Thanks for being so patient with me everyone. I had no idea jet lag would kick my butt as bad as it has upon my return. My trip to Africa was a complete whirlwind and with it happening right on the heels of my aunt's death I am still reeling. But I'm super-excited to share about my trip with you.
In the days to come I'll share more about Africa but I wanted to start with a quick post about our stop in Dubai. The travel to and from Tanzania was crazy-long. I flew to LA then took a 16 hour flight to Dubai and got in at midnight. We had an overnight layover and the hotel we were staying in was offering tours in the middle of the night. So we all climbed into 3 taxis and took a 3-hour tour of the city from midnight to 3am. Then I got 3 hours of sleep before boarding our 5 1/2 hour flight into Tanzania. I figured this was my one chance to see Dubai and learn a little about it.
My favorite part of the tour was our taxi driver's Pakistani accent. He was very talkative and pointed out every single shopping center and hotel we passed. I got the impression that hotels and shopping centers were the only points of interest in Dubai or maybe he just thought that's what we would be interested in seeing? Not sure.
Our first stop was on the side of the freeway where I took the above shot. I literally got out and thought, hmm, I wonder what we're supposed to be seeing and taking photos of here? I'm still not sure what the draw of that particular spot on the freeway was.
In the days to come I'll share more about Africa but I wanted to start with a quick post about our stop in Dubai. The travel to and from Tanzania was crazy-long. I flew to LA then took a 16 hour flight to Dubai and got in at midnight. We had an overnight layover and the hotel we were staying in was offering tours in the middle of the night. So we all climbed into 3 taxis and took a 3-hour tour of the city from midnight to 3am. Then I got 3 hours of sleep before boarding our 5 1/2 hour flight into Tanzania. I figured this was my one chance to see Dubai and learn a little about it.
My favorite part of the tour was our taxi driver's Pakistani accent. He was very talkative and pointed out every single shopping center and hotel we passed. I got the impression that hotels and shopping centers were the only points of interest in Dubai or maybe he just thought that's what we would be interested in seeing? Not sure.
Our first stop was on the side of the freeway where I took the above shot. I literally got out and thought, hmm, I wonder what we're supposed to be seeing and taking photos of here? I'm still not sure what the draw of that particular spot on the freeway was.
Here's a shot of Burj Al Arab, a famous hotel in Dubai. They're very proud of their buildings there and the taxi driver kept saying that none of it was there 37 years ago. I guess everything has really built up in the last few decades.
Jim Davis-Hicks, our fearless leader and the founder of Thirst Relief shooting the cool hotel:
And a group of us in front of the cool hotel:
A fountain in front of one of the cool hotels:
Yet another cool hotel inspired by the Atlantis in the Bahamas:
We spent some time in the above hotel and they had an amazingly gigantic aquarium. I decided if I were a fish that's where I'd want to live.
The lobby of the hotel had a sculpture that reminded me of the Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens:
And...that's about it.
Even in the middle of the night Dubai was in the high 90s with 80% humidity. It was unbelievably stifling. I'd take Phoenix mid-summer over that kind of weather any day. So that's it. I wish I had something more exciting to share with you from Dubai. Something with lots of interesting culture. But unfortunately I didn't see any. Just cool buildings. But I guess you can't really expect much more if your sight-seeing window is midnight to 3am.
Next up -- Africa!
Even in the middle of the night Dubai was in the high 90s with 80% humidity. It was unbelievably stifling. I'd take Phoenix mid-summer over that kind of weather any day. So that's it. I wish I had something more exciting to share with you from Dubai. Something with lots of interesting culture. But unfortunately I didn't see any. Just cool buildings. But I guess you can't really expect much more if your sight-seeing window is midnight to 3am.
Next up -- Africa!
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