February 15 2008 – Arrived in Dubai at 12:30am
Flying back to Dubai was relax and uneventful. Perfect, really.I didn’t feel as tired and run down when we landed; probably because I had a direct flight out of Canada this time. On both flights, there were empty seats next to me so I could stretch out a bit - lucky me! Couldn’t get to sleep though… Bummer!While waiting for boarding at Heathrow, I met up with a nice white-haired lady who was headed to Johannesburg to visit her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in 30 years! She was Irish, jolly and chatty and we enjoyed an otherwise very long and boring hour!
On arrival at the Dubai airport, I was a bit anxious getting through customs since my return ticket was exceeding the 60 days regulatory “visitor’s visa requirements. I needn’t have worried: everything went well - but very slow.
It took 2 1/2 hours from arrival to getting out of the airport: from a 30 minutes bus ride out of the plane to the customs area (because of construction, our plane taxied near the landing strips, far from the actual airport), a ‘waity’ pit stop and a 1 hour line up to get to customs (there must’ve been 4 planes unloading at the same time cause all the customs lanes were full!), and a walk back and forth through the entire 1/4 mile baggage claim area looking for my flight number on the baggage claim boards, only to find that my luggage had been taken out of the carousel and set aside because it took so long to get through customs, another flight’s luggage was coming through the same designated carousel!
If you don’t have PATIENCE (and quick wit), don’t travel!
I finally got to my apartment at 4:00am. It was cool to feel ‘at home’!!!
The place was just as I left it. The sheets were still on the drying rack and it looked like nobody had been in the suite since I left. I’m so glad I left it so clean!
I tried to send a message to Julie on my BlackBerry but the battery decided to go dead right at that moment! Then I remembered I had packed the charger in the box to be FedEX’d from the office. I felt very, very dumb…. but too tired to care.
Anyway, I happily made my bed, had a quick bath - even if the water heater wasn’t ready yet (the cold water here is warm enough to bathe in!). I slept 12 hours!
On Friday afternoon, I took a cab to the Mall of the Emirates to get some supplies. I looked for an ‘international’ battery charger for my BlackBerry. I didn’t think very far when I packed the regular one (dumb, I know, or was it exhaustion from closing the Coquitlam apartment and packing for 6 months?). The store that was pointed out to me was in a direction of the mall I hadn’t explored before. I found what I was looking for and then I ended up in a nice restaurant area where a colorful menu showing a fruit plate caught my eye and my appetite.
Pasha is next door to Chilli's - a favorite of mine!
It was at the Turkish “Pasha” restaurant. The fruits were ‘fruitylicious’ and the mango sherbet, divine! But the coffee was the best and the coffee cup was the best designed cup I had ever held, with the perfect place to put the thumb. Amazing! I love to make discoveries like this. I giggle inside! It’s like I’m a little girl again and I clap my hands with wonderment and jump with joy in the glee of the moment! … Benjamin would understand!
Then I went to the Carrefour – the WallMart of the Emirates – and I decided to buy some ECRU sheets to cover the red sofas. I can use them on my own bed later and for the time being, at least, it hides some of the red and it makes the fake leather sofa feel much more comfortable. I also got an AQUA BLUE bath mat and some towels so now the bathroom has the ambiance of a spa! And finally, I reversed the duvet cover to show the WHITE side instead of the red! All in all, a cheap transformation that goes a long way in taming the overall wild energy of the place! With some JASMINE incense and some candles, the mood is now definitely more peaceful and restful.
After 6 hours a the mall, I came home, took a hot bath this time to soak my weary feet, and went to sleep for another 10 hours!
I woke up refreshed and started to unpack my clothes. I must admit, I didn’t pack very wisely this time around. Too much to do and take into account at the same time, I suppose. Or maybe, I’m just getting too old for this! Anyway, I had one suitcase with all the tops and the other with all the pants. What was I thinking??? All the other things – electronics, medication, books (including my Dubai guide book L ) etc. are coming via FedEX later this week. Oh, well. It’ll all get here eventually.
So, on Saturday morning, I went back to my favorite café hangout at the Marina.
I paid my overdue last bill (dated 29 Jan. 08 - they didn’t have change at the time) and everyone thought it was very funny. I got a coffee and a muffin, sat at my usual table and got a few hours on Internet, catching up with news and stuff – my TV isn’t working at the apartment (again). The connection has been closed by remote sever and I have to contact the real estate agent to have it reactivated. Of course, not on the week-end, so it’ll be Sunday before I can contact him. Probably Tuesday before the connection is back. Meanwhile, I have looked into getting the Internet at the apart. Hopefully, there is a way to make it happen… to be continued.
I had taken my backpack with me so I did my fruits&veggies shopping at Spinney’s and walked back home in the midday hot sun at 27C – are you sad for me? (I know, I’m wicked!)
I need to get some prescription shades ASAP! ...
Got home, had a bite to eat, went to sleep for another 6 hours. I’ve been up for a couple of hours already and it’s now 11 pm and I’m fully awake. I’ve got to be at work at 8:30am.
I anticipate the next few days to be very hectic. I don’t know when I’ll be able to post on this blog next. Soon, I hope.
