dubious in dubai...

Absolutely gorgeous sunset.

Belle and Lightning McQueen also liked the scenery. The desert was
gorgeous at sunset.

Look, Nora and Jamey! Belle and Lightning McQueen came with me to the
desert- they got stcuk just like our car did!

Our entertainment for the end of the evening- belly dancing. This
girl went on for a while- whe had to be in pretty ridiculous shape.

A casualty on one of the other vehicles- Broken Axle. Not uncommon,
from what JJ told us.

Me again at the Emirates Mall- next to a "Predator" statue.

A local with his falcon- he charged 10 AED for a puicture with his
falcon- but I snagged this one for free.

This was another group of tourists we almost ran over- you can't
really tell, but we are going about 30 mph and about to bank hard off
of a sand dune.

Riding a camel with Jason- he apparently thought the moment should be
a little more intimate...

Paul and me with the sunset in the background.

The camel and I ended up getting along just fine.

Paul gets a "tattoo" while at the bedouin camp (really a tourist
camp). He was much bolder than me.

This is a not a way I would want to travel for hours a day.

Our caravan of SUVs sets off. Like a roller coaster through the sand dunes.

Our "Sunset Safari" to the Arabian Desert South of Dubai.

A picture of me at the Emirates Mall in Dubai- next to the indoor ski facility!

Much to JJ's chagrin, our SUV got stuck in a sand dune- had to pulled
out by one of the other cars.

Our Visit, Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) Boarding Team in O'Kane's
small boat during a boarding exercise.

Our VBSS Team deploying on the flight deck.

Our camel! Forgot to ask what his/her name was, but the ride was a bit bumpy.

Hello to all from the port of Jebel Ali, in the United Arab Emirates.
Jebel Ali is the port for the city of Dubai, in the southern Persian
Gulf. O'Kane is docked here for a few days to allow for some voyage
repairs and to let the crew get some liberty in a beautiful, if
crushingly hot, city. Dubai is fantastic- whatever stereotypes one
may have about the Middle East (except for the temperatures), they
likely don't apply here- Dubai is a city bustling with trade, industry
and tourism. In the massive Mall of the Emirates (one of two gigantic
malls that dominate downtown Dubai), there are people from all over
the world and from all walks of life- and English seems to be language
of trade for everyone. They have an indoor ski slope and winter
recreation area inside the mall (alas- off limits to US Sailors due to
too many injuries accrued there), and restaurants from all over. Paul
Duenas and I had a delicious dinner at a Lebanese restaurant here our
first night in port (great schwarma and kebabs). Dubai is one of the
major tourist destinations for the region, and it shows in the luxury
of the hotels, restaurants and shops. This is the place where they
are constantly expanding the coastline- creating interesting shapes
like palm trees. Dubai is also the location of the world's tallest
building- the Burj Khalifa. Definitely a fascinating mix of cultures,
where all customs and religions seem to be tolerated and respected.
In the mall, we were just as likely to bump into a woman wearing a
burqa as we were to bump into someone who should have covered up a bit
more (like American malls!).
Among the interesting things we did here was to go on a "Sunset
Safari" tour into the Arabian Desert south of Dubai (just a little
north of the Omani border). There was also the option to go to "Wet
and Wild Wadi" water park- maybe next time we are here. Most of the
pictures you see here are from the tour. Among the 44 or so O'Kane
sailors who went on the tour, I shared a Land Cruiser with Paul, our
Chief Engineer, Jason, our Supply Officer, Stacy (our Fire Control
Officer and a fellow Buckeye stater), Mark (our Training Officer), and
Dustin (our Main Propulsion Officer). Our driver was a Pakistani
named JJ (his badge said his name was Faizal Amir, so we were not
quite sure where JJ came from, but we went with it). He came highly
recommended, and appeared to heavily influenced by the Formula One
drivers that are idolized around the Middle East. There were lane
lines on the highways, but JJ made it clear that they did not really
apply to him- just to all the tanker and construction trucks lumbering
around.
Once we left the highway and met up with our caravan of SUVs, we had a
fantastic time zooming up and down the various sand dunes, coming
perilously close to other groups of tourists sometimes. JJ assured us
that no desert roller coaster was complete without a soundtrack, and
he shared his own personal mix of Snoop Dogg, Beyonce, Enrique
Iglesias and Britney Spears (and of course, nothing says "Arabian
Desert" like Lady Gaga). One of the other SUVs broke an axle (JJ
assured us this was not an uncommon occurance), and much to his
chagrin, our SUV briefly became stuck in a dune and hd to be pulled
out by one of the other drivers. All in all, it was a fantastic time-
definitely something I would recommend for anyone who likes roller
coasters (maybe not for Sue Haile...).
We stopped at a "Bedouin camp"- really a stockade-like structure set
up by the tour company- where I got to ride a camel (another first for
me!). Definitely not a mode of transportation I would recommend for
more than a couple of minutes each day, but fun nonetheless. We had a
delicious dinner (somehow hummus just tastes better when made in
Arabia), and there was belly dancing for the evening's entertainment.
JJ had us back to the ship in what I'm sure was record time
afterwards.
There is a little slice of life in Dubai for a few days while on
deployment- in a few days we are back to the grind of underway life-
daily training, watchstanding and running around at the whim of the
aircraft carrier and fleet commander. Thanks again to all those who
have sent me packages, letters, emails and messages for my daily
deployment binder- I love them all, thank you for your love and
support. It means the world to me. While I miss my family
desperately (it was fun to get to Skype with them here!), and I am
jealous of those who are going to Maine soon, two and half months of
deployment is now in the books. Every day brings us a little bit
closer to being on our way home. Thank you for your thoughts and
prayers for me and for O'Kane- I will do my best to reply to all email
and letter correspondence I have been sent, although it is starting to
stack up on me.
Much love and God Bless,
David