I
chose NOT to eat enroute from Shanghai as the Chinese are fantastic copy-artists
but haven't quite mastered the art of copy-catering!! I looked forward to the
vast eatery options and decided to make the very long journey from the JW
Marriott to my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Dubai called Annapoorna. I am
not a vegetarian but it is at this restaurant that they serve the most fancy
vegetable concoctions I have ever encountered. They are served in little tiny stainless steel bowls,
which is pretty cool because my foods don't touch, haha. The flavors are so unique and
you don't realize you aren't eating meat. Today is Friday and most places are
closed in the middle-east on Fridays so I am forced to make my journey along the
outside of the building that I would otherwise have traversed in the
air-conditioning of the inside.If you can imagine coming out of church on a hot summer day and getting into the car, the HOT car that has been sitting there in the sun all morning. The car is so hot that when you open the car door there is a whoosh of hot air that blows past you as it furiously escapes... This is the heat of Dubai in the simple outdoors.
I begin my journey to Annapoorna and find that there is little traffic in the streets. I noticed the same only an hour ago as we rode in a taxi from the airport to the hotel. It is high noon and most, in their right minds, don't go outdoors at this time of day.
Imagine putting a hair dryer, on full hot, at an arm's length from your face and blowing it straight at your nose... It takes your breath away and the heat is intense...you can't quite breathe!! This is the breeze in the simple outdoors of Dubai.
Somewhat
like kudzu is taking over the Confederate States of America or how the jungle of
Brasil will recapture an unattended vacant lot even in the middle of the city,
so the desert wants to take back Dubai. There is a thin film of sand on
EVERYTHING. My Sperry Topsiders (the shoes I can't travel without) slide under
my steps as though I am on a thin layer of ice. The sky is yellow with a heavy
fog-like thickness of air that feels heavy on my body as I look ahead at the
long journey to Annapoorna. I can see the restaurant sign on the side of the
building in the distance, and it is like looking at a mirage. The heat from the
ground is rising and creating a visible distortion, not unlike looking through
water. I have tortured many a first-officer by writing "AWTY?" At the bottom of
every other page of the flight plan and then won't tell them what it means until
the end of the flight. I even marked a little red X on a plotting chart as we
crossed the south pacific earlier this week and wrote "AWTY?" next to the mark
and left two guys puzzled for hours as they pondered the meaning of these
letters. It is this question (are we there yet?) that comes to mind as I
journey onward to Annapoorna.My feet are burning. I can actually feel the heat of the ground burning through the soles of my boat shoes. How cruel this must be, to put my trusted shoes through this arduous affair.
I fear having to stand still and wait for a traffic light. Psychologically and emotionally if I can keep moving I am going to make it. But if I stand still to wait for a traffic light I might evaporate into the desert air. I note the layer of dust (sand) on the car parked near where I have to cross the street...this guy probably had his imported laborer wash the car earlier today.
Are
we there yet? I keep repeating this phrase as I journey onward. An evil laugh
escapes my mouth as I recall one of our not-so-bright first-officers (we have a
few of those) who never did get it (AWTY?). But now the laugh is on me as I
brave the elements in search of food. The question changes and I am now
repeating out loud: Who in their right mind would leave an air conditioned
hotel and go outside? Why? Why? I am past the point-of no-return. It is a
shorter distance to press onward than to turn back. I might not have enough
energy to make the return journey which is now obviously longer than the remaining
distance to destination.I finally make it to Annapoorna and the air conditioning feels so refreshing. I sit and enjoy my meal. They keep refilling the little bowls over and over again. It's almost annoying because they refill them before they are empty. How am I supposed to feel accomplished if I can never see the result? I finally fend off the superior wait-staff and finish what is left in front of me. I sit here now, enjoying the air conditioning, ponder the question of where to eat for dinner, and stress over going back to the hotel...which, by the way, is only about half a block away (just seems longer in the heat).
Oh...and lunch came to 14Dirham, just four US Dollars.
