Home Again

I made it back home this morning. It's amazing how 95F and humid doesn't seem so bad anymore....

Dubai is an amazing and interesting place, but not one that I'd really want to live. For the right job & money I'd have no problem with it, but it doesn't do that much for me. No real 'there' or something. That, and I like smaller towns, like Winder.

Still, a very interesting trip.

More Burj Kalifa

Burj Kalifa - The worlds tallest building (for now)

Momma I'm coming home......

It looks like my Afghan adventure is over before it started. Or postponed, at least.

The client is changing the contract, dropping 5 of the 6 bases, and adding at least 3 more. This means a change order, though, so part of the team headed on to work on the one base, and part (including me) is headed back to Atlanta pending redeployment.

At least I got an expenses-paid vacation to sunny (and hot!) Dubai. I think it was 46C (115F) yesterday.....

Eli, Me, and the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm

Daytrip to Abu Dhabi

We're still in limbo waiting for the contract to get worked out, so we took a day-trip over to Abu Dhabi, which is about 90 minutes away. Honestly, I like it better than Dubai. Less vegas-like, and more middle-eastern. More real. It was amazingly hot, so most of the tour was from the windshield of the car....

Dubai is Interesting

It's all different, but all the same. Construction is everywhere, but much of it is stopped. Feels a bit like Las Vegas. Malls are just alike those back in the US - many of the same shops, same clothes. Many more cultures / attires, but they all shop the same.

Photos from Dubai

ATL to Dubai

I'm officially on my way. Cara drove me to the airport, and we had dinner before I crossed into the security zone. Amazingly it was only 15 minutes in the line - something must be wrong at the TSA....

The flight was 14 hours or so - way too long, especially since I can't sleep on a plane. I watched 3 movies (including the Rocky Horror Picture Show), played a few games on the on-board screen, read a bit, and listened to some music.

Dubai airport is nice, huge, and amazingly easy to navigate through. Even at 9pm local it was well over 100. Ugh. We're staying at the Le Meridien near the hotel - a very nice place. Tomorrow will be some exploring, and getting ready for heading to Afghanistan on Thursday.

I've been awake for 30 hours or so, and I'm a bit wiped. Not terribly sleepy, though.....