After a week in beautiful South Africa, it was time to move on to the final leg of our journey and hit up the Emirate of Dubai. We left Thanda late for a 3 hour drive back to Durban airport then a long 9 hour flight back to Dubai. We departed Durban at around 6:50pm and arrived in Dubai at 7am (with the +2 hour time change). We got through customs and immigration, grabbed our luggage, and headed out to meet our ride to our hotel.
Wet will be the first word of the day.
We exited the airport and I first thought we were passing through one of those water misters to cool you off. The mix of air conditioned air from the airport mixed with the hot air of the outside made it feel wet. But quite comfortable. Then we took 2 more steps. The air conditioned air was surpassed by the unbelievably humid air of the UAE. It was so thick, there is a literal cloud in the air. You can see it hanging above street level. 100% pure moisture. Thankfully the car was air conditioned and they took us straight to our hotel.
Opulence is the second word of the day.
We are staying at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach. It's right on the Persian Gulf and we actually have a water view from our balcony. We checked in but since we arrived so early, our room wasn't ready yet. So we were invited to get some breakfast and hang out until 9am. We took the elevator to the 3rd floor and the doors opened to the most beautiful food spread either of us had ever seen. We were too overwhelmed to take our traditional pictures. Fresh fruit, egg station, pancake station, bread station, juice station, pastry station. It went on and on. Since Jurassic Park is a theme of this trip, I felt like the kids from Jurassic Park when they arrive back to the park lodge and wander into the fully stocked buffet with nobody to eat it but themselves. That was us. We ate our fill and at 9:10am went back to the front desk to get our room keys. A hot shower and a nap was #1 on the daily agenda. We came up to our rooms and opened the door to a magnificent sight. A beautifully furnished room with beautiful beds, cherry wood furniture, a magnificent bathroom, and a great view of the Dubai Marina. After taking long, hot showers, we fell into our beds.
You know the "AHHHHH" sound people make when describe something from heaven? Well picture that.
"AHHHHHH"
Beautiful beams of light shining down upon us. A warm (but air conditioned) glow cast upon our faces. It was bedgasmic. Even better w;ere the pillows. Up to this point, our pillows have been average to downright painful. The pillows in Cape Town were good. The pillows at Thanda were impossible. Imagine a pillow case filled with concrete, then rolled in broken glass. They were literally unsleepable. I made up that word, but it is absolutely true. We both abandoned them after the first night and instead slept on either our hands or just the mattress. The pillows here are clouds stuffed with a woman's bosom (strange analogy I know. Just trying to think of something soft and comforting).
Back to WET.
After taking a 4 hour nap or so, we got up and got ready to get some dinner. We were mentally prepared for what lay ahead, but were physically unprepared. We took 4 steps outside and our sunglasses immediately fogged up. We both cried out "I CAN'T SEE!!!!" like 2 blind idiots before realizing we just had to remove our glasses. We had earlier decided on a restaurant called Mom's Food about 1.5 kilometer from the hotel. By the time we got there, I was sweating through my shirt. Sweat was running down my arms and legs. It was incredible. I've NEVER felt anything like it. It's sweltering but not oppressive. You can stand to be outside, but just be ready to be wet.
Dinner was fabulous though. Hummus, grilled lamb, kebab, salad. It was a treat. We trekked back after dinner through the sweatbox and have spent the last hour or so planning tomorrow. A drive to Abu Dhabi. Africa was amazing and beautiful, but this place is turning into a beautiful adventure on its own.
Wet will be the first word of the day.
We exited the airport and I first thought we were passing through one of those water misters to cool you off. The mix of air conditioned air from the airport mixed with the hot air of the outside made it feel wet. But quite comfortable. Then we took 2 more steps. The air conditioned air was surpassed by the unbelievably humid air of the UAE. It was so thick, there is a literal cloud in the air. You can see it hanging above street level. 100% pure moisture. Thankfully the car was air conditioned and they took us straight to our hotel.
Opulence is the second word of the day.
We are staying at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach. It's right on the Persian Gulf and we actually have a water view from our balcony. We checked in but since we arrived so early, our room wasn't ready yet. So we were invited to get some breakfast and hang out until 9am. We took the elevator to the 3rd floor and the doors opened to the most beautiful food spread either of us had ever seen. We were too overwhelmed to take our traditional pictures. Fresh fruit, egg station, pancake station, bread station, juice station, pastry station. It went on and on. Since Jurassic Park is a theme of this trip, I felt like the kids from Jurassic Park when they arrive back to the park lodge and wander into the fully stocked buffet with nobody to eat it but themselves. That was us. We ate our fill and at 9:10am went back to the front desk to get our room keys. A hot shower and a nap was #1 on the daily agenda. We came up to our rooms and opened the door to a magnificent sight. A beautifully furnished room with beautiful beds, cherry wood furniture, a magnificent bathroom, and a great view of the Dubai Marina. After taking long, hot showers, we fell into our beds.
You know the "AHHHHH" sound people make when describe something from heaven? Well picture that.
"AHHHHHH"
Beautiful beams of light shining down upon us. A warm (but air conditioned) glow cast upon our faces. It was bedgasmic. Even better w;ere the pillows. Up to this point, our pillows have been average to downright painful. The pillows in Cape Town were good. The pillows at Thanda were impossible. Imagine a pillow case filled with concrete, then rolled in broken glass. They were literally unsleepable. I made up that word, but it is absolutely true. We both abandoned them after the first night and instead slept on either our hands or just the mattress. The pillows here are clouds stuffed with a woman's bosom (strange analogy I know. Just trying to think of something soft and comforting).
Back to WET.
After taking a 4 hour nap or so, we got up and got ready to get some dinner. We were mentally prepared for what lay ahead, but were physically unprepared. We took 4 steps outside and our sunglasses immediately fogged up. We both cried out "I CAN'T SEE!!!!" like 2 blind idiots before realizing we just had to remove our glasses. We had earlier decided on a restaurant called Mom's Food about 1.5 kilometer from the hotel. By the time we got there, I was sweating through my shirt. Sweat was running down my arms and legs. It was incredible. I've NEVER felt anything like it. It's sweltering but not oppressive. You can stand to be outside, but just be ready to be wet.
Dinner was fabulous though. Hummus, grilled lamb, kebab, salad. It was a treat. We trekked back after dinner through the sweatbox and have spent the last hour or so planning tomorrow. A drive to Abu Dhabi. Africa was amazing and beautiful, but this place is turning into a beautiful adventure on its own.
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