The most varied angles of Dubai are part of book "GNT Mundo Afora", recently published by actress Mel Lisboa. In 2006, she spent a week in the emirate recording for two editions of program "Oi Mundo Afora" (Hello Around the World). Through the eyes of the actress, you may see from a trip in the desert to the famous Bar 44.
"It is a relaxed and fancy bar that is on the 44th floor of Grosvenor House Hotel. The specialty is champagne. There are dozens of options and the charm is the 360º view to the bay," explained Lisboa.
In the book, filled with pictures and texts with traditional routes and also clues about places that are little known, the author states as one of the best moments the religious celebration of Ramadan.
"I arrived in Dubai on the first day of Ramadan. It is a very strong emotion seeing the people demonstrating their faith," she stated.
"Despite the difficulties – like not being able to eat anywhere except at the hotels, I was touched by being able to participate in a moment like this, that is so important to the Muslims," she added.
According to the actress, Dubai shows itself as a city in constant transformation. "Very much scaffolding, many constructions rising, many artificial constructions, like islands, the marina or even the ski-course," she said.
"Dubai surprised me very much. Before going there, I had only heard about how modern the place was, about the artificial islands, the Burj Al-Arab (hotel). As I was travelling to a Muslim country, I wanted more culture, more history, and customs. In Dubai, I not only found what I was looking for, but also felt enchanted with everything that I had not been so impressed with before," she pointed out.
On speaking about what she liked most in Dubai, Mel Lisboa is undecided. "I am between the food served at breakfast at the hotel, the people coming and going in the souks (markets) and, of course, the shocking immenseness of the desert," she stated.
The United Arab Emirates were among the nine countries visited by the actress while she presented program "Oi Mundo Afora", on pay-television channel GNT.
During the period, she had an opportunity to conciliate three passions: photography, her interest in new cultures and travelling. From Paris to Dubai. From Los Angeles to Tortola, in the archipelago of the British Virgin Islands. From the Atacama Desert in Chile, to the Panama Canal.
Alternating traditional points with places that are less known by the common public, Mel Lisboa mined precious clues for travellers who are also interested in routes that are not included in conventional trips. And she went further: during the breaks between recording, she registered her impressions in a travel log, now transformed into a book released in partnership with GNT.
The book brings together pictures taken by the author herself and shows from "postcard" landscapes and scenes of the daily life of the local residents.
The destinations in the publication are New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego and Chicago, in the United States, cities in northern Portugal, Santiago de Compostela and Salamanca, in Spain, Panama City and Colón, in Panama, Tortola and Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands, the Atacama Desert, Vií±a del Mar, Valparaíso and Easter Island, in Chile, Paris, Bordeaux, Rouen and Biarritz, in France, as well as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in Holland, and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Enjoy the reading and the trip!
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Title: GNT Mundo Afora
Author: Mel Lisboa
Pages: 192
Price: 35 Brazilian reais (US$ 18.65)
Site: www.globolivros.com.br
Anba – www.anba.com.br
