Enroute to the Maldives in December 2008 I had to touch down in Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai International for about 2 hours. The new Emirates Terminal 3 opened in October 2008 is said to offer a new style statement. You name it; it is provided...a hotel, business centre, health club, banking, business facilities, dining, entertainment, internet services and lounges. I liked the amusement the new terminal 3 had in offer until I needed to pee.

Few minutes before boarding my flight to Male’ I needed to pee. I walked between Gates 113 and 115, near McDonalds and I saw a Men’s room nearby. With a growing urge to pee I rushed in. I headed to the corner at the nearest wall, loosened my jeans and unbuttoned my fly and got ready to take a leak. In a split second I felt there was no drain by the wall and that any leak would flood the relatively small floor space. Holding my pee tight I pulled up my jeans and looked around for the wall urinals...ah.. no wall urinals in Men’s in Terminal 3.

The Men’s contained 5 toilets in 5 stalls with enclosure. The queue for the stalls was very long and it appeared that many whom I met at the very back of the queue were feeling very uncomfortable. I was feeling terrible holding my bladder out of politeness for too long. What crossed my mind was that few have died trying to hold their pee. That is not a fate I would choose for myself.

Two spots ahead of me in the queue was a little boy who was a bit smelly. Seeing the spots in his light blue jeans I presume he must have dropped a deuce while waiting for the toilet. To be at Men’s and to give up hope for a toilet to take a dump is perhaps not a good style statement for Terminal 3.

People don’t expect dookie-droppings at urinals and I and many others who were waiting in a queue to pee could have used a urinal, had there been one.  Men peeing at urinals viewing others are only peripheral and I don’t really have a problem with it. 

I can say now, taking a dump or a leak at Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai International has no appeal.

A few years ago I was on a plane to from Male’, the capital to Gan, Addu. The distance between the two islands is about 500km and it took a bit more than an hour. It was a small aircrafts and flew really slow, so serving a tiny treat killed a lot of time for the crew as well for the passengers. On this day, I was served a slice of cake, choice of tea or coffee and a small sack of sliced areca nuts. Areca nuts are an after food chew for many Maldivians. I occasionally chew areca nut to neutralize strong and lasting tastes from food. On the opposite aisle to me was a tourist whom I saw struggling to cut open the sack of areca nuts. Little did he know the sack has a magical zip which opens and closes multiple times. The next thing I saw was him emptying the sack into his cup of coffee, drinking the coffee and swallowing the dried, cured and fresh forms of areca nuts. Not only was it strange but shocking as I watched it. Nuts consumed improperly could get stuck in the throat and an emergency in the sky is the last thing a tourist would want, let alone the airline. I suppose the risk is worth taking than axing.

A few weeks ago, after about two years to the above experience, I boarded a plane to Addu. Within minutes into the flight I received my treat and it was a twin pack of two finger kit kat, choice of tea or coffee and of course the sack of sliced, dried, cured and fresh areca nuts. Areca nuts have survived. Now with more tourists taking the shuttle flight this is parfait – perfect. It’s a cocktail of risk than of culture.