Slept very well in Dubai. At breakfast we met up with a young Southern California woman en route from Kenya to Boston who wanted to tour the city. So we decided to join forces and take the Blue Big Bus of the beach areas and shopping centers of Dubai. Before breakfast, as I was checking my email and updating the blog - ooh, the internet is so much faster in Dubai - a very young man came out into the lounge area, and seeing me there, began to quietly play with his toys. His mother, alarmed at his quietness, came to check on him. On our way out to our bus tour, I met her again in the outside kitchen and she turned out to be the wife of John Weaver, the author of one of the first books I had read about Afghanistan, "Inside Afghanistan". (It's listed on my book list.) He had already left for a board meeting, and it turned out I had already had quite a long discussion with her parents about the healing powers of music in wounded cultures like Bosnia. One of the most amazing things about that guest house is meeting all the people who are crossing paths from various places of service and using it as a place to rest, regain their breath and go on. Most of the time they turn out to be children of people who have likewise spent much of their lives overseas, working in various cultures in various ways. Very interesting people. Becky, who is currently the head honcho there, told me she is always looking for people who are interested in working as hosts there, so if you want an opportunity to live at the crossroads and meet all sorts of people doing all sorts of things and are willing to make a few beds, cook or clean, let me know and I'll put you in touch.
The three of us grabbed a cab and headed for the Wafi Mall where we bought tickets for the hop-on, hop-off tour, about $60US. It was now 11:00 in the morning and the temperature was in the high 90s, with a humidity to match. Thankfully, there was no need to don a head covering! We drove west to the beach and southwest along it. We wanted to stop at the Jumeirah Beach Park, but Monday was ladies day at that beach and Brian wouldn't have been allowed in. We proceeded to a beach further along which was next to the Burj Al Arab Hotel, designed in the shape of an Arabian Dhow. See wikipedia info. It has the distinction of being a 7-star hotel, with suites ranging from the smallest at 1,800 sf to the largest at over 8,000 sf. It also has the distinction of having Tiger Woods hit a golf ball off one of its upper floors out into the ocean.
We didn't bother to check in at the hotel. We just walked down to the beach and waded for a while in the surf. The water was bath-tub warm, very clear. Just north of the beach is a man-made structure of islands called The World. Apparently rich and famous people buy individual islands for themselves.
Next stop was Atlantis on the Palms, a huge man-made complex of islands in the shape of a palm tree (one of three such structures in some stage of completion), which featured the immense Aquaventure Waterpark, the Lost Chambers of Atlantis and a huge collection of dolphins. We walked around a bit, but didn't have swimming suits nor the time to make good use of the expensive admission fee. Next stop was the Mall of the Emirates where we ate lunch, then walked over to view the Indoor Ski Slope - yup, looks just like snow we get for free in Minnesota. We decided we wanted to take advantage of the free dhow cruise on the Dubai Creek, so grabbed a cab to get back downtown to its departure point and spent the rest of the afternoon cruising up and down the Dubai Creek, looking at all sorts of huge buildings and hearing about all sorts of wonderful other things we could do - visit the Gold Souks, etc. Still very hot. Then we grabbed another cab home where I was all too glad to jump in the shower again and get my things organized for the flight home.
After supper I got to meet John Weaver and he gave me copy of his new book. Also met a nice young woman from Australia who was taking a break from language studies in Yemen to recover from dengue fever.
Then Simon (from northern England) loaded up our suitcases into the SUV and drove us to the airport. Had a serious moment of alarm there when after making it through all the checkpoints, I discovered I had left my purse at the last station. Brian went back to recover it for me - whatever would I have done without his help on this trip. On to the long flight overnight for Atlanta, a change for Chicago, then to Minneapolis, where my brother Jim kindly picked me up. A quick shower and then I hit the sack for 16 hours straight.
I don't know whether my lack of enthusiasm for Dubai crept through this narrative, but I doubt they will be contacting me for PR help. It's like Las Vegas (they boast a better dancing water show than the Bellagio) only much more commercial. Give me Kabul, dust and all!
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