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May 20, 2005
Arrival in Dubai
My plane arrived in Dubai a few minutes before 10pm local time. The pilot said the current temperature was around 35 degrees - 90+ for us Americans. I expected to be greeted by a rush of oven-hot air as I stepped off the plane, but instead I was met by a gale of icy wind. I'd forgotten that Dubai was the Magical Land of Ubiquitous Air Conditioning; wherever you went, as long as it was indoors, you'd be blasted by the coldest AC you'd ever experienced. (I'm actually sitting in a cafe right now drinking the coldest Diet Coke I've ever been served -- so cold you'd think it should be slush.)
I followed the crowd of travelers as we weaved through the enormous airport, up and down grand escalators and along endless moving walkways, passing sign after sign touting the latest smartphone or flat-panel TV. Immigration and customs was easy; the only question they asked me was whether my flight came directly from the US or through Europe. And to top it all off, my suit bag was waiting on the carousel when I arrived to pick it up.
Outside customs, I went to the Avis rental car desk and informed them that I'd arrived. Avis apparently had a drop-off service with my hotel. Soon, I followed one of the staff outside, where I nearly got knocked over by the blast of hot air waiting for me in the parking lot. At the edge of the lot, an Emirati pulled over in a minivan, inviting me inside. When he opened the door, the van was pulsing with the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of an electronica CD. Once I got in, he turned down the music to manageable levels.
While the music felt more like a Berlin disco, the scenery outside the van was pure Dubai: flat, open space with construction everywhere; enormous billboards for a range of high tech, luxury resorts and investment opportunities; 21st century highrise architecture dotting the city's Miracle Mile.
We zoomed along the highway until we got a few blocks from the hotel, then traffic crawled to a halt.
"Bad traffic because of the holiday tomorrow," the driver said.
"What holiday is it?" I asked.
"It's Friday."
"Oh yes, of course."
"Everyone wants to get home and get off the road to begin their weekend."
I finally arrived at the Rotana Towers Hotel around 11pm. Check-in was quick, which was merciful, since I was desparate to crash for the evening. I'd only slept one or two hours in the last day and a half, so I was more than ready to drop my bags and fall asleep as soon as possible.
Posted by acarvin at May 20, 2005 4:11 AM
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