Day 1: Dubai

During all my travels, I have come to accept the fact that U.S. airport security likes to pick on me. Even when flying to Mexico or El Salvador, my skin color helps me blend in for the most part, yet they still pick me out for extra searches and questioning. But this time at SFO, the first thing that struck me, actually my mom noticed it before I did.  Was that the line was predominantly full of Arabs and Indians. But of more significance was that I BLENDED IN! Almost perfectly! We all had almost the exact same hair color, skin color, height, and facial structure. It was surreal to see. For the first time I will actually blend in when checking in! In the end though, it didn’t help, I still got pulled aside for a random questioning and search right before boarding the plane. But oh well, at least I wasn’t the only one security was picking on. I had lots of company.

The 15.5hr flight was actually a piece of cake. Emirates Airlines is hands down the BEST airline I have ever had the pleasure of flying on. But, having an entire row of four seats to myself definitely didn’t hurt. I do not know how I ended up with the whole row to myself, but I definitely took advantage of it! While everybody else was piled on top of each other sleeping, I was sprawled over four seats with four blankets and four pillows. Hell, I had more space than business class!

The flight was gnarly though, despite my sweet set-up, I could not fall asleep for the life of me. Right when I was about to doze off at around 130am, I was awakened by sunlight! I thought, how can this be?? I saw the sun set a few hours ago! I then realized we were over the North Pole! I am glad it woke me up though, because it was the most surreal and amazing sunrise I have ever seen. It was strange to see the sunset, sunrise, and sunset again all during one flight.

Dubai…wow. Where to begin? This place is crazy! Upon landing in Dubai, I was not sure what to expect. Emirates has their own special terminal that is one of the ritziest, cleanest, most opulent terminals I have ever been in. At first glance, one would not guess it to be an airport terminal. From koi ponds to waterfalls, the terminal looks more like a resort.

Upon arriving to a new destination, the first thing that normally strikes me is the smell. But to my surprise, upon stepping outside of the airport and onto the high-speed rail terminal, the air smelled like…well… nothing. I am used the air smelling like a humid jungle or something, but Dubai’s air doesn’t really smell like anything. On a side note, the high-speed rail is phenomenal! Once in Dubai, I was expecting a little bit of culture shock. However, I was surprised to see that Dubai is not all that different from any other Western City. Yes, a majority of the women do wear the traditional Muslim garb that covers just about everything except their faces. And yes, the men, especially the upper-class men, wore those all-white robes.  I forget what both those things are called, but you know what I am talking about.

During my time in Dubai, my objectives were to go to the observation deck of the Burj Kahlifa, the world’s tallest building, and to explore the extravagant Dubai Mall.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa. Which was extremely disappointing. But the building itself was just awesome to look at. Unless you stand almost a mile away, you have to crane your neck all the way back just to look up enough to see the top of the building. It is one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever seen.

Up until this point I had not really experienced anything shocking, or overwhelming for that matter. That is, until I walked into the Dubai Mall. WOW! The Porches, Range Rovers, Mercedes, Maseratis (sp?), and BMWs waiting to be valet parked out front should have given it away immediately. Upon walking inside, I was immediately blown away by the opulence of the place. The Mall just screamed of wealth and extravagance. And everyone inside wasn’t afraid to show it. For the first time in my life, I genuinely felt out of place. Here I am, with jeans, a flannel, and backpack wondering through this mecca of designer fashion. All the while, men, women, and even kids! Walk around carrying bags of goods and wearing clothes that cost more than I care to know. Western style capitalism is definitely alive and well here in this consumer paradise. One would never guess from the looks of Dubal Mall that this part of the world shows any resentment of Western culture or fashion. And on top of that, the amount of people that were there! One would think a Wednesday night would not be a busy night in a mall. But think again! The place was packed!

After about an hour walking around and feeling completely overwhelmed, I sat down in a café, ordered a drink (non-alcoholic, I forgot I was in a Muslim country), and just people-watched. I paid special attention to young people around my age. What I noticed is that these kids are no different from any other American youth. I even saw hipsters!!! Imagine if Jersey Shore joined forces with The Hills or Laguna Beach. That is what the youth of Dubai look like; well at least the ones wearing western clothing. I also felt strange being the only guy in that mall without a customized shaved beard. But even the young women who wore their traditional black dressings from head to toe still were wearing high-heels and enough make-up to make a clown jealous.

In conclusion, I wish I had more time in Dubai. The place is immaculate. The nicest city I have ever been in. The people here are wealthy and they are not afraid to show it. I feel like I would need my own personal oil field just to shop in the Dubai Mall. When I make my millions I will come back and do just that. There is so much to do here, I only wish I had more time.

Sorry, if some of my grammar stinks or my paragraphs sort of ramble. It is currently 12:15am here, and I have only had about four hours of sleep. I leave for Colombo, Sri Lanka in a couple hours. Can’t wait!