On the shores of the Persian Gulf

I have no idea how long I've been in Dubai. I can look at my watch but there's a 9 hour time difference and I can't tell if it's am or pm back home without too much thought. They say when it's light here it's dark there, but who knows. All I know is that it's Friday here. Thursday was about 5 hours long. We went to sleep on Wed night around 11pm on the flight. When I woke up we were about 2 hours away from Dubai and the sun was about to set on Thursday. The flight was wonderful. We got business elite, ate, slept, ate again, and were here. Not a bad way to pass 14 hours. It was interesting that if you watched the moving map they would regularly show the direction and distance from Mecca.

There is such a variety of people here. I have seen a few completely covered women, but there are a lot of westerners and a lot that are only partially covered. It seems that some women are thinking if you can only see their faces then they are going to make them look as good as possible. Their make up, skin, and eyebrows are immaculate. Some of the women have really elaborate trimming on their black coverings - sequins and beads - or have really flashy shoes and pants underneath. It's kind of an interesting combination. I wish I knew more of the rules of their culture so I could understand how it works.

Right now I'm sitting at the window on the 42nd floor of one of the many residential skyscrapers. I can look out over the Persian Gulf and see the island that is shaped like a palm tree. The weather is beautiful. Reminds me of southern California. We walked to a late breakfast and are now off to see a bit of the town.