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2nd May 1999

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Ports of CallPorts of call

Advancing to the timeless rhythm of sea trade

The steward greeted me by name and I replied immediately as I remembered his name. After all, he had served me only a week before. Then I did a double take. I had last seen him in Colombo and there he was serving me in Dubai.

For Sri Lankans, it is no longer extraordinary to go to Dubai either for work or on holiday. Sri Lankans are in key posts everywhere there, not just in the hospitality industry. What is extraordinary is the phenomenal growth of Dubai itself.

From the balcony of my hotel room I had a view of the Creek, a natural sea-water inlet that cuts through the centre of the city. Rusty freighters, and dhows with their distinctive high-stern design, manoeuvre at a stately pace along its length. While high-rise buildings testify to Dubai's progressive development, its foundations lie in the timeless rhythm of sea trading.

A view form the CreekThe Creek provides an insight into the heart of Dubai. According to one brochure: "Visitors will be captivated by the colour and bustle of the loading and unloading of dhows which still ply ancient trade routes to places as distant as India and East Africa."

If you know Dubai only from its airport and its souk of duty free shops, you will be unprepared for the diversity that is Dubai. The city is predominantly modern, its skyline changing constantly as new glass and concrete constructions compete with each other to offer the latest "state-of-the-art" this and that.

It's sobering to think that just 30 years ago, Dubai wasn't worth writing home about. Go back a further 125 years to the 1830s and there was nothing there at all. At that time, a small fishing village at the mouth of the Creek was settled by a branch of the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum family who still rule the Emirate today.

Nomadic Bedouin roamed with their camel herds in the blazing heat of the desert. Where now air-conditioned limousines purr along sweeping highways, farmers tended date palms, and sheep and goat herds scratched a living wherever a trace of water could be found.

Pearls became a major factor in Dubai's rise as a trading centre. By 1890 it became one of the principal ports on the Gulf coast, attracting traders from Iran and India. It was known as "The City of Merchants."

The cream on the cake was black. Oil, discovered in the 1960s, added a special delight to Dubai's development. The income from oil enabled intensive government investment with Dubai becoming the main commercial centre of the United Arab Emirates. Trading and business ties extended beyond the Middle East to all corners of the world.

Dubai believes itself to be a 21st Century city, and it is probably right. Just in case you miss the point, drive for 25 minutes from the airport to Dubai's shore. There a futuristic resort has opened that challenges credulity.

It is a 26-storey hotel with 600 bedrooms, built to a design that reflects Dubai's seafaring heritage. The massive structure is said to represent a breaking wave. To see it for the first time is to wonder what all that aluminium and glass curving skyward is doing in the desert.

In the answer lies the future of tourism, not just in Dubai but in any resort area that wants to lead the way. The Jumeirah Beach Hotel is so stunning that everyone talks about it. And everyone wants to visit it and stay there and even work there.

Architecturally, it is a landmark conceived, in the words of one of its promoters: "as a unique project that would break the mould in terms of design and architecture". The modern facade of the hotel is achieved through the primary use of reflective glass and aluminium. The interior theme draws upon the four elements of nature: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

This is done through a colour scheme that divides the hotel floors into four different levels: blues and greens for Water, browns and reds for Earth, blues and white for Air and reds and yellows depicting the Fire of a vibrant sun. The 26 floors are linked by a 270 feet high sculpture which clings to the wall of the atrium. It represents a satellite view of the earth with stars and the moon in orbit and with UAE at its centre.

This conceit is acceptable when you consider the hotel's facilities which include no less than 18 different theme restaurants and four swimming pools. It is a hotel of the future because even the most jaded of jet setters are sure to be stirred by the excitement of staying there. Traditionalists might consider it vulgar; I found it vibrant.

I was led to visit the hotel to see some of the many Sri Lankans who work there. If a steward or roomboy has disappeared from your favourite Colombo five-star hotel, you'll probably find him at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, or at one of its competitors.

The thrill I experienced at this vision of the future was put into perspective when I left Dubai. There, in the business class lounge at the airport, sitting serenely among young executives carrying briefcases, was an old Arab. His face was lined and expressionless, burnished by hours gazing at the desert sun. His partner sat on his wrist, eyes hooded.

It was a falcon, alert and proud. Falconry, a unique partnership between man and bird, is an ancient pastime still practised in Dubai. Seeing the falcon and his veteran owner in the airport reminded me that even Dubai's enviable future would be nowhere without its traditional past.


Rustic elegance

imageFew hotels can boast of being built on World Heritage sites but Sigiriya Village set amidst 26 acres of lush garden can do so. Built in 1975, the Sigiriya Village has a unique vantage view of the majestic Sigiriya rock fortress.

In an age where many hotels sit cheek by jowl with others, Sigiriya Village in the heart of the Cultural Triangle prides itself in its relaxed ambiance. Here visitors can rediscover the wonders of nature. From the entrance, where one drives from a dusty roadway through a canopy of leaf green and is greeted by the sound of birds, one is enveloped by nature.

The rustic theme pervades the hotel with its 120 cottage style rooms elegantly decorated, yet affording again that closeness with nature. All rooms have their own private verandah where one can lounge at leisure and take in the sight of frolicking squirrels and inquisitive monkeys.

For those with an adventurous streak, there's plenty to do beside swimming in the hotel's beautifully located pool with the Sigiriya Rock in the backdrop. Jungle treks are organised by the hotel, along with excursions to the Wasgamuwa park, the Minneriya and Kalawewa tanks, and the Pidurangana Viharaya . The hotel also has plenty of entertainment for kids, cycling, elephant rides and indoor games.

Despite its rustic setting, the hotel is not short of entertainment, with calypso bands, cultural shows and magic shows being arranged daily, with a DJ coming in on weekends.

The hotel is well-known for its traditional Sri Lankan cuisine. A farm located within the hotel premises provides an ample supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.

And if you're in the mood for some herbal treatment, the Ayurvedic Centre offers a range of treatments. A new feature is the Sigiriya Village Gift Voucher which offers many benefits and discounts. These vouchers are available at the hotel's sales and reservations office at Colombo 9.

Also available now is the Thotulagala plantation bungalow in Haputale, a new acquisition to the group.

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