It is now day 3 of apartment hunting and one thing is clear. All that glitters is definitely not gold.

 

Bedazzled by the promise of an uber-chic lifestyle in the dubai marina, we trekked across town to meet our very own slick agent ‘Angelo’. A proud South African complete with an Egyptian granny, a Pakistani roomie, and an attitude smoother than butter, he took us around to the desolate apartment blocks in the marina. The apartments were boxy, the lighting fluorescent, and the smell pickled. As far as the eye could see, there were yellow construction cranes lifting, dropping, lifting, dropping.

 

We were forced to accept defeat and returned with heavy hearts.

 

Next stop was downtown. Centrally located, right off sheikh zayed road, around the Burj, I was meeting ‘Tariq’ a son of the soil with his neatly pressed suit and marked forehead. As I entered the building I couldn’t help but wonder how long would I retain my optimism?

 

I looked up-yellow pendant lights. I looked down-subtle marble with contemporary rugs & polished wood settees. I looked around-aesthetic typography. The building was a dream until I realized there was no supermarket within walking distance and I would need a cab just to grab a bar of soap.

 

Hmmm.

 

There is one more potential disappointment for today-updates later.