Well, we’ve left the land of civil liberties and all the chewing gum your heart can possibly desire — and we’re on our way to, in the words of “The Onion,” an autocratic utopia.  So far, the utopia has taken the shape of Emirates Air, which is by far the nicest airline I’ve ever taken.  It actually feels like the seats have a little bit of room, you have access hundreds of free movies and tv shows, and some of the food is edible (the biryani was even yummy).  I’ve never felt so much like waxing rhapsodic about an airline.  Good stuff.

Now we’re at the Dubai airport, which is supposed to be an architectural wonder; but to my mind, you cannot be an architectural wonder if every single women’s room has a line out the door.  Sure, it has huge, beautiful, arching windows, but those are definitely offset by the the lines.

On to our next flight now!