On September 11th, 2017, we boarded Emirates for Dubai – our airline custom is to bring gifts for the crew – something little to say thank you for letting us join you. Our crew was so taken by this simple token that they spoiled us like mad for the entire 16 hours! They gifted us with gift bags and desserts from business class – they took Polaroid photos of us and made us birthday cards. We landed weary, but pampered in Dubai on the evening of September 12.
We checked into our hotel – a luxurious 3 room suite at Chelsea Towers… marveling at our view of Dubai’s tallest building – Burj Khalifa. Actually, at present it is the tallest building in the entire world!
We met our driver downstairs and began our city tour. The opulence of Dubai is hard to put into words – everywhere we looked was pristine and spectacular. It was the cleanest city we had ever seen – not a speck of litter or graffiti to be found.
Her skyscrapers were intricate and different like snowflakes. They did not seem to compete with one another, but each added to the blanket of wealth and earthly image of security – and the irony that this city was built on sand was not lost on me.
At one am we dropped into a café for Middle Eastern food – hummus – eggplant – pitas and grilled meats. Once there Aisha realized she had forgotten her purse at our last stop. She and our driver went back in search of it.
Upon return she reported a man had discovered it and was standing guard until the police could arrive to bring it to safety. We were astounded by the notion that someone would take such great pains for the security of a stranger’s purse.
Our driver continued with our travel weary bodies – showing us his Dubai and all her glory until we pleaded for rest! Back at Chelsea Towers, we melted into our beds for a few hours rest before returning to the airport and pressing on for Kenya, Africa at last –
Judy in the Sky 