Editor Carla Geerdes
Invigorated we focused our attention on Dubai Mall. Fortunately we felt revitalized. What we saw now, in a certain way recollected stories on fanciful hallucinations by those who went astray in the desert and suffered of acute water deficiency. Dubai Mall is no fanciful hallucination, but made of very stable, high quality materials one can touch and see, and even go shopping inside.
KaDeWe in Berlin is the biggest department store in mainland Europe and since quite some time referred as temple of consumerism by some Berliners. But a complex like Dubai Mall we had not seen yet. High quality only, material, design, sales objects and teams, all well-known global brands present with certainly highest sales. In former times only religious constructions with such standards were accessible for the general public. Anyway, Dubai Mall is not only for shopping, but also for broadening one’s horizon.
All attractions at a glance and easy to find: Directory.
Starting point of “Fashion Avenue“
Mirror glass and candelabra: View into a shop.
Bright light, marble tiles, and fleece carpet: Entering the latter one sinks in to the ankles!
Mobile on the ear, noble accessories and designer shoes: Young ladies on shopping tour.
Bright, open, and broad: Here one likes to sojourn.
Reason for wondering: German TV announces its July documentation on the Tuaregs here already end of February.
We irresistibly were attracted by the huge Aquarium, and delighted to get relevant informations even before entering.
This picture window was not only to us very inviting.
This young mother took an extraordinary photo of her sons.
Some divers have a safe and well-paid job here, as in an aquarium of this size there always is someone to feed or something to repair.
Life under water …
… has its own beauty.
Sharks, skates, and small fishes in peaceful coexistence.
Sharks‘ teeth are looking very dangerous from nearby, and it hardly seems possible that sharks…
… and skates are both belonging to the class of cartilaginous fish.
This big aquarium provides insights to the water world and to the life of its inhabitants. Elsewhere one had to dive rather deep to watch likewise.
The fishes are fed by the visitors with pellets from closed cans sold there. “Please don’t touch, otherwise it stinks for the fishes!” one is admonished. OK, we unscrew the can and threw the pallets into the water without touching. The swirl of fishes is created when they try to snatch the food.
To watch the fishes’ meal from the glass bottom boat is another, higher charged possibility.
What a thinker’s forehead!
This water rat from the category of Old World rats and mice is looking rather discontented. Perhaps it feels lonely? It has to live alone in a water terrarium of 8 cubic metres. Its neighbour is a beaver, unaccompanied too. Both of them and the following beauties are living in terrariums and aquariums situated in the upper stores below the big aquarium where a big coffeehouse is also.
Camouflage is highly important for a chameleon.
This school of tropical fishes appeared more happy to us.
Who is watching whom?
This deadly poisonous lionfish lives on Maldivian and Red See coral reefs.
The common jellyfish lives in every ocean of the world.
Even penguins can watch the visitors here.
After the visit to the Aquarium we went outside the mall, where much more visitors than in the morning were seen.
But before going back to our friends, we did not miss the huge water fall installed at a high wall inside …
… and the entry to the skating rink. After that we took a taxi to one of the locations near our friends‘ home, fortunately familiar to the taxi driver.
Very soon we were back in our Dubai home.
After some time Vijaya Bengani also came back, and we told her in detail how beautiful our day had been. After taking snacks together we rested until Rajendra Bengani was back from office. Jokingly he wondered that we still were there - the day before we only had met very short for breakfast - and showed some playful relief that we yet had not departed for Berlin. All of us decided unanimously to stay in their home and to have a nice evening there. We talked and talked without paying attention to the passing of time.
We communicated on many subjects hitherto Indian friends neither mentioned nor wanted to know. Rajendra Bengani has command on the wonderful ability to widen the mental horizon of the person to whom his questions are addressed by searching the answers to his questions. During this process he without personal curiosity goes very deep into the subject. On the next day we understood very well why he is a highly estimated spiritual teacher of the Jain community.
Vijaya Bengani shared her extraordinary experience with 10th Terapanth Acharya Mahapragya when he encouraged her very kindly, but assertive to become an instructor of Preksha Meditation. Actually she was not certain if she could manage this task. The Members of Dubai Jain community are very fond of her talent to bring meditation near to them and to their kids and make it a part of their life they won’t miss any longer. Every Sunday she is giving meditation sessions to the young generation and during the week to their mothers. Her lessons are equally frequented and liked. In many of her students she has aroused the interest for the spiritual aspects of human life.
When we all got tired we got aware that midnight had passed unnoticed. This was our last night in Dubai, as our plane to London departed around midnight the next day, no, the same day! It was Friday, a holiday in Islamic countries. We wanted to visit the Jain community’s Gyanshala meeting on Friday morning. While the children were taught in Jain tradition and ethics, the adults listened to lectures by members of the local community (very often by Rajendra Bengani) or from abroad, followed by exchange of spiritual consideration.