Dubai

It gets hot in Dubai. That wasn't unexpected, but the dust in the air, ALL THE TIME, wasn't something I was prepared for. Yes, the smoke in the PNW gave me some time to get used to gunk in my throat, but here coupled with the heat (111 yesterday), it's downright nasty. I don't know how the tourism people get pictures of the skyline, clear and with blue skies, I haven't seen it. The dust/haze makes it hard to see anything at any distance.

The flight here was long. Sit down to get up was about 16 hours. You board pretty early in Seattle, with 3 security guards enforcing the line so no D group person has a chance to board before a C person. They are pretty serious about it. Before boarding, an Emirates rep prowls the waiting area and makes people use the bag size checker. If it doesn't fit, it's checked. He wasn't popular.

The inflight experience was OK. Year I had a last class seat, Honeywell doesn't waste money on business class for my level. They provide a little bag with ear plugs, a blindfold, and little sock booties. Two meals and a snack are served over the 14+ hours of flight time. They were free and that was a mild surprise for me. The food wasn't a good match for my appetite, but I ate enough.

Immigration and customs was easy. It took a long time for my bags to appear on the luggage machine. I stopped at an ATM for UAE dinars and caught a cab to the hotel. It was a fair ride, and cost about 95 Dinars, or about $30.

Checked into the hotel. The room was fine. You need to put your room key in a slot to turn the power on. No wasting watts in the UAE.

Dad