Goodbye Dubai - وداعا دبي

And the day has come when we finally leave Dubai to head back home to Mumbai. As we get back to leave, while we are amazed by what this city has achieved in a short period of time, making it a magnet for both investors and tourists alike. 

But the sheen is indeed wearing off a bit - the economic crises a few years back slowed the momentum, and in turn slowed the economy here. Construction activity stalled and employment of overseas workers fell.

But contrary to what one would have expected, the downturn did not have an impact on the Emiratis. Based on what I have seen here, they seem to be quite arrogant in their approach to Asians while they adore white skin!

Inside the Dubai Mall...

Umbrellas in the Dubai Mall...

Inspired by Greco-Roman tiles...

At the Emirates Store in the Dubai Mall...

"If it's not Boeing, I'm not going!"

The Airbus A380 flight simulator...

View of the simulator...

After mall ratting, we now head to the airport...

Our driver was a second generation Pakistani from Peshawar, who insisted on telling us stories about the city - about how corrupt Pakistani politicians stash their cash here in Dubai, all of which goes into the real estate market...

At the Dubai Airport, waiting to head back home. And again this time we are going to be on an Airbus A380 - my fourth A380 flight but this time on Emirates!

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XXV - Conversations Across The Radcliffe...

Ecstatic after spending an hour in the sky, At The Top, we were famished. We made a dash across to the Dubai Mall, and guess what...

We found Le Pain Quotidien, right here...

LPQ as Neeti and I call it, is a Belgian restaurant that we had fallen in love with after we first we visited their branch at Mumbai, BKC's Maker Maxity in September 2013...

Turkish pottery on display at the LPQ...

"Welcome to LPQ"

We were greeted very warmly by a smart young man - a guy from the subcontinent and we were  ushered to our tables...

Cooking pots from all over...

We got into a conversation with the guy. He asked us where we were from and we said India. "I am from Sialkot. My family shifted there from India in 1947" he said in Hindustani.

Conversations with people from across the Radcliffe Line are always difficult, given the difficult history that is intertwined with the lives of most North Indians, like us, whose families were severely impacted by the Partition, and all the shenanigans that those guys have been up to ever since. And I was reminded of the conversation we had with a Pakistani family in Istanbul an year back.

I was determined not to get into anything controversial and have a lovely evening.

But this guy, Faisal, was rather nice. He tried to make a connection as though he had had a blast from the past and treated us like long lost family when Neeti mentioned that her grandparents were from Sialkot. 

Faisal went out of the way to give us those extras. A complimentary dip platter with breads and soups and then we were ready to order...

Ready to order some fishy!

I went in for a grilled salmon with quinoa risotto...

And over the last few years quinoa has been recognised to be a health food - another one of those gifts that the New World has given us. Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Chile, and was cultivated 3000-4000 years ago for consumption in the Lake Titicaca basin of Peru and Bolivia...

And for me, it was a wild mushroom and spicy seafood risotto...

As always, LPQ didn't disappoint, and we felt as though we were back home in Mumbai, sitting in Maker Maxity or in Hiranandani, Powai, enjoying a lovely meal. We felt quite homesick!

But with lovely seafood like this, there is no reason why I shouldn't say "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"...

Burj Khalifa - At The Top...

And today, finally, after playing hide and seek with the Burj Khalifa a number of times, we finally had a date with this beauty today...

After returning from Abu Dhabi, we stopped by at Dubai Mall for some time window-shopping before heading next door to the Burj Khalifa...

The Dubai Fountain...

The fountain show was delayed but we had our tickets for the Burj Khalifa observatory, so we gave the fountains a pass...

Dusk setting in...

Burj Khalifa was designed to be a mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 3 hectares of parkland, the Dubai Mall, and the 12 hectare Burj Khalifa Lake. The concept of the Burj was based on the government's decision to diversify from an oil-based economy to one that is service and tourism based and it was felt that developments like the Burj would catalyse that transition.

Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior completed 5 years later in 2009. The building was opened in 2010. The tower was known as Burj Dubai until its official opening in January 2010. It was renamed in honour of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan;, who had bailed out Dubai in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008.

The building was and still is the tallest building ever constructed.

Visitors gathering to watch the show at the fountains...

Using a selfie stick to grab the Burj...

The camera lens got fogged out...

The Burj Khalifa has two observation decks located at levels 125 and 148 and are branded as "At The Top", making them the highest observations decks in the world. 

Our ride to the top...

We were headed to the deck on level 148. After we picked up our tickets, a concierge escorted us to a dedicated waiting lounge where we were served amazing Arabic coffee with dates and fresh and flaky baklava. After waiting about 20 minutes, we were personally escorted to a dedicated elevator. 

Waiting in the lounge, enjoying coffee, dates flaky and baklava...

The elevator...

And here we are at level 148...

Looking down at glitzy Dubai...

Elegant decor at level 148 - the lounge here was quite understated unlike the rest of Dubai...

Come to think of it there was nothing but dunes of sand around here just about 20 years back...

And then, they went on a construction frenzy...

And 20 years from now, I can bet the landscape will be dramatically different, one way or the other, I don't intend to be prophetic here...

The roads and highways look like slithery snakes finding their way around buildings...

The fountains 555 metres below...

Looking down at Business Bay...

Looking up beyond level 148 - the Burj goes up to level 160...

Heading down...

As we descended, we passed by an exhibit that showcased the construction of Burj Khalifa. The exhibits take you behind the scenes where you can listen to testimonials of the ‘People Behind Burj’, the people who made this architectural and engineering marvel...

As we headed out, thick mist was setting in covering the Burj, giving it a magical feel...