Why a Booktrail?
1990: Come join this tour guide company in the far-flung outpost of Dubai.
Hope You Are Satisfied
What you need to know before your trail
1990. Twenty-five-year-old Riya works for Discover Arabia, a tour guide company in the far-flung outpost of Dubai. In the months leading up to the first Gulf War, the city’s iconic skyline and global reputation are just a gleam in developers’ eyes. For Riya, it’s a desert purgatory that spreads out between her family back home in India and her unknown future.
As political tensions run high, international arms dealers, American soldiers, CIA consultants, corrupt bosses and wayward vacationers all compete for Discover Arabia’s attention. Meanwhile, Riya and her colleagues begin to plan their exit strategies.
Will a favour from Dubai’s most notorious fixer offer Riya the chance to fulfil her financial obligations and escape to the United States?
Travel Guide
Dubai
Authors on Location – Meet Tania Malik in Dubai
Saddam Hussein has just attacked Kuwait. With fears of the international community taking retaliation, the threat and fear of every day life in Dubai is palpable.
Everyone in Dubai holds their breath. Those working in the travel industry of course must face the possibility that soon, the airspace will shut down and restrictions on travel will certainly come in. Not to mention the danger to life!
Turns out the real danger is in the country itself – the strict daily rules are certainly ones that all foreigners must abide by or risk getting fined or put in prison. Premarital sex is off the cards and drinking alcohol are things you definitely don’t want to be doing.
It’s interesting to go back to the early 1990s and see Dubai before it became the golden metropolis it is today.
Trail Gallery
Booktrailer Review
This is a quirky read ( as the cover might suggest) but it’s also very insightful and complex with its subject matters.
It’s a snapshot of life in 1990s Dubai as the city is going through some major changes and with a war rumbling in the background.
The city really does come to life as does the unique lifestyle and culture. There are visits to the souk and well it’s just a delight for the senses. It was interesting to see how the young Riya who works there mixes her Indian family ties with her new Dubai life. The problem of all expats but her story was particularly interesting.
There are many people like her in the city and their experiences are woven into the narrative. Riya is their spokesperson if you like, and we see through her how life can get tricky. Who do you call when you are a million miles away from home?
This is a good look at expat life – I was cringing and laughing at some moments but all good! Dubai sounds…oddly fascinating but I’m sure I wouldn’t survive there.
What a way to experience it though as closely as you can via a book.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Hope You Are Satisfied
Destination/location:Dubai Author/guide: Tania Malik Departure Time:1990
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