daze

VERB: “to dazzle with light” - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

As I walked through the green house with climbing vines, colorful flowers, and shades-of-green trees, big blue butterflies danced in circles around me.

One of the butterflies landed on my camera bag.

I took a couple slow steps—thinking she would be on her way—but she stayed there, still. She was content in her home, the Butterfly Miracle Gardens in Dubai, UAE.

Back in Oklahoma, my mama has a designated “plant room” where she manages to keep alive a diversity of plants.

Vines travel along the tin walls, while flowers and other potted plants stand tall in the windows overlooking the woods around our barn red-and-cream country home.

On the front porch are my dad’s tomatoes, which we always eat together with a salt shaker in one hand and a tomato in the other.

One summer day, a few years ago, my dad was sitting in his chair in the shade with a glass of tea. He was quiet when I walked up.

I said, “What are you doing, Dad?”

He said, “Watching the tomatoes grow.”

There, in Dubai, the plants were growing—thriving. In the middle of a desert, there is this vibrant life, these little miracles.

The sunshine was warm as usual when I left the gardens during the early afternoon on the second day of September.

By now, I was used to the humidity that kept my hair slightly curly and unruly year round. 

Dubai was a quick one-hour flight from Qatar. As a solo traveler for the weekend, I took my time exploring the places I’d handwritten on a piece of notebook paper: Dubai Mall, Dancing Fountains, and the Dubai Marina.

After roaming around the largest mall in the world, I ventured outside at dusk to see the golden streetlamps, sparkling palm trees, and dancing fountains.

A powerful symphony rang as the fountains shot up into the air and swayed from side to side. I stood among hundreds of strangers beside the water; it was as though the whole city stopped to watch.

Shortly before 9 p.m., I walked to the tallest building in the world—the Burj Khalifa, which is over 2,500 feet tall—and rode the elevator halfway up.

From the floor-to-ceiling window, I saw the colorful skyscrapers, winding roads, and blinking lights of Dubai.

When I finally made it back to ground level and into bed that night, my step count for the day was over 22,000.

The next morning, I took an Uber to the Dubai Marina and meandered around the promenade, where the storefronts of coffee shops, restaurants, and shopping centers overlooked the docked boats.

I stumbled upon Poke Zone UAE, a little pink restaurant, and climbed up a set of steep stairs to the entrance. Inside, I ate a bowl of sushi and drank a smoothie, served on a wooden tray.

After sunset, I took another Uber to Bluewaters Island, characterized by sleek architecture, neon lights, and a vibrant nightlife with gatherings at seaside restaurants.

My favorite sight was the Ain Dubai, the world’s biggest and tallest Ferris wheel at 820 feet.

The next day, I boarded my flight at 5 a.m. and waved goodbye to Dubai, a dazzling corner of the world.

Posted on Oct. 20, 2022; Trip Dates: Sept. 1-3, 2022