stories as therapy for my deteriorating memory.

For almost two months now, my world has shrunk and has been incredibly reduced to a mouse, a power adapter, and my macbook Odie. If I’m not doing chores or being with fellow Pinoys here–which is very rare–I am just at my desk killing time with this white piece of electronics. And I am contented that way, promise.

Concerned for my lack of interaction with real people, my sister took me to ride the Dubai Metro the other night. She knew my Dubai experience wouldn’t be complete without having taken a train ride. And since I am but a few days away from exiting the UAE, she thought it wise to take me there on a weekend, Friday.

So off we go, giddy Jaja with Sissy and Abang. Countless safety signs greeted us at the entrance. There were no security guards to check our bags. Big boxes and baggages were allowed inside. Our tickets called Nol Cards are still the credit-card size but are embedded with antenna and radio frequency identification chips. This contactless ticketing scheme works by just placing the card near the reader. It is now widely used in most metropolitan areas all over the globe. This ready-to-use card can be reloaded using machines provided near the entrance. As of May this year, the Metro Rail Transit or MRT in the Philippines employed the use of the same smart card system but only partially. To date, the magnetic cards are still the most popular among Filipino commuters. But what makes Dubai’s Nol card better than ours is that it can be used in buses and other modes of transport here as well.

This payment scheme is not just about convenience. They say it’s also about being economical. For a minimum of 1.80 AED (0.49 USD), you can get from one station to another. For the VIPs, who have their own carriage, obviously, it costs them 5.80 AED (1.58 USD) per trip using the Nol card. And, for greater value for your money, you only need 14 AED (3.81 USD) for unlimited use of the metro, buses, and water buses for one whole day. That’s a sweet treat from the Dubai Road and Transport Authority for those using the card.

But enough about the smart cards. It’s all about the experience anyway. Besides that the terminal is air-conditioned, there are too many electronic bulletin boards that consume too much electricity. Add to that the fact that lifts and escalators are common features here. (Of course, back home they’re almost always “out of service.”)

This is the good life, I thought as I stepped inside the carriage. Definitely my first time to board a driverless train which, upon completion, will run along the world’s longest fully automated rails— a stretch of more than 50 km at present, with 3 more lines still underway.

Back home on our own trains, I would usually stand near the doors so I could easily get off at my destination. But here, since there were only few available seats, I chose to stand right in the middle of the train to get a feel of the carriage. And that turned out to be a good choice. Most of the guys stood near the door with their arms stretched upwards and their hands flat on the roof of the cabin. You wouldn’t wanna be standing there with them towering over you that way. Inside, it felt like I was trapped in a tin can filled with all sorts of odors. Name it, it’s there. And for the sake of propriety, I would not dare name the station where most of its “source” came from.

I planned to time our trip before boarding the train just to compare it with our MRT and LRT. But I got distracted. I forgot about all those things and just focused on, well, not fainting. Lucky for us on our trip back we got to sit during the whole trip. Unfortunately, the man beside me forgot to take a bath this morning. I got knocked out.

Sissy woke me up when we arrived at our station. Although a bit light-headed, I somehow managed to push myself up and walk past the door. Thanks to the escalator, we made it up. Once outside, I deeply inhaled the fresh, humid air; my lungs almost popped. It was such a relief to feel my feet again. My golly, that was one long train ride.

I’m sure it’s not like that all the time. Maybe it just wasn’t our lucky day. It’s a good thing though that we did that on a weekend. I can’t imagine having to go on a busy day when there are more passengers—some 117,000 commuters based on their daily ridership stats. I’m afraid that would be one heck of an interaction with living, moving and some perspiring human beings!