Tuesday, February 24th, 2004: The next morning we departed on foot to witness AUS (American University of Sharjah). It was exceptional and I can’t express what a gifted architect Mark is. He truly dwells upon how his plans will suit creature comforts and displays a gift for managing the qualitative aspects. We first marched to Mark’s office in an amazing building, dominated by an enormous atrium. It was a bit uncomfortable as Mark deposited me with his assistant Michael (believe he’s Lebanese, but has lived in UAE for most of his life) while Mark left to meet with several folks. Michael & I shared a pleasant time reviewing plans for updating the student center and construction of the new library…my discomfort was trying to appear engaging to Mark’s underling.
I was afraid of running out of questions before Mark returned, but he was surprisingly brief and we soon embarked on a foot tour of his accomplishments. It is impressive and I’m hopeful of capturing a wee bit of it despite my lousy photographic talents. We first entered his Student Center, which was thronged with students that spanned the spectrum from typical US “grunge” to traditional Muslim attire. Everyone appeared to be having a grand time and it was a lively, very hip scene. Mark showed me the funky tube sculptures he created that served as conduits for the required wiring of internet-enabled PC’s the students were enjoying…. precisely what I mean by balancing practicality with art!
Mark at his “office”!
I was blinded when we exited one of the buildings, as the outdoor grounds are blanketed by white granite. Must be absolute hell in the summer months. I had donned my “Eddie from Ohio” t-shirt today, and it got the usual results. ”Eddie from Ohio” is a Washington DC band I enjoy and I like to wear it on the road because the minimal result is to receive a “Hi Eddie” from someone. Kim got me this shirt while we lived in Maine, but the purchase seemed to have tempted fate --- the inevitable follow-up question is “are you from Ohio?” and at the time of this trip we were living in Dayton.
I was introduced to many of Mark’s associates (who all commented upon his casual attire…he later confirmed my suspicion that he sports a tie every day) and got to meet Eric, who grew up in Bellbrook, OH (amazingly enough, a town only five miles from where we were living at the time!), and Gisela, who lived in Indianapolis and attended the University of Indiana in Bloomington. But best of all, three girls were sitting outside on the lawn (two of them had abayas and shawls over their hair) in front of a building we were entering and I noticed them snicker…and the one girl blessed me with a traditional giggling “Hi Eddie” as we passed --- the Ed factor is truly a multi-cultural phenomena!
The tour got neater. Talk about a playground for the imagination, Mark displayed his reconstruction of Foucault’s Pendulum (though the brass was tarnished, a surprise to Mark, it is just amazing that he brought to life the centerpiece of a shared favorite in the world of fiction). And also his Escher inspired gates around the daycare center he designed, replete with surreptitious lizards! After such a long absence, getting to witness how he boldly displays his admiration for art in his work reinforces why he is such a dear friend.
Although I was enchanted to see Mark’s work, at the same time I was disenchanted to witness how frequently he got nagged by his cell phone. In fact, he has to meet with the Chancellor at 8AM tomorrow and settle a ludicrous complaint over how many faculty dwellings might be jammed into a small plot...
Mark concluded his business and we returned to the apartment, relaxing until 1PM when Samia got done with her day, and we loaded up Shahwali’s stuff and headed for downtown Dubai. I was surprised at how long it took to reach downtown from Sharjah (45 minutes), but we finally arrived at the Lime Tree restaurant around 2:30PM. A very hip place that made me miss Kim à I could easily picture us enjoying this together.
The amusing story here is that I was wearing my prescription sunglasses during the drive. Mark had asked me to carry his glasses and some other stuff in my backpack before we left the apartment. We entered the Lime Tree and I quickly noted it was cafeteria style without any line at the moment. So I hurriedly took off my sunglasses, grabbed my glass case out of my backpack and swapped specs to something more suitable for reading indoors. My conscious thoughts became “perhaps I do have a spot of jet lag after all” because it was very difficult to read the menu boards (and not because they were written in Arabic…everything over here is labeled in good old English). It took me about five minutes to finally realize I had grabbed Mark’s glasses instead of mine…
Shared the silly dilemma with Samia & Shahwali as I substituted proper glasses, but of course not with Mark…he was off in a corner on his cell phone!
As we departed I scored some pictures of a celebrated mosque (apparently the only one in the entire UAE which allows non-Muslims to enter, and features sermons in English). We negotiated traffic again and headed for the Emirate Towers --- “twin juxtaposed prisms” as I had learned during the idyll down Dubai Creek last evening. A lot of things close 1-to-5 PM in Dubai (hot climate, much like siesta I think), so we couldn’t go the whole way up. Got up to the 40th floor however, and it is a magnificent piece of property – ostentatious inside with great views.
In front of Emirate Towers with Mark and Samia
Next we deposited Shahwali at the airport. Extended my hand for the farewell but got a big hug, which was cool…. and then there were three. Time for Vance to thank his beautiful wife for this opportunity ----- off to the Gold Souk! The Mark-Samia debates over proper paths continued and even got worse once we had parked and struck out on foot. The ‘market’ section of Bur Dubai is a mass of retail shops & people…very confusing.
First stop was the Spice Souk. Samia had told me what a bargain fresh saffron is in Dubai, and I took her up on the suggestion to get some as gifts. Mark and I were forbidden to accompany her inside, because she informed us that “just being in the presence of a white male will double the price!”
So, we abandoned Samia with instructions to buy five one-ounce packages of saffron (her recommendation since one ounce is about the most you could reasonably use in one year…and a year is its freshness duration). Her estimate was 150 Dhiram (roughly $40-US), but her bargaining powers are exceptional and when we reunited she deposited the saffron into my hands and shared the good news that it had been gained for a mere 110 Dhirams ($30 for all five batches!).
Entrance to the Gold Souk in Dubai
Time for the gold. We strode through a bunch of marketplaces before reaching the Gold Souk, and then to the store Samia frequents (her aunt apparently purchases great quantities there). Some tidbits offered by Mark and Samia:
1) pricing is based purely on the weight, with no mark-up for craftsmanship (mind-boggling)
2) this is real 24K gold à I learned that US stuff is 18K tops…wow! Mark & Samia both exclaimed how beautiful the color of pure gold is, and they were correct – the gold has a deep orange accent (versus white here)…very rich tones.
3) Finally, they stressed you can only appreciate your purchase after you have left. The Gold Souk is nothing but walls and walls of the stuff and really does overwhelm you --- your particular item doesn’t look so special when you are viewing it in a room of pure gold!
Another thing Samia told me was not to be hasty, we could always return. Fortunately / unfortunately I was captivated by the splendor of the event – the vast quantity of gold, its unfamiliar color, the crowds of like-minded shoppers and the interaction between Samia and the shopkeeper. Samia modeled many necklaces and earrings, and I was focused upon selecting a set that complemented the bracelet I had already picked out. Samia was uttering Urdu to the shopkeeper’s Hindu in a spirited exchange. I was using a calculator that was lying around to indicate counter-proposals to Samia and after much bickering accepted a sum that was vastly beyond what I intended when I entered…but I was a very satisfied customer (fingers crossed that Kim will be too!).
Samia & Vance shopping at the Gold Souk
Opulence describes the balance of the evening. We headed to Jumeirah, the neighborhood where all the posh resorts are, like the Burj Al Arab (world’s most expensive hotel), the “Wadi World” water park and the site where the massive off-shore “Palms” are being built, which is a man-made island supposed to house vacation residences and resorts…and is visible from space it is so enormous. Unfortunately Mark informs me its sinking, delaying further efforts at the moment!
We were frustrated that none of the first few restaurants we visited could seat us, so Mark dialed up a Pakistani buddy who knew the maitre de at the Wharf…a restaurant at the Mina A’Salaam resort. Mark hung up and received a call three minutes later instructing us to head for the Wharf were we had outside seating for 8PM (this at 7:40PM)!
I was awestruck by the architecture of this resort…still under construction. It was traditional, with many wind towers and left a very authentic Arab culture feeling. I for one would prefer to stay at a place that reinforces local culture rather than creates some high-tech grandiosity. We met Omar, who immediately seated us and was impeccable from every perspective…just what you would expect from a world-class resort. The meals were similarly superb – we all opted for evening specials, Samia ordered the crab, and Mark & I scored the red snapper. It was a mellow evening accentuated by the gently breaking waves of the Persian Gulf.
Our view of the Burj Al Arab from The Wharf restaurant (Mark Kirchner photograph – all copyrights retained)
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