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<\/a><\/p>\nOnce outside it was super easy to find my prebooked cab to the hotel. I’m so embarrassed to say I didn’t understand my driver’s name when he told me and instead of asking again I played the “heeeeeeeeeey, you!” card. But he’s on shift until 5 am, moved here from Pakistan three years ago and was surprisingly self conscious about his terrific English skills. I told him his English was light years better than my Arabic or Urdu.<\/p>\n
When we first walked to the car he asked if I needed a cigarette break which was clearly a thing in Dubai. \u00a0It was like walking through an ashtray. \u00a0But despite my usual “when in Rome… or whatever place I’m in… do as the locals do” philosophy, I draw the line at tobacco. \u00a0No worries, as his second offer was to take me to a convenience store for water, juices, food. I grabbed a bottle of water and a Coca Cola Light… and then he wouldn’t let me pay for it. \u00a0It was 5 dirham or roughly $1.35 but still — what a nice thing to do.<\/p>\n
I kept butchering the Arabic word for thanks. \u00a0It’s “shokran”and yet I just couldn’t get it. \u00a0I’m trying though. \u00a0I told him I had scribbled down some basic Arabic words and of course left that paper at home. \u00a0But I said the one I wanted to make sure I knew was “thank you” as I feel like when traveling and even when just at home, it’s ALWAYS important to say thank you to people. \u00a0It takes two seconds to be polite and nice and that’s time well spent.<\/p>\n
At 2:45 AM there wasn’t a lot of traffic… I don’t know if it was entirely Emily Post but I asked him if I could snap a selfie with him to let people know how nice everybody is in\u00a0Dubai. \u00a0I look a little worse for travel wear but here ya go:<\/p>\n