First leg of the adventure was to Dubai on Emirates. Very very nice, but very very long. 15.5 hours, my longest flight ever. I used miles for Business Class, a wise investment. First and Business class are up on a second story, so it seemed quieter. Had my own private cocoon next to the window, with a seat that converted to a flat bed. Didn't get much sleep, because, oddly, some woman kept having nightmares, so every hour she would scream, I kid you not. So not only would that wake me up but I'd be on full alert. Flying in I was watching the flight path and we were flying over exotic cities like Tehran, that's pretty cool.
Dubai airport was huge, empty, modern, nicest airport I have ever seen. Out of there in 20 minutes, and that was all walking, barely a pause for immigrations and customs.
Met by a driver from the hotel, who pointed out a few giant shopping malls on the way. They sure love shopping in Dubai. Hot and steamy outside the cool airport, my glasses fogged up.
Stayed at the Hilton Dubai Creek. They upgraded me to a really nice suite with panoramic views. This was lost on me as I dumped my bags, and slept like a rock. Jet lag seems surprisingly today, tried out this new stuff called No Jet Lag (a bunch of homeopathic voodoo).
After breakfast at the hotel, decided to do some exploring in Dubai for a few hours. Hot 100s and shockingly humid. The air was super hazy, so decided not to go to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Instead, stuck to the old neighborhoods and markets near Dubai Creek.
Transportation there is on these water taxis called Abras, with stations up and down the Dubai Creek. It's a similar system to Venice's bargettos, small 20-passenger motor boats that cost 4 Dirham (about $1.10).
I took the first abra across Dubai Creek to the Al Fahidi old historic neighborhood. A warren of tiny shops in tiny passageways, selling all kinds of random stuff (one shop just sold soccer jerseys, another fidget spinners, etc).
Took another abra across Dubai creek to the bigger marketplaces, the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk. Similar setup there: millions of tiny shops along narrow passageways. Merchants were pretty aggressive, lady do you want pashmina, Chanel bags? It made me tense, but after a while I learned to tune them out.
Spices were displayed in bulk in old ancient barrels. You really had the sense that merchants had been selling their wares in those same shops for centuries.
All at once the call to prayer echoed across the city, broadcast from the many minaret towers, a reminder that I'm in the Middle East.
All this took three hours, surprisingly long. It was super hot and humid, and it took a long time to navigate the streets and crowds. I headed back to the hotel to go to the airport for my flight to Nairobi.
