Doha was a nice change of pace from Dubai. Doha is also a rich city (apparently the 2nd highest per capita in the world) and it is enjoying building glory days. Like Dubai, it is surrounded by large glass office buildings with unique modern architecture, with many more are being developed. Doha has also followed the man made island idea with their own, called "the Pearl". There were three things that I especially enjoyed in Doha; the souk market, The Museum of Islamic Art, and corniche. The souk market is a newly developed area that has a number of great restaurants, with outside dining, as well as a section of market type stores. They are not fancy but a true market with local goods. Connecting the shops and the restaurants is a large walkway which reminded me of Europe. It is a wonderful wide place for people to gather and be with friends. What a great design and such an important idea.
The Islamic Museum of Art was designed by I.M. Pei He designed the pyramids at the Louvre among many other wonderful buildings. I highly highly recommend this museum. The museum is filled with a number of amazing and beautiful artifacts but the best part was the building itself. What Pei created on the outside is unique but the inside blew my mind. The geometric shapes used in the ceiling, floors, stairs, and lighting are superb. I truly feel that this is one of the best museums out there and I have seen a lot the past six months.
Finally the corniche is also a truly special place. Corniche translates to boardwalk and in Doha it is a six km walkway that is situated along the beautiful crescent shaped bay. The waterfront is beautiful at night with sparkling buildings. Families, all out walking, fill the corniche in the warm Doha evening.
Doha was a great stop and I look forward to hearing how this new city continues to develop and grow (hopefully in a safe and mindful way).
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Dubai
The question isn't what does Dubai have but rather what do they not have. After spending two full days sightseeing I am amazed by the imagination and ideas that these people have come up with. No matter what the economic situation is they are not finished with the development and building. Looking out on the skyline, all you see are large buildings, all with cranes on top.
I am not a shopper but living here could make anyone become one. A trip to the mall is easily an all day affair and one wouldn't even need to shop. I spent some time in the Emirates Mall home to the famous indoor ski slope. There are a couple of chairlifts a few downhill runs and a place to have fun in the snow for non skiers. They have luge rides, tubing, and areas for people to just play in white stuff that this desert city never sees outside of the mall's walls. Dubai Mall is another mall I visited. That mall has an enormous fish tank, ice skating rink, huge waterfall with metal sculptures of at least 15 men diving, and a ceiling that looked like the sky at night. Outside this mall, at the foot of the newly opened tallest building in the world, is a fantastic fountain show like at the Bellagio in Vegas. This water show put the one in Vegas to shame as it was a lot larger, just as everything is in Dubai.
The ideas are endless in Dubai which explains why there are a number of man made islands; one in clusters like the world. Here islands are selling between 10-100 millions US dollars (only one building currently is built). The other created island is the famed Palm Island. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay on the Palm with some friends. The island is amazing with properties having beachfront property with white sand beaches and crystal blue water.
With the financial crises in Dubai and with the debt they are in, who knows what will happen to this city in the future. Since Dubai is what everyone thinks of with the UAE, (United Arab Emirates,) I don't see rich Abu Dhabi (the capital) letting Dubai fail. Time will tell if Dubai continues their rich spending ways and prospering, or becomes a sad example of a city caught up in the glory days of excessiveness.
I am not a shopper but living here could make anyone become one. A trip to the mall is easily an all day affair and one wouldn't even need to shop. I spent some time in the Emirates Mall home to the famous indoor ski slope. There are a couple of chairlifts a few downhill runs and a place to have fun in the snow for non skiers. They have luge rides, tubing, and areas for people to just play in white stuff that this desert city never sees outside of the mall's walls. Dubai Mall is another mall I visited. That mall has an enormous fish tank, ice skating rink, huge waterfall with metal sculptures of at least 15 men diving, and a ceiling that looked like the sky at night. Outside this mall, at the foot of the newly opened tallest building in the world, is a fantastic fountain show like at the Bellagio in Vegas. This water show put the one in Vegas to shame as it was a lot larger, just as everything is in Dubai.
The ideas are endless in Dubai which explains why there are a number of man made islands; one in clusters like the world. Here islands are selling between 10-100 millions US dollars (only one building currently is built). The other created island is the famed Palm Island. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay on the Palm with some friends. The island is amazing with properties having beachfront property with white sand beaches and crystal blue water.
With the financial crises in Dubai and with the debt they are in, who knows what will happen to this city in the future. Since Dubai is what everyone thinks of with the UAE, (United Arab Emirates,) I don't see rich Abu Dhabi (the capital) letting Dubai fail. Time will tell if Dubai continues their rich spending ways and prospering, or becomes a sad example of a city caught up in the glory days of excessiveness.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Visit to the Taj Mahal
On my last day in Delhi, I decided to take a day trip on my own. No trip to India would be complete without a trip to the Taj Mahal, so I joined a tour bus spending a complete day (6am to 10:30pm) going to the Taj. The Taj was unbelievably exquisite with it's massiveness and the amazing details of inlaid marble and other semi precious stones, which created beautiful designs.
As beautiful as the Taj Mahal is, the trip there was emotionally difficult . The poverty in Agra, where the Taj is located, and areas on the way there, over the 4 hour plus trip, each way, was heart wrenching. I had seen poverty throughout India and in other places but never anything even half as bad as what I passed on this day trip. There were piles of garbage everywhere. In the mounds you would see cows, pigs, dogs, and other animals eating the garbage. They didn't just have a bite, rather they ate lots. I also witnessed little kids climbing through the garbage looking for any food or items to salvage. There was also a great deal of aggressive begging by people who had intentionally been disfigured or manipulated to convince people to give them money. What I saw on this day trip I will never forget. It was such a striking contrast between the exquisite beauty of the Taj Mahal with it's colorful details and the surrounding grey and poverty of the stricken area.
As beautiful as the Taj Mahal is, the trip there was emotionally difficult . The poverty in Agra, where the Taj is located, and areas on the way there, over the 4 hour plus trip, each way, was heart wrenching. I had seen poverty throughout India and in other places but never anything even half as bad as what I passed on this day trip. There were piles of garbage everywhere. In the mounds you would see cows, pigs, dogs, and other animals eating the garbage. They didn't just have a bite, rather they ate lots. I also witnessed little kids climbing through the garbage looking for any food or items to salvage. There was also a great deal of aggressive begging by people who had intentionally been disfigured or manipulated to convince people to give them money. What I saw on this day trip I will never forget. It was such a striking contrast between the exquisite beauty of the Taj Mahal with it's colorful details and the surrounding grey and poverty of the stricken area.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Selling Fruit in India
This trip has been wonderful in many ways. Something that has been very special has been learning about my father's work and seeing him in action. I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know a number of his customers, as well as visiting supermarkets and fruit markets to check out the food. In India the wholesale fruit market is unlike others. I was amazed by the number of full boxes of fruit that men would carry in large baskets on their heads. As one man was transporting fruit on his head to a truck, we stopped and asked him how many kilos he was carrying. At first he said 50 and then said this load seemed heavier, so probably 55. All of the fruit, which is taken from the market to trucks which take it to stores, restaurants, or street stands, is moved in large baskets on people's heads. In other words, there are no machines moving purchased fruit to markets, just human labor.
Another interesting part of the wholesale fruit market was the process of the transaction. So that buyers don't know how many boxes of fruit people are buying, the boxes of fruit for all of the negotiating takes place under a scarf or shirt. Both men have their hands under the piece of fabric and, like a sorority handshake, they use different fingers for the price. Both parties will go back and forth until one slaps both hands to say the deal is accepted. I was a little caught off guard with all of this at first. I had no idea that this was how the negotiations took place until my father explained it. Before he mentioned anything I became puzzled and quite shocked as I saw two men holding hands underneath ones shirt. I was wondering what these men were doing and was this accepted in India. Now I know they were just making a deal on some bananas... yellow ones from India.
Another interesting part of the wholesale fruit market was the process of the transaction. So that buyers don't know how many boxes of fruit people are buying, the boxes of fruit for all of the negotiating takes place under a scarf or shirt. Both men have their hands under the piece of fabric and, like a sorority handshake, they use different fingers for the price. Both parties will go back and forth until one slaps both hands to say the deal is accepted. I was a little caught off guard with all of this at first. I had no idea that this was how the negotiations took place until my father explained it. Before he mentioned anything I became puzzled and quite shocked as I saw two men holding hands underneath ones shirt. I was wondering what these men were doing and was this accepted in India. Now I know they were just making a deal on some bananas... yellow ones from India.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Kite Day in Mumbai
The usual grey of Mumbai it is brightened by rainbow of colors. On a normal day the streets are filled with women wearing beautiful colorful saris. I was fortunate on this day to see the beauty of colors stretch from the streets up to the sky. In this section of India, today is kite day. It is a day where children of all ages stand on their roofs and in the streets and fly colorful kites in celebration. It is amazing to see the masses of people, especially the amount on their roofs, including those in the slums standing on roofs of buildings that are barely standing. The joy and celebration in the Indian people, no matter what their living condition is, is truly amazing and inspiring. This beautiful experience today will remain a colorful snapshot in my head, of the memory of beautiful colors littering the sky and people enjoying life.
Mumbai
As soon as I took one step off the airplane I could feel the continuous buzz around me. Even at 5 in the morning when I exited the airport I could sense how crowded Mumbai and India are. Mumbai is unlike any place that I have ever been. It seems like non-stop chaos. The drivers and traffic are horrendous. On a four lane road you have at least 8 lanes because most drive in between two lanes squeezing in any free space. At the same time people are crossing in the middle of the street and motorcycles and bikes are everywhere. Somehow all of the weaving and crazy driving works, in part due to drivers honking non-stop. This isn't mad honking, like at home, but more of a friendly hello I am here, please move over a bit so I can squeeze by between two lanes.
As you drive along the road, the poverty in India is very apparent. There is no way to hide the slums, broken down buildings, garbage everywhere, wild animals in the street, and people just sitting in the dirt. The people we are staying with have drivers (labor is cheap so drivers, nannys, and maids are very common for those with a bit of money) which has helped with getting around this huge city. As nice as it has been to have this luxury I can't help but to feel guilty as I sit in a tinted windowedMercedes with a driver, passing by people who live a life where $5 is considered a lot of money. It really is such a different life here. It makes me realize time and time again how fortunate we all are for where we live and how much we take for granted. Of course there is poverty at home but with the spread of wealth and infrastructure it is different than here in Mumbai.
As you drive along the road, the poverty in India is very apparent. There is no way to hide the slums, broken down buildings, garbage everywhere, wild animals in the street, and people just sitting in the dirt. The people we are staying with have drivers (labor is cheap so drivers, nannys, and maids are very common for those with a bit of money) which has helped with getting around this huge city. As nice as it has been to have this luxury I can't help but to feel guilty as I sit in a tinted windowedMercedes with a driver, passing by people who live a life where $5 is considered a lot of money. It really is such a different life here. It makes me realize time and time again how fortunate we all are for where we live and how much we take for granted. Of course there is poverty at home but with the spread of wealth and infrastructure it is different than here in Mumbai.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
It's time for another adventure!
Happy New Year!
It has been wonderful being home the past few weeks and catching up with friends and family. I look forward to being home again so I can see all of those friends that I didn't have the opportunity to see while around.
It has been awhile since I have posted and I apologize that I haven't yet posted a reflection on my travels in Europe. Unfortunately, this will have to wait until I return because I am off again. Tomorrow I am off to India, Dubai, Qatar, and Bahrain. I am excited to learn and experience about a part of the world that I know little about; but all very important places that have and continue to shape our global economy. It will also be wonderful to have this travel experience with my father and learn more about the business and what he does.
I haven't begun to pack so this is it for now but stay tuned for stories and reflections from the road.
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