The Sultan's Turret

We spent the day in Dubai, U.A.E.

The first thing that comes to mind is Shanghai X 10. Sorry Shanghai. The air was a balmy 70 degrees. The city was beautiful. Tonight we caught them cleaning the marble sidewalks with a Zamboni across the street from our hotel. Car tires squeak when making turns in the street. Everything smells like fresh Mock Orange Blossoms, Magnolia and Hyacinth. The water - in great abundance - is flung around this desert oasis like proof of opulence and is crystal clear - almost inviting you to drink deeply from every fountain.



While enjoying a late afternoon cup of traditional Lebanese coffee with cardamom and a mint infused lemonade, Paula and I discreetly watched a women in a full burkah try to drink a large, whipped-cream laden iced cappuccino. Another woman behind us listened thoughtfully between puffs on her bubbling hookah while a man intently leaned toward her and expounded on deeply philosophical riffs about the eventual downfall of the American real estate market due to failed morality while he simultaneously attempted to convince her that her company finances were safe with him.

Speaking of water, we watched a fountain that put the Bellagio to shame. 100 foot jets of water frolicked to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" across a half-mile-wide, man-made pond.

Supper was a vertigo-laden experience in the world's tallest building at the At.Mosphere Lounge on the 123rd floor of the Burj Khalifa - completed in 2010. Our server was a Chinese guy named Miker who hails from Shanghai! You can have a conversation with anyone here by just asking where they are from. Two women at the reception were from Kenya and Uganda. A woman who helped us find the elevator was from Paris. No one seems to be from Dubai.

Blah, blah, blah. I'll stop now. But no.

This ten-foot shark was behind a Guinness Book of World Records - world's largest single piece of plexiglass. And it was inside the Dubai Mall!

Let me tell you about Emirates...

We were encouraged to fly to India via Emirates Airlines from a good friend Gautam Cheveru who does the New York - Mumbai trip frequently. "The price is not much different, you have to fly via Dubai and they understand service", sez he. He was not kidding. I now know why U.S. airlines - and perhaps European airlines as well - are doomed to failure. Luxurious treatment. The stewardesses were uniformly dressed young, attractive women - as Aaron says, "with a hint of a veil". America is so damned politically correct that our stewards and stewardesses are primarily old cranks with a chip on their shoulder. And they charge you to go to the bathroom, for God's sake.

We flew economy class. We ate multiple meals all served with a menu - all halal - but with as many complimentary beverages as you could wish for. We opted for the French Chardonnay. Each seat had a large video with games, TV shows, hundreds of movies and in-flight, video views out the front of and underneath the jet. Best of all, there were LED stars all across the ceiling all night long... and at dawn, the cabin lights slowly came up with a pale orange glow.

The Mighty hunter of the East has truly caught the Sultan's turret in a noose of light!

Super Moon

Biggest moon in 20 years. And we get to see it over Manhattan. Lentil soup for supper in a little local bistro called the Ben Ash Delicatessen on the corner of 55th street and 7th Avenue. Then chocolate cake and gimlets in honor of Rosie.

Chatted briefly with Rosie who's watching the same moon over Hotlanta. "W.H.O. and C.D.C. - what more could you ask for?" sez I. "Google?" sez she.

Flying out of the country tomorrow morning. Good bye, America! We love you! Wish I could live forever.

On the Road Again

We made it to the Big Apple! Our hotel is across the street from Radio City Music Hall. I've been teasing friends and family unmercifully about my new idol, Charlie Sheen when - lo and behold - he shows up across the street in foot high letters! He's already sold out two nights here. As Meredith says (paraphrasing), "To hell with this PhD dissertation, I'm gonna go crazy and start telling everyone on national television."

What a Difference 20 Years Can Make

Shanghai in 1990 at the top.

Take your Shots!

Alrightee then. I am not much of a shot-taker. I believe that a person should contribute to society by adding as much personal immunity as possible to help fight disease. And Dr. Prabhaker was a little dismissive when we asked him what immunizations we should take to visit his homeland. If Prahm Mimimbi were visiting America and asked my advice, I might do the same. Nevertheless Paula made us an appointment to see Passport Health. and they put the fear of God in our veins. $1,200 later, we are now immune to:

• Bacterial Meningitis
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Diptheria
• Pertussis
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• We got Mosquito repellant
• Doxycycline
• And Bacrim DS

Yep, we're Americans (with sore arms).

Dreams of India

Paula put together a wonderful itinerary of our trip to India next March. I hope you bookmark the link and keep track. We may never come back!!

• India 2011 Itinerary with links and maps

We will keep this itinerary up-to-date.

TheVisas are Here! The Visas are Here!

Paula has done a lot of legwork to acquire visas to India, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia for our upcoming adventure. To get my visa, we had a tougher time than becoming president of the condo association. We had to actually cough up a real, live birth certificate for me - something which I did not have and Paula had some difficulty in getting for me. So you can imagine our celebration when the documents finally arrived.

I always thought the U.S.A. must be a hard place to enter - but India seems just as difficult or perhaps even more difficult. As many people that come from India to eventually take money home, you would think that the Indian government would be happy to have Americans come to India and actually spend money.

There can be only a few explanations all of which are seriously flawed in one way or another. For example, India is surrounded by hostile countries - and this is especially evident after last year's attacks in Mumbai. Since India is predominantly Hindu - and therefore quite peaceful - they are a natural target of aggression. So they most have to be quite cautious. then again, India may be doing the politically correct thing by making it hard for everybody to get a visa - even pacifists like myself.

A second possibility - and the one I think is most likely - is that they are so inbred with British bureaucracy that they can't help but perpetuate the red-tape mindlessly. This seems a consistent explanation with many stories I've heard from Indian citizens with whom I've worked over the years. Now I'm not criticizing by any means but Prabhakar Pendse - who is travelling with us and is a native born Indian and a world renowned surgeon - still has not been able to get his visa. So I can only surmise that they are either treating him unequally or are quite inept.

Ah, to dream the impossible dream...

Paula and I are sitting here on a bright, snowy morning in Winston-Salem perusing the Emirates airline web-site and capriciously cogitating about far-away lands, Arabian Nights and further eastward to India. We want to include you as we dream, plan, scheme and - ultimately - travel to far-away places. We may even include some random ruminations about day-to-day life here in the condo. Put up with the chaff and you may find a thing-or-two of enjoyment or even inspiration.

We're headed to India from March 20th through April 22nd, 2011. certainly not enough time to see an entire sub-continent but hey, there's only so much life to be allocated in the three-score-and-ten we're allotted.

Thanks to Paula and to Lynn and Prabaker Pendse - our fellow travelers - we've got most of the itinerary planned and funded. The current decision is how long to stay in Dubai on our way. You might ask, "Why Dubai?" After conferring with one of our most respected associates who frequently commutes back-and-forth to India, we decided that Emirates - though slightly more expensive - is a significantly more luxurious way to travel with more leg-room and a better appreciation for good service. So why not stay an extra night in Dubai since we are stopping over there anyway. We'll make arrangements with the Emirates travel service desk to get a guide for two days and a night in one of the most architecturally dramatic cities in the world. Perhaps we'll send a spiritual greeting out to Matt Samet from the top of the Burj Al Arab.

Itinerary to be shared sometime in one of the next several posts.