Du-Buy

The opulence of the emirate of Dubai was quite a change of pace from the chaos of India. From the superior infrastructure, the grandiosity of places like the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa, and even the (slightly) more orderly driving customs, Dubai was a significant deviation from my past few months of travel, and a slow weaning back into Western culture. Forty-eight hours was the right amount of time; enough to hit most of the sights and see what the town had to offer.

On the morning of May 5th, I departed the sub-continent en route to a quick stopover in the Middle East. The flight was uneventful, aside from the stressful three minutes I spent holding a broken cup slowly leaking piping hot coffee while the flight attendant fetched another, and I landed in the desert in the late morning. After a long wait in an unmotivated Customs Officer's immigration line, I wound through the baggage claim area in one of the nicest airports I have passed through. Then, I set off for my four star hotel; a gift to myself after four dollar per night rooms in India.

After check-in, I headed out for a walk around the hotel, which ended quickly in the scorching afternoon sun. But not before I became acquainted with the nearby restaurants and orientation of the metro. After the mini exploration I headed back to the hotel and decided to get in a quick swim in the pool; a luxury that seemed so unrealizable throughout India. Needless to say, I was rather excited. And an hour of swimming and laying poolside did not disappoint. Especially since I had the pool to myself and was graced by the presence of the newest Daft Punk single on the radio. Continuing with the theme of "Things I Am Jonesin' to Do But Couldn't in India," I ordered a room service cheeseburger, french fries and a Pepsi. Unfortunately, on this count, I was sorely disappointed. The burger, supposedly "beef," was severely overcooked and tasted a bit like cardboard. However, the french fries were fabulous and I lounged in the air conditioned room and savored my slice of Americana abroad for a while before my next adventure. That next adventure took the form of a visit to downtown Dubai and a first sighting of my top tourist priority on the visit: the Burj Khalifa. I hopped on the convenient metro and headed about ten stops to the Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa stop and proceeded to follow the mile-long walkway to the mall where I was greeted with a very impressive collection of shops. I wandered through the shops admiring the displays stopping only to consume some gelato and use the facilities which, courtesy of my parting gift from India, was unfortunately frequent. Next, I wandered outside the mall and towering impressively above me was the surrealistically imposing structure of the Burj Khalifa, with its many lit balconies leading to the 800 meter top. I strolled around the Burj, got lost on my way back to the metro, and finally headed back to my hotel for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, with the first appointment on my docket a visit to the Burj Khalifa at 11:30, I headed out for some morning coffee, only to discover that--much to my dismay--that the city did not wake until late. Even the local Starbucks did not open until 9am! Luckily, one cafe was open, so I stopped for a breakfast sandwich, some coffee and some much needed internet to catch up with the gossip back home. Then it was back to downtown and straight to the Burj Khalifa. And boy was it impressive. After queuing in the lobby reading about the story behind this truly awesome architectural feat, the 11:30 crowd headed up the tallest single-stop elevator in the world at 124 stories, which, moving at 10 meters per second, covered the distance in under sixty seconds. There was much yawning and jaw-adjusting as the entire elevator popped their ears in unison. With mine properly popped as I departed the elevator, I headed straight for the outside viewing deck, and was stunned by what I saw. The city below, with several sizable buildings, looked like a toy set. And this was only halfway to the top! I can't imagine the view from the penthouse suite, whoever occupies that. Just thinking about it makes my palms sweat. After atmospheric re-entry, I met up with an old buddy who studied at the same university in France with me, Hector. A Dubai resident, Hector showed me around in top class fashion. First, we headed for a light lunch in the mall overlooking the Burj and caught up on the last four years since our studies together. Then, we headed out to Old Dubai where we saw the spice market and even tested some of the candies and smelled the delicious local teas. Before crossing the river to see the gold market, we headed for a proper meal at a local Emirati restaurant. A fantastic meal of lamb, rice and some homemade bread similar to naan, and of course more good conversation, followed before we set sail on the three minute ferry ride across the Dubai Creek. We checked out the gold market, much larger than the quaint spice market, and then ventured through Old Dubai. One fantastic discovery: air conditioned bus stops. And not main stops, just a roadside stop closed off with air conditioning inside. Amazing! Almost ready to concede defeat on our quest to find the Dubai Fort, we stumbled upon it just before making our way out of Old Dubai. The next stop was Emirates Airlines headquarters, where I got the quick tour from Hector, who just so happens to be an Emirates crew member. We finished the evening with a couple of beers at the Irish Village before, both exhausted, we decided to call it a night. Such a solid day in Dubai!

The next morning I took off for the airport to officially end my short, but terrific trip through Dubai en route to Istanbul. On the way, I could feel a storm brewing. Not just the intestinal storm I had been battling since India, but one of a far more sinister kind: the old nemesis Influenza.