Two months before I left the US to begin my trek across the world a friend of mine, Sean, asked me where in the world I’d be the week of February 9th, 2015. He was planning a trip with his best friend, Will, to Abu Dhabi and said I should try to meet up with them while I’m on the road. Sean still adamantly (and somewhat resentfully) claims I told him we wouldn’t meet up with him because I’d be in India, but in reality I couldn’t make any plans because I had no idea where I’d end up. Planning nine months into the future is a crapshoot even when you have a stable life and if you live a nomadic life like I do it's next to impossible. Fortunately, thanks to the month-long delay with my Indian Visa back in Tel Aviv, the timing worked out perfectly and I had the chance to experience a taste of southern hospitality courtesy of Sean, Will, and Will’s parents, Kurt and Lulu.
I’m rather surprised by how much there is to do in the UAE (albeit expensive at times), but as great as the country is, what made the experience for me was not so much the city, attractions, or even activities – it was the great company I got to share it with. Backpacking across the world by myself grants me the freedom to make spontaneous, unilateral decisions as I go, but there is a price: I have nobody to share my adventures with. While I do my best to share my stories with family and friends back home through this blog, it is a far cry from actually experiencing the events together. While cliché, it’s true when they say life is better with company - and the same applies to travel. Ironically, what started out as terrible travel delay with my Indian visa turned out to be a blessing in disguise and I had the opportunity to travel with two old friends from college, Sean and Will, who were visiting family in Abu Dhabi.
It’s 3:00 am Gulf Standard Time as my plane descends into Dubai International Airport. I’ve been up for over 21 hours and my eyes feel like sandpaper rubbing against wood every time I blink, but the dazzling city outside my narrow window instantly washes away my lethargy. From thousands of feet in the air I can see the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, conspicuously jutting out from the futuristic-looking city of Dubai. The mammoth structure dwarfs every other building in sight and appears comically out of place among its peers. As the plane passes over downtown Dubai, a rush of excitement fills my body and chills run down my spine. It is a uniquely exhilarating feeling that reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on the Empire State Building as I flew over Manhattan.
