Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/40418
cosmopolitan to the nth degree and a centre of concentrated wealth. Today, Dubai's population of 1.9 million consists of nine per cent local Emirati and 91 per cent international expatriates, of whom more than half are South Asian. It's their part of town we enter upon returning to our hotel. The lively Karama district, fi lled with Indian restaurants, sari shops and Asian beauty parlours, is the home of our budget accommodation, the Park Regis Kris Kin. "Budget," however, is a misnomer. While the room costs a reasonable $144 a night, it features luxe touches such as a pillow menu, rain shower, soaker tub and rooftop pool offering stunning city views. It also includes a daily buffet breakfast of startling propor- tions, with everything from French pastries to an omelette station. The neighbourhood culinary options are equally tempting. It's dinnertime and the hotel is a block away from Ravi, a res- taurant popular with tourists and locals alike. For a paltry $20, Grahaeme and I dine on a meal of raita, butter chicken, palak paneer, chicken tikka, naan bread and rice, all washed down with fresh mango lassi. The waiter looks hurt when A whirling Egyptian tanoura dancer, robes alight, entertains desert safari participants. we can't fi nish everything and, refusing to take no for an answer, sends us packing with the leftovers. IF YESTERDAY WAS OUR GLIMPSE INTO MODERN Dubai, today is a step into its past. The morning begins with a visit to the souks, the markets along Dubai Creek, a waterway that was once the soul of this city. A hundred years ago, the creek, cutting 14 km inland from the sea, teemed with dhows bringing dates from Basra, spices from India and wood from East Africa. On the banks, wealthy pearl traders would sort 34 WESTWORLD >> SEPTEMBER 2011 Natasha Mekhail