Wiping the sweat off their brows, the Indian couple are all smiles as they head off to visit their 207th pavilion.
Amith Pavithran and his wife Dhanya Amith Pavithran were on a mission: to explore the world albeit without actually leaving the UAE. When the much-awaited Expo 2020 had opened to all, these life partners took their chance to complete their mission by visiting 207 Expo pavilions. and they achieved their dream in 6 days recently.
The couple hailing from Kerala, India, are residents of Abu Dhabi since 2015. Amith works for a bank while Dhanya is a housewife. "We were looking forward to the Expo 2020 Dubai since the time it was announced. When the gates wre thrown open, we decided make the most of this amazing opportunity that was available right here in the UAE and experience the pavilions of the various countries," says Amith.
Purchasing a month’s pass in October, Amith and his wife utilised their weekends to drive down to Dubai and visit the pavilions at the Expo.
"We wanted to cover as many pavilions as possible in the least amount of time," he says. To that end they decided to target larger pavilions in the mornings as there wasn’t as much of a crowd then. "We visited the smaller pavilions in the evening. Post 4pm was the time when the crowds started to grow," says Amith.
The duo are all in praise of the ‘Smart Queue’ feature on the Expo 2020 app. "That’s very hand," says Dhanya. The app allows you to select in advance the date, time, pavilion or attraction you wish to visit at the Expo and saves time you might have to spend standing in long queues.
The strategy paid off and they were able to visit all the 192 country pavilions and 15 other pavilions totaling 207 pavilions in all.
Amith encourages first-time goers to visit the UAE, Vision, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Pakistan, India, USA, and DP World pavilions. "These pavilions showcase excellent representations of culture and future innovations and promise a mesmerizing time to those who visit it."
The duo also collected a variety of mementoes from the various pavilions. "Dhanya has a hobby of collecting key chains, and she took this opportunity to collect a huge number," says Amith.
Along with the different key chains, the couple had two Expo passports per person, filled with stamps from all the pavilions they visited.
They also enjoyed the memorable experiences at the Jubilee pavilion. "The marvelous display of the waterfall show and the 360-degree ride which showcases a 360-degree view of the entire Expo was exhilarating and breathtaking; it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be one with these larger-than-life creations".
The pair admit that they missed catching may of the performances at the Expo as they were completing their mission. "I look forward to witnessing the ‘Firdaus Orchestra’ at the Firdaus by AR Rahman Pavilion," says Amith.
We will definitly be back to savourthe Expo 2020 performances leisurely, they say.
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