I had, what I have come to realise might have been a somewhat romantic idea that I could walk from the airport to
the desert. But I seem to be caught up in an urban compound of car parks and highways that doesn’t allow for
walking. So, I suppose I must find an alternative.

After traversing a few more car parks I arrive in some sort of residential area.
The street sign says Community 214 31A Street. A Japanese tourist walks by eager to photograph the landscape.

I am still in Community 214. I have been walking along the airport. I take a right up 54th St after applying some sun lotion.

I have been walking through an industrial area for quite a while. In the far distance I can see an Ikea sign towering
above everything else.

Just entered Community 215. Opposite is Oman Restaurant. I buy a can of Coke; the design is much simpler than
it’s European equivalent. No shadows, no other colours than red and white and a barcode set in black. The opening device is of the kind that breaks off completely, leaving the top silver surface with a perfectly cut drop-shaped hole. Very beautiful.
Oman’s fridge is full of whole green cabbage heads. Outside it smells of toilet.

Got to the end of 9th st. 215 municipal. Have to cross a footbridge. A banner reads: Festival for Brands.

Got to the end of 11th st. 216 is residential, mainly Indian men. There are several mosques scattered around. Going to continue out 38 st.

Passing between 42 and 44 St. Domestic carpets in different colours have been placed on a sandy path, the light
red one stands out.

As 70c takes a right 216 seems to come to an end. This point, this piece of land might be the first bit of semicultivated desert I am to encounter? There is a tiny sand dune, the footprints of a bird with my Reebok size 44 next to them. An Emirates is approaching, I wonder how far I have walked?

A bit further out and the land opens up. It is not desert in the feral sense. It is desert with a purpose. It is desert
occupied by 100 pylons, and several jet skis and speedboats that have been discarded.
Further in the back highways.
I am sat in the shadow of pretty much the last house. Prayers are being called from several places; a choir of noninterpretable men.
Two boys cross the street, behind another two polishing a Land Rover.
I feel tired, didn’t get much sleep last night.

I continue along a sandy path following the cables. After a few hundred metres I meet a fence. On the other side is
an intersection with signs pointing one towards other places.

Desert dear desert, my first encounter with you is as a peripheral wasteland giving life to essential circulations and a forest of high voltage metal structures looking like mad men.

I continue walking down along 411 and Ramool Rd. Come to the end of what seemed like the last stronghold of
what is soon to be leisure space.

An Indian man with a pro Obama t-shirt passes me; he is busy texting. I head to Costa Coffee for fruit salad and a
latte. Having my lunch next to a strangely appealing tower of mineral waters with paper napkins attached to it, a
homage to Isa?

Al Qusais
Al Sharjah
Al Khamaneej

Back in 215

Walking down 13 Street. Very long, very dusty. Le boulevard industrielle. Le boulevard des containers.

Photographing two empty cardboard boxes.

I am feeling shit. Don’t know what is wrong? Maybe I am just tired?

Marrakesh Street, where a group of young Filipinos are getting into a cab heading for Ikea.

On 19 St. in 214. A red tennis ball is thrown over a fence. I throw it back. A woman replies: merci. 214 is posh, it
is the peripheral law.

As I cross Casablanca St. several white people appear. This is also the home of an International Tennis Tournament.

WHERE YOU BELONG

Walking down Al Maktoum Rd. towards Deira. The sun is setting and the wind has picked up. It is quite cold.

A huge billboard suggests the future skyline of Dubai. In front are two Indians pushing old air cons on a
wheelbarrow.

I have reached the water. It smells of sea. The sun is disappearing behind buildings. A man screams while jumping
out from a crane. A Parisian wheel seduces with its sparkling lights.

Found a hotel in 112.

00.43 a plane is taking off. Can’t sleep.

It’s a misty morning; I am stood on the balcony of my hotel room. It overlooks the industrial harbour and the central bus station. This is a place for distribution, for arrivals and departures of goods and people alike. There is a beautiful contrast between the supposed organisation of containers and the immediate chaos of people.
Cargo ships, buses and cars are fleeing in desperate directions. I will be too, in search of the desert.

I am on Al Khor St. 113 walking northeast.

Fan your golden dreams.
Win 1 kilo gold everyday.

Having a coffee at Al Gazawe Cafeteria. Two elderly Arabian men are having tea. They both smoke Marlboros, one red the other light.

Imagine.
Living in two worlds simultaneously

In 117 going into 122.

Lancaster
Kim Basinger
Differently

Passing through a large car park full of new trucks and abandoned trucks. Full of new cars and abandoned cars. The Emirates Driving Institute have six cars driving around in circles, behind them a group of boys are playing cricket.
Further towards the horizon is what must be the sea. Several major construction sites are situated between here and nowhere. It is getting hot; I better apply some sun lotion.

A roundabout on Al Khaleej Rd. I have got the option of continuing straight along the coast, or taking a right for The Global Village.

Kim Basinger is watching me. For now she must be the queen of Al Khaleej Rd.

Community 134. A rather glamorous neighbourhood.

Bed space for 2 Filipina
533 each including water and electricity
With complete facilities
Near Century Mall
Please call between 1-2 pm and after 6 pm
at 050-5459390 / 0506945163

Crossing Cairo St. In the distance several tall buildings each with a crane or two sat on top.

Having a coffee at the junction of Al Rasheed and Alexandria St. A young David with his head at a 45 degree angle
looking down is the logo for this fine Caffé. It is the best coffee I have had so far. The coffee shop is situated in an
Arabic-looking fort or palace. It has recently been completed and looks uninhabited. I wish David could raise his
head and take in the views from this fine terrace overlooking the insincere bays of Al Mamzar.

There are four people on the beach today. Two Muslim women dressed in all black and two Westerners, most
possibly a couple.

I am walking across wasteland that seems to have missed out on an opportunity. I take a pee under a tree, a black
4X4 is approaching.

Al Nahda Interchange

I seem to have arrived in a new city named Sharjah. A man is making his way across the interchange; I am going to
follow him, he must have done it before.
We are not the only ones traversing the interchange on foot. It looks to be a common routine among Indian workers and young boys.

We innovate. You celebrate.
Sharjah I think you got it right.

A woman is trying to cross an 8-lane motorway, but finding it difficult.

I have been walking in your sands for possibly 2 kilometres. Desert dear desert, I didn’t expect to find you here in
the middle of a vivid urban explosion. You are about 400 metres wide and 2000 long surrounded by tall pastel
coloured buildings and a highway that runs straight through you. Sharjah is what is happening to you! Burger King suggests: HAVE IT YOUR WAY.

The young crew member Yang Tiing takes my order. She smiles. She is confident. She is nice. I ask how long this
Burger King has been open. 2 months she replies. I order a Whopper Meal with Coke.

They are playing: Road to Nowhere. One of my favourite songs by Talking Heads.

Another crew member mops the floor in an attempt to eliminate dusty footmarks.

Outside, two white Mercedes Benz drive through.

Amid pregnancy rumours Angelina Jolie travels to Iraq on goodwill mission

The perfect wedding show 26 Feb. – 1 March 08

Partners in progress

At the end of the road that leads to the sea, a grand palace is nearly completed.

Walking face towards the sun, need lotion.

At the other end of the desert I spot seven temporary garages. They are individually named – Project manager –
Owner – Management – Consultant – Site engineer – Visitors.
I am a visitor I suppose, but that doesn’t matter, all seven are at my disposal.

Back on the beach. Two young men collect cockleshells; they have got an almost full plastic bag. I touch the water
with my hand, it’s pretty warm, definitely swimmable, possibly heated? As I walk along I leave behind the imprint of my Reebok 44s.

I have reached the other side of the bay looking back over to Sharjah. She stretches much further than I thought,
and count at least 34 30 floor plus buildings. It is obviously work-in-progress having seen it up close, but here from a distance, it looks just as close to a ruin.

In the bay boys are playing with their toys. To my left a young woman dances while another claps her hands.

At the top of a viewing tower I see the open sea for the first time. The sun is aiming for the horizon.

Sorry for the inconvenience maintenance works in progress.

Walking down a grand promenade towards town. A million people would fit here, but I am pretty much the only one.
To the left there are mansions the size of Tesco’s. To the right an expansion out into the sea that makes Smithson’s spiral look pathetic. In the middle the loneliness of the long distance walker.

Al Khaleej Road, a white bus picks up Indian workers.

The skyline of Sharjah is hunting me. It looks much more complete at night.

Still on Al Khaleej Road, a couple of men are washing and polishing an advert. Clean advertisement is good
advertisement.

Back in 121, the mosques are calling prayers.

117, the traffic has picked up. I am perfectly knackered can’t walk much more.

Back at the hotel.

I am lying in bed thinking about the desert.
What desert? What is it capable of?
It is cold, a draft comes from the aircon.
I need a shower, but no hot water yet.
They have put a green light on the balcony.
The room has everything except a sense of luxury. It is situated in Deira in the gold district. Deira is what they call the old part and it might very well be. But it is also the place with the most action; here is a sense of total trading, of total eating, of total hanging out. This is not a desert and has possibly never been one?

Bought some extra water to keep me going. Feeling dehydrated and weak.

I wonder if there is any point to these experiments, except that of pure stupidity? And if not, is stupidity enough?

Desert, who cares?
My question being, where do we go from here?

Goodnight.

I am on 9A SIKKA, 113, looking for breakfast.

Taking a left following a street cleaner.

I pass a mosque on 38 SIKKA. A man is talking loudly on his phone while others drink tea. Another man writes FK on three waste bins.

Three dies as trucks collide.
France wants its cuisine on UN World Heritage list.
Hillary, Obama take their battle to Ohio
Kosova wins freedom

Naif Rd, 116

Taking a right into 118

18 D

31 B

Bought coffee and fresh orange juice from Little Star. Sat looking at what must be one of the last remaining bits of
vacant land in Deira. It has a beautiful tree in the middle.
It’s a calm morning. I prefer Deira in the mornings.
My pink apple Styrofoam protector blows onto the empty land in front of me. Like a miniature tumbleweed it makes its way towards the tree.
I am planning to cross the Creek today, and make my way South West, but there is only one bridge.
I photograph the tree. I am on my way.

At the roundabout of Omar Bin Al Khattab Rd and Al Maktoum Hospital Rd. Feeling a bit lost.
I ask an Indian man for directions. He says abra, abra - boat, boat - right and then left.

Clinic and community health sec. The queues are long, made up of men only.

I have reached the water by the Sheraton hotel. There are several hideous looking high-rises just back from it.
Sheraton’s aircon is on full blast and adds an industrial feel to an otherwise quite romantic scene. I can hear an owl
and an airplane competing for attention.

125, passing the old docks. This is pre-container action still happening.
A car park of smashed cars, most of them carrying a sticker saying sold.

Power is nothing without control

I am on the bridge crossing the Creek. Armani in collaboration with Samsung dominates.

Following a large highway going through an interchange.

Taking Bin Ziyad Rd.
Road works, have to walk all the way around.

Have been walking along this road for a while. Looking for a few landmarks to get a sense of orientation.

In 318 opposite the Islamic & Arabic studies College.

Now opposite The General Navigation and Commerce Company.

Moulin D’or Bakery and Restaurant. Just ordered a sandwich and cappuccino. Taking in the views and smells of
Za’abeel Rd. A supermarket on the other side claims this is The NEW West Zone.
All the men lunching at Moulin D’or today are wearing shirt and trousers. This is not your average cheap eat, two
white women ask for a table.
Here I look less out of place and more like a cunt. On the East Side just out of place.
I feel like shouting: everybody that has been to the desert hands in the air! I have been twice in two days, both
hands in the air.

I go to the men’s room; it’s a marble affair. I am off.

Still in 318
So is Kim Basinger

Walking through an area of dense 4 storey blocks.
A man deposits a chair on the pavement.
2 boys in football shirts look at me with suspicion.

On a footbridge crossing a major road. 9 Indians dressed in blue, pull a water hose out of the ground. To the left the skyline of what must be the World Trade Centre area set in mist. LULU Hypermarket - The place where the whole world shops – has just opened to the right. On the other side a formation of 5 half spheres. Seems to simulate the beyond. Earth is still under construction.

A large billboard portrait Sheik Zayed as a man with an indomitable mind. Something one needs as an entrepreneur
of the universe?

Walking down Sheikh Zayed Road reminds me of another great street: Berlin’s Karl Marx Allee. Same great
determination set in a much freer language.

Attention deep excavation
In the excavation 3 Indians with light blue hard hats are binding 3 equal sized black tubes together with plastic
straps.

In the distance, what is meant to become the world’s tallest building. As long as it is under construction it is
difficult to refute such a claim.

Desert dear desert, I seem to have found you in an excavation. Tubes of various kinds are being installed into your
belly. I can see the changing colours that define your vertical layering. This is your history now well preserved and sealed off by tarmac. But you are obviously still here creating the fundament for the ecstatic traffic that has taken over your lands. You look strong. You look beautiful.

The truth is it doesn’t matter if you will be the tallest or not! Your majestic presence is in any case a truly wonderful gesture.

A.D
For life
Smoke weed all day

Suck this

Love by da gun

F+L

The man
In the
Hour the
Tower of power

Khan + Phathan = wildcats

Death metal
Mum was here
All brown crew

shit

50 cent

Bought a t-shirt, not sure why.

How much further can she fall?
Frankfurt has no interest in London
Pain at the pump

I am sat outside Starbucks having my fourth coffee of the day. A plane high on the sky is illuminated by the sun as it sets behind a small mosque. Inside quite a few people are lounging. It has that quality of a home away from
home.

Abu Dhabi 18:50
Bangkok 19:51
London 14:18
New York 11:16

Partitioned room
(for Philipina couple)
or
(two Philipina only)
At 41 street Al Satka Rd.
Qadri Mosque bus stop
Near bus station
Contact 050-7610255

Trying to get on a bus, it is a masculine affair. A potentially impossible affair.
I don’t mind though, it is a pleasant evening spent in the middle of a massive interchange.

A drama unfolds of young Filipino women fighting young Indian men. A battle with what one might think an obvious winner, but trust me, they look much stronger then you think!
Four Arabs with the right headgear enters by the backdoor, something nobody else dares.

We are living in the same hotel, another two stops. Where are you from?
Mumbai, India.
What do you do?
Food stuff, here for the Gulfood, and you?
I am based in Kenya – import – export. Speak to anybody and they will tell you who we are. I have got good
distribution. I am catering for the 1 Rupees, 2 Rupees, 5 Rupees market, which has major value in India.

Having a late dinner in 117 at King Of Falafel. Very tasty.

A man walks by with a shopping bag carrying the slogan: A WORLD WITHOUT STRANGERS

Yet another plane takes off.

Hi Sis, saw your building today it is very beautiful, you must see it too.

01.55 Can’t sleep. Still traffic outside and the green light from the balcony. Feeling warm, maybe the sun was hard
on me?
My shoes look pretty special with a green cast, Reeboks you do well.

03.27 Still can’t sleep. The city seems haunted by taxis looking for a pickup. It is quiet. In the distance cranes are
unloading ships. In the toilet several small creatures are buzzing around the drain.

Please give me peace!

You want to buy Rolex, Omega?

GOOD NEWS

A little Filipino boy plays with a sheet of A4 paper.

Good omelette?
Yes very good.
Where are you from?
London.
What is your name?
Jesper.
Muslim?
No, and you where are you from?
India.

Thank you!
Thank you boss!

It’s Monday the 25th of February 2008, I am here to encounter the void.
I am here to encounter the void.

Taking a pedestrian underpass eastwards.

On 18 St

Kim do you never sleep you sexy beast?

36A Sikka

9C St

Al Borj St

11b St

26b St

13b St

Al Mussalla Rd.

Buy me I’ll change your life forever. Kruger style, not quite the same punch.

Naif Rd

Omar Bin Al Khattab Rd
A bus is picking up for HAPPY KIDS NURSERY

Crossing a large car park. Cars are so much friendlier when not on!
At the far end is Marco Polo Hotel. I wonder if he and Signor Calvino would have preferred arriving from the desert or the sea? Or perhaps by plane?

Beyond El Rancho, Tex-Mex Restaurant / Club 6.30pm to 3.00am. Couples will be pampered, lone ranger not
welcome.

Al Muteena St

OUR LOVE TO YOUR BABY

42A St

A man fills up a plastic bag with water, walks 15 metres and hands it over to another man.

13A St

Can I have a coffee please?
No, only cold drinks.

Better wash, less tangle

NOTICE
The building will demolish

A couple of Indians are building a suspended road.
A million Indians are making this place rise to prominence.

I am following a man in a pink, green and yellow striped shirt through a busy junction.

We seem to have hit a dead end, or a construction site?

I am following a man in a red and white striped shirt.

Have arrived at what must be the end of the airport. I am standing in the middle of an extremely busy road. Not sure if I should cross it?

128, 33 St

Applying sunlotion.

133, 3b St

24 Street

Now that I have seen that the airport is within fairly close proximity, I really want to go there for lunch.

Ordering a cappuccino at Gino’s Café. The waiter asks if I want large or small? I point at the cup in which I would prefer my coffee.

Gino’s is situated in a shopping centre with a hideously glamorous take on decoration. It is quite easy to make out
that everything is made of plastic, which makes me feel at ease.

A TV shows camel racing. They are racing in the desert!

The Mediterranean is the deep, blue heart that gives life to the people. Discover delicious Mediterranean cuisine and full-service from our fine dining restaurant in Gino’s.

The desert looks amazing in widescreen.

On Al Wuheida Rd, managed to find a way of crossing the killer road.

Police General Headquarters

At LULU Hypermarket, can see the skyline of Sharjah from the other side.

It is 15.55 the Mosque is calling prayers.

226, 16 St walking along a graveyard.

We apologise for any inconvenience during the expansion of Terminal 2

17.00 QFZ 5666 Kish
17.00 4Q 203 Sharjah
17.00 EP 6812 Shiraz
17.30 EP 6774 Tehran-Ika
17.45 2A 1553 Bandar Abbas
17.45 Y9 7133 Kish
18.00 QFZ 5651 Gheshm
18.10 EP 6819 Bushehr
18.30 TBM 6386 Mashad

New York Style chicken sandwich, please!

Sitting in Departure T2. The room is rather modest for Dubain standards, indeed by any country’s standards.
A family of three Swedes are playing cards at the table next to mine. I don’t see any departures for Sweden maybe
they are just transiting?

Why Japan is in trouble
Hollywood vs the internet
The next green revolution?
Castro’s legacy

More Swedes arrive, I am off.

1A St

11B St. In a very quiet residential area. The houses are all one level with flat roofs and a high wall surrounding
them.

Desert dear desert, I seem to have found you in the midst of tranquil suburbia. You are approximately 100 by 100
metres. In the middle are two football goals, to the left a mobile phone mast, to the right two mobile phone masts.
In the corner where I am sitting; an aluminium slide and two aluminium swings. Some might want to call you a
square. Some might want to call you a playground. Some might want to call you a place with the potential for
striving conversations?

A boy rides by and shouts: how are you? I smile back at him.
Short but good.

A 3-legged cat crosses the road.
A yellow plastic bag catches its attention.

13 St

A red Toyota burns some rubber in an empty car park.

Damascus Street

New pedestrian crossing and signal ahead

232

Two men are getting a haircut.

Nescafé no sugar with milk please.
And shisa? Smoking?
On the corner of Doha Rd. and Al Nahda Rd. Sofas, tables and chairs are scattered around looking like a stage set,
all illuminated by fluorescent strips on aluminium tubes. It is dark now, it is cosy, I like it here.

Bed space
AVAILABLE
Near Al-Mulla Plaza
For Keralites
Cont: 0503810856

Kim you might want it?

123, 9 St

Naif Rd.

Naif police station and Naif museum share a building, a well protected heritage?

118, 109 Rd.

Just had two chicken kebabs. In the far distance I can see the soon to be tallest building. It is slightly higher than
yesterday.

Goodnight.

1B Sikka

42 Sikka

2C Sikka

15 Sikka

4A Sikka

12 St

18C Street

1A Road

Deira is just waking up.

On a boat crossing the Creek.

Safety first

Dubai Old Souk Station

Community 312

A man sprinkles water onto the pavement.

13A Sikka

Al Raffa Street

Having an orange juice at Highway Cafeteria.

Al Mina Road

Crossing Al Kuwait Street.

316

18 Indians are digging a hole.

Armani Code

322

To the left I can see the skyline of the financial district, to the right an industrial harbour.

Win millions!

Further down the United Arab Emirates flag is posing over the harbour. It is made up of 4 colours: red runs parallel to the pole, 3 bands of green, white and black run horizontal out from the red.

92D is long and nondescript, seems only to be inhabited by parking pay-points. I have the option of turning right
towards the Zoo.

Now that I am closer to the flag I can see it better. It is much slimmer than most and set against four yellow
construction cranes, very beautiful. It moves with a smoothness that can only be a product of its weight. It is as if
the flag, rather than the other way around, control the wind.

Madison Residence
SOLD OUT in 2 hours

HSBC Credit Cards.
Your global passport.

Al Dhiyafah Rd.

Having a cappuccino in Second Cup. 2 Indians and an Arab are having a business meeting. They like their
cappuccinos X-large. They are drinking from mugs. They talk numbers. I find it difficult to follow their mutated
English. I get my coffee in a mug as well.

An English woman and man are sat on the sofas facing towards the street. I try to follow their conversation, also
impossible, this time because of distance.

As they leave two Arabic gentlemen arrive.

How much? 5 million? 1.4 – 1.5? I will give you the money back. Ok Ok Ok bye.

One of the new arrivals seems to dislike the foam on his cappuccino. Boss, you should have asked for a flat white!

Next to Second Cup there is a 20 storey building wrapped in plastic.
Behind a helicopter crashing into the Bujr.

332, 5D Street

5 workers are painting white lines onto the hot tarmac.

Jumeira Road

Lyrics of the sands
Postcards from the boys
Welcome to Britain

In Jumeira Centre. This is where the women hide.

Posh: The 3 reasons why my skin is worse than ever.

2A Street. I am by the sea.
The beach is wide and sandy.
2 Irish chicks are rollerblading on the purpose-built cycling lane that runs along the beach towards eternity.

The colour of the Gulf is absolutely stunning, no reason to envy the deep blue heart! Lighter than Klein, but that
could just be a matter of time.

I wonder if it is the world I glimpse on the horizon?

I am now walking in sand; eternity is only so long.

4C Street

A woman dressed in green carries 6 palm leaves up the street. 3 workers rest in the shade.

I am back on the beach, hit a dead-end.

Only the visionary will discern it

Only the swift will seize it

Only the strong will secure it

Only the majestic will dominate it

The mosque is calling prayers

Having a Pepsi in the shade. It is too warm to walk today; I am struggling with the sun.

Just had a déjà vu. Is this my second time around? Is that why I struggle with the heat? And if it is my second time around, then why do I seem to lose track ever so often?
And what would Corbusier have done, the master of the urban experience? I bet he would have fallen to his knees by the undertaking and prosperity of this wonderful city. Finally concrete and steel seem to have found a true protégé. Modernism’s favoured materials have made it into the new millennium and are now aiming for the beyond.
Dear God, if you hear me, please send monsieur Corbusier down! But do hurry, as it won’t be long before the circus moves on.

How much for this? 6 Dhs.
Can I use your restroom? Yes, upstairs.

My Gym Childrens Fitness Center

A red Porsche and a yellow Lamborghini are racing out Jumeira Road. Schumi and Niki look on with envy. Boris der spieler has got his mind on more essential matters.

I am being filled with a sense of ecstatic joy. Could it be from walking down the same road for four hours?

The neck is a hard to reach place. Simplicity is a shaver designed to conquer it.

362

Not so ecstatic anymore. This road is long. Need food.

A Filipino boy screams out loud, his two mothers tell him to come down.

4A Street

2A Street

11A Street

Jumeira Rd.

Outside the hotel is the first time I see flowers that really work. Behind, two empire state buildings dominate the
horizon.

Sprinklers are on down the middle of Jumeira Road. The sun is starting to set, it is getting more comfortable.

Desert dear desert, I have today come upon you with immense pleasure. You have offered me a great escape from
Jumeira Road, with whom you share a fence and me destiny. You are what one might want to call an extended
beach, or possibly it is the other way around? You are hilly with a thousand small bushes growing in a random order.
You have been raced upon by 4x4’s, and several picnics seem to take place at this very moment in time. But most
impressively you have uninterrupted views of the Eighth Wonder of the world. I hope you will live long enough to see it completed.

Straight on the Knowledge Village. To the left Middlesex University. To the right the Eighth Wonder.

As I am crossing the bridge taking me onto the Eighth Wonder, I take a few snaps. A man comes up to me shouting no photo! no photo! I ask why. He replies no photo! I ask if I can photograph once it has been completed. He looks at me for a moment and replies no photo.

What have you got to hide Eighth Wonder? I know it is going to take another decade before you are fully fitted and fabulous. But surely you hold a certain beauty now that might be worth preserving?

I take a latté outside Al Nufa; one of the few buildings that looks inhabited. The aircon-extract, which sits neatly by the front makes the noise of a plane taking off 24/7, apart from that here is lifeless. There are two people employed in the Costa Coffee. I wonder how many coffees they have made today? I wonder how many they will be making in the future?

As I walk back in it is getting dark. Down left from the bridge is a digger, digging into the sea.

At the bus stop several people are talking to me in languages I don’t understand.

Bedspace
For Africans bachelors near London Hotel
New building
Fully furnished
Central A/C
Watch sports and latest news
Cooking 100%
Gym only few meters away
Exellent environment
Please call 050-808-4686 / 050-360027

Back in the hotel room. Would like to get some sleep tonight though I have learned not to expect too much.

103 Road

111, A mall.
Here, all of the host’s trophies are purchasable in gold.

Back on the street. Two East African men are carrying a 46” Samsung TV across the street.

A 42” LG is stood behind a 21” Supra.

112

13b Street

Baniyas Road

4 Panasonic silver cabinet 36” are about to be shipped off to other countries.
Aircons, refrigerators, stereos, washing machines – the new world is getting equipped.

Having an oj at Sabkha Station. So sweet.

Two Germans sit down next to me. Ein mineral wasser! he shouts at the waiter. He doesn’t understand. Here in the city where everybody is looking for a new home, we call it water!

Oder eis lecker! And secondly, here we don’t shout, we work!

54A Sikka

312

Al Fahidi Street

Shop closing

15C Sikka. I am in historic Bastkiya, nobody is around.

3 Street

A plane takes off at a 30-degree angle, followed by another one that makes an immediate turn to the left.

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Rd

Another plane takes off at a 20-degree angle.

Crossing a plot of sand, walking towards the Parisian Wheel.

Al Seef Rd

Sorry about the confusion, it is not a Parisian but a Global Wheel! 13 Indians dismantle it.

Need a coffee big time.

Iranian School

I am back at Moulin D’or. At the back of the room a TV is showing moral tales of lust and loss, while a Filipino
waitress is being told off by her boss. My fruit salad arrives, it is immaculate.

Thank you. Take care. Ciao.

318, 15A Street

24 Street

19 Street

Umm Hurair Road

To the right Dubai Central Laboratory.

Desert home

Double D Modern Supermarket

I follow a man in a blue shirt. He has got a grey beard and years of experience.

Dubai Gynaecology & Fertility Centre

Fuel for life finally legalised

He takes a left, I go straight.

In a large interchange, staying in the shadow.

315

5 small planes fly in a triangular formation.

16 trees are being strangled by black water hose in an attempt to stay alive.

Mohammed Bin Rahid Est.
For young business leaders - straight on.

Al Riyadh Street

Reduce speed

On a dust track between olive trees. To the right a massive sculpture by Serra, titled Hyatt.

I was hoping to cross the Creek via a highway bridge, but it seemed impossible. Instead I am in Wonderland, pretty much by myself. I walk into the Family Entertainment Centre. A surreal score initiated by fairground rides and videogames on standby is played back in a random order.

Splash Land – Action Arm bumber Boats – Wonderland see you later.

Horizontal ring ladder – strengthens shoulder muscles; stretches entire upper torso.

Beginner: 1 time
Moderate: 2 times
Advanced: 3 times

As the sky meets the horizon it goes all brown. Is the desert not feeling at ease?

3-way chin bar – develops arms, shoulders and upper back muscles.
Beginner: 10 seconds
Moderate: 20 seconds
Advanced: 30 seconds

As I am boarding a cable car the guard asks me what I am doing here? I am a tourist I reply. He says he has been
here for 6 years – but there is nothing here! It is all artificial! I just work and go back to India. Here is just buildings, all artificial, no history. As the cable car takes off he asks if I write like a reporter? I reply maybe.

From the heights of the cable car the city unfolds and occupies my 360-degree view. Artificial? Not sure, looks
pretty real to me. The fact that the cable car operates in a closed-circuit where one can only get on and off at the
same middle-point speaks in the Indians favour. Pretty useless when you want to go home.

Desert dear desert I have found you in the inability of this cable car to bring me home. You are not made up of sand but steel and Plexiglas. You move very smoothly and present great horizontal views. You give me the chance of being totally secluded for a 35-minute ride. Desert dear desert this city still belongs to you. You are the only thing that really stands in its opposition. You are the only place from where it all makes perfect sense.

Gents prayer hall

Danger High Voltage

I am looking for a way out but am trapped within what ought to make sense.

I decide to jump the fence.

Baniyas Rd

Two white guys runs towards a taxi, it takes off.

It is a clear evening and the skyline looks beautiful set against the orange gloom.

A man parks his car at the bus stop, pulls out a prayer carpet and does his thing. I suppose he is facing Mecca?
A Filipino woman checks her messages.

Working with total transparency

Think blue and you are thinking of a better costal future

HUNGRY for dominance?

Damaged marine barrier! Report it immediately call Madinati 800 9090 distinguished callers will be rewarded

125

119

Stopped for a drink. A can of Pepsi. It is predominantly blue with an ecstatic outburst of circles in various sizes. The circles stay within the colour region of light blue, white and silver. A DJ at work is pictured twice facing himself and the barcode. Above the logo, a shadow effect makes it stand out from the background.

115

114

112

Goodnight.

It is early Thursday morning; I am in a taxi heading for the airport. I have asked the driver if we can go via the
desert. He doesn’t seem to understand. The desert, the desert! I just want to see the desert. He asks: you know the road? I say no. At a red light he asks another taxi driver if he knows the desert? He says no.

We drive out Airport Road. There is a queue.
What time is your flight? At 10.
We pass the airport.

120 mother tongues. All of them fluent in service

The taxi driver is from Pakistan, he has been here 10 months.

216

This is Mirdif, beautiful market!

We are driving straight against the sun. It has just risen over the horizon in all its majestic glory.

He asks another taxi driver who tells us to go back in the same direction we came from.

We take a left out Academic City Road.

We stop by the side of the highway, and yes I think this might be it. I open the door and go outside. It’s quite cold.

Tripoli Street

Algeria St.

Suburbia.

Al Khawenejj Rd

Airport Free zone

Airport Expo

Airport Rd