Monday, September 21, 2009

You say Dubai and i say hello

We managed to get bulkhead seats on the flight over - although in a middle seat - my legs were quite happy about the extra room.

Emirates is quite an airline - I love that there is a camera at the nose of the plane that shows take off and landing on the monitors.

I also loved that when they turned down the lights for people to go to sleep - the ceiling lit up with a constellation of LED stars.

We got off in Dubai - and the massive airport is like a Blade Runner Airport as coceived by a vegas review designer. A large metallic space ship that lit up was the first thing we saw when getting off the plane. The airport is filled with huge white columns that glitter and sparkle, multi-color LED walls that light up surrounding a black marble waterfall.

Being surrounded by this crisp, clean, illiminated, over the top environment as the day's final call to prayer came over the speakers made the whole place seem otherworldly while familiar all at the same time.

It is nighttime so we made our way to the hotel - within spitting distance of the airport. Its a resort geared towards business travelers, le Meridian Dubai - with 16 restaurants and 3 pools.

It felt similar to resorts you would find elsewhere - with the requisite over-priced restaurants (French! Sushi! Italian!). I could be in Dubai or Puerto Rico and not really know - except for the number of Sheiks walking around and the arabic writing on each sign (under the writing in English, of course).

Its a good place for transition though - and that was the whole idea. Today we will tour many of the over the top sites in Dubai - indoor snow skiing, Palm Island, etc.

We are going to try to do most of this via the brand new metro which just opened last week.

More after we tour - when I have had the chance to see more than the lights on the ceiling of my Emirates flight.

5 comments:

  1. I told Dani Cohen about your trip and had to send you what she wrote (in good humor of course):

    Christine to Dani: "It's a form of a "mid life crisis' maybe... I remember once in high school, he said, "You know Christine, I think you might be having a mid life crisis, just really early." Now, 20 years later, I'm saying that about him and reading the blog from the "gay party planner" (his words) about what he's looking for in life, to give and to be."

    Dani: "WTF?! He's looking for... sand fleas?? Or hills so steep that Dante included descriptions of them in The Inferno?? Or people who play "a version" of polo using a goat's head as a ball?? Or women who slipcover themselves before going out in public??"
    ---
    Okay, so those are the words fm Dani. From what you've said, so far no sand fleas. And as for those not keeping up with you, they are Fools Fools! Keep writing!
    love,
    christine

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    1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - Reading Dani's quote from 9 years ago made me fall out of my chair!!!!

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  2. i am looking forward reading about your further adventures. sounds as if the UAE could stand a little cultural preservation of its own(i'd go for the flight, alone! there aren't enough lcd stars in my world - don't tell kain!!!). be safe and keep writing! love, susan and the latti4

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  3. Most of the time I'm with Dani and "WTF" but I do have to say I envy you the adventure. I remember seeing the indoor ski slopes on line a few years ago and thinking "WTF"...hey, maybe it is circular. Looking at the map I find myself wondering how you'll get from Dubai to Kabul. I guess the more useful wonder would be how you'll get from Kabul back to the house on Pooh Corner. I'll be in NY toward mid-October and be looking for you there. See if you can post a photo of Judy on the black diamond slope of Dubai. Much love...DaddyMike

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  4. bright lights, big city, stars, 17 restaurants............are you still in chelsea?

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