Fine City, Fine girls, But Don't Touch

Dubai is a place to be. And that could be an understatement. It is my first time in the United Arab Emirates, the country that prides itself as the home of the world.

Everything here is heavenly. The roads are just wonderful. It is a beautiful haven. Coming from Lagos to this part of the world has been an eye-opening experience. Everything is just too fine here to be true for a Lagosian like me, where dirt is a stark reality of life. On the roads, their cars are a sight to behold. They love white cars a lot.

Everywhere you go you see clean white cars gliding through the roads. And the white cars are such a beauty to behold.

In Lagos, people avoid white cars because of dusts and mud on the roads.. A colleague here was so taken aback after seeing these clean white cars that he wondered aloud if these same cars can remain in such excellent condition in Warri, Enugu, Lagos and other Nigerian cities.

Fine city, fine girls, but don’t touch

We are in the United Arab Emirates, touted as a tourist and business destination of the world. Fine things abound here. This is a place where citizens of the world work, live and play. But there is a limit to everything that you see here. These people have their rules, which are not clearly laid out. You get to understand them when you act contrary to their rules.

A tip of it was gotten yesterday when we attempted to check into a hotel in Deira, a little bit outside the city Dubai.

After formailsing everything, two of my colleagues, went up to check the rooms, leaving me and another at the lobby. My friend sighted a beautiful lady, some seats away from us. He admired her. As I made my way upstairs, I was compelled to say hello to the lady and she responded with “I’m fine”. She later told me that she’s from the Comoros.. My friend, who works for a television station in the Niger Delta, now came around and as I introduced him to the lady, he stretched out his hand for a handshake but the lady did not offer hers.

He did not know that he was being watched by the receptionist, who later charged at him angrily for trying to shake the hand of the lady.

At that moment, he canceled our booking, telling us to go and look for another hotel elsewhere. He said in the city, you can admire the girls but you dare not touch them in public. We tried to plead for leniency but he was adamant. To him, my friend had crossed the line and deserved no mercy but to go out. He also told us that we were not spared from the punishment. I was shocked and as we made our way out, someone told my friend that Dubai is a fine city with fine guys but you don’t touch them in the public. Lesson learnt.

By John Egbokhan