so long dubai

Actually, so long Sharjah. But I'm sure I'll be back again. I fly to Damascus tomorrow afternoon and will be in Syria and Lebanon until June 5, when I meet Dr. Freddy (God help us, he's a doctor now) in Athens for 10 fabulous days in Greece.

Sharjah has been very restful. Definitely what I needed after the go-go-go of our trek across Egypt and Jordan. Here I've been sleeping late, pigging out and doing very little walking. The pants are starting to feel a bit tight already. I'm hoping the next two countries will be a little lighter and more active. Although, the thought of hummus, moutabel and kebabs is already making me drool. Mmmm.

Other than the brutal heat (it climbed to 43 celsius yesterday, roughly 109 fahrenheit), it's pretty much an Arab version of home. I've had my fill of Starbucks, KFC and even some Chili's yesterday because Lorig had a craving for one of their steaks. Mine was good, hers apparently left something to be desired. (Courtney: tell Val I thought of her at Chili's.) We even saw a movie the other night. In case you're wondering, the new Mission Impossible is definitely a popcorn movie. I'd recommend it. Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- no surprise here -- totally rocked as the bad guy.

Tonight I'm going out with Taline and Lorig and tomorrow afternoon I head to the airport for my ninth flight in six weeks.

More from Syria. (Just for Cindy: Oooohhhh Syria!)