Waking up in a strange city
To awaken quite alone in a strange city is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world sometimes. I feel surrounded by a sense of adventure even within the four corners of my own hotel room. Maybe it is just the sexy combination of sisha and cocktails I had last night that has disillusioned me. Hehehe...
Anyways...
I arrived in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, grabbed a taxi and checked into Crowne Plaza Hotel which is near to the airport. I was fortunate that a fellow blogger and chatter friend Sage was able to help me get a very good corporate rate for the hotel I am staying. It is pretty expensive to get a decent roof over your head and a comfortable bed to sleep in this city. In Kuala Lumpur you can get a standard room in Crowne Plaza Hotel for almost three times less.
I rested for a few hours catching some forty winks until afternoon - to make it up for the seven hours of close to sleepless journey from KL to Dubai on Emirates Air. Try sleeping sitting up and not having much leg room. I’m short legged and I felt like that already. Just imagine those with long legs - I think I'm blessed in situations like these. If you're not, my advice is to fly Malaysian Airlines, they have more leg room and better in flight food.
Cutie Pie called me to confirm that she would be coming by the hotel in the evening. While waiting for her, I managed to visit Dubai Kartdrome and layan lap for 15 minutes of kart lap driving on the track. The 1.2 km circuit at the Kartdrome has 17 corners to test driver's skills. To add to my excitement, the track has a tunnel and bridge. That was exhilirating but pretty expensive - cost me Dh100 - way to experience the thrills of my favorite motor racing. Just like avid golfers do, go karters wanna try out new tracks in a new place too. Not that I raced very often at my home track at Shah Alam City Karting Circuit nowadays. Too busy...
I was so glad to see Cutie Pie when she came to join me in Dubai, having driven two hours from Abu Dhabi yesterday evening. Cutie Pie is a chatter friend who hails from Singapore and works in Abu Dhabi with her father.
Sage who is staying at Villa Rotana Suites sent his driver to fetch us at our hotel and we fetched him en route. Our hotels are located on the same long stretch of street called Sheikh Zayed Road. Traffic was horrendous – took us more than half hour to get to Sofitel Hotel Apartments in Deira that is just a few kilometers far. Next time I swear about the traffic in Kuala Lumpur, I’ll remember the traffic in Dubai’s Deira area. There we fetched Baa Baa Black Sheep, a good old friend whom I have not seen for a long, long time. We attended prep school together before Baa Baa Black Sheep works in a Dubai based Malaysian company supplying systems to telecommunications companies in Dubai.
Funny that Baa Baaa Black Sheep and I hardly took the trouble to meet when we were home in Kuala Lumpur. Yet we take the trouble to meet now that we’re far away from home. I suppose being in a strange city creates such urgency for people to meet people whom they know.
Baa Baa Black Sheep took us all for dinner at a harbor looking seafront restaurant in Deira called Qd’s. Dinner was alright. But having used to really good food in KL, I tend to rate food by comparing with Kuala Lumpur which is a culinary heaven to me. However, having such great company amidst good ambience compensates, particularly after smoking that apple flavored sisha. Hehehe…
After dinner we hopped over to Jules Bar at Le Meridien for some live music. Don’t ask me what street it is on, I didn’t do that well in geography at school. Cover charge is Dh60 - double of what you pay to get into a club in KL – but here you get two drinks. I ordered my favorite, Pina Colada – two of them. Hehehe…
The Filipino band (forgot what they’re called) was pretty good – very versatile and hilarious too. Would have loved to stay longer at Jules Bar if not for the desert safari Cutie Pie and I are taking this afternoon. I really am looking forward to my adventure in the desert...
Anyways...
I arrived in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, grabbed a taxi and checked into Crowne Plaza Hotel which is near to the airport. I was fortunate that a fellow blogger and chatter friend Sage was able to help me get a very good corporate rate for the hotel I am staying. It is pretty expensive to get a decent roof over your head and a comfortable bed to sleep in this city. In Kuala Lumpur you can get a standard room in Crowne Plaza Hotel for almost three times less.
I rested for a few hours catching some forty winks until afternoon - to make it up for the seven hours of close to sleepless journey from KL to Dubai on Emirates Air. Try sleeping sitting up and not having much leg room. I’m short legged and I felt like that already. Just imagine those with long legs - I think I'm blessed in situations like these. If you're not, my advice is to fly Malaysian Airlines, they have more leg room and better in flight food.
Cutie Pie called me to confirm that she would be coming by the hotel in the evening. While waiting for her, I managed to visit Dubai Kartdrome and layan lap for 15 minutes of kart lap driving on the track. The 1.2 km circuit at the Kartdrome has 17 corners to test driver's skills. To add to my excitement, the track has a tunnel and bridge. That was exhilirating but pretty expensive - cost me Dh100 - way to experience the thrills of my favorite motor racing. Just like avid golfers do, go karters wanna try out new tracks in a new place too. Not that I raced very often at my home track at Shah Alam City Karting Circuit nowadays. Too busy...
I was so glad to see Cutie Pie when she came to join me in Dubai, having driven two hours from Abu Dhabi yesterday evening. Cutie Pie is a chatter friend who hails from Singapore and works in Abu Dhabi with her father.
Sage who is staying at Villa Rotana Suites sent his driver to fetch us at our hotel and we fetched him en route. Our hotels are located on the same long stretch of street called Sheikh Zayed Road. Traffic was horrendous – took us more than half hour to get to Sofitel Hotel Apartments in Deira that is just a few kilometers far. Next time I swear about the traffic in Kuala Lumpur, I’ll remember the traffic in Dubai’s Deira area. There we fetched Baa Baa Black Sheep, a good old friend whom I have not seen for a long, long time. We attended prep school together before Baa Baa Black Sheep works in a Dubai based Malaysian company supplying systems to telecommunications companies in Dubai.
Funny that Baa Baaa Black Sheep and I hardly took the trouble to meet when we were home in Kuala Lumpur. Yet we take the trouble to meet now that we’re far away from home. I suppose being in a strange city creates such urgency for people to meet people whom they know.
Baa Baa Black Sheep took us all for dinner at a harbor looking seafront restaurant in Deira called Qd’s. Dinner was alright. But having used to really good food in KL, I tend to rate food by comparing with Kuala Lumpur which is a culinary heaven to me. However, having such great company amidst good ambience compensates, particularly after smoking that apple flavored sisha. Hehehe…
After dinner we hopped over to Jules Bar at Le Meridien for some live music. Don’t ask me what street it is on, I didn’t do that well in geography at school. Cover charge is Dh60 - double of what you pay to get into a club in KL – but here you get two drinks. I ordered my favorite, Pina Colada – two of them. Hehehe…
The Filipino band (forgot what they’re called) was pretty good – very versatile and hilarious too. Would have loved to stay longer at Jules Bar if not for the desert safari Cutie Pie and I are taking this afternoon. I really am looking forward to my adventure in the desert...
posted by Penglipur Lara at
5:33 AM
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