Travelogue

I love travelling. I make it a point to travel atleast once in six months. Six months coz am still a bread earner and will take time to afford butters, jams and cheese in life. What I really like about the entire journey is meeting up new people from places around. Someone, somewhere just bumps in and knowing the person is real fun. People have their own adventures in life… mine is to look on for more diverse people, live with them for the moment and know what is it that they seek.

In one of my recent visit to Dubai, I came across various kinds of people. The city is undoubtedly one of the best in the world… and when it comes to people there, it is a diversified lot. From Indians to Bangladeshis to Pakistanis to almost everyone you can come across in Asia are all there. Since it was my first trip, both professionally and personally to Dubai, we took time out to explore the land of architectural marvels.

A drive to the desert, very well known as ‘Desert Safari’ brought me in contact with the driver. His name being Stephen. He hailed from a land from where most of the drivers in Dubai came from. But driving was not his profession. It was his Passion! Yes, he was an Engineer by profession working in an oil company and earning his living. He would work from 7:00 in the morning upto 2:00 in the afternoon, after which he would come to the desert and drive.

My chat with him revealed he was in Dubai for almost 14 odd years and was driving ever since. Obtaining a license for Desert Safari was not a child’s play. Very few people were given this ‘privilege’ coz they had to drive land rovers on the desert sand and ensure safety of all passengers. He was one among the few to get it. The drive was fantastic and ofcourse a little disturbing to my physical system.

He lives with his wife, 3 children and occasionally with this parents who come to visit him. Says he, “Whenever I have fever, I come to the desert and drive and my fever goes. I love coming here… I know every place and turn the sands here take because I am driving for the past 14 years.” Wow! That’s what I call Passion. Bringing us to the hot desert sand and giving us a joy ride… going back safe and continuing this for almost everyday of your life… inspite of you getting all the comforts in your company and home.

It was a great drive. We spoke about everything from his 3 daughters, their names to his mother arriving home often… his trips to take her to the market so that she can buy something good for his home (inspite of his wife being there… that’s mother’s love). The drive back was comfortable and very warm too… warm not because of the heat,  but because two people from entirely different countries met up in a strange land and got on to talk families!

Before we disembarked and continued with our holiday, I managed to take a snap of him. Truly, he taught me the thin line difference between Passion and Profession!