Dubai

I and M.M. transitioned through Dubai on our way to Afghanistan.  Flying into Dubai brought up a lot of mixed feelings.  In some ways, it was like coming home again to be back in an Arabic country, hearing Arabic and seeing road signs in two different languages felt a little like visiting your old high school 10 years later.  It was familiar, but all together different.  We knew the customs a little bit more and were able to navigate in a foreign country easier this time.  However, it was a little bittersweet, as we had left our families on Christmas Day, not to see them again for many months.

Dubai is much cleaner than Kuwait.  Whereas Kuwaiti streets are lined with refuse, and it is commonplace to witness littering on a massive scale, Dubai streets are spotless and everyone seems to keep their trash in their cars.  The use of TCNs for service work is as pervasive in Dubai as Kuwait.  At least when Dubai runs out of oil, they still will have a shopping mall with a ski slope and plenty of land in the mostly unsettled Palm Islands to sell.

We stayed at the Al Bustan Apartments Hotel.  After seeing the expansive lobby with faux marble pillars and floors, I was excited to see our rooms.  Visions of whirlpool tubs and King sized beds with fluffy comforters flashed through my head.  I was mostly disappointed.  I got a somewhat fluffy comforter with only a few lumps, a standard shower and a bed whose size I can only call "European."

M.M. and I decided against fast food for dinner and after a 40 Dhs. ($11-12) taxi ride, we arrived downtown where we were visually assaulted by the amazing amount of restaurant choices.  Initially, we sat down at what we thought was Lebanese, but turned out to be what I now believe to be the "McDonalds" of Lebanese food.  Our taxi driver had remarked that there was an Iranian place down the street from where he dropped us off  that was "famous in Dubai."  I figured a Pakistani guy driving a taxi in an Arab country probably knows good Persian food when he eats it, so we made an executive decision to track down this Restaurant Sadaf.

We found it shortly after and proceeded to gorge ourselves on all manner of delightful Iranian delicacies.  I'm sure there is a difference between Iranian and Lebanese, but it is lost on me.

Our bellies full, we hailed a cab and rolled ourselves into our beds for a quick nap before departing for Afghanistan.  

The lobby that caused the excitement.....

.....and the room that let me down.  $229 just doesn't buy what it used to.

Outside of our hotel.  Sorry so blurry, I couldn't fit 

the tripod into my backpack!

Leaving Dubai.  The super skinny tower on the left side of the group of

buildings in the center is currently the tallest building in the world.