My visit to Dubai

My recent visit to Dubai consisted of 4 days and was memorable for a number of reasons. The reason which was of utmost importance to me was the fact that Dubai was totally wheelchair friendly and there were wheelchair ramps everywhere. Life was made so easy in Dubai by having so many wheelchair ramps. This point proved that there was great awareness and a feeling of security in Dubai. Let me elaborate on it further.

Heart warming Services in Dubai

I had visited Dubai after a gap of 2 years and found it so welcoming. The hotel in which we were staying consisted of excellent service. The porters were so hospitable and I got quite friendly with them. As soon as you entered the hotel there was a wheelchair ramp which again showed the level of concern they had for wheelchair bound people. Before leaving for Dubai we had asked the hotel to provide us with a helper to help me get dressed in the morning and also to provide a car which had a wheelchair ramp. When we arrived at Dubai airport, the van with the wheelchair ramp was waiting for me. Similarly when we got to the hotel, the helper was waiting. We asked for one more helper to come in the morning to make it easier. The helpers are known as nurses as they used to come from the hospital. The two male nurses used to come at 11 in the morning and used to leave around 1 after they had helped me to take a shower and get dressed. The nurses were from Philippines and were very pleasant. I became very friendly with them, took photographs with them and also exchanged emails with each other.

Having friends makes my stay enjoyable in Dubai

One of the reasons why I look forward to visiting Dubai is due to the number of friends I have there. I have around 6 to 7 friends there and meeting them always makes my stay very exciting and interesting. The day I arrived in Dubai, one of my old and very close friend came over to the hotel. Another friend of mine from my IBM days also came and we had dinner. Later on we went to see the movie Avatar in 3D which was phenomenal. It was my first experience of watching a movie in 3D, in which you had to wear special glasses. It was a unforgettable experience and had great fun with Najib and Shahid.

Watching movies an Enlightening Experience

Watching movies in Dubai is one of the easiest and most comfortable thing to do. Unlike Pakistan where wheelchair bound people have to think twice before going to watch a movie, it is a totally different scene in Dubai. Wheelchair ramps are seen leading to cinemas and the place to park wheelchairs was right in front of the cinema screen. There are around 15 cinema screens located at one place in a shopping mall. As you can see how easy it is for a physically challenged person to watch a movie at a cinema in Dubai, which is a far cry from Pakistan. It also shows how handicapped people are considered to be part of the society.

Federer's With drawl from the Barclay's Tennis Tournament

My other friends also used to come at the hotel to meet me while I was there and it made my stay interesting. One of the main reasons for my visiting Dubai was because a tennis tournament being played in Dubai and my role model Roger Federer was going to take part. The tournament was being sponsored by Barclay's and one of my friend worked for Barclay's in Dubai. He told me that he would definitely try his best for me to meet Federer. I was really very excited and had high hopes of meeting Federer which had always been my dream. Unfortunately on the eve of the tournament came the news that Federer had withdrawn from the tournament due to a lung infection. It was indeed a big setback for me. My friend Adil had gone out of his way to have special passes made for me and my father. He told us that even if Federer had pulled out, we must come to see the matches as it will be great fun.

Unforgettable experience at the Barclay's Tennis Tournament

The next day after we arrived in Dubai, Adil came over at the hotel to drop the passes for the semifinals and the finals. This was going to be my first experience of watching a tennis tournament live from the stadium itself. What a treat I was in for when me and my dad arrived at the stadium. Our seats were right at the court side and the players were within touching distance of us. The view from our seats was brilliant and you got a feel of the atmosphere during the match. Our seats were specifically for wheelchair bound people and one the day of the finals there were 2 to 3 people sitting there, along with their helpers. The match was heading for an exciting climax when rain intervened and play had to be postponed to the next day. I and my dad had quite an experience of the rain in Dubai, as we were totally drenched with water while we were waiting for our van. So I ended up getting an experience of the rain as well as of the tennis which was unforgettable. One thing is for sure that I am definitely looking forward to going there next year and hopefully Federer will also play.

Memorable visit to Dubai

As you can see my visit to Dubai was indeed very enjoyable and memorable due to the reasons mentioned by me. The one thing which stands out among all others is the number of wheelchair bound people seen at public places was staggering compared to Pakistan. The reason being that handicapped people being accepted as part of the society and the government's intervention on providing strict rules. I have visited Dubai after 2 years and there has been a marked difference in the facilities provided to handicapped people. One can easily compare Dubai to the west in this regard. This is something from which Pakistan can learn on how to make living in Pakistan more accessible for all kinds of handicapped people.