Back Through Dubai

My aunt and uncle made dinner, then I was off.

I had a total of three days in Lusaka, but I feel like I spent weeks there. Everyone says Zambians are extraordinary, and after hours of wandering through the food markets and cultural village, I couldn't agree more.

My aunt and two cousins drove me to the airport to send me off on my 9 PM flight to Dubai. I hugged them goodbye and turned into security (although I will see my aunt in two days since she's coming back to the states for business). I asked her why she didn't schedule the same flight as me and she said she "didn't want to cramp my international style."

After sending my bags into the unknown, I ordered a gin and tonic and reflected on my trip.

An hour or so ticked by, and I finally heard the speaker sound off, calling for Emirates Flight EK140 to Dubai. I proceeded down the screeching escalator and across the pavement to the lone 757 resting in the middle of the runway. Until next time, Zambia.

Another big day of exploration lay ahead, so I tried to sleep as much as possible. A couple minutes after takeoff I was drooling onto my abandoned Stephen King novel.

We landed at 6 AM and the tired passengers stumbled off. I threw on a new t-shirt, exchanged to Dirhams, brushed my teeth in the bathroom, and grabbed a taxi.

My first destination was the Textile Souk, at least that's what I thought it was called. It took me 10 minutes to explain where and what it was to the taxi driver. Finally he said "oh yeah, the blah-blah-blah!" I nodded and sat back to plan my day.

The taxi dropped me off at the old fort, now a museum with a decrepit Arab tall-ship perched on top. Very neat. The textiles were about a quarter mile away from the museum, near the Dubai Creek. As I turned a corner, I was blasted with the colorful traffic of silks, fabrics, and scarfs decking the souk, and the painted boats carrying busy people to and fro.

I had a Turkish coffee in a waterside café and watched the colors go up and down the creek. It's too bad, actually; people usually go for the wild adrenaline activities hyped up by Dubai tourist agencies, and end up neglecting the history. There's so much of it. All you have to do is venture out to the parts less travelled.

The Dubai Creek, near Textile Souk

Another taxi brought me about a mile or two down the street to the Grand Jumeira Mosque. Unbelievable. As an aspiring architect this was a highlight.

I walked around aweing at the mosque and soon decided to hit the beach. On the map it didn't look too far so I set off on foot to avoid an extra slap from a taxi. 45 minutes later I was still walking. Dubai is littered with construction so I kept having to go around the side street that led to the beach, but finally I made it. My boots and cargo pants watched me from the shore as I fell into the turquoise Persian Gulf (also a good opportunity for a bath).

There's a café across the street so I dried off with an extra t-shirt and headed over for lunch and another Turkish coffee. I might be addicted. I sat at a small table overlooking the beach, and had one of those "this is nice" experiences.

Persian Gulf, Jumeira Beach

The Miracle Garden was next, but in a way it was similar to the type of tourist attraction I mentioned before. It was something like 50 Dirhams to get in, and it was just a bunch of flowers in interesting designs. Flowers are cool and all, but probably better on a date.

On the way back my cab driver scammed me so maybe that put a damper on the Miracle Garden experience, but I truly think the best sites and sounds don't cost much money. Unless you want to base jump off the Burj Khalifa like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, that'd be pretty legit.

That was a lot for a day of running on fumes, so I decided to head back downtown. After a quick bite at Costa Coffee Shop I jumped on the metro and teleported to terminal 3. You actually get off right inside the terminal. Pretty neat.

Nothing against Mosi, one of two beer sold in Zambia, but the first thing I did was buy a nice brown ale. Anything I could find, really. It happened to be a German beer I'd never heard of.

I conked out next to a kid playing Temple Run until 1:30 AM and boarded the plane at 2:00 AM for the 2:30 AM flight. Unfortunately for the Indian kid sitting next to me, showering wasn't in my itinerary during the last 72 hours. At least I jumped in the ocean.

All was not lost for my poor isle-mate, though, as our third companion got upgraded. He moved over immediately, leaving a seat between us. We looked at each other and both cracked a smile. I was headed home in comfort, and he didn't have to nudge up against a dirty nomad.

What a trip.

Until next time, friends.

After a Day in the Doob

What a day.

Emirates continues to come through after a hiccup at the airport as they put me up in a hotel for free. Plus I saw a lot of the city in just an afternoon.

As for the hiccup, Dubai was covered in fog upon arrival causing my plane and every other hopeful aircraft to hover around for three hours.

Leo kept me company in "Inception" but then the pilot came on the speaker in the nasally-pilot voice and said 'we have to land at the other airport and wait for the other planes to land.' That was another two hours.

Nevertheless, I got to the DUX and got the hell off the plane. 19 hours trip. Now I actually have some bragging rights on my brother who thinks flying 18 hours in business class to Thailand makes him a big shot. Try 21 in economy with screaming children.

Anyway, my day in Dubai was nothing short or awesome.

Upon arrival, I threw my stuff in the hotel room and made my way to the lobby to ask about transportation. A guy with traditional Arab garb was sitting on the lobby couch so I walked up to him. I opened my mouth and before I said a word the bearded man pointed to where I came from and said "the metro is the easiest way to get around. Its out the back entrence."

The metro was pretty easy to figure out, and as an aspiring architect I B-lined it to the Burj Khalifa, the highest building in the world. Exciting, I know.

In order to get to the Burj from the metro, you have to go through the mall. It's not just a mall, its an entire city. It has to be the biggest mall in the world. I couldn't even get out. After over an hour I finally stumbled out of a small exit near a bathroom. Then I was blasted with light, and as my vision adjusted, the blue-plated glow of the Burj came into view. Cool.

I wandered around the city square and found a place to eat where I could admire the Burj. I ate an entire bowl of hummus and pita bread, then decided to make my way back through the mall. I followed the highway-style signs the mall uses back to my metro stop, and passed out on my way back to the hotel.

I awoke by the sound of my stop being communicated through the speakers, first in Arabic, then English.

Upon my return, I threw on my board shorts and milked my layover some more in the insane swimming pool. I had it all to myself, so it must have been closed.

Off to Dubai

We. Are. Off.

...to Dubai. And then Africa. Zambia's my main destination, but I'll be in Dubai for two days on a layover.

"Wow, Tim, great idea stopping in a cool city like Dubai. Extra explorations."

Not really. This was the cheapest option to Zambia. Flights this time of year are outrageous, and Africa in particular is even worse. It's because of the lack of airlines/flight options throughout the continent. Stupid Africa.

But actually I'm finding that layovers are a great way to see places you wouldn't normally visit, especially cities that you kind-of want to see but don't think you would ever spend more than a couple days in. Dubai is one of these places.

I'm flying out of Boston and could have connected through Amsterdam, London, or Johannesburg (and Dubai obviously). These are the usual suspects for Southern African connections, so if you're not in a rush it's actually a bonus to get to see these cities, although they are probably worthy of more than a layover.

The best airline option for me was Emirates. You've seen it on FIFA '16 soccer uniforms, and I buy every bit of  the hype. It's a sick airline. The flight attendants wear cool red hats that look uncomfortable, and the meals are superb. As I type I'm eating one of three hot meals 6,000 feet in the air. I also just burned my tongue on Turkish coffee.

Anyway, one of the main motivations for this trip is to see my Aunt and Uncle who live in Zambia. My uncle is a neurologist, and my aunt works for the Clinton Foundation. They both do amazing work and research.

Once I get to Lusaka, we will hit the road the next morning, because my two little cousins are on winter break. Basically I am going on a trip to go on another trip. I'll get to experience some of the coolest parts of Zambia, and even venture into Zimbabwe and Botswana. Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, and my uncle's friend's 200 acre tobacco farm, where we will supposedly hunt warthogs. More to come...

Over and out. There's Wifi for a dollar on Emirates so I'm gonna go ahead and publish this one.

See you in Dubai.