babbledom

LINGUAL DEFICIENCY
I wrote this when in the UAE slightly modified now
For somebody with an inborn deficiency for languages , the middle east sounded like the mother of all babbledoms ( I coined this word just now for a place or kingdom wh...ere continuous babbling in unknown languages takes place and onslaughts one ).
In other words it is language largesse
Even though born in India a country with so many languages and dialects my linguistic faculties and the grey areas managing them were of inferior quality ,th creator in his infinite wisdom never doled out ladleful’s of the stuff to me when he made me !
In short I knew very few languages and wasn’t adept in learning new ones ,
English was always my favourite ,
with a voracious appetite for reading anything and everything and having spent more evenings in dark libraries rather than playing cricket , English reading and writing has been a pleasure to me always .
Malayalam being my mother tongue it grew on me ,though my Chennai childhood gave me a distinct Tamil accent much to the amusement of my kerala born cousins when I made summer holiday jaunts to naddu ,but which disappeared with adulthood spent all the time in kerala .
Tamil was a language I was fluent in both reading and writing and could rattle Madras basha in style anytime
with this limited three languages my capabilities ended .
My pidgin Hindi was a disgrace though I loved to hear it being spoken fast and secretly wished I could do it one day too, loved melancholic Hindi songs and ached to know their lyrics ,I always imagined myself reeling off Urdu couplets on moonlit nights with a faraway gaze in my eyes but it wasn’t to be at all .
so when I came to UAE I was wary of this deficiency of mine .
The hospital I worked Tawam Hospital a johns Hopkins managed one had more than 75 nationalities as its staff.
Arabs in flowing robes jostling with Palestinians ,Jordanians ,Syrians ,Iranians and Iraqis ,indians ,sri Lankans ,north Africans ,Filipinos ,Europeans British Americans .australians and Kiwis
Arab to me sounded a bit guttural, the words beat on the ears with hardness and seem to be extraordinarily lengthy ,for example when we talk to Arab patients the translators take such a long time to tell the short sentence told ! and both the translator and the patient gets carried away in the pleasure of their conversation that like the ubiquitin UN observer in an international conflict I am left hanging in the middle in suspended animation waiting for the endless talk to end .
The Filipinos who infest the place are nice people, friendly and harmless ,but the squeaky lullabies that emerge from them sounds to me like scratching nails on walls !
They had typical accents and some words fell soft and thudding to the floor for example they call me " oh docthor Haaaary ,did u writhe thha preeescriiptioh forr thhe pathient inn roomm thhreee plleeeese ccann uuu ",didh youuuu ordhher the medihicionn ? thold you ssso "
so unlike the guttaral docthora haari of the flowing robes ,
The British nurses Aussies and New zealanders have a similar tone ,to me not very different but not to them as I did discuss this with them once and they said they were entirely different .How could I cmpare them with anyone else !
" doctor haary wud u mind writing this pleese ,ahum ....well u know we did decide in the rounds .....so ..wud u mind ... pl do write "typical British stiff upper lip with all wahs and ahums punctuating , a trifle unnerving those polite pauses .
Or
HHHaarry dahling I would kill you if u gimme me more work

the hospital always resounded with good mornings
how are you today how was the week end and so on
Arabs were generally into lengthy introduction for example a phone from the switchboard would go like this ,hello dr haary how are you today ? the urologist would like to talk to you and then the urologist would say docthor haary how are you keeping ?( he would be talking to me for the first time mostly ) nothing wrong of course but i have to get used to this lingual luxuries ,to them i should sound brusque as i just get to the point at times
So hows your family
Hows work
though real time yankees from johns hopkins in the US whose umblical cord made us breathe visited us often and give us the real dose of yankee talk ,
some consultants who had thier education in the u of s had thier own versions which was not bad at all to listen "hey guys u know we could screw up the whole thing ,yu know one haas to be caareful i say you guys buck up huh "and so on and so forth during meetings scoring thier points in yankeeblab ,it was like a free Hollywood film !
of course I was happiest with homebred mallu nurses and the rare mallu doctors who talked mellifilous malayalam ,or my favourite Tamil
the Pakistani colleagues were happy with
Urdu and wich was like hindi ,to me both were undecipherable ,my attempts at urdu with the huge Afghan taxi drivers make them talk back to me in Angresi in pity
Moving from UAE to Brunei in Borneo was another experience ,the filipinos here were not an issue as I was used to them but our housemaid was definitely difficult to comprehend as her english sounded more Tegalo than English only analogy I can think of is aMallu speakingenglish which mostly is Malayalam with English words as the soul of the communication is Malayalam
Malay was a different matter to me and at times both the patient and me rattled off in our respective comfort zones rarely meeting each other excpect when the go between translator nurse decided enough was enough
Chines e was of course Greek to me the only thing I came to realise was the Chinese are as fast in talking as they are in everything no wonder china is where it is now !
The Bruneians themselves are relaxed kind souls with all the time in the world and a great sense of humour ,I did find this also with UAE nationals some of them had a real sense of fun in their conversation
so dear folks I have always been caught in the tempest of these lingual aggressions ,
at times the continuous noises of unknown languages unnerve me that I just rattle off in soft tones "onnu poda "and look around innocently .
DON’T TRANSLATE PLEASE
Terema Khasim ( thank you

Dubai the magic city

I wanted to make a post on the mazing developments in this amazing city but took the easy way out of cutting and copying ,the i


The triple-lobed footprint of the building is based on an abstracted desert flower native to the region.
- A subtle reference to the onion domes of Islamic architecture can be found in the building's silhouette when looking up at the lobes from near the base.
- The tower will be situated on a man-made lake which is designed to wrap around the tower and to provide dramatic views of it.
- Engineers working on the design considered installing triple-decker elevators, which would have been the first in the world. The realized building will use double-decker elevators.
- The top of the building will contain a public observation deck and a private club above that.
- Although the building's shape resembles the bundled tube concept of the
Sears Tower, it is structurally very different and is technically not a tube structure.
- The design by Skidmore Owings & Merrill replaces a plan to reuse the design for Grollo Tower, which was proposed in Melbourne a few years earlier.
- Designed by Adrian D. Smith, FAIA, RIBA Design Partner at Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP.
- "Burj" is Arabic for "Tower".
- Burj Dubai will become the world's tallest building, along with the world's tallest man-made structure when it is completed.
- The highest residential floor will be level 109.
- An observation deck will occupy the 124th floor.
- The building was rotated 120 degrees to allow for less stress from the prevailing winds.
- The building sits on a concrete and steel podium with 192 piles descending to a depth of more than 50 metres (164 feet).
- A total of 45,000 cubic metres of concrete are used in the foundations with a weight in excess of 110,000 tonnes.
- The exterior cladding is of reflective glazing with aluminium and textured stainless steel spandrel panels with vertical tubular fins of stainless steel.
- The cladding system is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures.
- This is the first world's tallest building since prehistoric times to include residential space.
- The official height has not been released, and remains secret. The total height of 808 meters is subject to change.
- Burj Dubai became the world's tallest high-rise building on July 24, 2007, and the world's tallest self-supporting structure on September 12, 2007.

Burj Dubai in comparision with other tall structures

world island and palm islands in Dubai

The World Islands, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Palm World or Globe Islands, are a collection of man-made islands shaped into the continents of the world, located off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It will consist of 300 small private artificial islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands.
The World Islands will be located 4 kilometers off the shore of Jumeirah, close to the Palm Jumeirah, between Burj Al Arab and Port Rashid at approximately 25°13 North and 55°10 East. The AED 6.6 billion (US$ 1.8 billion) project will cover a total area of 9 kilometers (5.4 miles) in length and 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) in width, surrounded by an oval shaped breakwater. The only means of transportation between the islands will be by marine or air transport and boat transportation from the mainland will be from the umm suqeim and jumeirah fishing harbours.
Each island of The World will range from 250 to 900 thousand square feet (23.2 to 83.6 thousand square meters) in size, with 50 to 100 metres (164 to 328 feet) of water between each island. Each island will be sold to selected private developers and are expected to have pricing beginning at AED 25 million (US$ 6.85 million). Individuals who own on an island in The World Islands include Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher.

Elton John has palnned to buy England ,an Irish buisnessman wants to buy Ireland and create a typical Irish resort ,so onand so forth ,( hope India is not bought by Dawood Ibrahim )

PalmIslands

The Palm Jumeirah is the smallest of the three Palm Islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira). It is located on the Jumeirah coastal area of the emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The unique man-made island is built in the shape of a date palm tree and consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that will form a water-breaker.
The Jumeirah Palm island is primarily a retreat and residential area for living, relaxation, and leisure. It will contain themed boutique hotels, three types of villas (Signature Villas, Garden Homes, and Canal Cove Town Homes), shoreline apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, cafes and a variety of retail outlets.
The Palm Jumeirah will contain over 25 of the top international hotel brands including Movenpick Resort Oceana Palm Jumeirah, Moevenpick Resort & Spa Palm Jumeirah, Antara, Fairmont Palm Residence, Radisson SAS, Hilton, Metropolitan, Shangri La, One and Only Royal Mirage, Starwood, Marriott, Oberoi, Kempinski, Chedi, Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, Anantara Resort, and Dusit. Other developments will include Al Basri Building, Al Habool Building, Al Anbara Building, Emerald Palace, Oceana, and the Trump Plaza and Marina Residences. Construction began on the Palm Jumeirah island in June 2001.

Dubailand

Dubailand is a tourism, real estate, hospitality, entertainment, leisure and retail mega project under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It will cover an area of 3 billion square feet (279 million square meters) and its initial infrastructure will be built at a cost of AED 3 billion (US$ 814 million). Dubailand is being managed by Dubai Government's Dubai Development and Investment Authority (DDIA) and is being built to secure Dubai as the premier tourist destination for the Middle East.
Dubailand themepark will contain 45 mega projects and over 200 sub projects, making it the most ambitious tourist destination ever created. Dubai land is being created to appeal to the widest audience of tourists, covering all age groups, nationalities and activities. On completion, Dubailand will be twice the size of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, making it the biggest theme/amusement park in the world. Dubailand is being built in 4 phases, each of which will last for 5 years. The first phase of development, from 2005 to 2010, will include the development of initial roads and infrastructure. This will follow with concentrating on the unique leisure and entertainment products until its completed in 2020.
The various projects being built in Dubailand have been categorized into six themed zones, which focus on a different aspect of the Dubai land experience. Each of the zones, referred to as worlds, within Dubailand has been planned to offer an unforgettable experience for both children and adults.
Attractions and Experience WorldA family World of theme and water parks, roller coasters and adventure, the Attractions and Experience World will feature a critical mass of themed, large-scale attractions, using the latest technology for thrills and safety. Based on the example of successful destinations worldwide, its largest theme park will act as an anchor, attracting visitors and encouraging the growth of visits to other attractions within the World, and Dubailand as a whole.
The Attractions and Experience World will cover 150 million square feet (13.9 million square meters), and will contain a total of 16 projects (Aqua Dubai, Astrolab Resort, Aviation World, Snowdome (Dubai Sunny Mountain Ski Dome), Great Dubai Wheel, Dubailand Theme Park, Falcon City of Wonders, Fantasia, Giants World, The Global Village, The Islamic Culture and Science World, Kids World, Legends-Dubailand, Planetarium, Space and Science World, Tourism Park).
Sports and Outdoor WorldA high energy world of heroes and champions, the Sports and Outdoor World will include a mix of sporting venues that will incorporate a dynamic program of international rugby, cricket and other sports tournaments as well as extreme sports activities. When completed, it will be ideally positioned to become a prime warm weather training facility for professional sports teams and will appeal to a broad mix of markets.
The Sports and Outdoor World will cover approximately 354 million square feet (32.9 million square meters), and will contain a total of 5 projects (Dubai Autodrome and Business Park, Dubai Sports City, Extreme Sports World, Golf World, The Plantation Equestrian & Polo Club).
Eco-Tourism WorldA natural world marvelling at the beauty of our planet, the Eco-Tourism World will comprise a series of nature and desert-based attractions integrated within their desert parkland surrounds. Its experiential and cultural activities will have broad appeal and its vast number of exquisite and unique offerings will no doubt encourage long-stays and repeat visits.
The Eco-Tourism World will cover approximately 1.4 billion square feet (130 million square meters) and will contain a total of 7 projects (Al Barari, Dubai Heritage Village, Life World, Pet Land, Safari Park, Sand Dune Hotel, Tropical Village)
Themed Leisure and Vacation WorldA relaxing world of spas, health and well-being, the Themed Leisure and Vacation World will consist of appealing retreats designed to respond to the growing international demand for quality vacation village residences, resort hotels and wellness retreats. It will include several fitness and stress-management focused facilities and will offer unique creative concepts, such as themed resorts, providing visitors a chance to experience faraway exotic locales without leaving Dubailand.
The Themed Leisure and Vacation World will cover approximately 320 million square feet (29.7 million square meters) and will contain a total of 6 projects (Andalusian Resort & Spa, The Indian Theme Resort, LEMNOS Women’s World, The Nubian Village, The Silver Street Resort, Thai Express Resort)
Downtown, Retail and Entertainment WorldA vibrant mix of entertainment, shopping and eating out, the Downtown, Retail & Entertainment World will be a mixed destination offering a variety of retail, dining and entertainment facilities. It will feature popular family entertainment components with cross-generational appeal such as cinemas, bowling, street entertainment, computer-based games centres, themed restaurants and nightclubs. Downtown, Retail & Entertainment World’s multitude of day and night activities will encourage overnight stays and spending at Dubailand. As shopping is one of the essential activities undertaken by tourists on vacation, Downtown, Retail & Entertainment World will provide a critical mass of retail facilities providing a wide variety of global brands but also unique boutiques and discount stores, all within the biggest mall in the world - the Mall of Arabia.
The Downtown, Retail and Entertainment World will cover approximately 53 million square feet (4.9 million square meters) and will contain a total of 5 projects (City of Arabia, Dubai Bazaar, Dubai Outlet City, Restaurant Complex, Teen World, Virtual Games World)
Dubailand will ideally be located along the Emirates Road and the Dubai-Al Ain Road, which will provide easy access to it from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah. It will be located 60 minutes from Abu Dhabi, 10 minutes from the Dubai Airport, and 20 minutes from Sharjah.

Snowdome, previously referred to as Dubai Sunny Mountain Skidome, will be a gigantic indoor ski dome project, that will be part of the Attraction and Experience World of the mega tourism project, Dubailand. The AED 3.7 billion (US$ 1 billion) development will cover an area of 1.4 million square feet (130 thousand square meters) and contain a host of snow and ice based activities for children and adults.

Snowdome
Snowdome will be the first of its kind in the Middle East, providing a complete winter experience to its visitors. This indoor ski resort will comprise of a ski dome, residential towers, hotels, a shopping mall, restaurants, coffee shops and other retail outlets.
The ski dome will be a climate controlled transparent steel dome structure, with a 220 meter (722 foot) diameter and 75 meter (246 foot) height. Its entrance will be marked by two huge real-ice columns and the skidome will contain a rotating ski deck/slope, mountain run, training area, snow play area, toboggan run, flying theater, an iceberg-shaped five-star deluxe hotel, pinguinarium, winter aquaria, snow castle, ice-rink, animal statues, 4-season aquaria, snowfall, sound and light effects, as well as cold and warm bath spas. The Snow dome will feature only real snow, around 6,000 tons (5.5 million kilograms), in its +10 degrees Centigrade winter environment.
Snowdome will be surrounded by 9 Iceberg Residences towers and flanked by 2 Crystal Towers, all with winter themed architecture. The Iceberg Residence apartment buildings will screen the snowdome from the early morning sun.
Ski Dubai This project is sometimes mistaken with Dubai's other ski development that opened in September 2005 named Ski Dubai. Ski Dubai is a 22,500 square meter (242,187 square foot), 85 meter high and 80 meter wide indoor ski project that maintains a -1 degree temperature, has 5 different runs, and a 3,000 square meter indoor snow park, located in Mall of the Emirates on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Expected Completion Date - End of 2008Real Estate Developer - Emirates Star Properties

Fujaira emirate

When one thinks of the U.A.E. the picture that arises is that of glittering high rise cities ,true Dubai and Abhu Dhabi are just that ,but there are places in the gulf which do retain thier old world charm and though changed have not completely .

Fujairah one of the seven emirates that form the U.A.E. is full of stark hills and breezy beaches .

More than 200 km from Al Ain ,the SUV that takes us zips the distance in a matter of 2 hrs .

The highways in the U.A.E. are built for making driving a great experience .

Along the way one could see stray camels grazing on the side protected from the road by fences ,the protection is not only for the camel but also the speeding cars which would face disaster if it struck one huge camel .

Birds flew across the road and they too could crash into the windshield at times it seems .

We sped past so many signboards some leading to Oman ,and a friday market which was empty as it wasnt a friday ,small shops selling fresh fruits ,vegetables and pleasant merchants who were willing to bargain was a soothing experience after seeing sterile malls by the dozen ,bargain always kindle some vestigeal instincts in an Indian ,he or she is at home with it and feels the pleasure of shopping lies to an extent in driving a hard bargain .

As it was ramadhan time no eateries were open .

Brown hills that rose on either side of the road were stark with not a leaf on them ,some were huge and primeveal ,palm trees lined the roads and we went through a farm with bales of hay stacked like cylinders probably for camels ,the topic of discussion was on camel meat and I was told that U.A.E. prisons offer camel biriyani as thier sole menu for its unfortunate residents ,( should avoid them if possible )

soon we enetered into Fujaira town ,surprisingly it was quite modern and had a high rising sixty storey tower as its tallest building ,here too were malls and lovely masjids ,we also saw a palace on the way .

soon we left the town and sped to Korfakan beach in Sharjah,the emirates keep butting into each other ,this beach is lovely one with well laid paths ,fine white sand ,and shallow water ideal and safe for the family ,provison was also there for toilets and changing ,huge resorts like Le Meridien and apartment stays were also there for the tourist with all budgets .

the beach sported bareque stands and one could imagine people skewering meats late into the windy nights there .

we then went on to drive between mountains and saw a port into the sea ,fujairah has the advantage of being nearest to the shipping lane among all the emirates .

It is a quaint place and is different from the rest ,an ideal picnic spot for the weekend ,and a great place to reside as cost of living is much less ,it is more comfortable and less crowded too .

If it is beaches in the UAE then it should be Fujaira

Harimohan

Driving the Ghana Ghandarvan

Yesudas the famous singer from Kerala is known as Ghana Gandharvan which is to me and and to many of his fans very apt .
gifted with a melifillous voice perfected with professional training in classical carnatic music under the tutelage of the doyen Sembai Vaidyanadha Bhagvathar ,Yesuadas is a living legend .
His is a face one imagines when thinking of Kerala along with backwaters ,coconut trees and the like.
known for his tolerance in religious and social matters ,erudite thinking and wisdom ,he is a great entertainer liked by all sections of people across the world .
His humility is his greatest asset .
This post is on my personal experience with the great man for which Iam ever grateful .

It all started when our good family friend the late Mr Rao who was a senior officer in the government and also a prolific orator in the lecture circuit in philosophy and theology ,a self learned musician Rao delighted in auditory electronics and had a great collection of records of classical music ,he knew Yesudas well and once when Dasettan had come to cochin he told me he could invite him to shilpa special school which was being run in memory of my daughter .
Dasettan agreed to come and I went with Mr Rao to bring him to our school .
i was awed by his presence ,here was someone I had listened to since childhood and he was in spotless white handsome in his black beard with soft melting intense eyes ,he was very modest and made me at ease with simple conversation ,that day Dasettan came with this wife to our school and interacted with our children ,he was very impressed and was full of good words on the work being done as we returned .he was very vocal on many matters and told me his views on health and ayurveda ,it was like knowing him for years !!
the next time I met him was when we called him to lay the foundation stone for our new building ,he promptly agreed to our request and said he would reach there precisely at the ordained time and there was no need for anyone to pick him up as he knew palluruthy well
( he studied in a school there ) .
I was delighted as he kept calling me Hari and not doctor ,
so the D day came and morning the preparations began ,suddenly a small desire came to me to go and pick him up even though he expressly told me not to do so ,my co brother too told me "let us go harietta it will be nice to do that and so off we went ."
Dasettan wasnt amused at all he was frowning and he told me"I told you doctor dont bother to to come and I would be there ,did you not believe me ? actually I came from Chennai only for this function ."
I mumbled "but Dasetta I thought I needed to escort you ",he replied
"well that is precisely what I dont want I hate all formalities ,Iam a simple person ",saying this he went in asking us to sit down ,it was embarassing for me indeed and I cursed myself for the mistake .
It became 5 minutes to 8 am and Dasettan was waiting for his driver who had taken the vehicle somewhere the previous night to come and pick him up ,he was a stickler to punctuality and held great importance to auspicious timings for functions ,he paced up and down a little irritated ,
suddenly he said " Hari let us go in your car ! "
wow he called me Hari again !
delighted we ran and opened the door of my humble Maruti to him ,it was all dirty after a long distance trip ,i apologised to him saying the car isnt neat he got in and said Iam not going to sleep here or anything so what is the problem , and so I sat in the front seat and pramodh my cobrother drove the vehicle ,just beyond the gate we saw Dasettans driver zooming into the house in his white Ford ,
I said Dasetta you car has come so you can come in that and we shall follow ,
Why you want me to get down ,no way let him learn a lesson for coming late Iam coming with you and thank God you came Hari
well well most unexpected turn of events indeed .
Dasettan was in fine form after that when we commented on how he made people so easy with him and why he never behaved like the celebrity he is ,he said Iam just another human with some God given talents what difference is there ?
If I remove my beard people may not even recognise me in the streets ,all this came sincerley and there was no false airs at all .
Slowly we aksed Dasettan to sing us some of his famous pieces and I think it was one of my luckiest days to get a personal perfomance from my favourite singer .
Dasettan did all we asked him to do ,all the lovely Salil Chowdry songs which i like immensely was rendered sweetly ,it was like a listeners choice for us in those humble surroundings ,the geat man even demonstrated on how to chant AUM from the pit of the stomach .
In the end it was worth it as Dasettan performed the foundation stone laying and we took him back in the same memorable way ,a day I can never forget .
a day with the Ghana Gandharvan himself singing for us !!!!while we drove him !!

lebanese dinnner and belly dancing !!

Deceptive title indeed ( bloggers have to use tricks to attract readers you see )but not untrue mind you .

because I did enjoy a Lebanese dinner in Grand Hyatt hotel Dubai where I had the chance to attend a meet and stay over ( courtesy my chief ,thank him ) and over dinner viewed the exotic belly dance too !

The dance didnt increase my appetitie for food or anything else though I did appreciate the art in it ( you see people without baser instincts look for the art in everything and yours truly is one amongst them )

Belly dancing has been in the middle east for ages it is more of a traditional dance done on joyous occasions like marriages and childbirths ,the Hollywood influence introduced the sequinned skimpy costume to the slithering beauties .

the middle east had men and women segregrated in thier households and even today many continue in that fashion the womens wing was haram or prohibited and from that the word harem rose giving risque imaginations of sultans and thier lovelies
In Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovery of the new world a fair was held with several firsts ,like the Ferris wheel ,the first movie ,and a Morrocan dance where the abdominal midriff was exposed and came to be called the belly dance !

By middle of 20th century many clubs in middle east offered belly dancing as entertainement slowly in clubs offering cheaper fare it turned to sleeze with more exposure and suggestive movements while high class and expensive clubs offered better music with greater dancing talents .

with the film industry both hollywood and Bollywood offering its own versions the dance form attained its public perception .

to make the story short it was fun to watch the sinous hip movements and appreciate the grace of the dancer and her talent .

with an appetiser like this the dinner was bound to be promising ,Lebanese dinners I found had plenty of starters ,which kept rolling in continously with exotic names and different tastes ,vine leaves stuffed with rice ,kebab like morsels ,chikpeas ,lots of salads ,and it went on and on with great gaps ,

I commented to my friend that I am feeling full and wondering how I would manage main course ,well I ddint have much to worry for the main one was quite short after all the fan fare it was a grilled piece and then another interminable wait for the dessert .

Dessert in the desert did seem long to come so I commented to the elegantly dressed waiter who answered that we have to wait fro all diners to finish thier courses to start dessert ,again I neednt have worried for no cool ice creams or fluffy cakes followed but a big basket of fruits from all parts of the world ,well Lebanese dinner is not for me all the days i cant exist on leaves and fruits ,i might start nodding and cudchewing indeeed.

so I retired into my room in the Grand Hyatt and dreaming of oh no not belly dancers but good south indian food

harimohan