A little going away gift before I took off, courtesy of Zia Marie Hill, my 4 year old niece... kept this little guy close to me at all times, and he kept me safe and sound... thank you, Ziz... :)
Monday, February 8, 2010
2/8/2010
I suppose no great literary work is complete without a postscript; nor is any trip complete without lost luggage... I am anxiously awaiting the return of my checked bag... it was in my posession when I exited customs in San Francisco and placed it on the carousel to meet my return flight home aboard United to Seattle. So no fault of Emirates. They're great. And not to worry, I use the word "great" to describe this literary work very, very loosely...
To anyone who already read yesterday's post, I made a few small edits... minor additional insights mostly... so stuff you can ignore I guess...
Crazy how just a moment ago I was sitting down having dinner with good buddy Dan at a steakhouse in Dubai; now I'm back home... it's almost like none of it ever happened... life is far too short and moves much too quickly. Luckily, I know it did happen. And this has been a handy way of proving it... and preserving some memories of it and sharing it. I'm sure I won't have any difficulty retaining it all.
I'll keep you posted- I've got a ton of video and photographs, maybe a viewing party somewhere to be determined.
To anyone who already read yesterday's post, I made a few small edits... minor additional insights mostly... so stuff you can ignore I guess...
Crazy how just a moment ago I was sitting down having dinner with good buddy Dan at a steakhouse in Dubai; now I'm back home... it's almost like none of it ever happened... life is far too short and moves much too quickly. Luckily, I know it did happen. And this has been a handy way of proving it... and preserving some memories of it and sharing it. I'm sure I won't have any difficulty retaining it all.
I'll keep you posted- I've got a ton of video and photographs, maybe a viewing party somewhere to be determined.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
2/7/2010-SFO airport
I'm on the last leg of my journey home, and closing in on 24 hours awake... feels like a hangover without the drunk part. Since I am currently in the United Red Carpet lounge, perhaps I'll grab a drink before I go, maybe test this hypothesis. It's really pretty in San Francisco right now. Green mountians wreathed by clouds; crowed by blue sky... maybe jewelled by a few more clouds... The 14 hour flight here from Dubai wasn't that bad at all, I was expecting to go out of my mind... was also expecting it to be a bit longer, but you cut a few hours and a few hundred miles when you fly up and over the North Pole. I guess if I had a window seat that would've been pretty interesting. As it was I just watched a bunch of movies instead.
Enjoyed my last two days in Dubai, really just laid low, hung out. Went to a few nightspots, the places were lively enough but feeling pretty mellow myself. Not sure if it was exhaustion from the past couple weeks worth of travelling, or the spectre of leaving for home. In any case, I felt like all of it was time well spent. I feel like I just barely scratched the surfaces of any of the places I went; I imagine spending a good deal of time living and working (even as much as Good Buddy Dan and friends work) would certainly allow you to dig your fingers into these different places. I can't tell if or how this trip has affected me... I was certainly more aware of everyone and everything while I was over there. Don't know if you call that culture shock, confusion, or curiosity. I can say that it's nice to be home. It's nice to know that no matter where you are you can always go home. And also if per chance you feel the need to get back out again, you can do that, too.
While I can't say I'll miss much about the other places I visited, I can say I did enjoy them- I guess I was just there for much too brief a period of time for any of them to really sink in. I'm glad I took a lot of pictures. Even more than I posted. Maybe after a period of time and a few visits to the photo album will fuel a desire to see them again some other time... I do feel like I spent enough time in Dubai and with enough good people to say that I'll definitely miss that. I feel like I got enough under my nails for it to last a little while; maybe enough to inspire at least pangs of nostalgia which might lead to thoughts of another trip out there in the near future. Good Buddy Dan and all his friends were exceedingly generous and extraordinarily kind and accomodating, more than I would ever ask for and much more than I deserve, I'll thank them all once again here and now. Thanks, guys. You really made my trip.
I enjoyed learning new languages and the spare occasions where I had to use them- more like the sheer necessity of having to figure out how to communicate in some of these places; and the utter delight, relief, and satisfaction when I was able to accomplish this task successfully- I actually have Damascus to thank for forcing this task upon me, a sort of trial by fire that I won't ever forget; it was always a kick to hear not one but several languages being spoken in all the different malls, markets, bars, and other social intersections of Dubai and all these other places; I'll never forget the sun shining through all those stained glass mosaic windows of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque; the beauty of Beirut's Corniche; the enormity of Petra; the Dubai Marina skyline at night; and how the city lights at night shine blue through the floor to ceiling windows of Dan's living room, which he generously allowed me to use as my bedroom... and I've enjoyed writing this blog. I've tried to keep things concise; objective; and within the boundaries of journalistic integrity; I know I've failed miserably in places... I like to think that's where my greatest flashes of literary brilliance took place... those momentary fugues of frustration, elation, cynicism, circumspection and introspection...
I could go on. I won't. Got one last plane to catch. Then it's back home to friends and family, and figuring out where the hell to go from here... geographically; physically; metaphysically; and otherwise. Thanks for listening- talk to some, maybe a handful more of you, very soon.
Mike
Enjoyed my last two days in Dubai, really just laid low, hung out. Went to a few nightspots, the places were lively enough but feeling pretty mellow myself. Not sure if it was exhaustion from the past couple weeks worth of travelling, or the spectre of leaving for home. In any case, I felt like all of it was time well spent. I feel like I just barely scratched the surfaces of any of the places I went; I imagine spending a good deal of time living and working (even as much as Good Buddy Dan and friends work) would certainly allow you to dig your fingers into these different places. I can't tell if or how this trip has affected me... I was certainly more aware of everyone and everything while I was over there. Don't know if you call that culture shock, confusion, or curiosity. I can say that it's nice to be home. It's nice to know that no matter where you are you can always go home. And also if per chance you feel the need to get back out again, you can do that, too.
While I can't say I'll miss much about the other places I visited, I can say I did enjoy them- I guess I was just there for much too brief a period of time for any of them to really sink in. I'm glad I took a lot of pictures. Even more than I posted. Maybe after a period of time and a few visits to the photo album will fuel a desire to see them again some other time... I do feel like I spent enough time in Dubai and with enough good people to say that I'll definitely miss that. I feel like I got enough under my nails for it to last a little while; maybe enough to inspire at least pangs of nostalgia which might lead to thoughts of another trip out there in the near future. Good Buddy Dan and all his friends were exceedingly generous and extraordinarily kind and accomodating, more than I would ever ask for and much more than I deserve, I'll thank them all once again here and now. Thanks, guys. You really made my trip.
I enjoyed learning new languages and the spare occasions where I had to use them- more like the sheer necessity of having to figure out how to communicate in some of these places; and the utter delight, relief, and satisfaction when I was able to accomplish this task successfully- I actually have Damascus to thank for forcing this task upon me, a sort of trial by fire that I won't ever forget; it was always a kick to hear not one but several languages being spoken in all the different malls, markets, bars, and other social intersections of Dubai and all these other places; I'll never forget the sun shining through all those stained glass mosaic windows of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque; the beauty of Beirut's Corniche; the enormity of Petra; the Dubai Marina skyline at night; and how the city lights at night shine blue through the floor to ceiling windows of Dan's living room, which he generously allowed me to use as my bedroom... and I've enjoyed writing this blog. I've tried to keep things concise; objective; and within the boundaries of journalistic integrity; I know I've failed miserably in places... I like to think that's where my greatest flashes of literary brilliance took place... those momentary fugues of frustration, elation, cynicism, circumspection and introspection...
I could go on. I won't. Got one last plane to catch. Then it's back home to friends and family, and figuring out where the hell to go from here... geographically; physically; metaphysically; and otherwise. Thanks for listening- talk to some, maybe a handful more of you, very soon.
Mike
Thursday, February 4, 2010
2/4/2010- Dubai- The Palm; Aquariums
The weather forcast called for sand today, and it delivered. My first day of really bad weather here. Pretty heavy winds, and it just kicks up all the dirt and sand and blows it up into the air. Just a real thick haze. Not very pretty. Keeps the window washers busy. God it's creepy when they just drop down or creep up in front of your window.
Visited the Palm- big man made island in the shape of a date palm extending off the shore of Jumeira beach. I'd like to say it was interesting- of course it's amazing that it exists- but it's not as if it feels any different than being anywhere else. A lot of nice houses, all crammed together in tight rows down each side of each palm frond, each with it's own piece of beachfront. Visited the Atlantis hotel/mall, full of other stuff to see- went to the aquarium inside where among other things they have a whale shark swimming along with all the other fish (turns out I could've just walked a little farther down in the mall and seen the same thing for free). Decent highway system to get off the thing, as well as a cruddy monorail that goes half as fast and costs more than twice as much as the metro train. And doesn't even connect to the train system. Not even close.
Visited the Dubai Mall- again- this time to actually see the inside of it- lots of fancy cars on display, not sure they were actually on sale... someone just showing off their collection. There's an aquarium in there, too. And an ice rink. Not a single flake of snow nor sheet of ice ever occurs naturally around here, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if some day someone from around here becomes an Olympic skier, figure skater or professional hockey player for all the indoor winter sports facilities.
There's no shortage of places to go at night around here, no shortage of rooftop poolside bars with all kinds of flashing lights; clubs tucked away in the basements of 5 star hotels... people from all over the place. Good times; good people; no real lasting damage.
Only two days left- time she flies...
Visited the Palm- big man made island in the shape of a date palm extending off the shore of Jumeira beach. I'd like to say it was interesting- of course it's amazing that it exists- but it's not as if it feels any different than being anywhere else. A lot of nice houses, all crammed together in tight rows down each side of each palm frond, each with it's own piece of beachfront. Visited the Atlantis hotel/mall, full of other stuff to see- went to the aquarium inside where among other things they have a whale shark swimming along with all the other fish (turns out I could've just walked a little farther down in the mall and seen the same thing for free). Decent highway system to get off the thing, as well as a cruddy monorail that goes half as fast and costs more than twice as much as the metro train. And doesn't even connect to the train system. Not even close.
Visited the Dubai Mall- again- this time to actually see the inside of it- lots of fancy cars on display, not sure they were actually on sale... someone just showing off their collection. There's an aquarium in there, too. And an ice rink. Not a single flake of snow nor sheet of ice ever occurs naturally around here, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if some day someone from around here becomes an Olympic skier, figure skater or professional hockey player for all the indoor winter sports facilities.
There's no shortage of places to go at night around here, no shortage of rooftop poolside bars with all kinds of flashing lights; clubs tucked away in the basements of 5 star hotels... people from all over the place. Good times; good people; no real lasting damage.
Only two days left- time she flies...
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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