Caravans and Wagon Trains

Today we are home, safe and sound. And wrecked with exhaustion.

Something we noticed on the way there was that every few miles we saw a car on the highway with an Obama bumper sticker. Through Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Cars from California, Montana, Illinois, and the list goes on. We started to notice that people really were coming from all corners of the country to witness the same event. At rest stops, we saw Obama hats, shirts, and jackets. We were all headed East to a common goal. In just a couple days, Washington, DC would become the 5th largest city in the country for that one day only.

Today we set out Westward Ho, and noticed the same... a mass exodus from DC in modern wagon train of Obama stickers, flags, and minivans loaded down with families and luggage. A rest stop outside Pittsburg was crowded with Inauguration-goers all headed back home. How could we tell? The Obama hats, coats, shirts, stickers, and pins. There was no missing it, we were all there together, and we were all headed back, scattering to the winds once again, back to our everyday lives. But for those few moments on the Mall, we were together, a single country with a common hope. We may never cross paths again, but there's beauty in strangers coming together for a shared goal.

From Chicago's Front Yard to the Nation's Front Yard

YES WE DID!

I can't begin to describe the level of sheer exhaustion I'm feeling right now. Up at 3:00am for a 5.5 hour trip into DC that only took us 35 minutes yesterday. Millions of people. Broken trains. Excessive lines. Long walks. Bitter cold. Sore legs. But wow... I know we witnessed history, and I'm sure I'll appreciate it in all its glory tomorrow when I watch the news. But today, it hasn't sank in yet. The energy in the crowd was obvious... We also marveled at all the very elder citizens that braved the crowds, cold, and broken escalators to witness history. If you're not a fan of crowds, are claustrophobic, or suffer from social anxiety disorder, this was NOT the place for you. We kept calm, and the crowd remained polite. I'd think under any other circumstances it would have been an ugly sight.

I don't have the energy to write much more, but Carrie and I made it safely onto the Mall FINALLY after a long ride in and stood right in front of the flags at the base of the Washington Monument facing the Capitol. With binoculars we could see it better, and had a decent view on our tip-toes of the jumbotrons. All those millions of people also presented a logistical nightmare for our cell phones. After about 10am, I wasn't able to use my phone, send or receive calls, nor send or receive texts. A few hours later at about 2pm a couple texts rolled through, but I could tell I missed some, because I called my sister and she said she sent a couple notices. Good thing I called her, because through her we learned of some train station closings.

Tonight will be our longest nights' sleep of the week: a whopping 6 hours (last night was a mere 3). So right now I'm running on 3 hours sleep and 16 hours in 20 degree weather, standing most of the time. Tomorrow we head back to Chicago, but are going to detour through Gettysburg on the way. Lincoln Bible, Lincoln Weekend.

A Horseshoe Firmly Lodged Up One's Behind

As my friend Carrie put it, we have a horseshoe firmly lodged up our a$$es. What does that mean? We can't believe our unbelievable level of luck today. We're in DC for Inauguration, and today (Monday) we PLANNED to do some sightseeing and see Oprah - kudos to Carrie for coming through with tickets! Our plan was to drive in to DC super early, park at the Kennedy Center, do some sightseeing, go to the show, and head back to the house (staying with friends).

The day didn't actually start out like that. We both messed up our alarm clocks and woke up an hour late. Knowing it'd take about 1.25-1.5 hours to get into central DC with traffic, perhaps we'd be cutting it close and maybe have a small window to see monuments first. However, when we left the house there was NO traffic into DC. Nada. 35 minutes from door to parking garage. We got a rock star spot right at the front of the exit of the garage so we could dart right out. The plan was dress in jeans and sneakers, walk around, then come back to the car to change into nice clothes for the show. The Kennedy Center is right next to the Watergate complex, so Carrie took a fun pic of me doing the double-V sign out front. :) It's also across the street from the Saudi Embassy, so I snuck in a pic for friends.

We walked through Georgetown toward the White House to try to get some pictures. We wanted Starbucks, found one exactly when the craving hit, and this is when timing really worked for us. After we got our drinks, we walked down 17th Street and saw a small crowd of people at a cross street. We stopped and saw that we were looking at the Blair House where the First Family-Elect were staying. The Secret Service had the street blocked off, so we stopped to get a couple pictures from the end of the block. As I took my camera out, some cars came our direction and we quickly noticed that it was THE motorcade! We watched the beastly black car pass right in front of us, looked into the window, and saw Obama staring back!! My camera snapped away furiously, and Carrie and I turned to each other with jaws open. Did we just see our soon-to-be president?!

We walked down the next block toward the South Lawn, and the street just south of it was open to pedestrians. As we meandered past security, we came around a turn and saw the White House in front of our eyes. We stopped for another photo-op, and swapped photo-taking with a kind stranger. From there we walked down to the Mall, saw the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial, walked along the Reflecting Pool, over to the Vietnam Memorial, around the side of the Lincoln Memorial, snapped a picture of the CNN Chicago transmission truck, then walked back to the Kennedy Center. We changed and headed into line.

In the Kennedy Center, we lined up to take our seats. They filled up fast and we ended up in the balcony. I won't complain about the seats that were partially obstructed by a camera crane, but if we stood or sat on the edges of our seats, we could see fine. Oprah's show a star-studded event, with Aston Kutcher and Demi Moore as the first guests. In the audience was Maria Shriver, Emmett Smith, Joe Biden's mom, Bebe Wayans, Glenn Close, Debbie Allen, and Tom Joyner. The special guest were Joe and Jill Biden! It was great to see them, as I missed them on Election Night, and they were very gracious. Jill said something that promptly hit the newswire and had the entire audience in a flutter. Next, David Foster led a medly with Will.I.Am, Faith Hill, Seal, and Mary J Blige. A fantastic show!

Traffic out of the parking garage was non-existent and we zipped right out. Drove over to Capitol Hill to visit the Inauguration store, but couldn't find parking, streets were starting to close, so we headed back to Manassas, in no time.

We couldn't have possibly asked for a better day, gone better than planned!

Countdown to Inauguration

Stay tuned to this blog for updates from Inauguration 2009, live from DC! I was there on that cold weekend in February 2007 when Obama launched his campaign... although I wasn't in Springfield, I was there the next day when he came back to hometown Chicago to announce it to his peeps... I worked his campaign at HQ in downtown Chicago, and was there that historic night in Grant Park on Election Day 2008... that warm and energetic night when the sound of hope and humanity echoed off Chicago's buildings. Why not keep up the track record and follow him to DC as he's sworn in as America's 44th president. So one day I'll be able to look back and say "I was there." I may be cold, wet, and sore from hours of standing in the sub-zero temps of January, but doggoneit, I'll be there!

Dubai Pix Posted

A few pix from Dubai uploaded to Flickr...

http://flickr.com/photos/adelemae/sets/72157607327489581/

Last night in Dubai, and Local Flavor (literally)

Burj Al-Arab

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a day and a half, but it's been go-go-go since yesterday mid-day. I'm battling a splitting headache right now, and have to get up for the airport in 4 hours, so I'll try to make this brief, then elaborate when I get home.

Yesterday T's family picked me up and I went back to their house for iftar then shopping at Festival City Mall. I liked it better than Emirates Mall, more locals, less Europeans, and I felt less like a tourist. His mom prepared the most amazing dinner. And it's not like a main course with a few sides... it's many different dishes of shapes, sizes, and flavors. I ate so much! I tried to insist (unsuccessfully) that I was stuffed, but next thing I know his mom is handing me a second plate. Literally, I had 2 plates next to each other with food. Then tea. Then dessert, twice. They invited me back for dinner tonight, so I decided I needed a new eating strategy for the next day.

After dinner his mom, sis, and bro, and I went to the mall about 10pm and shopped for 3 hours, and stopped at a coffee shop. So many families were out and about, socializing, eating, shopping, having a great time, it was like Chrismas on crack. It kinda puts Christmas to shame, actually. I've never seen in America what I've seen here in terms of family and holiday spirit together.

What would be a Chiquita blog without me talking about shoes, right? Like some people travel and pick up souvenirs, I travel and pick up shoes as my "souvenir". A great pair of black and silver-striped satin slingback pointed heels from a London shop. Here's what I find interesting: all the display shoes are a size 8 or 9. We're so used to seeing a small size 5 or 6 on display in the US that it looks so big and bulky on the shelves here. Also, the styles are different... there are more chunky shoes and not as many delicate pairs. I didn't think it'd take me so long to find one pair I really liked. Even the styles at Aldo were completely different in Dubai than in the US.

I didn't get back to the hotel until almost 3am, then I just slept in today and started to pack. At 2pm I had an interview at a Dubai magazine. No, not a job interview... T's dad is a reporter, and he arranged for one of his reporters to interview me for a profile of "an american girl traveling to Dubai to experience Ramadan". He works fast. *smile* Afterward, I went back to their home where we talked for a while, then had dinner again, helped a sister and her friend study for one of their college computer classes, then more tea and dessert.

I'm so glad I had an opportunity and honor to be their guest. They're a wonderful family, funny and hospitable, and it was a great retreat from tourist trap of Jumeirah, and to experience some local flavor. I actually felt more comfortable in the more "local" side of town in the "locals" mall. Maybe it's part of being in Chicago or hanging out in more cultural neighborhoods.

In a few hours I leave Dubai, and I have to say everyone should visit. It's safe, spotlessly clean, friendly, and nothing like some stereotypical American view of the Middle East. Erase of images you have of busy, dirty, old, crazy Cairo, and think about some glistening modern city in the desert on the cutting edge of technology and development. That's Dubai.

Exhausted, but still going.

Exhausted. Completely and utterly. I think last night wiped me out.
Went back an re-read yesterday morning's entry. Water park? Didn't make it back. Couldn't get out of pool. Skiing? Nope - more on that below.

So from where I left off yesterday - Jumeirah Mosque then back to the pool - last night was the desert safari. This is not for those that easily get motion sickness. Oh boy, rolling over massive dunes, speeding to the top only to not be able to see down the other side, where we were going, swerving, and at times wondering if we'd roll side-over-side back down. Kudos to our driver Zahir from Pakistan. Anyhoo, in my opinion, the most beautiful scenery in the world is miles and miles and miles of sand dunes. Don't get me wrong - I love a tropical beach like anyone else, but there's something about sand that does it for me. The Sahara was beautiful, but I also couldn't wait to see a real Arabian desert for myself. Mission accomplished: the dunes in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve near Margham. Gorgeous. We saw wild camels, and even an oryx, which is somewhat like a white Arabian antelope. Kinda.

There were 5 of us plus our driver in the SUV: me, and Zahir who spoke English, and 4 Brazilians, of which one only spoke the most minimal English. Zahir started talking on our drive, and I heard the woman from the back seat say "no understand." I managed to find out they were from Brazil, spoke a bit of Spanish to them, which they understood, and there was our trip. Zahir speaking in English to me, and I'm translating to them in Spanish, which they recognized because it's similar to Portugese... and they'd speak to me in Portuguese which I'd manage to figure out a few words, and well, our outing consisted of both a safari AND language adventure!

We stopped a few times for a break from the stomach-twisting ride, once at a camel farm that was tended by some Bedouins (which the goverment accounts for much better than the US ever did for the Native Americans - we should take a lesson from them, but that's another blog), and watched the sun set over the dunes. From there we proceeded straight to "camp" where they unloaded us for our dinner. Zahir and another driver invited me to break their fast with them and the other drivers and staff, but seeing as the man-to-woman ratio would have been 55:1 in that case, I politely declined, popped a squat on a dune to watch the sun set, then joined the rest of the crowd. The "camp" in the desert was enclosed by a stick fence. Inside were Persian carpets lining the lantern-lit dining area, which consisted of long, low tables with floor cushions, and a few covered sitting areas for shisha and whatnot. I wandered about for only a couple minutes before overhearing some people at a table speaking English, so I asked to join them. One was an elder couple on a wedding anniversary (and breast cancer surviving/celebration) trip around the world from Australia. The others were friends - Ian from Britain, and his friend Olaf from Germany. We had a delicious meal and spent the next two hours chatting non-stop. They were all great company, and we pointed out how fortunate we were to have met each other - strangers in the desert under a moonlit star-filled night. We had all been to Egypt at one point and swapped stories.

I chose to go on this trip alone and never at any point did I wish I could meet people, had been more social, struck up a poolside conversation, or had a dinner companion. I've been perfectly at ease wandering about on my own. Zahir flirted with me incessantly during our stops, and said he felt badly for me since no one was talking to me. I told him not to, I was comfortable and quite in my element enjoying my time alone, despite being in a crowd of 165 people. I like to think I can bring my own party anywhere I go. If I'm not having a good time, it's my own fault. But this time, at dinner, this was the perfect time to socialize. The perfect atmosphere, the perfect dinner companions, the perfect conversation... we, all travelers, randomly brought together at that one moment under the stars to exchange small stories about our lives, then just a fleeting few hours later, we all go our separate ways perhaps never to meet again. There are times to be solitary, and there are times to be social. And this trip has been the perfect mix of both worlds. I'm glad that we all openly acknowledged how special that evening was.

Which brings me to today... I'll be joining Tarek's family for iftar and shopping afterward, so knowing I had most of the day morning and mid-afternoon to do something, I thought today may be a good day to go skiing. When I woke up I laid in bed for a good 90 minutes, but finally pulled myself together in time to catch the free 10am shuttle to the Mall of the Emirates and Ski Dubai. I had my ski hat, gloves, fleece, and socks. I had all the intention and gear, but once I got there, I had none of the energy. I was wiped. I stood at the "chalet" window overlooking the slopes and wondered if I really had the will and energy to "call it up". Standing doing nothing seemed a whole lot easier than the effort required to get dressed, drag around poles and skis, up the lift, down the hill... So I snapped a picture and wandered around the mall for a bit. I can ski in the US this winter. I could have said I had gone skiing in the desert, but at least I had seen it. It's not like going to Egypt and deciding you don't have the energy to climb inside a pyramid. Skiing can happen elsewhere, and I just wanted a nap.

The mall was nice, but for being the largest mall outside the US, I was expecting much bigger. I've been to the Mall of the Americas, so perhaps I had that scale of consumerism in mind already. A couple hours and no purchases later, I grabbed the shuttle back, donned my last clean bathing suit, and went swimming in the Gulf.

Now as I sit here waiting for Taghreed to let me know when she is coming to pick me up, I haven't yet napped, am still exhausted (can jet lag set in days AFTER arriving, and not right away?), I realize I have just tomorrow left for a full day, and then I'm headed back to the West. I haven't hit Bastakiya or the souks yet, so that's on my list for tomorrow. I really need to get in a real night's rest.

Oddly enough, that's the interesting thing about this part of Dubai so far. It feels like someone dropped a Chicago suburb in the desert. It's so Western here. So American with British flair. SUVs, giant shopping malls, department stores, McDonald's, Applebee's, and TGI Friday's, and acres of open, sprawling cookie-cutter "villas" in a suburb. For a beach vacation where you never leave the resort, this is great. But I almost can't wait to get out of here. "Here" being Jumeirah. Get me into the real part of the city. Get me out of the vanilla that I ran away from in River North in the first place. If this trip has taught me anything - and it's taught me lots - it's that variety is the spice of life. I didn't need to leave Chicago to come to another suburb, albeit hotter. I need diversity. I need culture. I need intellectual stimulation. Going to dinner tonight is going to feel like I've been "saved" from the tourist trap.

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't pass up a 7-day Caribbean cruise where I do nothing but lie about - did I just see a cat walk by the pool? - and not use my brain for a week while cooking my skin in the tropic sun. I'll take that any day, too. *smile*

Little things that amuse me about Dubai

Are the Brits invading Dubai, or did they leave an imprint on the city before the emirate was independent, or is the entire world like this, except America? What am I talking about? The little things in Dubai that appear quite British. Like red phone booths along SZR. Or white and blue street signs that indicate traffic direction on islands or roundabouts. Or signs indicating camera-monitored traffic zones. And in some little way, this place reminds me that I'm not in Britain, but indeed in the Middle East, like the white-and-black curbs similar to Cairo.

At least in this part of Dubai - Jumeirah - it's immaculate. Makes Cairo look like an old, worn shoe. Perhaps it is, when Cairo is 5,000 years old, and Dubai is 5,000 minutes new. Taxis are clean and all drivers wear uniforms. Chicago should be ashamed. Trash is rarely spotted on the streets, at least not on the main drags. And the villas... more like compounds... some are massive. Some are massively ornate and some are massively gaudy. Perhaps taste is more a matter of volume.

This September 11, I spent the morning at Jumeirah Mosque. It was very beautiful, but although it's reputation as one of the largest mosques in Dubai, I was surprised at its relatively small size (hold about 1,200 worshipers). Perhaps the image in my mind was that of Muhammed Ali Mosque at the Citadel in Cairo, which by any accounts could quite be the one of the largest outside Mecca. At any rate, it had a comfortable intimacy to it. Certainly not old, only built about 30 years ago, which I suppose in Dubai Time that might be ancient.

I chuckled to myself as I took a taxi from the hotel to the mosque, how was I going to find a taxi to get back? Ah well, I figured I'd wing it. I've come to find that Dubai isn't so scary, and if faced with being on my own, I had to make do. Across the street at the Marina Beach Club the valet tried to tell me that a parked car with a driver waiting nearby was a taxi. That's all grand and very well may be, but as I walked over, saw he had no meter, no signage, and I wasn't in the mood for haggling the price of a drive back to the hotel. Just give me a metered taxi. I ventured back to the mosque, and within minutes a taxi passed through the parking lot that I waved down. Problem solved. :)

This evening is the desert safari. Can't decide if I want to rush a half hour into "downtown" or Bur Dubai to visit the old Bastakiya district and then a half hour or more back here... how long does that give me, about 2 hours in the area? Would I be able to find a taxi again? Am I trying to squeeze too much in within a matter of moments this afternoon? Eh, it's my own damn fault. If I had gotten up earlier, I could have booked my safari before I left this morning, then gone from the mosque to Bur Dubai and had plenty of time. But an Australian couple decided to hem-haw their way through the Arabian Adventures office and I didn't have time to waste waiting for them. Hence my silly return back to the hotel just to book the safari. I could do it Saturday, but I also want to find time to ski. It's almost 1pm, by the time I change some more bills, get to Bastakiya, mosey around, shop, and attempt to find a cab and get back here in time, I'll only have about an hour up there, all for the expense of nearly 100dhs round-trip. And I just plunked down 320dhs for the safari, and I'm not about to miss that. Dang, I really do need one or two more days here.

Now I look out my window, and the pool seems to be calling me.

RESIST! RESIST! GO HISTORICAL-ING!!

I know, I know... but I can't risk it... Off to grab my bathing suit. Maybe I can sneak in another ride at the water park.

We had an earthquake? *shrug*

Apparently there was a strong earthquake in southern Iran that shook buildings in Dubai.

Huh.

Where was I? Didn't feel it.
Dagnabbit.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/10/iran.earthquake/index.html

Do Americans Travel? and, OH WOW

First, do Americans travel to the Middle East? Seems apparently not. It's like all the Europeans are totally tuned in to the happenings of the Gulf, whereas Americans have seemed oblivious. Or it's a matter of geography. When Americans vacation, they head to the Caribbean. When Europeans vacation, they head out of Europe and to places like Sharm el Sheikh and Dubai.

I can count on one hand the number of Americans I've run into here: 3. Total. That doesn't even mean I've actually spoken to them. Three Americans... 2 in my hotel, and one I overheard in an office building in the business district. Otherwise Dubai seems to consist of 2 segments: Brits and Indians. The only time I see any Emirate locals is in the evenings after iftar. Or in lobbies of business hotels. Poolside I have yet to meet an American. They're all European. Not necessarily British, though. Let's see, I've overheard British accent, Scottish accent, met a couple Germans, more than a few Russians, and others in between. All served by Indians. I suppose that's helpful, too. Seeing as a good quantity of Indians are Hindu, they probably don't mind being around Westerners eating and drinking poolside during Ramadan. Good staffing choice.

Cab drivers, bellhops, waiters, construction labor, secretarial, all Indian subcontinent. White-collar office jobs are staffed by Brits and other Europeans. The Burj Al Arab seems to be sufficiently staffed by an equal number of southeast Asians, mostly in restaurant host and waiter positions. Interesting. It's fun walking around here, though. I just nod a cordial greeting and pretend I don't speak English. Gosh, in Cairo I was so used to saying "shukran" and "midfadlak" to people that it doesn't seem to work here. Anyone I'd normally say that to isn't Arab. I have to check nametags before I open my mouth. :)

I'm sometimes having a hard time reconciling what country I'm in since I rarely encounter locals, or even Arabs for that matter. Heck, I get more Arab flavor in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago than I do in Jumeirah. *smile* Tarek, are you reading? Where'd your peeps go? We'll see this evening when his sis Tuut (is that her nickname?) picks me up. I forget where she said we're going, but I actually look forward to getting out into the city more, away from tourists, and with some locals. Makes me feel a bit more comfortable and like I'm back in Chicago. Isn't it ironic, don'tcha think?

So today involved two excursions: to Sheikh Zayed Road (SZR), and to the Burj Al Arab. Let's start with SZR. I had a meeting at 11am (which the person was 40 minutes late for, but as Siddhartha put it, a little patience and fasting go a long way). Got a slight peek into Dubai office life and an outlook on the Dubai advertising community. Or should I say it was recommended to steer myself toward the broadcasting/media community and should check out Media City, home of CNN, Reuters, cable outlets, Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, and others. Interesting, better off on TV production side? Hmm... that's a new avenue to explore.

So after the meeting I strolled down SZR, home of some amazing architecture: Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre (sorry, Manal, didn't get a pic, but did manage to see it). I wasn't able to find a way to cross SZR to get up-close to DIFC, so a pic from afar would have to suffice. Crossing SZR is like trying to cross the Dan Ryan at rush hour. No way. So camera in-hand (secretly stashed away in my bag during the meeting), I walked about a mile down SZR snapping away, and getting some great shots of the Burj Dubai, now the world's tallest building. Speaking of which, I really DID need a wider-angle lens - the building is so tall it barely fit in my viewfinder. The architecture on the street is certainly awe-inspiring for arch buffs, and perhaps a bit gaudy at moments. Well into that mile walk in my CL's (4" heels, ouch!) I thankfully found a hotel in which I hopped in a taxi to relieve my aching feet. Back to JBH, and I decided to steal a couple more hours by the pool before grabbing a shuttle to the Burj. Or Al Arab. Not exactly sure what the nickname is here.

How handy that the JBH and Burj are sister properties. You can't get past the front gate unless you're a guest of either, or have dining reservations. Or pay. And wow oh wow, the lobby... the 500' open atrium, the amount of gold EVERYWHERE... I tried to look as non-tourist as possible, but I think I was literally frozen for a half second in the entryway. Like I got slapped across the face with amazement. It's just... well, I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Me and the German couple on the shuttle (er, we met on the golf cart on the way in), went up to the restaurant on the 27th floor, which is suspended over the back half of the hotel. The southwest end of the restaurant was vacant due to Ramadan, so we were free to roam and take pictures. We had a clear view of the southwest end of Jumeirah, and the new Palm Jumeirah islands currently under construction. Are you familiar with the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas? You know, that gigantic pink hotel resort? They're building a replica here, it opens in 2 weeks. The gift shop also sold models of these painted camels. Some of you may remember the Cows on Parade art exhibit around Chicago about 10 years back... they did the same thing in Dubai with plaster camels. So I got a little souvenir camel from a Jordanian artist (sorry Tarek, I looked for a Syrian camel, no luck). When I was ready to leave, a golf cart pulled up again and drove me straight back through the Al Arab and JBH grounds and delivered me to my front door. Never had to be on the street. It's incredibly neat that the two hotels share the same grounds.

As I finish writing this, from my room I see yet another helicopter delivering a guest to the BAA. *sigh* Dennis, we need to get a group together, come out here, and stay there. You more than anyone I know would appreciate this place the most.