(Pics to come later)
Ah... Dubai really felt like a journey. As usual, United played their dirty tricks, trying to tell me there were "no complimentary seats left" and that I'd have to pay $160 to "upgrade to an aisle or window seat." Instead, I went straight to the gate, asked for a window seat and got it immediately for free. It's a shame some people fall for it and actually pay extra for a seat they ALREADY PAID FOR.
Huge plane, 777, and I am (not surprisingly) the only Asian (well, East Asian) on board! I made friends with a flight attendant commuting to her shift in Moscow (what a commute!), an Indian guy on his way home from a job in the US, and a veteran going back to Afghanistan for an assignment. The veteran seemed more than happy to give me a mouthful of the colorful opinion he had of people living in "the sandbox." I guess not all of us are fond of other cultures...
When we were flying over Ukraine and Romania, there were endless tiny villages dotting the rolling hills. A nap and a half later, we were over Iraq and there was NOTHING BUT DESERT. No cute little small towns, no village roads. Nothing. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, but this was no ordinary drive-to-Vegas desert with mountains and all -- it was just sand. Pyramid-desert. How on earth did people survive there before technology came along?
It was 122 degrees Fahrenheit when I landed at 3 PM. To put it into perspective, Dubai in August feels like Las Vegas mixed with New Orleans humidity. It was so hot, my hand sanitizer container melted and it all leaked out. Yeah.
At my hostel, I met an Irish guy named Martin who arrived today after backpacking through India and Nepal for 2 months. Lots of interesting stories! We're gonna head off to the Burj Khalifa tomorrow (tallest building in the world) and the Mall of Emirates.
Apparently, electronics here are really cheap (I saw a brand new 35" LCD TV for $200 at a supermarket). Martin's planning on buying a Macbook here for about $1,100!
I still can't believe I'm in Dubai! Hasn't quite kicked in yet. It may be hot, but it's really cool just being here.
Ah... Dubai really felt like a journey. As usual, United played their dirty tricks, trying to tell me there were "no complimentary seats left" and that I'd have to pay $160 to "upgrade to an aisle or window seat." Instead, I went straight to the gate, asked for a window seat and got it immediately for free. It's a shame some people fall for it and actually pay extra for a seat they ALREADY PAID FOR.
Huge plane, 777, and I am (not surprisingly) the only Asian (well, East Asian) on board! I made friends with a flight attendant commuting to her shift in Moscow (what a commute!), an Indian guy on his way home from a job in the US, and a veteran going back to Afghanistan for an assignment. The veteran seemed more than happy to give me a mouthful of the colorful opinion he had of people living in "the sandbox." I guess not all of us are fond of other cultures...
When we were flying over Ukraine and Romania, there were endless tiny villages dotting the rolling hills. A nap and a half later, we were over Iraq and there was NOTHING BUT DESERT. No cute little small towns, no village roads. Nothing. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, but this was no ordinary drive-to-Vegas desert with mountains and all -- it was just sand. Pyramid-desert. How on earth did people survive there before technology came along?
It was 122 degrees Fahrenheit when I landed at 3 PM. To put it into perspective, Dubai in August feels like Las Vegas mixed with New Orleans humidity. It was so hot, my hand sanitizer container melted and it all leaked out. Yeah.
At my hostel, I met an Irish guy named Martin who arrived today after backpacking through India and Nepal for 2 months. Lots of interesting stories! We're gonna head off to the Burj Khalifa tomorrow (tallest building in the world) and the Mall of Emirates.
Apparently, electronics here are really cheap (I saw a brand new 35" LCD TV for $200 at a supermarket). Martin's planning on buying a Macbook here for about $1,100!
I still can't believe I'm in Dubai! Hasn't quite kicked in yet. It may be hot, but it's really cool just being here.
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