Day 119 - I cannot say I'm a fan of getting up at 5:00 AM. However, today's trip to Dubai went without hitch. Our driver came to pick us up a few minutes before our 6:15 request. The airport is only about 25 minutes from the house, so we were inside it in plenty of time as our flight wasn't scheduled until 9:55 AM.
For some reason, it was completely full of either Russian or Ukrainian passengers. The flight was codeshared with Air Mauritius, but that doesn't explain anything. Sri Lankan air is still flying to Moscow but I'm pretty sure it's possible to fly out of Dubai to the cities affected by the ongoing war. Anyway, we were in 39 J and K but Jay's sisters had to sit in 49 D and E. We could wave.
The most memorable thing about the four-hour flight was the meal. Ah, to be on airlines that still put a little effort into the free food! I'm pretty sure we all opted for the spicy, Sri Lankan white fish and red rice. The salad was great and the dessert a mango mousse as well as a rice pudding was pretty filling. My white wine was served in a plastic cup but, at least, it came out of a bottle. Way to go Emirates!
The time is just 1.5 hours ahead here. We sort of breezed through immigration and customs. We would have been faster, but Jay's sisters insisted on snapping pictures of the cavernous, splashy, bright interior. Terminal 3 does look a little like a cross between a cathedral and a pop music video.
Next, we got an airport taxi capable of holding the four of us and the luggage. The driver was an Emirati woman and getting to The Rose Garden Apartments Hotel in Bur Dubai took less than a half-hour. The traffic lights were long but she made up for it by driving very quickly! We were unpacking before 2:00 PM although it was 3:30 in Sri Lanka.
This 2-bedroom apartment is great. It's on the same floor as the little studio we had for our first month on the trip. We walked up to the roof and saw Mohammed, our pool attendant. He's from India and Jay brought a package of Sri Lankan tea for him. Next, we walked over to the BurJuman and bought provisions for the kitchen. After it started to get dark, we walked to a Lulu Center to finish up on what we had missed. As we didn't find enough in the cooked section, we stopped at a Moghal restaurant just across the street from the station.
We managed to stay awake until 10:00 but it's been a long day that is actually 1.5 hours longer ...