Problems in the Park

I was out for my evening constitutional in Zabeel Park, when I ran into a couple. He was in ordinary Western dress, and she was in an abaya and sheila. She pulled back, far away from us, but he approached me. 'Chairlift?' he asked.

This entailed two problems. The first is that the chairlift is in Creek Park, not Zabeel Park, and the second was that his English was pretty much limited to 'Chairlift?'

'Arabi?' he asked. He didn't look like he was from an Arabic speaking country, so my guess at the time was that he had picked up a very limited command of Arabic since arriving in Dubai, but his Arabic, while almost non-existent, was vastly better than his English. I also have a second theory, which is that I've been told that I look like I can speak fluent Arabic, which just goes to show about judging by appearances.

In any case, communication was impossible. I said, 'Chairlift Creek Park,' but got a glazed look in response.

He returned to his wife, and they wandered off. They looked very tired, as if they'd searched every square centimetre of Zabeel Park, perhaps repeatedly, without locating their much desired goal of the (non-existent) Zabeel Chairlift, but there was nothing further I could do for them.