Saturday, June 3, 2023

Good morning...and I do mean "morning"! My morning started at 3am, for crying out loud. I arrived home on Tuesday afternoon and have spent the past few days forcing myself back into my time zone. Pure exhaustion and an 11-hour time difference helped me get a solid 6 hours of sleep for the past few nights... which is good for me...but last night I could only manage 4 hours, so here we are. 

I think I'll work backwards, filling you in on my last day in Dubai. I woke up early and started writing to you folks. :) Housekeeping forced me down to the pool for a bit (very sad, I know!) and by 10am it was already close to 100 degrees F and very humid. Nada had sent me a message Sunday night, inviting me to join her at a Secret Supper Club dinner Monday night, so I decided to spend the day in my room packing my bags and staying cool. 

Now let's talk about the Supper Club dinner...WOW! I'm going to quote myself, from my Instagram post... I cannot remember when I last had a dining experience that was so beautifully orchestrated, sublimely delicious and with such exceptional company. Held in the home of Chef Kuv, who is an architect by trade and the founder of the Supper Club Culture in Dubai, it was wonderfully intimate. Chef Kuv holds weekly suppers, changing the menu each month. He is so dynamic and personable, discussing each course in detail, sharing his inspiration behind each dish. There were 17 of us in attendance, divided into 2 tables, and there were rules for the dinner. We were not able to ask what someone does for a living, where they were from, or how long they have been in Dubai, until the fourth course, and we had to bring an object and share a story about that object. When the 4th course was served, we attempted to guess where everyone was from and what they did for a living. I loved my tablemates, so warm and funny and interesting, a perfect complement to the meal!

I was back at the hotel sometime after 11pm, grateful that I had the forethought to pack that morning. I was up early on Tuesday, arriving at the airport at 7am. The Dubai airport is beautiful and huge, but very well organized with an excess of staff that approach you to help if you look even slightly confused. Once I checked my bags and got through security, I found a cute Lebanese cafe for breakfast, my last meal in Dubai. I love the iced tea in Dubai, often very floral and always delicious, so I ordered a rose mint tea, and "Natural Yoghurt" with granola and date syrup. The yogurt was thick and tart (my preference), the granola of oats, nuts, and seeds, seasoned with cardamom and cinnamon. I love the Emirati cuisine, local traditional Arabic cuisine, with influences from Middle Eastern and Asian Cuisines.

Tuesday morning sunrise.

Dubai Airport

I survived the 14-hour flight home "backwards", leaving Tuesday morning and arriving Tuesday afternoon. I have spent the past few days trying to stay awake during the day when my brain thinks it's nighttime, slowing getting back to the business of sorting through dad's estate, and writing down the chaos of ideas in my head so I don't forget them. 

I have so much to share with you about my plans and future with Imaging the World, which I will do in the next few days, I promise! So, stay tuned.

Coming home to the empty house, unable to share this trip with my parents, has been a bit heartbreaking for me, but I am so grateful for the support of my friends and family. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!

Much love, Jo (MB)