The NovelEast: PORTO ARABIA. Walk around

25°17'12N 51°31'60E av.temperature 22,4°C

Ok, I’m ready for my first tour alone in Porto Arabia (The Pearl).

First question: what to put on. Comfortable outfit for sure, because I don’t know how far I’ll walk, so, sneakers, leggings, long t-shirt and a shawl (we’re in the Middle East after all).

Second question: how to get the beginning of the promenade. My Tower 31 is the last one in Porto Arabia and you need a boat to get to the other side. But no big deal, there’s a “Water Taxi” free service obviously!!

I only have to go to the reception and ask for it and an indian boy is ready to bring me at the dock (even if I tried to tell him I could manage by myself).

Then I met Felix, the water taxi-driver. We talked during the way and he gratulated for my British accent… (Of course..if you compare it with the incoprehensible indian/philippin slang!!)…anyway, ehi! I have a friend!!Wonderful!!

Once arrived I said good bye to Felix and I walked along the dock trying to find an exit. Actually I couldn’t image I would have found a glass door obviously closed, with a password code to enter…Ok, no panic, let’s go back to Felix… a friend in need is a friend indeed, isn't it??

Things are a bit weird here.. but I only have to get used to..

Anyway, finally here I am; let’s begin this walk around.

The most surprisingly fact is that everything is perfectly neat and tidy…everywhere there’re Indians and Filipinos cleaning and wipeing every cleanable surface… it seems to be almost fake … a mix of a Lego model city and a big open-air Mall…yes but an high-level one…kind of Montenapoleone, but placed in a harbor like the Sardinian Porto Rotondo.

The first shop that I meet is the supreme René Caovilla shoe-shop with its breath-taking sparkling sandals…WOW…mmm…no price shown…bad sign… Then the shop parade goes on with Jimmy Choo, Emporio Armani, Blumarine, Etro, Ferrari (cars, not clothes), Canali, Ferragamo, Agent Provocateur…Uh! A new shop is about to open…”coming soon” declares the panel outside….mmm…heart-shaped handles…It must be Moschino, sure!

While going straight on with my tour, I see another “opening soon” shop, followed by another one, and another one again…

How many shops will be there once the works will have finished??? I couldn’t imagine…

Soon after, I come back to the promenade to see what kind of restaurants or bars people can find here and, surprisingly, I see a panel with the logo of "BICE Italian Restaurant". Fantastic, like being in Milan! Aunty Bice, you'll see us very often! Or at least as soon as we’ll feel like eating a true italian spaghetti dish, I think..

Ehy! I almost forget to mention LIZA Restaurant! We had dinner right here yesterday! It’s a fine contemporary Lebanese restaurant, with a gorgeus well-designed interior room . Tables are available even outside if you want to see people of all nationalities going back and forth along the promenade. (Suggestions for dishes: tabouleh , octopus salad and aubergine purèe as appetizers, chicken or beef skewers with baby potatoes as main course and pumpkin cake with saffron as dessert). Gnammy!

I keep on walking and I see also bars and coffee shops: Caffè Vergnano, Second cup, Chocolate bar…Uuhh!the House of Macarons!!! Or “Macaroons” as they called them here…

I keep on looking and taking pictures here and there and I have already done one half of the harbor..

It’s funny because you walk and you can also listen to the music, but not with your iPod, here there’re the “Music Palms”; every palm has its personal music that accompany you during your walk, shifting from the typical Arabian music, to cafè del mar, lounge music or whatever you want.
I'm going forth and the more I walk, the less peole I see out there... but the reason is easy to figure out; only one-fourth of Porto Arabia is already populated and full of facilities and operative shops...all the rest is an open-work site yet, full of "coming soon" panels and empty places.
Coming soon...sooner or later...I only have to be patient, but I'm not that kind!! I'm too curious and I'm looking forward to seeing all the works finished! For sure it won't take so much time...People here work all nights long!!