Dubai

(Elaine) We just watched a silly movie on the plane from Dubai to SF about a tour group in Greece called “MY LIFE IN RUINS". The comparisons to Sanjey and our group-the foibles on the bus, the funky hotels etc made me laugh. There was no real comparison, though. Our group was enthusiastically engaged in learning about India- unlike the movie tour group who preferred goofy tourist stuff.

After we left India, Bud and I spent a week in the United Arab Emirates with old friends who work there. The Emirates, especially Dubai, are populated with expatriates from all over the world (40% of the population is Indian) who appear to live harmoniously and comfortably with the local Muslim population. The peacefulness and lack of concern with security were striking, especially after Mumbai.

Most people live in very new, high rise apartment buildings. My friends were very critical of the basic apartment housing provided for people who work in construction. It looked pretty good to Bud and me after our India experience

The Emirates demonstrate that a small country with a massive infusion of oil money and autocratic sheiks who control the land and invest in infrastructure can house and serve a huge in-migration. That was a contrast to India. They face the tough issues of lack of democracy and the environmental issues of housing so many people in air – conditioned high rises in the desert. Overall, environmental issues get cursory attention. For example, they are building more shoreline in Dubai by “reclaiming“ the sea to create several palm shaped peninsulas in the gulf for hotels and luxury housing.

The Emirate economy has suffered during the downturn; so much of the new luxury housing is empty. We left the Emirates with concerns about its long term sustainability and impressed with the experience of seeing so many different cultures living together peacefully in the Middle East

We found our whole trip transformative- an amazing chance to learn about India and the Middle East, places that play such key roles in the global future. And we enjoyed traveling with everyone and trying together to understand India.