Stranded in Dubai

My flight out of India to Amsterdam was to take the following route:

Chennai to Dubai
Dubai to Bucharest
Bucharest to Amsterdam

I went like this
Chennai to Dubai no problems whatsoever (except for excess baggage charges, what are you going to do?).

I landed in Dubai at 12:25 AM. Romania closed their air space at 12:00 AM. Oops.
When I left India, my flight to bucharest was still on and expecting to depart with no problems. So I land in Dubai. I collect my bags, transfer flights, and oh...
I end up talking to a lebanese lady in the airport at "information desk." I knew she was lebanese by the way she approached my problem.

"information": There is no flight. Why you are trying to check in?
exasperated traveler: I know, but where is the airline?
info: the flight is canceled.
me: I KNOW that. I can read. I want to talk to the airline.
info: but the flight is canceled, why will you talk to them?
me: Ok, let's just say hypothetically speaking... that the flight were NOT canceled.
info: (interrupting) but it is canceled, so why do you care?
me: You didn't let me finish. Where WOULD I check in, if the flight WEREN'T canceled?
info: But it is canceled, there is no flight.
me: Are you lebanese?
info: Yes, why?
me: You talk like you're lebanese.
info: (confused look).

So I go to 20 other people asking about what I can. I was told to "go to my hotel" by "information" I told her, I'm trying, but my hotel is in amsterdam. That relit the fire of "you can't get to amsterdam." THAT LADY, was an idiot... But she was also definitely lebanese in being so bound to immediate practicality that the longer term solution to the problem was of negligible importance. A bit annoying for me. I actually ratted her out later. A man going around the airport talking to stranded passengers was trying to save face for customer service. He asked me if people were helpful. I told him truthfully "yes, except for a lebanese lady at information. She was the only one who didn't give me any information." HA, take that "information." Truthfully, all the airline attendants were really friendly and helpful. I speak about dubai as sort of a crappy place because it's just one big shopping mall with a couple indian neighborhoods and a building that looks like a big phallus (the biggest phallus in the world), but one thing they know IS CUSTOMER SERVICE! Well done, dubai on the customer service!

So I slept in the airport. A couple of really lovely french ladies/girls and a tunisian guy were sitting with me and the tunisian guy had no problem getting home. The french ladies booked the last two tickets to tunisia. Their plan was to boat to marseille and then train to paris. I thought it would have been fun to travel with them, but I had a shitload of luggage (my life's possessions basically) and didn't want to drag it around too much. Everything to Europe was closed. Dead, caput, nada, zero, zilch, zippo, nothing, no dice, fat chance.
So I saw that Beirut had some open flights. SURPRISE! I'm going to Beirut! I slept in the airport in dubai, got up about 10 AM (after 3 hours sleep) and bought a ticket on the 12:45 to beirut. I took Middle East Airlines (lebanon's carrier) and only had to pay $25 for baggage overages! A good result after Emirates $202 from chennai to dubai... So I went to beirut. Once there, I bought a phone card, called the only numbers I know and said I'm catching a cab to Btekhnay. Of COURSE, no one had read my email and so were all completely taken by surprise that I showed up. So, in the end I'm stranded in Btekhnay rather than Dubai. Things could DEFINITELY be worse. My third trip to Lebanon in 6 months. Not bad if I do say so myself. But I'm still on a mission for good beer and brandy. I WILL make it to belgium and gascony. I'm all over it like white on rice. Stay tuned.