OK, I survived (barely).
Customs (inbound). Arrived at 8 AM on a Sunday on an Emirates flight from JFK. Passport stampers asked no questions- they were pretty busy BSing w/each other so it was literally an exercise in presenting my passport and standing there silently while he did whatever checks he needed to do.
Taxi. Credit cards are NOT universally accepted. Dollars worked. Supposedly Uber exists there but I didn't try it.
Bubble. The Grand Hyatt was its own little bubble. It felt very Western, including having (veal) bacon available and booze 24x7. Bottled water was plentiful in my room and replenished daily. Fresh fruit was also in my room and replenished daily after exchanging a kind word and holding the elevator door open for "the fruit guy."
Desert. The sand is fine, like dirty talcum powder. There are plenty of opportunities to ride camels, ATVs, or "ski" some sand dunes.
Women. Treated well inside the bubble. Outside the bubble a few of the women I travelled with compared it to walking past a construction site except comparisons were made in Arabic. No catcalls. Just plenty of stares and remarks.
Outbound. Confusing. Show someone your boarding pass and they will send you to the correct line. Do this IMMEDIATELY so that you don't waste an hour. At the time of my departure there were six possible lines spread out over about an acre of airport. There is NO sense of urgency so get there early and find the right line. Also, there were numerous stands selling shrink-wrap services - it's an anti-theft tool and is not mandatory. Customs was more aggressive outbound. They took my bag apart.
Flight back to NYC. BRING A SURGEON'S mask and something to disinfect tray table etc. The flight from NYC was mostly healthy Westerners. The return flight had a LOT of sick 3rd-worlders. I got the worst flu I've ever had.
US Customs - JFK in NYC. Long lines, confusing signs, and very few foreign speakers or signs, so about half my plane was in line ahead of me and about 2/3rds of those were non-citizens in the citizens line so it was slow. Otherwise, the usual questions about what I brought back and a speedy exit to catch a domestic flight home.
Aftermath. About a dozen people from my team went. We stayed 1 week on a business trip. None of them showed any symptoms of illness beforehand or during the stay. All but one came down with some kind of crud lasting between 3 days and 3 weeks. One guy was hospitalized.
Thanks again to all who joined this thread.
