One day in the desert

The Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

OCTOBER 2009

Dubai is a strange and amazing place. Here desert meets development, Arab and Western culture co-exist and anything seems possible. Our short stop-over in Dubai was certainly an eye-opener for me. I had previously heard from friends and relatives that Dubai was worth visiting, but I was skeptical. Until now. For US-based travelers en route to East Africa, Dubai is definitely worth an overnight stop, or even a couple of nights if you have the time. As good a place as any to get over jet lag, take in a few sights, and marvel at the amazing development in the desert. There were so many construction cranes to be seen all over the city, it looked like Houston in the late 1970's. Some construction had been halted - due to the worldwide recession - but definitely not all.

The view from the lobby of the Burj Al Arab Hotel. Tasteful? Not even close. Impressive nonetheless.


Looking up from the lobby. The average cost per night for a room here is over US$2000


Yet another look upwards, showing the balconies on each level

Entrances to some rooms at the Burj Al Arab Hotel

A rather odd design element on the roof of the lobby floor at the Burj Al Arab.

There is nothing that is not ornate at the Burj Al Arab. This is a table decoration in the lobby.

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel as soon from the Burj Al Arab


The Skyview Bar at the Burj Al Arab Hotel

Dubai boasts year round sunshine which is of course to be expected in the desert... What is not expected is an indoor downhill skiing facility complete with real snow, lush golf courses, international cricket tournaments, and a dizzying array of hotels, malls and office buildings. It is indeed a perfect getaway for shoppers, business people, families and adventure seekers as there is something for everyone.

One of several reception desks inside the vast lobby of the Palm Atlantis Hotel in Dubai

In true Dubai style, the lobby at the Palm Atlantis Hotel is also way over the top

A young couple signing in at the Palm Atlantis Hotel


From high up, a view over the pool and beachfront at the Palm Atlantis Hotel, Dubai

A view over the massive water park entertainment center at the Palm Atlantis Hotel

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that form the United Arab Emirates. To say that it is a city of contrast is somewhat of an understatement. It is a very contemporary city against the backdrop of an ancient desert. For the casual visitor, there's not much to be seen in the way of tradition, unless you count the traditional white clothing. With few exceptions, such as the Mosques and a city museum area, nothing in Dubai looks more than a few years old. Some not so welcome recent developments include traffic: we were stuck in at least two solid traffic jams during our short stay-over. So leave enough time to get back to the airport!

This is not the place to get into Dubai's politics, which appear to be antediluvian in many respects. It is a classic oligarchy, with a handful of Emirati (less than 20% of the total population) ruling over a much larger yet politically impotent population of mostly guest workers who are not allowed to become citizens. There is no naturalization process. You can stay and work, but you can't vote. Ever. And you turn into a pumpkin at age 58, when your temporary residency expires permanently. How nice for Dubai, not having to deal with pesky older workers with their health-related issues - and costs.

Our hotel for the overnight stop - the Dhow Palace - was conveniently located and seemingly well run. Certainly my room (a massive suite) was spotless and well lit, and very effectively air-conditioned. On the morning of our departure to Nairobi, several of us had breakfast in the downstairs restaurant; in addition to the usual 'eggs to order', and other breakfast choices, there was beef bacon and an impressive array of breads, pastries, cheeses, cold cuts, a couple of vegetarian dishes and plenty of fresh fruit.

One of the interesting stops on our whirlwind city tour of Dubai: the indoor skiing facility


There are no half measures in Dubai. This is the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest man-made structure

A water side development with the Burj Dubai in the background

Another view of a residential complex near the Burj Dubai

Dubai Airport was massive, clean, and modern. It had plenty of shopping carts but not enough toilets. I bought a replacement gold wedding band on the way back to the USA (more about the way in which it was lost, later) and thought the price was good. Getting to and from Dubai, the logical choice is Emirates Air. As their guests, we were fortunate to be upgraded to business class on each of the 4 legs flown; in my case it was New York-Dubai-Nairobi-Dubai-Houston. I'm not sure if it is really worth paying as much as $9,000 per person for a round-trip business class flight from Houston or New York to Nairobi, but for the most part it was an enjoyable experience. Which of course is a lot more than can be said about the usual experience in coach. Business class on Emirates goes hand in hand with a very high level of personal service. Feel like a special vegan mini-meal between meals? Not a problem. The seats are luxurious and fold down into a flat mini-bed, mattress supplied on request. The vegetarian meals were excellent and judging by what I saw on some of the other trays, so were the regular ones. The array of entertainment options (music, movies, TV shows etc) was practically endless. I even listened to some opera. Bravo! Unlike Delta (who don't edit even R-rated movies as we saw on a recent flight from Atlanta to Jo'burg), Emirates is a complete nanny-airline, with some weird complex about swear words and nudity, amongst others. I have a real problem with censorship so this irked me somewhat. I suppose compared with some other things done in the name of religion in the past, excising f-bombs and nipples are relatively mundane. But really I am nit-picking. Every single flight was smooth and on time and I would fly Emirates again in a heartbeat. Even in coach.

A partial view of the Jumeirah Mosque in downtown Dubai

Old and new in the port of Dubai


Some large dhows in the Dubai harbor, they appeared to be residences as well

Mannequins in the Dubai souk


A small but well-stocked spice and herb store in the Dubai souk


As advertised, there was plenty of gold in the gold souk in Dubai

Half marathon on the horizon

On January 17 2010 I have a date. Not quite a 'speed date', but hopefully close to 1:39:56, my current personal best for the half marathon.

Couple of things, or maybe three, standing between me and a new half-marathon PR. For one thing I'm dragging around quite a bit of extra weight nowadays, having gained about 5 lbs recently. All in all I think I could improve my speed if I were lighter by about 15 lbs total. Also, I'm not averaging enough miles per week to run 13.1 miles at the pace which I would need to.

So starting today I'm back on the McDougall's MWL (Maximum Weight Loss) regime, and will be extra careful with the portion sizes. At least for the first few weeks, a food diary will help to keep things on track. There won't be a problem increasing the average miles per week. That's the fun part. It will help to be a bit more structured so I will follow a half marathon program from Brad Hudson's 'Run Faster' book. It worked for my last half mary PR, so I will re-introduce my weekly mile repeats on Tuesday, some longer runs on Saturdays, and perhaps double up on runs one or twice per week.

The third thing which might stymie my training program? Another trip to Africa, back to Botswana for a little more than 2 weeks, early in December. I might have to prevail upon the camp management to run me out to the airstrip for a few runs!

This morning I managed a very soggy 6.5 miles with Daisy along Terry Hershey trail, including 9 short hill sprints.

The Rolls Royce of safari destinations

An impressive yawn by a lion on the Maasai Mara

I re-visited four different areas of Kenya (the coast, the Rift Valley, the Maasai Mara and Samburu) earlier this month and yes, Kenya is still the Rolls Royce of safari destinations. It is a vintage model with 150,000+ miles on the clock, in need of a new paint job, with worn, dusty floor mats and slightly fraying leather here and there. But the quality is still there: the engine is sound and it will get you where you want to go safely and in style.

Kenya has many problems such as a rapidly burgeoning population, tribalism, a faltering economy, corruption, congestion, lack of infrastructure, poverty and several others. Yet at its core it is still a warm and friendly and amazingly beautiful country which offers visitors an astonishing array of attractions and places to visit. Nowhere else in the world will you see as much wildlife and so many different species, in such a relatively small area. Nowhere else will you be exposed to such cultural diversity in a setting where 'culture' is interwoven with the safari experience: you don't have to take a side-trip to meet with the Maasai or the Samburu. They are where the wildlife is and continue to co-exist harmoniously. Nowhere else can you experience such a dizzying variety of habitats ranging from the Mara's sea of grass to the semi-arid woodland and scrub of Samburu, the mountains of the Laikipia region, the alkaline and fresh water lakes of the Rift Valley, the fantastic beaches in the Tana Delta or elsewhere on the coast, the true forests of the west and many others which I have not yet had the opportunity to visit.

And then there's the people. Kenya's best kept secret. Go ahead and learn a few Swahili phrases and see for yourself just how friendly Kenyans can be. On this trip I had people everywhere spontaneously taking an interest in where I was from & where I had been, and they were genuinely pleased to be able to interact with a visitor on a personal level. These were not people anticipating a gratuity or some other award: just ordinary people wanting what we all seek: the warmth that flows when one human being connects with another.

I will deal with the various parts of the trip - including the superb flights on Emirates (upgraded to Business Class all the way!) via Dubai - in separate posts to follow over the next couple of weeks or so. For now, a few of my favorite photographs of the trip.

Elephant mother and child approaching - Maasai Mara

Elephant mother and child departing...

Reedbuck on the edge of a lugga - Maasai Mara

Wildebeest with the Ololoolo Escarpment in the background. We saw several thousands of these mammals on the Mara in early October.

Close-up of Shakira, one of the 'famous' cheetahs in the northern Mara. The fame is due to her starring role (with her 3 now sub-adult cubs) in several wildlife documentaries.

A particularly handsome lion on the Maasai Mara

Maybe he was auditioning for a role in a documentary

An Orma woman and child at a village in the Tana Delta on the Indian Ocean Coast

Sheena having fun dancing with the Orma women

One of my new hobbies: birds in flight. This is an African Skimmer.

An as yet unidentified species of gull, on the freshwater Tana River.

This African Fish Eagle was so close when it took off, I needed something less than a 200mm lens to get all of it in the frame.

The most handsome of Giraffe species? I think so. A Reticulated Giraffe in the Samburu area.


We saw several large groups of Reticulated Giraffes, including this party of nearly 30, at sunset.

Samburu is very much 'big sky' country; here some clouds were building for what turned out to be a good soaking later that night.

'Out of Africa' scenery in the Samburu area.

Breakfast in the garden at Loldia Hills overlooking Lake Naivasha, Rift Valley

Flamingoes in Lake Nakuru, in the Rift Valley

A large adult white rhino on the edge of Lake Nakuru

A small young white rhino also at Lake Nakuru

Sunset on the Maasai Mara.

Two young lions drinking in the Talek River, Maasai Mara

A few members of the Marsh Pride in the Governor's Camp area, Maasai Mara

A Schalow's Turaco, at a birdbath in Governor's Camp

The first time I saw this bird was through the lens, at the birdbath in Governor's Camp. It is a Double-Toothed Barbet.

A Ross' Turaco, in the same birdbath.

This leopard kept many photographers waiting for hours, in anticipation of it descending from the tree.

Three more members of the Marsh Pride, Maasai Mara, Kenya