Hello from Dubai! Cindy and I made it in last night and got some good rest. We're trying to figure things out in the city today (Saturday) and I have some orientation stuff on campus tomorrow, but basically we're just trying to get settled in.
Sorry we don't have any pictures for you yet - you'll have to give us a couple of days to get over our jetlag and get things squared away. Besides, if I put up pictures today, you might not come back to read for a while. I need to build suspense.
So, here is a list of a few things that we learned on our trip over here. Some are just observations, some are funny, but all are about our trip. So here they are in no particular order of importance - 10 Things I Learned on My Trip to Dubai.
1. If Cindy and I ever have children and take them overseas, we will sedate them for the flight. Go ahead and judge us if you want.
2. If you have small children/infants, British Airways apparently puts you in bulkhead seating. This means that (a) if you're traveling with small children, you should consider BA, and (b) if you're traveling on BA and request a bulkhead seat, you may be traveling with small children.
3. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones are the greatest gift Cindy has ever given me. I HIGHLY recommend them.
4. Halcion (sleeping pills) are the greatest gift my father-in-law has ever given me. I fell asleep somewhere over east Texas and woke up over the UK. Amazing.
5. UK Starbucks stores take US Starbucks gift cards. Also Amazing.
6. British Airways Rocks, Part 1 - They have good food, better legroom than any US airline that I have flown, free papers and magazines, and free wine with meals. This is in all four classes from first to economy.
7. British Airways Rocks, Part 2 - Entertainment on Demand. You have your own personal video player, on which you can choose to view any of about 50 movies, tons of TV shows, plus musical performances, news, and sports. You can play, pause, rewind, fast-forward, etc. If you're a golfer, I recommend the swing mechanics lessons from Hank Haney. If you're not into watching videos, there are plenty of audio channels. You know it's all good when they have Pat Green on the country channel. Again, this is in all four classes, from first to economy.
8. Romance novels are apparently popular in Dubai. We know this because we sat next to Fabio on the plane. OK - not the real Fabio, but the British Fabio. Tanned, toned, blonde - and with an accent. For the record, I'm taller than the British Fabio.
9. Muslim social mores do not fully extend to 37,000 feet. There were not one, but two women breastfeeding on our row on the plane. Not with a blanket or towel or anything like that, mind you, just breastfeeding. Now I'm not making any kind of statement about whether breastfeeding in public is a beautiful expression of motherhood or if it's inappropriate. I'm just saying that I wasn't expecting it on a flight to an Arab country.
10. Muslim social mores come close to 37,000 feet. Many women boarded the plane in western attire, but deplaned in burkas and veils.
Well, I hope you were entertained by our stories. We'll fill you in with more info after a few days. Right now, I'm off to find some good American food for lunch. Pizza Hut? KFC? Hardees? I'm not sure. We'll let you know how it is. Adios.
Matbe they'll have a Rosa's. Surely not a Taco Cabana. I enjoyed your stories... kepp 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteSo my takeway from this post is ... The Bakers are hosting me and all of my horse-racing friends for Spring Break 2010, and we'll be racing a bona fide longhorn against all of those Arabian Thoroughbreds ... when I come, with the three kids and newborn, I should spend a lot of cash on Bose technology, and make sure to include Halcion in a generous portion of wine that British Airways includes in their sippy-cups, right behind the bulkhead. Once my wife gets generously soused on the sleeping-pill laced beverages, I should help the rest of the passengers by getting the baby a good dose too, but not to worry, the breast-feeding doping of my child will likely go un-noticed because all of the burkha-prone women of the bulkhead section will be casually disguised as westerners until mid-flight. I should bring a turkey-leg and snow-ice-cream left over from the late fall and early winter, and Jeff wouldn't mind it if I packed Justin Barnard and Pat Green in my suitcase so he can get his fill of good coffee and Texas country while we visit. Oh, and this fall it is important for me to cut off my beautiful long blond hair and let my gut grow out so that Jeff isn't jealous of my "I can't believe it's not butter" good looks. Geez ... I better get right on it ... Expedia lists British Airways tickets to Dubai for the weeks of TTU's spring break at $1587 each, and the bulkheads are already taken ... let's see, five of us and a lap child ... that comes to an easy 30,000 UAE dirhams, right? Better pray that those stockings don't have any coal in them this year, kids! We're headed to see the Bakers! ;)
ReplyDeleteVery good "Top Ten" list! I'd have to agree with you that BA is one of the best airlines, and yes, something needs to be done about the screaming, crying rugrats that we adore and love and call "children." haha! Looking forward to more stories and some pictures! :)
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