Over the Top of the World

We booked on Emirates Air for our flight from Durban to Los Angeles via Dubai. The flight plan called for 24.5 hours of actual flying time plus a three hour layover in Dubai. We would be traveling a total of  14,700 air miles… half way around the world. From Durban to Dubai, we'd fly on a Boeing 777-300ER, a big plane. On the non-stop leg from Dubai to LAX, however, we'd be flying on an Airbus 380, the world's largest passenger jet at close to the speed of sound (.8 of Mach 1).

The flight to Dubai was uneventful… the best kind. I'd stopped in Dubai on my way to and from Boston in December, but David had never been. Like me, he was impressed with the opulence and class of the airport. We particularly like the back-projected “tourist guide” in flowing white desert garb offering information to airport visitors. He was a bit unnerving as his eyes seemed to follow our every move as we passed.

After a coffee and croissant at Starbucks which put us back about $16 US and a stroll around the airport shops to stretch our legs, we headed to our departure gate. I got a kick when we got our seat assignments to Los Angeles. We were in seats 84H and 84K. Who knew any plane had that many rows? Talk about being in the back of the bus!

We left on time and had a chance to view Dubai from our 84K window seat. It looks to be a lovely city and we're hoping to have a little extra time on our return leg to explore, though a 14 hour layover from 8PM to 10AM doesn't afford the best touring times of the city.

We wondered what our flight path would be … east to west or west to east. Well, it was neither. It was over the top, flying the Great Circle Route. Take a piece of string and a globe, and place one end on Dubai and the other end at Los Angeles. The quickest, most direct route is over the North Pole and that's just what we did.

We watched several of the 400 movies offered aboard. We played games on our iPads. We dozed fitfully. We read. We noshed. Every meal and snack served was gobbled up. After what seemed like an eternity, I checked the time to destination … only 11 hours left. Time was flying … literally. When we neared the North Pole, we kept an eye on the flight map. We tried to get our iPad GPS to locate us, but to no avail. We had to rely on the flight map. By the way, there was no sign of Santa at the North Pole. We're thinking he might have been vacationing in the Carib somewhere.

We arrived in Los Angeles right on time. Waiting to debark the plane from our hinterland seats took awhile. All our luggage arrived with us and Immigration and Customs were a breeze. We still had a 4 hour drive to Las Vegas ahead of us. We knew we'd be tired and had booked a room in Barstow, California, about half way to Vegas. We picked up the rental car and headed out into the cool, brown haze of an LA afternoon.

Packing lightly? It's not an option

We weren't planning to stay in the States for more than a couple of weeks, so we thought we'd pack lightly. It was a good thought, but it didn't work out.

We started with just one suitcase, but I soon had that filled to capacity and I hadn't packed my shoes yet. We checked the weather in Las Vegas … warm days and cool evenings, so we needed jackets, too. With much reluctance, David hauled out one of the big duffels on wheels. We always bring stuff back with us, so we'd have plenty of extra room. Once I tucked away my shoes, jacket and a sweatshirt and David added his clothes, the available room seemed to dwindle significantly. We remember traveling in Peru for six weeks with just daypacks and the clothes on our backs. What happened to traveling light?

Now it was time to load the electronics. We obviously have too many gadgets. We had to bring two phones … one for the US and one for South Africa … both of which needed chargers. Then we each took a laptop … with power supplies. Then came our iPads. We managed with just one charging cable, but thought a DC adapter would be good in case we wanted to charge in the car and we needed an AC adapter, too.  I had my camera, of course, with extra batteries and a charger. We would overnight in Dubai on the way back, so we needed an adapter to fit UAE outlets. David needed his electric razor and its charger. We were bringing our electric toothbrush which also requires a charger. Then, we thought it would be reasonable to take a hard drive back with us for downloads. I thought I'd take my photo back-up hard drive, too, so I'd have photos available for writing blogs and articles. They each needed a different cable.

As we trudged up the dock lugging all out gear, it wasn't pretty. Too much stuff all crammed into a suitcase and a duffel and a backpack and a carry bag and a purse … you get the picture. Traveling light for us? Not an option.

A Lost Day, a Night in Dubai and My Return to South Africa

Like many international flights, my return Durban flight wasn't scheduled to leave Boston until 10:30pm. I kind of hate the late departure, but it did afford me a chance to get packed and spend the final minutes of our sister time in a more leisurely fashion. We stopped for an early dinner at Legal Seafood (If it ain't fresh, it ain't legal!) before heading to the airport. As usual, Lin and I are not good farewell-ers. We ignore the subject the last days of our visit and then only when we arrive at the airport and I'm unloading luggage at the drop-off do we acknowledge that I'm really leaving … and then the tears begin. Mushy, I know … it's just how it is.

I was feeling a mix of anticipation and melancholy as I watched Lin drive away. I headed into the terminal,  manhandling my 100 pounds of duffels and 30 pounds of backpack and purse to the check-in counter. No trip is remarkable unless there's a bit of drama. There was no check-in counter for Emirates Air! Terminal E is the international terminal at Logan and I had arrived at Terminal E, yet I couldn't find an Emirates Airlines check-in counter. I walked up and down the terminal, then finally asked an Aer Lingus agent (the Irish are always friendly!). “Oh, you're at the wrong terminal. You've got to go back to Terminal C”, and she pointed across the airport. “Is there a shuttle?” I queried. “Quickest to walk”, she said as she gave me directions which I immediately forgot.

I hadn't worn a coat since I hadn't planned on straying far from the car until I got to the airport. It was a bit nippy out, windy and quite dark. The duffels were sitting precariously on the cart … one fell off as I headed out the terminal door. I hefted it back on, made my way to the lower level and proceeded to head across the airport to Terminal C. When you're driving, this isn't drama at all. You just loop around and you're back at the other terminals. When you're walking, it's more a challenge. I knew where I wanted to go; I just couldn't see Terminal C. After losing the darned duffel twice more, passing through a parking lot or two, crossing traffic lanes with my load and dropping the F bomb a couple of times, I managed to get to Terminal C. The queue for Emirates passengers was halfway down the terminal. I got in line … at least there was a check-in counter up ahead. I commiserated with other passengers and by 9pm, I had boarding passes and hotel vouchers. I headed to the Ladies' Room one last time before heading through Security.

As I was finishing up in the Ladies', I heard a woman ask for help. “My aunt has fallen and can't get up.” A large, elderly woman was lying on the floor in the handicapped stall with a slim, younger woman standing beside a wheelchair. Try as we could, we couldn't manage to get the hefty lady back into the wheelchair. Both ladies were frustrated and crying. I searched around nearby for a security guard or anyone who could help, but there was no one in sight. Back at the check-in counter, I asked one of the agents to get help for a woman who had collapsed in the restrooms. She panicked a bit, but finally made a call. I checked my watch. It was getting close to boarding time. I rushed back to the Ladies' and told the niece I'd called for help. I waited with them another 10 minutes … making small talk. The tears and fears abated as I saw two medics coming down the hall. I pointed them in the right direction and hightailed it through Security. I thankfully boarded the plane with no time to spare, got situated and hoped for a glass of wine as soon as possible. No such luck. Airplane paperwork discrepancies had us waiting at the gate for another 90 minutes before take-off. The flight was long and crowded. Folks were chatty, the 500 available movies were unappealing and I was sleepy. I fell asleep long enough to miss my dinner and beverage service.

About 13 hours later, we arrived in Dubai. My layover for my Durban flight was 15 hours, but Emirates was providing a hotel room for me. I had hoped to get a quick tour of the city via taxi, but it was too late for any exploring and I was tired. The queue for Immigration and Customs was long, followed by a long walk to another queue waiting for the hotel shuttle and yet another queue for hotel check-in. Emirate's Copthorne Hotel was beautiful and quite a surprise. I hadn't expected much, but it was lovely.

A comfy bed and hot shower was just what the doctor ordered. I slept fitfully, afraid of oversleeping and missing my flight, but I still felt rested in the morning. A buffet breakfast was included with my complimentary room and I lingered over a cup of tea before heading on the shuttle back to the airport. I thought I might get some pix on the way back to the airport, but fog blanketed the area and I saw nothing.

With lots of time to spare, I grabbed a cup of coffee and snagged an hour of free internet time to call David and check emails. As I write this, I'm still at the airport in Dubai. I've chatted with David and I'm about to board the flight for Durban. The agent says it's on time. Wish me luck and no more drama!