Glittery Dustbowl Megatropolis

Last break I flew to the United Arab Emirates aka “the glittery dustbowl metropolis”. This was my first solo vacay ever- going someplace without knowing a single person. It was super big girl. I’ve gone on vacation by myself to meet people I know there, or see people I know who live there. I’ve certainly moved to a new place without knowing a soul. Like that time I moved to the East coast for college.. or that time I moved to YEMEN. But never a vacation. By myself. It was exciting..

Fellow Pacific Northwester, Lindsey lives in Dubai and I was excited to hang out with her. Alas my trip perfectly coincided with her trip to China. She did however go out of her way to make my trip enjoyable- not only lending me her glorious (and astoundingly well organized) apartment for a week, but also emailing me info, and leaving me an abundance of tour guides, delivery menus, maps with hand-drawn (well, nailpolished on) arrows and “you are here” marks, and a fantastic “to do in do-bai” (hahaah) summary list and letter. It was unbelievably awesome.
Included in the list was a note that said there are “things hidden behind the curtains” so I ran, giggling manically across the room and found behind one curtain…. Cleaning supplies! And the other… A door to a previously unsuspected balcony!

Almost the first thing I noticed upon walking into Lindsey’s apartment (besides the SHOCKING difference in our living conditions) was a pic of my sister on the wall! Whoa. Hey Kal.
Much like my most recent vacations in Greece and Turkey, I have found that my “vacation style” has drastically changed post-Yemen. I no longer feel the need to rush around and explore, do touristy things, or load up on souvenirs. Rather I now spend my vacation time simply relaxing. Luxuriating in the fact that I can take hot showers, sleep on a real mattress, eat sandwiches. I wildly underestimated how much I would miss sandwiches.. My favorite thing about the trip was the fact that no one even gave me a second glance. No one cared that there goes another white girl. I wasn’t ogled every moment of everyday like some freakish reptilian humanoid alien( more on this subject later). Instead of rushing about looking at the sites, trying to get my fill of the glittery metropolis of Dubai, I spent most of my time in- catching up on a years worth of tv show on dvd, ordering delivery food, sitting on a COUCH. It was like narcolepsy, the minute I sat down on that couch, I was out like a light. I had some amazing naps, mostly by accident.
I even got to go to a movie! Going to the movie theatre was very much like what I imagine the stock exchange on Wall street must be like on a busy day- teeming throngs of people pushing and shoving, yelling and haggling, papers being waved in the air, cash flying about, electronic screens and message boards constantly changing, scrolling, flashing- it was total sensory overload.

Lindsey also left me the email address of her friends Brad and Cory in case of emergencies/ overwhelming boredom. I did email them and we ended up going out for a drink at some fancy restaurant- owned by Marco Pierre White- at first I was not unduly impressed by this chef name-drop, but now thanks to cory, I’m practically an expert on celebrity chefs.

Brad and Cory became my new besties for ever! I simply loved them. My last night they invited me over for dinner and drinks. They made me a cornucopia of pork delights- slow cooked pork, vegetables cooked in pork fat, and a side of sliced, cured pork. I’m drooling right now. Cory is the chief of Ski Dubai, and Brad is a façade architect.
I love them very much and am actively trying to get back to Dubai and hang out with them again.