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| With some new CouchSurfing friends on the desert camping trip. |
Does the concept of sleeping on a stranger’s couch appeal to
anyone? I happen to love the concept of two strangers agreeing to be friends
and share a common space simply because they are global citizens: one person a
resident and the other person a traveler, a wanderer, a tourist who appreciates
the multi-storied angle of a place. CouchSurfing is a respectable organization
fueled by the pleasant encounters of its members. I have been a member since
2008; and of my nine hosts in four countries, I cannot find a negative word to
express. When traveling solo, knowing you will have a pre-arranged “friend” is
quite a comfort and adds a unique dimension to one’s tourism experience.
Dubai is one of the most diverse places on earth, with a
workforce that represents over 100 countries and all six continents. I stayed
with Indians, hung out with Arabs, traveled around with a German and rode
horses with a girl from Slovakia. My first hosts were two young Indian guys
working for advertising agencies, and my second hosts were an Indian couple
that was so nice and accommodating that they treated me like a long-lost friend
who had come expressly to visit them.
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| Abra boat, the form of an old boat used for transport, now used for tourists and locals wanting to cross the Creek. |
Camping in the desert, strolling around the world’s largest
mall, gazing at the only indoor ski slope, visiting the world’s first
artificial island, riding Arabian horses, hitch-hiking in a Porsche, smoking
hookah with some local Emiratis and sweating through my cotton clothes
comprised the highlights of my trip to Dubai. I reveled in a cornucopia of
escapades during my five days in Dubai, but the best part was the profound
picture I painted from my conversations with the locals, who rule Dubai, with
the Indians, who built Dubai, and with the Western workaholics, who receive pampered
treatment in their gilded towers. With the luxury of my tourist/researcher
viewpoint, I was able to absorb all the opinions, which permitted me to create
a fuller picture of Dubai that extended past the excess of commercialism and artificiality
and settled into a more realistic image of the negatives and positives that
exist wherever humans have made their mark.
In order to summarize my time in Dubai, I will give you an
example of the wonders of CouchSurfing. I arrived in Dubai with precise
directions from my host; I found his apartment with only a few setbacks
considering there are no secondary street names in Dubai; we immediately
started talking about what I could do in Dubai and how to go about seeing the
most of Dubai on a reasonable budget; within a couple of hours I had a great
program planned and a trip to the desert arranged. I camped in the desert with
a group of CouchSurfers and locals, meeting my friends for the remaining week
and becoming acquainted with the local culture, leading to a visit to an
Emirati farm and one of the best shisha joints I have ever visited as well as a
ride on an Arabian horse in the town of Al-Ain. My second host picked me up on
Sunday; he and his wife invited me to enjoy Indian food with them for dinner; I
felt at home in their apartment; another CouchSurfer arrived the next day—a
German girl— and we became fast friends, accompanying one another around the
city; my hosts met us at the Dubai Mall Fountains and picked us up from a local
bus station upon our evening arrival from Al-Ain; I finished my time in Dubai
with my hosts and my fellow CouchSurfer over hookah, Arabic bread and falafel,
courtesy of my hosts.
Having witnessed several different styles of hosting, I
must say I received exceptional treatment from my hosts in Dubai. In general,
however, I think that CouchSurfing hosts who go above and beyond to make their
guests feel comfortable is the norm rather than the exception. I look forward
to my next surf!
Camping in the desert, strolling around the world’s largest
mall, gazing at the only indoor ski slope, visiting the world’s first
artificial island, riding Arabian horses, hitch-hiking in a Porsche, smoking
hookah with some local Emiratis and sweating through my cotton clothes
comprised the highlights of my trip to Dubai. I reveled in a cornucopia of
escapades during my five days in Dubai, but the best part was the profound
picture I painted from my conversations with the locals, who rule Dubai, with
the Indians, who built Dubai, and with the Western workaholics, who receive pampered
treatment in their gilded towers. With the luxury of my tourist/researcher
viewpoint, I was able to absorb all the opinions, which permitted me to create
a fuller picture of Dubai that extended past the excess of commercialism and artificiality
and settled into a more realistic image of the negatives and positives that
exist wherever humans have made their mark. 
In order to summarize my time in Dubai, I will give you an
example of the wonders of CouchSurfing. I arrived in Dubai with precise
directions from my host; I found his apartment with only a few setbacks
considering there are no secondary street names in Dubai; we immediately
started talking about what I could do in Dubai and how to go about seeing the
most of Dubai on a reasonable budget; within a couple of hours I had a great
program planned and a trip to the desert arranged. I camped in the desert with
a group of CouchSurfers and locals, meeting my friends for the remaining week
and becoming acquainted with the local culture, leading to a visit to an
Emirati farm and one of the best shisha joints I have ever visited as well as a
ride on an Arabian horse in the town of Al-Ain. My second host picked me up on
Sunday; he and his wife invited me to enjoy Indian food with them for dinner; I
felt at home in their apartment; another CouchSurfer arrived the next day—a
German girl— and we became fast friends, accompanying one another around the
city; my hosts met us at the Dubai Mall Fountains and picked us up from a local
bus station upon our evening arrival from Al-Ain; I finished my time in Dubai
with my hosts and my fellow CouchSurfer over hookah, Arabic bread and falafel,
courtesy of my hosts. 
Having witnessed several different styles of hosting, I
must say I received exceptional treatment from my hosts in Dubai. In general,
however, I think that CouchSurfing hosts who go above and beyond to make their
guests feel comfortable is the norm rather than the exception. I look forward
to my next surf! 
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