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Luxurious Dubai
By Janet Go | July 27, 2008
The Queen Elizabeth 2 will end her career as an offshore resort at Dubai in November 2008. As part of our world cruise on the QE2 in 2006, Perry McGinnis and I were invited to a luxurious banquet in Dubai, United Arab Emerites on the Persian Gulf. Oil was discovered in the sea off Dubai in 1967 and, after that, the nation was transformed from an impoverished region to a sophisticated state with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. Dubai has the tallest, largest, most modern anything in the world that money can buy. It’s cheaper to shower in oil than in water, which is desalinated from the sea.
The evening of the banquet, we world cruise passengers went to the Madinat Jumeriah Hotel, where we were greeted by rows of men in white robes, red head scarves, and beating drums to announce our arrival. Young women sprinkled us with rose petals, and belly dancers performed on the stage of a huge ballroom, where baskets of red roses hung from million-dollar chandeliers on the ceiling. Outside the ballroom was a souq displaying spices, an artist painting flowers on womens’ hands, and a falconer holding his hawk.
The banqauet was large enough to choke a camel: duck-liver parfait served with port wine, poached figs, walnut bread, cold cream of tomato soup with basiland creme fraiche, herb-roasted fillet of beer on au gratin potatoes, Tahitian vanilla bean Bavarois with nutmeg crepe, mango ice cream,and petit fours. Our glasses were constantly filled with fine French champagne.
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