The Beginning

These past few days have been surreal. This all began with our 16 hour flight into Dubai, and ended with the much anticipated arrival at the University of Cape Town and Table Mountain looming overhead. After flying Emirates into Dubai, our 15 hour layover enabled Ricky and I to leave the airport and check out the sights. As soon as we left the airport we were confronted with 104 degree weather and overbearing humidity. Luckily, we ducked straight into a cab to head to our reservation for afternoon tea at the One and Only Mirage. We pulled up to the gates of the hotel where we had to prove our reservation; afterwards, we were directed to the proper hotel (there were 3 separate ones within the larger complex) and at last were led into the Arabian Court Hotel. The hotel made it seem as if we had entered Aladdin because of its Arabic décor. Our tea was in the Al Samar lounge and it was hands down the best tea I’ve ever had in my life. First, we were presented with a double decker platter of deluxe sandwiches, scones and cookies; second, a glass jar was placed on the table. As we opened it, we could see that it was filled to the brim with sugary treats: marshmallows, macaroons, truffles and more. Lastly a special pastry tray was brought to us displaying five rows of beautiful desserts. It was nice to relax a bit after our long flight, but we were both eager to get up and see town. Before leaving the hotel, however, we took a peek in the back. We were once again confronted with the humidity, but it no longer bothered us. We wound our way through a labyrinth of gardens and pools as we made our way to the white sandy beach next to the Palm Jumeirah (palm shaped peninsula). The beach was like something from a movie; there were crystal clear warm waters and the sand was littered with tiny sea shells. In the near distance, gigantic skyscrapers were competing to be the tallest in the hazy summer afternoon. Soon afterwards, we took a cab to the metro station. The stations look like something from Star Wars or some other space movie because they are so futuristic. We sped through downtown on the sleek train to reach the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. From the distance, the Burj Khalifa is intimidating with its angled sides and jutting spire 828 meters in the sky. We were able to buy tickets for the 8:30 time slot, and in the mean time were able to explore the gigantic Dubai Mall. This mall is unlike anything I had ever seen, with multiple corners of the mall, each containing different features. One corner had a full sized ice rink with stadium seating, while another had a 3 storey aquarium wall. At last it was time to go to the Burj Khalifa. We handed our tickets in and walked through an exhibit underground to reach the tower on the other side of the street. We soon reached the fastest elevator in the world to get us to the 124^th floor observation deck. While in the elevator, we couldn’t even tell we were rising, except for the fact that our ears kept popping. From the top we could view all of downtown, as well as the gorgeous Dubai fountain show far below us. We had to return to the airport for our 3:50 am flight, so we rushed to catch the bus to get the last metro. While we ended up missing the metro, cabs were waiting, and we hailed one with our last 32 dirhams. When it was time to board our flight, we discovered that we were upgraded to business class! Best news we had ever heard after being smushed in our 16 hour flight to Dubai. Despite being exhausted, we were able to feel somewhat better upon our arrival in Cape Town because of the giant seats that we had (along with a 5 course lunch…). Cape Town is beautiful, and the weather is surprisingly unpredictable. It has been fun to meet new students, all of whom seem adventurous and outgoing. We did a scavenger hunt to explore upper campus (where classes are located) and it was beautiful. Have to leave for dinner now, but will move in to my house on Saturday. Will post again soon. <3

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