Of Gardens and Discovery…

We did a lot of rounds today.

My friend is looking for a house to shift into, and so we grabbed a list from Nakheel and made our way to Discovery Gardens and The Gardens. A lot of houses to view, and a whole lot of navigation to sort out.

Somehow, all the lanes in these developments are curved, and in many cases, the buildings are numbered in such a way that consecutive numbers are not allotted to consecutive buildings.

And so 208 fell somewhere near 215, and 114 was hidden well behind 107. So much for numerical consistency.

Anyways, we did see many apartments, and we had to walk a lot. Also, a lot of calculations – how far is the metro from Building X, and how far is the supermarket?

Which brought me to think about residential spaces and how they have changed over the years. We have all moved from the privacy of independent houses, to managed residential complexes with shared amenities. Some things have improved, others not so.

For instance, there is more community space and culture – this is what shared amenities brings to the table. On the other hand, larger families already had larger spaces and as a consequence – a lot of shared spaces and de-facto constant interactions. Somehow, our community spaces have increased but we share these with relative strangers…

Convenience has increased as well. We are never too far away from provisions and food. Parks, jogging tracks and swimming pools all bring a “higher” standard of living to the table. But somehow, we have become busier as a result. What was meant to be enjoyed has now become that for which we have to work extra hours and take on more stress…

Coming back to the Gardens (or “The Gardens”), it is a beautiful community, but why have two communities with similar sounding names next to each other?

There are also some buildings called “The Gardens Apartments”, which are oddly placed within Discovery Gardens, thus leaving one with a lot to discover but seldom the right place to reach!

Let’s hope the friend Discovers well, and then finds a Garden to tend to.

See you tomorrow!