From Dubai to Nairobi

I forgot to tell you yesterday about our accommodations here in Dubai. We are staying at a hotel in the “old city”. The rooms are not in the fancy hotels, but this “room” is actually larger than our first apartment, and has a dining room, living room, kitchen, bedroom, and two bathrooms (950 sq ft total). I actually took pictures because I have a hard time believing this is a common “room”.

While we’re still on the subject of Dubai, some of you asked about the Hotel Burj Al Arab. We did see it. This is a giant hotel (3rd tallest hotel in Dubai) that is shaped like a giant sail. We took pictures of it from the road that is the stem of the palm tree island. We also saw the giant mall that has the ski slope in it. Yes, you can even ski in Dubai. We also learned today that all the building in Dubai actually does NOT come from oil. They have built it on a free market economy with zero taxation. Seven Emirates started the hub with just basic port facilities. Over time, they began to import labor, and work to attract business. Labor is brought from countries like Sri Lanka, Bangledesh, India, etc. The workers live in housing paid for by the companies that hired them. They work and send money home to their families. Now, Dubai is attracting big business, particularly to stage goods made in India and China and then ship them to Europe and Africa. The new airport I talked about yesterday is actually co-located with the port, making it the only place in the world where the hubs for shipping by air, land, and sea are in the same place. That’s amazing!

One more thing about our visit in Dubai. During one of our meetings yesterday, we were talking to a gentleman from Afghanistan. The team was asking about how he would travel back, and he proceeded to describe trying to get a transit visa through Iran to drive back to his town in Afghanistan. Going through Iran is very important, because to enter directly to certain areas of Afghanistan and driving is very dangerous. As he described this, at one point he told us that if you are stopped, the Taliban soldier takes your cell phone and calls someone at random in the address book. When the person answers, the Taliban will ask the person on the other end what you do for a living. If you work for a company or have a “threatening” profession, you may be killed. Of course, the organization we work for is one of those on the “threatening” list. Unfortunately, he had not been able to get the appropriate visas to transit Iran, so he is working to make sure he can fly another way to avoid driving. He described this in a completely “matter-of-fact” way. To me, that was almost as disturbing as the concept itself. I can’t even imagine living in a situation like that.

So, today we left Dubai, and arrived in Nairobi, Kenya. As you may imagine, this is quite a change. We didn’t have much time during daylight hours today. First impressions are it is very flat, and also very green, with many bushes and flowers alongside the roadways. I think we are a bit outside the main city, but this is still a fairly well developed area. I could see the main city in the distance, and there are many tall buildings. I’m told it is fairly modern. Perhaps I’ll be able to see some of it before we leave.

The hotel we are in is very nice. As you’ve probably guessed, it’s not a 950sq ft “room”, but it does have it’s own bathroom with at least some hot water, a bed, and a beautiful breeze. The grounds are wonderful as well, many trees, green grass, lots of shade. I have a nice courtyard right outside my window. Unfortunately, no A/C, and I have to close the window at night for safety and to prevent mosquitoes from entering the room, but it’s not too hot, and the ceiling fan helps.

Thanks to everyone for your comments. If you can’t post to the blog, you can always e-mail me as well. Talk to everyone tomorrow!