Dubai 12/12/06

I'm finally home. 3yrs later! it hasn't really hit me yet. Lots has changed and I feel like I'm a tourist in the very country I grew up in. My neck hurts to look up at all the tall sky scrapers. Dubai in it's present form doesn't seem very 'me'. It's way too uppity...

I got in the night of Dec 11th and got stuff ready for my US visa appointment the next morning. I got the embassy around 7am (if you're familiar with Dubai, it's still at Trade Center and there's still the silly white cabin where you line up) and it was raining. There was a rush of Emirates crew members that were clogging up the lines. I finally got into the cabin and then upstairs to the interview area. One line after another, one security screening after another.

at 9:45am my token number was finally called and I got to the window. I was a little nervous when I saw tonsa people being rejected. I was still confident, but there was a slight nervous pang. I kept saying the Gayatri and it calmed me down.

The interview went of really well and was short. I was only asked what my job title meant, how I found the job and what my salary was. I'll get my passport tomorrow sometime with the visa in it. finally something went smoothly:)

Got home and took a nap. jet lag kicked in.

It was mom's b'day and I was here after years to celebrate with her. We went out to dinner with close family friends at the place called Al Moorj Rotana Hotel. The whole place looks like a city of it's own. it has hotel suites as well as furnished luxury apartments. the pics don't do any justice to the place itself, but i had to get a few shots none-the-less. It was a hazy rainy night and the lighting was tough to capture, but here's a glimpse...






















The food at Zaika (the restaurant) was good. The pie like think was called 'Dum Birayani'. It was covered with a bread that had a lot of ajwain. You had to cut around the bread and remove it to get to the biryani inside. Pretty interesting stuff.


















T, I know you're living vicariously through my blog so I'll try and continue to update as I go;) I'll send you the picasa link with more pics in a few days.