmare. I didn't see a lot of Thobes (Arabic robes for me) Gutras (Male head piece) or Abayas (Black robes for women) or Veils. Its a very progressive country.
We got down to Abu Dhabi which is about two hours south of Dubai. That is an incredibly beautiful and modern city as well. i thing they are rivals with each other locally, a little like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Each tries to out do the other. This is the first business trip for either Manoj or Saji. They were excited but still a little bit awestruck and i think intimidated. They took pictures out of the plane window with their camera phone to show to relatives back home. We got to the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi and it looked just like it sounded, absolutely magnificent. I just walked inside the majestic hall and my jaw just dropped. They try to make hotels like this in Vegas, but this was the real deal. They must have spent hundreds of millions (even with the cheap labor) building this thing. Its almost as if they were trying to tell their brethren to the North (Dubai) Anything you can do, we can do better. The hotel was located on the beach (Persian Gulf) so the setting was quite stunning and romantic. If only I had a girl...but I was working. We met with the coordinators of the event and mapped out a plan. This was a social event for the heavy hitters of the oil industry. These guys represented soooooo much money. There were about 400 of the power players there. So it was first first class all the way. What is amazing it was put together by a very impressive guy, named Mohammed (Mo) Loch, and he is only 26. If you look at him he looks as white as I do, but he's Egyptian. That's the thing about Arabs, they come in all types of shapes, sizes and colors. It really forces you to not stereotype just on appearance. Mo had contracted with entertainment company from Dubailand (Like Disneyland). There were flame jugglers, Cirque De Soleil Artists floating in the air suspended by curtains, Belly Dancers, flame throwers and fireworks. He spent big bucks on impressing the elite crowd and they were impressed.
After the show, we went back to the hotel in Dubai. We got booked at a place called the Moscow Hotel. We got in really late around 12A, so we had been up for nearly 20 hours. We heard the saying that most people love to hear when they check into a hotel. "Im sorry sir, we ran out of rooms, would you mind if we upgraded you to a suite?" Um....no. This was a really nice place. I was especially happy for my crew. They had probably never been in a place like this before. We went for a bite to eat at the coffee shop and we were all exhausted. Then all of a sudden we were surrounded by these beautiful Russian women in the restaurant. Maybe I have been single for two long. But I couldn't do anything because they were all in a group with other men. But I was amazed how many beautiful people there were in such a short proximity in The Middle East no less. After dinner we went to our rooms, and I saw a sign on the elevator. Something like the Bolshoi performance group. They were all actresses and actors in stage/music revue. No wonder there was such a concentration of Beautiful people. I was thinking for a while there to ask God to change my calling Dubai.
Got to room and it was amazing. I felt very spoiled, pampered and blessed. It sucks that I had to enjoy it alone, but for this season in my life that is what Im called to do. Im trying to put in a good word with God to make this season alone kind of short. But even if I am alone, he'll grant me the strength to endure. Its a funny thing since my divorce. Usually the more people that surround me, the more lonely i become. I guess I just miss that emotional intimacy. But if I have to be alone, being in a suite in the Moscow Hotel is the way to go. Manoj and Saji were so excited, i don't think they slept at all. They wanted to enjoy the experience of being a cool country in a lush hotel. We were the envy of the office when we got back.
I also had a bit a good news. I was able to get my internet working just enough so i could download messages. Nader, my boss had approved my request for an advance. I decided on an apartment in a little area called Juffair. It is primarily American with Dairy Queens, Quizno's, Friday's, Chili's, Pizza Hut etc... There is also a pretty large U.S. Navy Base. They call the place little America. Its pricey as i mentioned earlier, so for a three bedroom apartment it runs $2250 month. That's pricey even for U.S. standards but outrageous for here. There are simply not enough other options available. Most everywhere is full and they have at least a hundred skyrise type apartment/office buildings currently under construction. They just can't meet the demand fast enough. But because of the transient nature of expats (expatriates, what they call foreign professionals) they want three months in advance. Coming up with $6600 cash within a week is a little bit of a challenge. So I said a little prayer and voila. God comes through. So im out of my fleabag....wait...spoiled American still talking...im out of my less than desirable for a spoiled American's residential palate and onto something more comfortable on Sunday. Woo-hoo.
Rick
No comments:
Post a Comment