Litz ate her chocolate bar like crazy on the plane. Her mood was low and apparently only dark chocolate was able to lift her up enough. She looked around, she was always curious to see what people did while traveling. She knew that entertainment was going to be a huge market in those uncertain times. The plane landed smoothly, luckily. As usual, UAE officers came on the plane before letting people enter the country. Her documents were all fine. A few edgy people wearing Calvin Klein clothes were arrested for deeper investigations. Quite normal, people had become desperate for better living.
She reached the taxi parking and she was glad the first available taxi was a pink car driven by a woman. Feminist movement was a thing in the UAE. She was very happy to be there. Her backpack was heavy that time and it was too late at night to sort out how to get to her apartment in a cheaper way at a decent time.
The woman renting her room was a cool girl from Ubud, Bali. She knew about trendiness. In the UAE men and women were not allowed to colive out of commitment, but Dubai was a fair exception. However, she was strict about rules and had smartly divided the apartment into two halls. Her room was tiny and cool. Plant decor was relaxingly beautiful. There were 12 people in the flat, mostly young women and a few couples from all over the world. She relaxed in the Japanese garden. She quickly noticed a short Asian table and an amaca full of pillows. Little nice lights were put all around the wall. “They would illuminate sober parties”, she thought.
The day after she went straight to the Dubai Mall. She decided to go by metro. It was actually the smart way to travel in the city. To travel in any big city. Suddenly she realized why she usually preferred going by taxi. She realized she had started going by taxi once the metro had become dangerous for women alone. In Dubai there was a cabin for ladies only.
“Is it sexist?”, she kept asking herself. She didn’t feel like she needed any kind of personal protection. However, after spending more than one hour in the mixed cabin at peak hour to reach the other side of the city, she convinced herself that it was more about quality than safety. A lady doesn’t appreciate to smell or, worse, touch sweating bodies. The touch itself with a stranger had become distressing to the contemporary woman in Dubai.
What about looking at yourself in the mirror? Refreshing your make-up? Sleeping? It was surprisingly high the number of women sleeping peacefully on the train, exhausted after long hours of work and maybe childcare.
Once inside Dubai Mall, she chilled out along its spectacular avenues. There were circular halls with design sitting areas for everyone to enjoy the magnificence of the surroundings. Sweet lounge melodies accompanied your walk. Soft and comfortable sofas lied every few meters to let you relax after juggling from a shop to another. Litz took a perspective of the female luxury fashion hall from one of the common sittings. She looked around herself, there were mostly young men sitting. Their spouses were likely trying out some gorgeous pieces of dressing. Under their modest tuniques, UAE women wore expensive outfits. She sometimes looked at their feet to spot the latest trend in mid-sized heels. Cinderella sandals were very common, she noted.
A Greek muslim friend of hers joined in the late afternoon to go dinner out. Litz had met Ifigenia volunteering for a cross-cultural association in Dubai. She wanted to go fast-food, but Litz insisted on a better cuisine. After discussing in front of the big digital shop search panel, they opted for an Indian restaurant. Once sitting at the table, with a breathtaking view on downtown skyscrapers, her attention was taken by a very wealthy Emirate family of 5, eating in front of them. They were wearing the traditional UAE dressing and were eating very composed from different colorful plates. She got inspired to try something different and ordered some smoked fish with tomato sauce served with special spices like cardamom and citrus. The bread was thin and crunchy. The cocktail was fruity and alcohol free.
Her friend luckily was very talkative and kept Litz’ attention high all dinner long. She was very eager to tell the story behind her being in the city. It was quite an adventure. She got along very well with her. She appreciated going around with people who could deeply understand the locals’ mindset. Understanding muslim culture was important to feel comfortable in Dubai oldest neighboorhoods. And Litz hated being restricted to a few places because of safety issues.
– Shall we go?
Litz asked her friend at some point. The restaurant was going to close soon.
– Let’s go to the toilet first.
Agreed.
