Mystery Destination Revealed!

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- After a 14-hour flight, GlobeGators arrived exhausted but energized at our Mystery Destination! We are in Dubai, jewel of the United Arab Emirates. So far, it’s very dark, because it is night, even though a brain on East Coast time believes it to be mid-day. A dust cloud has settled over the city, restricting visibility. We are going to recharge our batteries before exploring further but will leave you with this highlight: On the flight over, we managed to trade with another passenger for a bulkhead seat in coach and thus sat three rows behind retired NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo! The 7’2” athlete obviously sat behind the business- class curtain, so we were not able to gawk at him for the full 14 hours. However, on the way out we did score an autograph for our sister, who has all of his basketball trading cards. Thanks, Dikembe! According to his Web site, Mutombo – who graduated from Georgetown with degrees in linguistics and diplomacy -- has been doing international humanitarian work post NBA: The Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.