NYC in a New York Minute, Standing on top the world in Dubai, and Reaching Cape Town, the End of Africa

First, I would like to do is thank Sarah Ashey and Ross Adams for being such wonderful tour guides! I couldn't have had a better time in NYC or Dubai without yall!

Second, to my family: I made it to Cape Town safely and with all my luggage in toe! 

So now to what went down on my crazy 4 days of travel.

New York City:

When I first landing in NYC, I saw the skyline for the first time from the air at night: breathtaking! The lights of NYC are something in their own! I made my way to Sarah's dorm after waiting in an extremely long line for a taxi. I was hungry for dinner and Sarah took me around the corner to a some 24 hour diner. Well the Chef's burger was one of the most delicious burgers I have ever had! Following dinner, we walked a few blocks to the Brooklyn Bridge! Being on it for the first time was such a cool experience and brought a few movies to life! 

Getting back to Sarah's dorm, we bought a few 40s and had a fun night in her friend Manny's awesome room with a beautiful view of the city! The kids of PACE are pretty cool! 

The next morning, we woke up early, ate a quick breakfast at a small dinner (with homemade orange juice! yum!). I seriously cannot believe everything we did IN ONE DAY! It is seriously ridiculous! We kept looking at our watches in disbelief! But here's the things we did in this order:

Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge (saw a film crew!) to my first steps on Manhattan! Walked to Ground Zero, saw the plans for the new Freedom Tower. Took a New York subway to Central Park. Spent a while adventuring thru there. Came out by Columbus Circle, walked through the Theater District to Time Square. As we were sitting on the TCKTs (I think) sitting area watching some model posing for a photographer right in front of us, Sarah made a comment on how man cops on horses there were. Turns out they found a cooler in Time Square that they thought had a bomb in it and kicked us out of the square. It was crazy. 

So after being evacuated from time square, we stopped to grab a bite to eat in a New York pizzeria. I even folded it like the locals do.. which added to its deliciousness! 

After lunch, we went to the Empire State Building. When I reached the top, I had no idea it would be so quiet! But it was, and I think it added to the serenity of the breathtaking views. Seeing the city from the top helped me really grasp how big it really is, but how small it is too (lots of people on a small island). 

After ESB, we made out way to another subway station and went down to see Lady Liberty. As we got there, we saw the sculpture that used to sit in one of the twin towers' lobby and were entertained by street performers and boats that shook at an alarming rate as people were getting off. We ate ice cream on benches and peered out to the Statue of Liberty. 

Our last stop of the day (because we were exhausted and had walked like 70 blocks.. no joke) was to Wall Street where I saw the NY Stock Exchange bldg, where President George Washington took his first oath of office, and then down to 'grab the bull by the horns'. Funniest thing was old ladies grabbing its balls!

We jumped back on a train to Brooklyn, ate some Chinese, grabbed my stuff, and headed to the airport. Can you believe we did this all in one day??? I can't either! 

So at the airport, the lines were long, and when I was able to finally sit down to wait for my flight, I couldn't call my mom or boyfriend to say my last goodbye to them and America. But after an hour of trying, I got in touch with them! I miss them so much already!

Now on to the flight:

The flight was a highlight of the trip... What?? YES the flight was awesome as well! The 15 hours to Dubai from NYC flew by! What made my flight so special was this boy and his father:

This man is from Bangladesh and lives in Michigan. His son has downs syndrome. But every time he looked out the window, he kept saying "Bangladesh??!!" in hopes he was at his father's home country for the first time. I helped him find a new love for Cars and Chicken Little on the in-flight movies because his father "wasn't understanding it" as he said! At the very end, I switched seats with him so he could see Dubai as we landed in, and seeing him enjoy the lights made the experience better than seeing it out the window myself a hundred times in first class! It was truly a rewarding experience!

Dubai:
I found a new love in life, and that is Dubai! The people were so wonderful, everyone spoke English, and were so interested in my travels! Everyone... EVERYONE from the airport to my hotel were just amazing and diverse! I did not meet two people from the same country! The workers are from all over! So back to story time, I was a bit nervous that my hotel would be sketch, but it was quite the opposite! The men at the front desk made sure to take care of me! They gave me what they called "my princess room," which it was! It was on the top floor FACING THE PERSIAN GULF!!!! with a king sized bed and a plasma tv WHAT WHAT?!?!?! It was truly awesome! Here are some views from my room at night and in the morning:

So after I threw my things down, I went to the bell hop and got a taxi to take me meet Ross at the Dubai Mall. A few things to note about Dubai: it has the world's largest mall next to the world's largest fountains on the side of the world's largest building. Let me say that as we ate dinner right where the fountain show was, it was surreal to be seeing such a spectacular show next to the Burj Khalifah (tallest building in the world). Dinner and the show was great! Ross and Brenton (I hope I spelt that right) were great host! We talked about the culture and the city and their experiences, then I gave them an update on the US. It was truly a good time! After dinner, I was zipped up 126 floors to the observation deck of the Burj Kalifah (which isn't event the top!) They do everything big in Dubai! Even the way to the top was extravagant! Here's my favorite photo from the deck and of the Burj: 

And we thought New York was big! After I came back down from the top of the world, Ross and Brenton brought me back to my hotel. I took a shower and crashed out watching arabic music videos. I woke up around 5 the next morning. When I went to check out, the guys at the front desk asked me if I enjoyed my mini-bar, which I had not, but it was funny because they constantly had reminded me I had it the night before! On my way to the airport, I only wished I had more time to spend in Dubai! So maybe my next worldly adventure will be there? Who knows, but I'd say it's a MUST visit place. Here's an aerial view from take off the next day:

It was a bit foggy, but you can still see how much the Burj Kalifah towers the rest of the city! Oh Dubai, I will be back for you one day! 

My flight to Cape Town:

It was not as awesome as from NYC to Dubai, it was 9 more hours on a plane, and something that should be noted occurred. So there were two young French backpacking boys sitting next to me. After several hours of sitting and drinking water to stay hydrated, I had to pee... really badly. Well the French boys didn't get up for me to get out so I had to straddle out over these tall, lanky boys. On my way back into the seat, I was doing the same routine when my rather large heiny caught and broke one of the French boy's USB drive that was inserted into the headrest of the seat in front of him. They began speaking furiously to one another in French for about 20 minutes, I apologized about 100 times, but that was it... they HATED me. Needless to say, the last 5 hours of the flight were quite awkward and I felt bad, but I don't anymore. French boys are rude so there. HA.

Arriving in Cape Town:

The weather was dreary and rainy. The airport was small (leaving me to question what will happen in a month for the World Cup with the influx of people). It took me about 30 minutes to go through passport control. Finally, I grabbed my luggage and found my driver. We discussed futbol and rugby on our way to my apartment. Turns out next weekend is the biggest rugby match in the country taking place in Cape Town! I can't wait. But what I will end here on is the drive to my apartment.

I could barely see the monumental Table Mountain so I paid attention to my surroundings. The first thing I saw was a slum that went as far as I could see. Then, I saw another, and another. The only things I saw for the first five minutes of my drive were slums. THAT'S when it hit me. This trip is real. The people are real. Their poverty is REAL.

And I knew immediately, that when I go back to the US, I will not be the same person ever again. 

So mom, dad, Dean, siblings, family, and friends... the old Melissa is already on her way out. A much wiser, understanding, and experienced woman will see you guys on the other end.

As it is late here and I have class in the morning and this blog is already long as hell, I will put your misery to an end. Look for my next blog on my first few days coming soon. I hope you enjoyed my experiences. 

I love and miss you all!

Melissa