Now before you feel too bad for me, I actually lucked out with a lot of my flying arrangements. On the first flight the seat next to me was open, so I was able to stretch out. For the second flight, I was randomly upgraded to business class. Talk about good luck!
Since I had such a long layover in Dubai I was able to leave the airport and explore the city. What an incredible place! While I wouldn't ordinarily do this, I hopped on a double-decker city tour bus and rode around all day. The recycled commentary and cheesy Arabian music was almost more than I could take by hour four, but something stuck with me from the tour. They kept repeating the phrase "Arabian hospitality."As in, "this hotel is a marvelous display of Arabian hospitality" or "take a boat tour and experience Arabian hospitality."
I didn't think much of it until I hopped on the flight from Dubai to Jakarta and my seat mate was instantly offering to help me with everything. His name was Eddie; a twenty-something-year-old member of the UAE national taekwondo team. He offered to share his snacks with me, helped me with my bag, and patiently explained to me many aspects of Muslim life. His account of his pilgrimage to Mecca as a young boy was especially interesting. Once Eddie and I parted ways in Jakarta, another man from Dubai helped me load my luggage onto the airport shuttle and told me I have to return to Dubai for more time. He asked me all about where I was from and was genuinely interested in what I was doing in Indonesia.
My experiences with Arabian hospitality have given me a great introduction to the Muslim world. I can only hope that the people in Jogja will be as kind and welcoming!!
Here are just a few pictures from Dubai:
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