Bit of an odd one, this one. It was baking hot when I got off the plane, and it seemed to be dry and arid for miles around. Exactly what I was expecting from Africa. Except I didn't think the signs would be in arabic, nor did I expect the customs officials to be wearing dish-dashes. And I definitely didn't expect there to be signs everywhere saying 'Welcome to Dubai'. But then it dawned on me - I wasn't in Africa. I was in Dubai.
Which irritated me slightly, just because it makes my blog name (which I spent so long devising) a bit of a fallacy. But 'Dom in Africa/the UAE' doesn't have the same ring to it. But I found a solution to that - I got out of Dubai and came to Africa.
Dubai is the antithesis of Southern Africa - with extravagant signs of wealth everywhere, crime free streets and steaming hot temperatures, so pretty good prep for the main part of my trip - or not. What was though was taking part in an evening of 'Bunco' - a South American game (conducted in Spanish, which is of course my second language) in which you lob a few dice around a table, lose count several times and then some raucous Chilean ladies shout 'Bunco' at the top of their voice.
Between that and swimming in 40 degree waters at the beach, shortly after going to the only shopping mall where the Porsche Designer Clothing store lines up next to the De Beers outlet, I'd say it was a nice way to spend the inane 20 hours between my connecting flights. Aided by the fact that two of my parents' oldest friends kindly took me in for the day.
Anyway, my real African experience began with the line, "Why are there all these black people here?", the words of the woman I was sitting next to on the plane down from Dubai to Cape Town. I could only describe her as a Boer widdow, who was aghast at the number of 'black' people on the plane. There weren't actually any Africans in the cabin - but clearly any non-white person she thought of as black. And clearly she also thought that air travel was reserved exclusively for the white. Luckily, despite my brief period at the beach in Dubai, I am whiter than ever, so had no problems with her. Not that I was awake for any of the flight anyway. It seems that The Green Hornet (awful film, don't watch it) has a somewhat narcoleptic effect on me.
Cape Town is not real Africa....apparently. It is freezing cold, being mid winter, and it is smart, clean and green. Not what I was expecting. But then apparently other places are a bit different. Only the future will tell.
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