“Sea Palace”:
obvious difference
A girl with the fragrant name "Nana" * ... Tart as strong oriental tea. Sweet as honey of oriental treats. Flowing silk clothes. A wave of hair is the color of desert fire. Eyes boldly let down by black ...
The drums choke in a trance of rhythm. Your heart is ready to jump out of your chest and fall under your loud beat of rhythm to your beautiful legs ... Nana! Well, you can’t be so beautiful! You do not dance, you yourself are a dance. Fragrant, tart, sweet ...
I’m drowning in soft pillows, smoking slowly and enjoying the play of light in the colorful sequins of your costume, which, like crazy, take off with every movement of the dance. The laziness of the sheikhs envelops, having mastered every piece of my body and consciousness, I deeply feel the difference between ordinary life and the present moment. But the unexpected bitterness of Arabian coffee throws back into reality. In the head, like motion pictures, the events of the past few hours begin to scroll.
Dubai Hotel. Evening. Post-beach languor, mixed with the smell of the sea and the feeling of rough shells in the palms. The phone rings like an alarm. "Get ready, go ride along the bay. All inclusive: cruise, food, belly dance, beer. Only 40 bucks. We chose the best, sheikhs will be there. They sent us a car."
Busting holiday laziness, going down. "Wellcome, Söör," the driver opens the door in front of me. Thank God I think they took care of delivery to the place. They drove directly to the ramp and at the expense of the cruise company. A trifle, but nice.
A representative Arab unexpectedly in Russian welcomes our honest company "good evening." “Magdy,” he says, already in English, “welcome to the Palace of Sea. I am the CEO of Saluja Tours and Cruises. If anything, look for me on the boat, I will always be happy to help!”
The boat - a traditional Arabic dhow - sways on the waves, alluringly shining with all its windows. We go down the ladder wrapped in a carpet into the bowels of the "Palace". Yes, we did a great job here ... One ceiling is worth: a dark tree, skillfully carved Arabic patterns, the warmth of human hands.
Almost chamber furnishings of the lower deck. Massive tables. The pinching eyes are white tablecloths. Brilliant appliances, similar to those that my mother took out of the sideboard on major holidays. Waiters standing upright and catching my every look. Important Arabs in white robes and huge white scarves on their heads. No less important are their children, and regardless of age. I feel like an involuntary visitor to an expensive restaurant, which I accidentally got into, having made a mistake with the door. It becomes uncomfortable that I am wearing simple jeans and a T-shirt.
I run off to the upper deck. I find my friends there, beautiful girls in evening dresses and the Arabic Majlis ** with soft sofas.
The moment of departure goes unnoticed, because the machines are incredibly quiet. On the right is the ultra-modern metropolis, on the left is old Dubai. Having chosen as a lens a rectangle between two wooden racks supporting the roof, I decide to look right so far. Skyscrapers of the Deira business district. Little houses. Boats, like affectionate children, clinging to the warm granite of the embankments. Cars. Shops. People scurrying back and forth. Parrots, green, dispersed along the coastal wires. Dynamics. Lights. XXI Century. I sip a cocktail, thinking that the city is completely different from the water in its mystery.
With a gesture of a hospitable host, Magdy calls us to taste dishes "from the best chefs of Dubai." I don’t want to eat, but I can’t refuse the owner of the dhow, especially since on the lower deck the situation from the chamber turned into a direct one.
Here I was puzzled by the choice and appetite, awakened by a variety of flavors of Arabic, Indian and European cuisine. I make a strategic decision to take a little, but of everything. As a result, I collect two tremendous plates with a slide, cursing the Russian love for "all inclusive." Taking advantage of the agility of the waiter, who instantly picked up one of them, I begin to eat along the way. A movie about Dubai, which was once a desert, is shown on a huge screen. I decide to stay below while watching a video - suddenly, I think, I won’t get on excursions, seduced by the beach.
I’m going to drink coffee in the Majlis upstairs. Now on the right, in the same lens, I see a completely different Dubai. Adobe buildings with wind towers. Palm trees. A beautiful mosque with minarets soaring into the sky. Muejin sings his long song, calling Muslims to prayer. People, children, dogs. A group of enthusiasts doing yoga right on the lawn of the waterfront.
Magdy comes up and sits down next to the sofa, wiping his wet forehead with his hand. I respectfully think that all managers would be so happy for the job. We talked. It turned out that he had been hopelessly sick with the sea for a long time, and boats were his tender passion. The 39-meter Sea Palace is only five months old. This is the first such project of the young company Saluja Tours and Cruises, which was founded by people inspired by the brilliant Dubai for new achievements.
“We thought it would be time to organize a VIP class cruise in Dubai to take on board the most demanding guests. We bought an old boat, completely restored it. I drew, drew sketches, ran after the workers and practically spent the night and spent the night at the construction site. Despite the fact that this is not my first ship, when the "Palace" was launched, I physically felt that I had a native child, so I am constantly here. "
A good idea could not go unnoticed. The Sea Palace was rapidly gaining popularity. The subtle combination of modern and historical, "five-star" service and sensitive hospitality, creative approach and persistent desire to be the first brought the "Sea Palace" deserved fame, making it the best among cruises on the bay of Dubai.
Noticed the "Sea Palace" and local authorities, and local celebrities. This cruise is recommended to tourists in the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing of Dubai. It is at the Maritime Palace that official delegations from all over the world are often invited. It is the services of this dow that the international hotel chain Jumeirah International, which includes the famous sailing hotel Burj Al Arab and the cozy Madinat Jumeirah, constantly uses. The list of clients is extensive: the US Embassy in the UAE, the UN Mission, oil companies, major hospitals, universities, Media City, the best hotels in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and others. It is here that you can meet a real Arab sheikh, although, according to my feelings, here everyone feels like that.
“I go on a flight every day, like clockwork. Since we said that it’s better not to find the Sea Palace, you need to comply and keep everything under control. We try to make our guests feel the difference in everything and always try to be the best. Moreover, we have VIPs almost every flight, although they require special attention, we try to make all our guests feel like rulers of the East. And how do you like food? That's it ... Dishes are prepared by the chef of the five-star Taj Hotel Palace.
We are now building a new boat, even better than this. For the most fastidious guests. The design will be unique: purely Arabic, expensive, chic. A lot of glass and ancient elements to create the impression of a revived history. And her name will be corresponding: "Princess of the Dubai Creek." Although she is rather a queen, ”Magdy concluded thoughtfully.
While we chatted, all the people from the upper deck disappeared somewhere. “Ah, they went to look at Nana. Let's go, you can’t miss such a sight ...” Magdy smiled mysteriously and escorted me under the arm to the place where the girl with the fragrant name “Nana”, getting ready to dance a belly dance, passed by, flashing with boldly summed up black eyes ...?
Anastas Zorin
* "Nana" - in Arabic "mint"
** Majlis - premises in Arabs' houses, specially designed for receiving guests.
