Hi Everybody
I have never written a blogg before but my dear friend Emma made me promise before I left the warmth of her loving arms in Dubai that I would write one so here I go.
As you all know coming to India has always been a dream of mine. I have wanted to see India and be part of this incredible culture for as long as I can remember. I have done my fair share of traveling over the years as you know and I suppose in my heart I was saving the best until last.
Don't get me wrong I don't intend to hang up my traveling flip flops just yet but there is no where else really I have a burning desire to see. India for me is the big one, the grand finale the trip and adventure of a lifetime.
On route to India I decided to visit my dear friend Emma in Dubai. Emma has been living there for 4 years and has made my ears bleed for 4 years because I have not visited her.
So on the 21st of Jan 2012 I waited patiently at Dubai international airport for the blonde bombshell to arrive, twenty minutes late and stinking of last night she turned up in her convertible.
Before arriving in Dubai I did warn Emma that I was not taking Jacquelina with me. Jacquelina is the crazy half of me, the one that drinks too much, dances on bars and gets me into trouble. I told Emma that i was on a spiritual journey and i was focusing on Celibacy, Sobriety and Reflexology and planning to be an all round boring fart. It did not last.
Emma and myself go back years and so we went a bit mad and drank 2 bottles of chardonnay on her balcony within 30 minutes of us walking through the door, so yes Jaquelina was out and there was an audience, Emma's friends were there and flat mate Corrine so jacquelina was dancing on the tables and swinging from the chandeliers and making a general tit of herself in front of everyone.
Apart from that day we only drank on one more occasion and that to ended with me wrapped around a palm tree in downtown Dubai, swinging around the railings outside Emma's apartment and sticking myself head down in an urn (im sure you all enjoyed that photo on face book), so after that second time of drinking and waking in the morning to a deep depression I sat with Emma and put my cards on the table and explained that Jacquelina was going back in her box and the key would be turned and then thrown with almighty force into the Arabian sea.
I have known for some time that i need to leave alcohol were it is, in the bottle. It never used to effect me the way it does now, I used to be really cool and never would allow my self to be stumbling around flashing my bits, I don't know when it happened or how but every time I drink something terrible happens, or i offend someone or flirt with someone i shouldn't or just loose something or break something. one of my dear Krishna devotee friends once said to me "Jacqueline the thing with alcohol and drugs is that it always starts sweet but ends bitter" and that is exactly right, it always ends bitter and with me depressed and ashamed and sad and i just don't want to do it anymore
After that we still had loads of fun but were not arrested so i was pleased about that.
We visited the Burj al Arab the only seven star hotel in the world, we were escorted into the hotel by a millionaire Arab client of Emma's (no she is not a prostitute she deals in real estate or something to do with property). I was blown away by Dubai i could not make my mind up if i was delighted by it or disgusted by it.
I was amazed by the buildings and grandeur and how clean it was but I felt angry that so many people lived in such wealth and comfort while so may people in India and other parts of the world lived in slums, hungry and without much food or comfort. I did enjoy my time there though and i lapped up the luxury of Emma's gorgeous apartment with hot showers and king sized bed, I knew in India on my backpackers budget my life style was about to dramatically change
We got up and did aerobics on the beach and lay in the sun and went for nice meals and even though I was sober i still had a great laugh. I guess that is when you know you are with a great friend, in great company because you can laugh your socks off sober.
I worry that if I don't drink I will be boring and people wont want to be around me anymore but we had some great laughs some belly grabbing laughs and i still managed to talk loads and loads of balderdash even though I was sober.
Leaving Emma was sad, we have been friends for a long time, partied together and i mean 3 day benders were the whole world is going about their business and you are sat on the floor in some ones lounge at 11am with the curtains closed with your sunglasses on, yeah you know the one!!
cried together, laughed together oh yes our friendship had stood the test of time and the test of my craziness and i knew that was tough for anyone to endure
I was glad i was leaving Dubai sober and calm and ready for India. we had planned to do brunch on Friday the day before I left for India but we called it off because it is a day of drinking and eating as much as you can and we both knew we would end up in the back end of the beyond wrapped up in someones headscarf and I would be boarding my flight, tripping over with my back pack and having a whitey so it was a relief to be happy and calm and excited about India.
So with tears in our eyes we hugged and said our goodbyes and then I was there, alone in the airport with my back pack about to begin what I really believe will be the journey of my life
I have never written a blogg before but my dear friend Emma made me promise before I left the warmth of her loving arms in Dubai that I would write one so here I go.
As you all know coming to India has always been a dream of mine. I have wanted to see India and be part of this incredible culture for as long as I can remember. I have done my fair share of traveling over the years as you know and I suppose in my heart I was saving the best until last.
Don't get me wrong I don't intend to hang up my traveling flip flops just yet but there is no where else really I have a burning desire to see. India for me is the big one, the grand finale the trip and adventure of a lifetime.
On route to India I decided to visit my dear friend Emma in Dubai. Emma has been living there for 4 years and has made my ears bleed for 4 years because I have not visited her.
So on the 21st of Jan 2012 I waited patiently at Dubai international airport for the blonde bombshell to arrive, twenty minutes late and stinking of last night she turned up in her convertible.
Before arriving in Dubai I did warn Emma that I was not taking Jacquelina with me. Jacquelina is the crazy half of me, the one that drinks too much, dances on bars and gets me into trouble. I told Emma that i was on a spiritual journey and i was focusing on Celibacy, Sobriety and Reflexology and planning to be an all round boring fart. It did not last.
Emma and myself go back years and so we went a bit mad and drank 2 bottles of chardonnay on her balcony within 30 minutes of us walking through the door, so yes Jaquelina was out and there was an audience, Emma's friends were there and flat mate Corrine so jacquelina was dancing on the tables and swinging from the chandeliers and making a general tit of herself in front of everyone.
Apart from that day we only drank on one more occasion and that to ended with me wrapped around a palm tree in downtown Dubai, swinging around the railings outside Emma's apartment and sticking myself head down in an urn (im sure you all enjoyed that photo on face book), so after that second time of drinking and waking in the morning to a deep depression I sat with Emma and put my cards on the table and explained that Jacquelina was going back in her box and the key would be turned and then thrown with almighty force into the Arabian sea.
I have known for some time that i need to leave alcohol were it is, in the bottle. It never used to effect me the way it does now, I used to be really cool and never would allow my self to be stumbling around flashing my bits, I don't know when it happened or how but every time I drink something terrible happens, or i offend someone or flirt with someone i shouldn't or just loose something or break something. one of my dear Krishna devotee friends once said to me "Jacqueline the thing with alcohol and drugs is that it always starts sweet but ends bitter" and that is exactly right, it always ends bitter and with me depressed and ashamed and sad and i just don't want to do it anymore
After that we still had loads of fun but were not arrested so i was pleased about that.
We visited the Burj al Arab the only seven star hotel in the world, we were escorted into the hotel by a millionaire Arab client of Emma's (no she is not a prostitute she deals in real estate or something to do with property). I was blown away by Dubai i could not make my mind up if i was delighted by it or disgusted by it.
I was amazed by the buildings and grandeur and how clean it was but I felt angry that so many people lived in such wealth and comfort while so may people in India and other parts of the world lived in slums, hungry and without much food or comfort. I did enjoy my time there though and i lapped up the luxury of Emma's gorgeous apartment with hot showers and king sized bed, I knew in India on my backpackers budget my life style was about to dramatically change
We got up and did aerobics on the beach and lay in the sun and went for nice meals and even though I was sober i still had a great laugh. I guess that is when you know you are with a great friend, in great company because you can laugh your socks off sober.
I worry that if I don't drink I will be boring and people wont want to be around me anymore but we had some great laughs some belly grabbing laughs and i still managed to talk loads and loads of balderdash even though I was sober.
Leaving Emma was sad, we have been friends for a long time, partied together and i mean 3 day benders were the whole world is going about their business and you are sat on the floor in some ones lounge at 11am with the curtains closed with your sunglasses on, yeah you know the one!!
cried together, laughed together oh yes our friendship had stood the test of time and the test of my craziness and i knew that was tough for anyone to endure
I was glad i was leaving Dubai sober and calm and ready for India. we had planned to do brunch on Friday the day before I left for India but we called it off because it is a day of drinking and eating as much as you can and we both knew we would end up in the back end of the beyond wrapped up in someones headscarf and I would be boarding my flight, tripping over with my back pack and having a whitey so it was a relief to be happy and calm and excited about India.
So with tears in our eyes we hugged and said our goodbyes and then I was there, alone in the airport with my back pack about to begin what I really believe will be the journey of my life
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