Live from Dubai, UAE

Dubai! I had read up a bit on the city before I arrived here, but not prepared for what I discovered. Perched on the coast of a desert area is one of the fastest growing ‘hip’ destinations of the rich and famous. Construction is everywhere; cranes atop high rises for as far as you can see. At night, the city reminds me of Las Vegas: lots of flashing lights and neon advertisements. Just when you allow yourself to drift off and think that you have left the Middle East, the call to prayer blares across the city and you are minded that you are still in a Muslim country. The dress of the people is also interesting. While there are quite a few people that wear the more conservative Muslim dress, there is a strong Western influence here. There are also quite a few Europeans and East Asians that call UAE home. I have found the people here to be quite beautiful to match their city. A few of us took a taxi to a mall (and not just your average mall; six themed malls joined together) for a look around today. It was about twenty miles from where we are staying. The highway was completely new construction adorned with freshly painted fences and flowers all along the shoulders and median. It was really a nice drive—and fast too! These taxis don’t hold back much traffic when they drive. I looked down at one point to see that the cabbie was driving a little over 60km/h over the posted ‘speed limit.’ I have learned that the locals use some sort of quad-driving technique: one foot on the gas, one foot on the brake, one hand holding a cell phone, and one hand on the horn.

We leave for Kabul at 0400 Wednesday morning. While the team has been enjoying seeing the sights, sounds, and smells of Dubai, we are anxious to get on with why we are here. Next posting from Afghanistan.