united arab emirates: dubai

When I booked my tickets to and from Sri Lanka I realized I would have long layovers in Dubai each way. I knew I had a friend in Dubai (or near it anywho,) so I sent her a message, asking about meeting up on either end of my trip.

Charlotte was out of country on my way to Sri Lanka, but she was there on the way back, so we figured out a meeting point and time, and I was good to go.

It was not super easy to sort out public transport from the airport into a huge mall in Dubai. I wanted to take a bus, and only discovered when it arrived that you can't buy tickets on the bus itself. You have to buy a transport card, and the bus driver had no idea where I could do that. Argh. The first person I talked to at the information desk only had a guess, fortunately he was right. Then there was a minimum amount required for me to buy the card, sigh. The guy selling it in the store said it would last a long time, but I said I was only in town for a day, so it was useless. 

Why don't they have single rides available? I can't be the only tourist who is only there because of a long layover.

Once I got that sorted out, it was easy to get into the city. The metro and bus systems are pretty good, though they don't go everywhere. (They don't go to Terminal 2 of the airport, only to terminals 1 and 3.) I was thrilled that there was a women's only half of one car. A man accidentally went in the women's area, another guy told him to get out. So nice!

Getting from the metro stop into the mall wasn't bad, I walked through air conditioned tunnels. Though this was January, it was hot outside; I can't imagine the misery that Dubai must be in what I would call summer.

Charlotte and I met up at Tim Hortons. Charlotte is Canadian, so this seemed like the perfect place to meet up. I'll admit, I was happy to have a couple Tiny Tims while waiting.

We went to dinner at a Lebanese (I think?) restaurant, then she drove me to her flat. It turns out she lives in another emirate, about an hour away, but it's a lot easier to say she lives in Dubai. We hung out a bit more until she needed to go to bed. I slept for a little while as well, then got myself out the door to a taxi we'd arranged to pick me up and get me to the airport. So good to reconnect with a friend from rugby days!

There is plenty to see and do in the United Arab Emirates, but I don't know when I'll get there. The restrictions and expectations of women make solo traveling a lot more difficult.