It was my last day in UAE! I checked out from my hotel in the morning and had breakfast with the entire crew (which is actually a grand total of 4 other people, but more to join for actually shoot) who would be working on this film, from the studio. Breakfast was our regular fare of South Indian food at Aryabhavan.
Post breakfast I bade goodbye to a couple of them while the rest of travelled to Dubai. I had spent most of my time in Abu Dhabi during this trip and they wanted to show me around Dubai before I take my flight at night. Enroute, we dropped by a cathedral which was pretty nice. Serene, peaceful.
Once in Dubai, we went straight on to Palm Jumeirah. We drove around the place a lot and I absolutely loved the outer ring of the Palm Jumeirah which was a long, pretty road, right next to ocean with the Atlantis the Palm on one side and the Burj Al Arab across the ocean on the other side. It was picturesque!
Then something totally unexpected happened! A cousin of my editor friend arrived there in his car which happened to have a sun roof. So they got me to stand through the open roof and drove me around the same coastal road! I felt like one of those heroines in Bollywood movies, with the hair in the wind, a wide smile and looking completely out-of-this-world-happy (OK maybe that's not how Bollywood heroines feel but you get the point)! It was SOFREAKINGAWESOME!!!!
Lunch was at a food court within a mall, which was also my first visit to any mall in UAE (so proud!).
Post lunch we also visited the front side Burj Al Arab and also Burj Khalifa including the fountain all for photo opportunities.
After much phototaking, we visited a friend of mine from school who now lives in Dubai. It's been 16 years since I last saw him and it was great to meet not just him but also his two brothers and mom who were living in the same place. We had a really nice time together!
Dinner was at a Lebanese buffet place and there was simply too much delicious food to be eaten. After about the 15th dish on the plate, I was completely stuffed. But more than the food, it was my last meal with the team for this trip, so it was nice to have a long conversation over dinner.
Soon it was time for my flight. I got back to the airport, was pleased to get checked in and cleared immigration without any que and then all that pleasure was lost when I had to walk through a rather crowded airport up and down in search of gates because they changed the gate numbers from one end to the other. Other than it was a pretty smooth journey. Oh...I must mention the darling little Australian boy who started talking to me out of the blue at the gate and wanted to know all about film making and Singapore. He was on his way back home after a school trip to Dubai and I thought he was such a smart, friendly kid!
So yes, that's it. The wonderful trip, my first ever one to UAE, thus came to an end. Now the real work begins - we need to rehearse, I need to work the shot breakdowns, the storyboarding, the studio needs to get the permits to shoot, we need to get the visas, the tickets, the accomodation, the FUNDS! There is so much to do. Gulp.
But for now, I am feeling good. Inspired and determined.
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