Finally Here

I've finally arrived in Durban, after a 20 hour flight through Dubai, and an impromptu family trip to New York City. I'm tired and jet-lagged, but in a few minutes Peter and I are going to paint our faces in yellow and red to prep for the Spain vs. Switzerland game. I didn't get to sleep much on the plane, and I didn't get to sleep much in Dubai. I made some friends on the plane from JFK to Dubai; an aspiring photo journalist from small town Quebec, and a Harvard grad living in Uganda and working in micro-finance. Dubai's airport is stunning and pristine. Gigantic white columns line the baggage claim room, and they sparkle! The city is oozing in opulence. The hotel that emirates put me up in was just a three star five minutes from the airport, but it was beautiful. The free dinner they gave us upon arrival was amazing, and we signed up for a night tour of the city. They took us to all the major sites, the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, the largest mall in the world, and a really fancy hotel with an enormous aquarium. It was oppressively hot, even after midnight. It was 36 degrees Celsius. I can't even imagine what it's like during the day. After the tour, we went back to the hotel in search of beers. It was already after last call (which is three a.m. in Dubai), but the bartender sold us bottled beer anyway, and said it didn't matter as long as we drank outside. So we bought a few each, and parked ourselves by the fan. So much for an evening of rest.