3 February 14, 2010 (Arriving in Dubai, United Arab Emirates) The ...

February 14, 2010 (Arriving in Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
The plane is full, except for the one empty seat somewhere of the passenger who needed medical
attention. I’m sitting next to a young Indian guy who started the day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is on
his way to Bangalore, India. He’s concerned about the delay because he now has a tight connection in
Dubai, giving him at most an hour to change planes.
The plane is one of the newer Boeing 777s and it looks nice. This doesn’t mean that there’s more room
in coach. I still wish my 5’9” frame was that of someone short, like Dudley Moore or Charles Barkley.
The Business Class cabin looks awesome with each passenger in their own little pod, angled diagonally
to maximize the space. The video system has a much larger selection of movies that I’ve seen on any
previous international flights. Available are all the movies in the Batman and Harry Potter series. Dinner
is served, some sort of dry chicken dish. I watch the movie, “Hangover,” but near the end am fighting
sleepiness and turn on my iPod to music and fall asleep.
I actually sleep for most of the flight, but not a good solid sleep. One that has me waking up every halfhour
or hour to shift my position slightly. Eventually the battery in my iPod runs down.
Eventually, we get within a couple of hours from Dubai. We’ve already moved east enough that we’ve
already flown past the daytime hours and it’s becoming evening. The flight path shows that we’re flying
over Iran, across the Persian Gulf to approach Dubai from the east.
We arrive in the Dubai International Airport around 8:45 PM, about an hour and a half later than the
original schedule. We weren’t able to make up any time in the air, but we didn’t lose any additional
time in the air either.
Getting from the airplane to United Arab Emirates immigration and customs means a very long walk,
then a very long line. I get my passport stamped, pick up my checked bag, then depart the airport. I
catch a taxi to the nearby hostel where I have a reservation.
It’s around 10 PM when I arrive at the hostel.
I check in and am sharing a room with two
others. The hostel is very confusing as the
staff speaks some English, but it’s very difficult
to understand. I inquire about a key to the
cabinets in the room and after one guy
coming back to the room with me, it’s
communicated to me that there are no keys.
I go through a similar confusion to find out if
there’s wireless internet available. Eventually
I’m told that there’s internet when the café is
open, but they don’t know when the café is
open.
3

I inquire about buying a bottle of water and
am directed go back to the street and walk to
the north. I soon come across a huge
shopping center. Even though it’s late, around
10:30 PM, it’s open and very busy with a food
court and a large shopping market with
everything available. I purchase two bottles of
water for Dh2.50 (only about $0.70). As I’m
carrying my mini laptop with me, I check to
see if there’s free wireless internet at the
shopping center, but can’t find anything
unsecured that I can connect to.
Back at the room, I take a shower to cool off.
Even though it’s late, it’s still a bit warm and
humid outside. I’m going to have to force myself to lie down and sleep as I’m 11 hours ahead of home,
where it’s only noon.
4