Definitely Dubai !!

I have returned home yesterday evening via Indigo. This is my first domestic international flight where there was no inflight entertainment, and no food (OK, “real food”) served. Only USP of this option was human friendly flight arrival/departure schedule, and shortest journey time. However, it did give me enough time to compile a 3-minute video journal of my 3-day business stint in Dubai, with CK (Chandra Kant) of Cigniti. This was my first experience of staying overnight Dubai, thankfully in the best weather conditions possible.

Temperature was around 25C with nice breeze through out the day. My local host was saying, they enjoy about 4 months of good weather every year. This is my 3^rd visit to Dubai, and I found lot more greenery now compared to my prior visits. I was told that Dubai imports rich soil from around the world, to ensure rich plantation. Highway to Dubai to Abu Dhabi had solid greenery both sides of the road. We stopped at Grand Mosque enroute to Dubai. It was about 30 minutes away from Abu Dhabi. This is my first visit to any mosque, and this one was grand. It is supposedly 8th largest Mosque in the world, and the largest in UAE. It has rich Italian marble, largest marble mosaic, awesome chandeliers, and intricate artistry on the celling / pillars, largest single piece carpet, and no entry fee. We spent about 30 minutes here, though it require much longer time to really appreciate the grandeur.

This trip, we travelled on Dubai Metro for once just to check if there is any wow factor. Metro infrastructure was pretty slick, clean, and convenient. We got down at Dubai Mall to take mandatory few snaps of Burj Khalifa. However, we did not get a perfect unobstructed view. We then took a taxi to go to Burj Al Arab to capture ‘Yacht’ building in multiple views, enroute to dinner with our host. We wanted to check out Dubai Fountains and have dinner around that place, but could not get time to do it.

My pleasant find this time was MOTI MAHAL restaurant, which is coincidentally owned by a known partner in Dubai. We were hosted twice here (once in Abu Dhabi, and next day in Dubai) during this visit, and food was just amazing. I tried Baingan Bharta (Brinjal curry), which is best ever Baingan curry tasted so far, and it was so well seasoned & spiced. Dal Makhani (Lentil curry) was extra silky and smooth, I am sure; it was because of generous amount of cream and butter. It was so good; I was actually feeling guilty of indulging with it. I never thought Adrak Ki Alu Gobi (Cauli Flower, Potato) can taste so good. We concluded our dinner with Adraki is Chai (Ginger Tea), which I think is the best chai I ever had outside India/Home. I heard Moti Mahal is also in Hyderabad too. They were known to be inventors of Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken. I am sure to frequent this place going forward.

Here is 3 minute video collage of various snippets that I have capture on the road, in the car, on the flight, on the metro.. 🙂