A Magical Moment in Time: My First Ever Experience in Dubai.

Imagine a random stranger coming up and offering you five free tickets plus a free tour of a world-renowned vacation site. How would you feel? I am going to naturally assume that anyone with such an offer would feel ecstatic. Interestingly enough, that’s exactly what happened to me in late August of 2018, and I had the experience of a lifetime. From forcing myself through tiresome delays to getting surprised by breathtaking views of Dubai’s greatest features, a series of unfortunate events turned to one of the most unforgettable journeys of my life.

My family and I were returning from our trip to Bangladesh—undoubtedly an amazing experience—when my parents suddenly informed me that we had a 12 hour layover in Dubai. Yes, 12 hours. That’s half a day. I vividly remember my confused self thinking about the pure boredom I would have to face stuck in an airport for 12 hours. What would I do? How can I possibly stay seated in a seat for that long? It was not in my best interest to stay seated in one place for so long. So, while we were walking off the plane into the Dubai Airport, I immediately took out my book and gifts that the kind air hostess on my previous flight gave me, as those were the only fun objects I had available at the time. I thought I wouldn’t be able to survive the next 12 hours of boredom. That’s where I was wrong. After a few minutes, as I was finally getting situated in the airport, my dad suddenly told me that we would be leaving the airport to go outside. Apparently, there was someone waiting for us. I was curious yet nervous at the same time. I did not know what to expect. 

        While walking towards the airport exit, I asked my dad an inexplicable amount of questions. Who’s waiting for us? Where are we going? Why are we leaving? What are we doing? I was disappointed with a vague answer of, “You’ll find out later.” My curiosity got the best of me, so I went on to ask my mom the same set of questions. She had the same answer.

        After timeless anticipation and confusion, I saw a black car pull up in front of us, and my parents loaded luggage in the back while telling me to sit inside the car. At that moment in time, I felt as if I was in a movie scene and was being taken to attend a top secret conference for a high scale mission. The black car just seemed a little too sketchy. However, as I studied the driver's face, I noticed that he looked strangely familiar—like someone I have met before. This suspicion of mine was confirmed when my dad started to have a casual conversation with him, like they were good old friends. I then came to know that the driver, who would also be our tour guide, lived in Dubai and was a friend of my relative. 

        I could no longer contain my excitement, after hearing that I would be exploring various parts of Dubai! It felt like a dream come true. For me, being able to explore Dubai was the equivalent to winning the lottery. The first place I visited was Quranic Park, an Islamic destination covered with beautiful, nature-like elements. Once our family friend dropped us off, I saw a big cave-like structure staring at me, and it had a beautifully designed sign with the words “Quranic Park” written on it. The gold all over the exterior design made me antsy to go inside, but I had to wait in a very, very, very, long line for tickets. 

        After what felt like an eternity of standing, the man in the front waved to me. I walked forward, and he checked my ticket, letting me go in. The feeling I got once I entered was indescribable—dim orange lights, gold design all over, cool crisp air, and the unique architecture of the cave added such a mystical feeling. I seriously felt like I was in a fairytale. Each uniquely designed wall on the cave told me a new story about the park. This mystical feeling kept on growing as I turned corners and into different rooms. The exquisite detail and handcrafted architecture astonished me, as I had never seen objects detailed to that capacity before. After walking around, I entered a theater room, in which there was a projector with a film on it. A man hit play, and this film depicted so many interesting bits of history. This was such an enchanting experience, and I knew this because I loved learning new things. This knowledge dump provided me with so many facts, and my curious self was so eager to learn more and let all this information sink in. I continued to explore Quranic Park, ruminating on all of the things I just saw and learned.

          The next destination was even more magical: a waterfall park within Quranic Park. It was about a block or two away from our location, so the walk wasn’t very tedious—though the scorching humidity wasn’t very pleasant either. There were rows and rows of beautiful architecture, flowers, and many abstract designs. Each row had a waterfall to complement it and a well-like structure on the bottom. It was absolutely beautiful. Simply standing in the middle of these rows, in between two breathtaking waterfalls, was one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve ever had. It was so comforting to put my hands through the cool water. It was so relaxing, that if I were to close my eyes, I would imagine myself laying on a pile of clouds in the sky. I loved how peaceful and quiet it was. All you heard was the pouring of the water and the distant chirps of birds. With an instinctive feeling, I started running through all of the rows, brushing my hands through the water. It felt like I was running through paradise, mists of water spraying onto my face, fighting off the muggy humidity. All my tensions melted away, peace taking over me. I finally got to the end, huffing for gasps of air after all of that running.

        While waiting, my parents talked to the tour guide of where our next adventure would be, and they concluded that we were going to a Date Garden. Dubai is known for its classic delicacy of dates, but I honestly did not know what to expect in a garden dedicated to the delicacy. I got in the car, and the tour guide started driving us there. It took about 20 long minutes to get to the garden. I got out of the car, and despite being in front of a simple garden, it felt like I was standing in front of a palace. Big, shiny gates and beautiful signs protected the garden. I entered through the front gates, and the cool, mystical, magical air rubbed against my face, sending an electrical charge of excitement through my body. I saw a big, luscious, green field filled with date trees of all kinds and beautiful plants as well as flowers. I walked closer towards one of the trees, and saw a beautiful bark pattern. This was a moment for me to truly appreciate nature for producing something so beautiful. We were all allowed to try one date from the tree, and so I grabbed a small one. Turns out, I picked the wrong one. It felt as if I bit into a rock. The date was so hard, it was clear that it hadn’t ripen yet. I was torn between spitting it out or just eating it against my will because I did not want to be rude. I eventually told my dad. So I picked another date, this time looking for one that was a lighter shade of brown, since that may or may not indicate its ripeness. I ate it, and it was delicious! It was sweet and soft, I absolutely loved it. It was like I bit into a chewy, soft cloud, sending another bolt of peace though me. I strolled around the garden, analyzing each tree and plant. I thought to myself, wouldn’t it have been amazing to just build a house in this field and live here forever?  It was quite literally like I was taking a stroll through paradise. 

        I was enjoying these adventures so much that I lost track of time. Fortunately, after checking the clock, it seemed like there were still a full six hours left, leaving more time for further exploration of this amazing country. My parents decided that our next destination would be the Burj Khalifa. Yes, the Burj Khalifa. I was hitting one jackpot after another! It sure did feel like a dream now! Never in my life would I have imagined being able to see the Burj Khalifa, much less on a last-minute tour because of a delay. I quite literally screamed out of excitement… the tallest skyscraper in the world, right in front of my eyes. Was this real? Pinching myself was the only way to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. We once again got in the car, and the tour guide took us to the Burj Khalifa. As I was enjoying my ride, the car suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and the tour guide told us that he was having trouble figuring out the directions to entering the Burj Khalifa. I felt my heart drop. Yes, this was not a serious event, but as a kid it felt like my dreams had been shattered. Despite this, I could still see the building through my car window. It was astonishingly beautiful. I was itching with excitement to enter. Unfortunately, due to the traveling issues on the ride there, I was not able to enter the Burj Khalifa, and I was only able to see it from afar. This was the first event that inflicted negative emotions on me. The moment I have been waiting for the most was gone in a matter of seconds. Although such a thing occurred to me, I knew I had to look at the bright side, and so I did. I told myself that I was still lucky enough to be able to see it up close. I had to move on because there was still one final place to explore—the Dubai Mall.

        After around 20 minutes, we arrived at the mall. This mall was significantly larger than any other mall I’ve seen in New York. An elevator took us to one of the top floors, and I started to explore the various different stores that there were. The mall was packed—there were quite a few thousand people in there. Nonetheless, I pushed through the crowds, my motivation being that it might be a while since I can ever visit Dubai again. My feet and fingers tingle to explore each store, showing my motivation to grasp every opportunity I had. I explored from store to store, finding cute jewelry, charms, clothing, and delicious treats. I finally came across an arcade, and it was massive. Like, really, really, really huge. Of course, my childish self  knew I had to enter it, but since I didn’t have much of the Dubai currency, I didn’t think I would be able to. However, the male worker in the arcade said I could explore the arcade even though I didn’t have the currency to actually play anything. This literally made my day, and I felt the sadness from earlier dissolve. 

        The arcade was amazing—massive VR Headset stations, hands on games with remote controls, and a ton of race car games. There was basically every game you could imagine. This arcade was like a realm that helped me escape from reality. The 3-D effects were insane—the TV screens produced effects that felt as if it were coming to life. I explored and explored until my head physically hurt from all of the bright lights and effects. I took every minute, every second I had left in time to explore to my fullest. I used all my energy, to make sure I didn’t miss a single detail about this massive arcade. I then finally left the area, with simultaneous pain and satisfaction in my head.

        There were now three hours left. At least an hour and a half was needed to return back to the airport, so with the remaining time, my parents decided to take us to eat at a restaurant. I couldn’t complain; after all that exploring and with the big headache I had, I was starving. It was a ten minute walk. By now, my legs were hurting from all the walking, so much that I had to lift each alternating leg like there were stones attached to it. However, these temporarily painful moments were worth it as soon as we arrived at the restaurant. Unfortunately, it’s been so long that I can’t recall the name, but I can guarantee that it was an amazing restaurant. The delicious aroma immediately made my pain go away. So was the painful walk worth it? Absolutely. We ordered some rice and a few other side dishes. I thought I’d have to wait what felt like a million years, but surprisingly the service was astonishingly fast. The food was amazing. Even though the restaurant was small, it was like the chef had magical powers in his hands to cause him to make such exquisite food. 

        Unfortunately, the moment I dreaded most followed right after such a fulfilling, magical meal—going back to the airport. All of this exploring made me completely forget about reality and the fact that this was the last flight until I returned back to New York. I was disappointed, and I didn’t want this trip to end here. I was finally able to explore one of my dream destinations after so many years, and I wanted to cherish this moment. But the truth was that nothing lasts forever, no matter how good the moment was, and so just like that, the best 12 hours of my life were up. 

        After rescanning into the airport and going through formalities, it was finally time to board the plane and leave the place of paradise. After I boarded, I sat in my window seat, staring out the window of the beautiful skyline of Dubai. I wanted to cherish this moment. I took a picture of the amazing skyline, and made sure to add it to my album of favorite pictures. 

        The plane finally took off. I was reflecting and reminiscing about what I experienced. I learned one of the most important lessons in life that still resonate with me till this day: the importance and essence of time. During this trip, I only had 12 hours, but I figured out a way to use it to the best of my ability. Therefore, I want to spread this message to whoever is willing to take it: Use your time wisely and efficiently, because through this one experience, I have learned to do both. It’s important to enjoy these small moments of happiness in your life, because you never know when it’ll come back. It’s safe to say that this was the only time I ever enjoyed having a delay in my life, and I wished it was longer.