Okay, now it's 11:30 p.m. on Monday, March 7, and I'm sitting here in my white sheets glassy eyed, but too excited about the day to sleep. As you've probably noticed, we're one day ahead of you people. It messes up your head to sit on an airplane for two days then get off exhausted, but all you want to do is GET OUT AND SEE IT ALL!
Before I left the hotel, I got a reduced room rate because I found it cheaper on line, and they didn't even charge me for sleeping here last night, because I got in at 3:30 a.m.; they just let me check in and crash.
So this guy in the lobby hit me up for a tour this morning when I finally dragged myself out of bed at 11:30 (didn't get off the plane and home to the hotel until 3:30 a.m.!) That was funny; a guy in front of me in the airport lost the sole to his shoe. It just started flopping, just like the time that happened to me on the Chicago subway. Makes you feel like a dolt.
I digress. So the neighborhood I am staying in here in Dubai is Old Town. Full of a million little shops, fresh food, music blaring, horns tooting, guys holding hands (yes, they do that here, just like Africa...it means they are good friends). Everyone at my hotel is African, but yours truly. The hotel restaurant is African. So I am right at home. But I didn't stay home long, because as soon as I dragged my sorry tush out of bed, I hit the floor running to those little shops in that loud, contagious neighborhood.
Turns out the electrical converter I brought only works for a usb port, so, after stopping in 5 stores, I found one of those. Everything is half price here; they give you one price, and you talk them down to half price. There are a lot of locals at the Old Town markets so I watch the prices the vendors give to them and go from there. And I found out that the rooftop restaurant here sells Diet Coke, so there you go; I am home free. Only problem is that they sell them in little cans half the size of ours, but they cost half as much, so it all works out. And water is like 50 cents for a bottle, which one needs a lot of since it's like 85 degrees here.
In Dubai it is good to cover your knees and elbows if you are a woman, unless you want to represent women everywhere poorly, so I'm dressed just right.
I went to the gold souk too, which has flashy Christmas lights on a big arch leading into it, but is just a bunch of gaudy gold stuff, so I took two steps inside, got some change for the water machine, and left.
I made it home in time to get picked up for the DESERT TOUR at 3:30 p.m. Three Pakistani Muslims and I were in a land rover type four-wheeler that did amazing and hair-raising dances across the dunes leading to the desert about an hour away from the heart of Dubai. At one time we all thought we were going to flip. The driver was having a good old time. It was kind of like skiing mogels, but on sand. The sand was whipping up against the windows, scaring the living daylights out of us, because the guy was gunning it and turning the steering wheel back and forth and leaping over big dunes, darting around desert bushes.
When we arrived, a guy dressed like Mommar Kadafi (spell?) was holding a raven on his arm. The guy had a red checkered scarf wrapped around his head, held in place by the black cord, and wore white down to the ground. Behind him were the most picturesque group of camels, that WE GOT TO RIDE!
There were hookahs and I got henna on my arm and hand, and there were three acts before and during an enormous Arabic feast: A whirling dervish, a belly dancer and a flame swallower.
I got lots of pictures, but still can't seem to get the I cloud working on this new mac so I'm sol.
Our little group of four was the last to get picked up. It was dark. We were in the desert, and there was no one else around. Our driver was 1/2 hour late; the show was over at 8 p.m.
When I got dropped off, I went out shopping again. The streets here are crawling until 11 p.m.
I found two Diet Pepsis for the morning, two bottles of water, and a make-up brush. And deodorant.
The work week here is Sunday-Thursday, so the kids were in school today.
Tomorrow, if I'm lucky, it'll work out for me to go teach in an intermediate classroom!
Before I left the hotel, I got a reduced room rate because I found it cheaper on line, and they didn't even charge me for sleeping here last night, because I got in at 3:30 a.m.; they just let me check in and crash.
So this guy in the lobby hit me up for a tour this morning when I finally dragged myself out of bed at 11:30 (didn't get off the plane and home to the hotel until 3:30 a.m.!) That was funny; a guy in front of me in the airport lost the sole to his shoe. It just started flopping, just like the time that happened to me on the Chicago subway. Makes you feel like a dolt.
I digress. So the neighborhood I am staying in here in Dubai is Old Town. Full of a million little shops, fresh food, music blaring, horns tooting, guys holding hands (yes, they do that here, just like Africa...it means they are good friends). Everyone at my hotel is African, but yours truly. The hotel restaurant is African. So I am right at home. But I didn't stay home long, because as soon as I dragged my sorry tush out of bed, I hit the floor running to those little shops in that loud, contagious neighborhood.
Turns out the electrical converter I brought only works for a usb port, so, after stopping in 5 stores, I found one of those. Everything is half price here; they give you one price, and you talk them down to half price. There are a lot of locals at the Old Town markets so I watch the prices the vendors give to them and go from there. And I found out that the rooftop restaurant here sells Diet Coke, so there you go; I am home free. Only problem is that they sell them in little cans half the size of ours, but they cost half as much, so it all works out. And water is like 50 cents for a bottle, which one needs a lot of since it's like 85 degrees here.
In Dubai it is good to cover your knees and elbows if you are a woman, unless you want to represent women everywhere poorly, so I'm dressed just right.
I went to the gold souk too, which has flashy Christmas lights on a big arch leading into it, but is just a bunch of gaudy gold stuff, so I took two steps inside, got some change for the water machine, and left.
I made it home in time to get picked up for the DESERT TOUR at 3:30 p.m. Three Pakistani Muslims and I were in a land rover type four-wheeler that did amazing and hair-raising dances across the dunes leading to the desert about an hour away from the heart of Dubai. At one time we all thought we were going to flip. The driver was having a good old time. It was kind of like skiing mogels, but on sand. The sand was whipping up against the windows, scaring the living daylights out of us, because the guy was gunning it and turning the steering wheel back and forth and leaping over big dunes, darting around desert bushes.
When we arrived, a guy dressed like Mommar Kadafi (spell?) was holding a raven on his arm. The guy had a red checkered scarf wrapped around his head, held in place by the black cord, and wore white down to the ground. Behind him were the most picturesque group of camels, that WE GOT TO RIDE!
There were hookahs and I got henna on my arm and hand, and there were three acts before and during an enormous Arabic feast: A whirling dervish, a belly dancer and a flame swallower.
I got lots of pictures, but still can't seem to get the I cloud working on this new mac so I'm sol.
Our little group of four was the last to get picked up. It was dark. We were in the desert, and there was no one else around. Our driver was 1/2 hour late; the show was over at 8 p.m.
When I got dropped off, I went out shopping again. The streets here are crawling until 11 p.m.
I found two Diet Pepsis for the morning, two bottles of water, and a make-up brush. And deodorant.
The work week here is Sunday-Thursday, so the kids were in school today.
Tomorrow, if I'm lucky, it'll work out for me to go teach in an intermediate classroom!
I can almost see the sand whipping around you while your long skirt negotiates another great deal on the other side of the planet! Love the find of the mini diet cokes and the deep conversations with other. Camels! Good luck tomorrow, I mean TODAY! XO Juli
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ReplyDeleteSounds like a great time so far!
ReplyDeleteAmazing day! So excited for you!!!
ReplyDeleteJan/Mom March 9, 2016 at9:45 a.m. Happy Happy Birthday Honey. You aren't having ANY fun, are you??
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