First stop - Dubai

I thought I should check out where our first stop is going to be - after 15 hours in the air - Dubai.

I know nothing about this country. When I mention that I will be there overnight, people look at me and say "Oh, yes - they have a hotel with a ski slope" or "you can surf at one of the hotels".  But surely - there must be more to this country than some cheesy tourism?

So I went to Wikipedia, which may not be a valid source to quote when writing an MBA paper, but is a wealth of information for the lay person. 

Dubai climate is generally warm most of the year. It’s not so bad in the winter months, but summers are extremely hot. And the high humidity levels just make it unbearable.

So I am going to leave our moderate San Francisco climate, which lately has been cool and rainy, to go to someplace that is hot and humid.  OK, got it.  Need to reorganize the overnight carry on bag I have.

Being in a Middle Eastern country, my advisor suggested that we might, as women, need to cover our heads.  You know what?? I don't even own a scarf. Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, Lonely Planet says that covering one's head is no longer necessary. However, we women DO need to dress conservatively.  What does that mean? That means in 105 degree weather that we should wear long pants and long shirt sleeves.

It hadn't even occurred to me, at the start of this adventure, that I would be spending the night in a Middle Eastern Country.

Who knew??