2016 has been a year of firsts too, First; pisco sour (new fave), First; 100k bike ride (wont be the last). First; solo flight? When the question is Dubai for the weekend? The answer is FUCK YES. Herefollows some more firsts from my First; Second, third, fourth date abroad.
First; Dubai, baby!
First; time I completely ignored my parents.
I have not been an unruly daughter.... OK! FINE. There was one incident with a bottle of ouzo.. and a hospital (not hospital First referred to above), but other than that, I'm very close to the rents. I tell them everything, have sought their council often and taken on board their sage advice mostly. Dubai was not a good idea in their minds, As a single woman in a Muslim country there are cultural differences which I too take umbridge with. But I wanted to experience them for myself. I trusted in the circumstances. And I learnt, somewhat smugly, that I should trust my instincts, my character and my sense of adventure to take me where I want to go. Travel/ risk taking builds confidence and allows you to just please yourself sometimes. Alone in airports you can be totally selfish. If you're a pro at airport admin you don't have to wait for fellow idiot travellers who, even if they walked through security scanners in their birthday suit, will still get bloody stopped. You can eat where you like, browse what you like, saunter to the gate when you like. Dream.
First; time I had a conversation with a fellow (airline) passenger.
Mr Yusef, Somali economist and bananaman, sat next to me on my outbound flight, he pointed out that we were both reading the FT. We ordered G&Ts, talked economics, brexit, wars in our home countries and watched how to be single, he loved Rebel Wilson. Later he looked at me and said, I have never met a girl like you and I said id never met a bananaman from Somalia. He said we are the same though arent we? I was inclined to agree. I feel more like a global citizen now. We have so much in common if only we would look to find it rather than focusing on our differences. In the majority humans are inherently kind and friendly and what you can learn from listening to their stories is invaluable.
First: Time I lost half my bodyweight in sweat and didn't get a medal for it
In 45 degree heat covering up is not ideal, but Dubai old town was worth sweating like David Cameron post Brexit. After local food we wondered the quiet streets, through the souks, into empty courtyards, past the rows of boats where the middle eastern traders threw wares onto the docs. There were very few women on the streets and there were stares, but I never felt unsafe. The people are friendly and helpful. Although if you get into a cab, expect to experience a cheeky accidental tour if you're not very specific with the driver. If he tells you about his wife back in Pakistan, who doesn't know about his second wife in Dubai, don't tip him. We hopped onto a water taxi and the breeze brought a little relief from the heat in the air and the roaring boat engine, no one seemed to care much when we careered head on into another boat. The neon lights of the skyscrapers on the water that evening were beautiful. Dubai is full of incredible sights, the crazy juxtaposition of western and Arabic culture and architecture makes it feel like you're living in two cities. What I love about travelling is getting out of your comfort zone and living a different way of life for a while. Bonus First: ice cold sweet melon juice to accompany culture/ language clash storytelling about Asians v brits on a conference call.. hero?herro?hero?herooo?
First:time I've been intimidated by an all you can eat buffet
Friday (effective Saturday in Dubai) brunches, I learned, are an institution. They take place in some of the beautiful five star hotels, as they're the places that have alcohol licences. Its like being in Harrods food hall, but you can have whatever you like for free*. We're talking food from every continent, at five star standards, incredible. I gave it my best Greek appetite but mostly I just drank in the Expat cocktail of One part Aussie, Two parts Brit, Two parts American, Two parts Scot, A slither of Irish and shaken over a Russian, and about 5 Mojitos. *Cost of brunch declared as "half a boat" - Scottish wit as dry as the Dubai desert and off we go to an Irish bar, obviously. The most important
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| mojitos for days |
First; time I drove a boat.
OK second time, but this one was faster! In my brunch hungover state and in all true KazakosHype style, I knew exactly what I was doing. Out on the water with the sun setting over the city skyline I just picked a point on the horizon and went full gas. That's what travel is all about, give it onehundy and it will give it back.
Next First; 24 hours in Paris.
