I checked out at 2PM from the Sandman Hotel in Toronto near the airport and I was happy to sit around for three full hours before the check in desk opened. I didn't want to take any chances again. Check in went smoothly as I had the same gentleman who helped me contact head office in Dubai and also helped book me the pretty hotel suite I stayed at the last two evenings so of course he sent my bags through (overweight and all!) and didn't charge me a dime. He even scolded me for buying the online coupon for my third overweight bag and said I should try and get a refund on it. Since I had been at the airport for almost five hours by now I missed lunch and it was nearly pas dinner time as well so the second I got through security I hurried around reading menus of airport restaurants until one struck my fancy. A simple yet quiet bar and grill. People still haven't stopped giving me a funny look when they has how many to seat and I say one. As soon as my chicken fingers, fries and coleslaw were licked clean off the plate I headed to a dead area of the terminal to Skype mum and dad one last time before I arrived in Dubai. We chatted for about an hour and it was still hard to say goodbye even though I've been away for almost three days now and in Toronto at that! When I packed up my things and headed to my gate for boarding there she was. The first A380-800 I've ever seen and she was soon to be mine! It was like a Costco plane, everything about it was massive.
As I was standing at the window admiring the plane and snapping a quick photo to show everyone my maiden voyage a guy who was sitting near the windows walked over and asked if this was my first time to Dubai. I was polite and chatted with him (even though I wanted to be alone) and I find out he's the buyer for my favourite store (FOREVER 21) how incredible! His head office is in Sri Lanka, Colombo and he was in Toronto to start the formalities to open an office in Canada. He explained all about it when he saw my eyes go all big when he started mentioning all my favourite shopping spots!
We exchanged emails and he said to keep in tough as he wanted me to come see his office someday in Sri Lanka (which we fly to!) he also gave me the email address of the top Senior Purser for Emirates (his best friends wife!) and said he would contact her and let her know that I was here and to take good care of me and give me lots of helpful tips. Then I was glad I didn't ignore him. HAHA
I'm sad to say the flight to Dubai was nothing to write home about, nor does it receive any rave reviews. Perhaps I am so used to flying nothing surprises me anymore? I was disappointed, I don't know quite what I expected but I know I didn't receive it. Their new entertainment system was quite snazzy however. So many movies you can barely decide which to watch first! "The Artist, Extremely Loud Incredibly Close, Ratatouille, MI4 Ghost Protocol, Documentaries about Dubai and We Bought a Zoo plus a million more that I don't remember!" I watched bits and pieces of other movies when I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I kept the menu from the flight also.
Three hours before landing I was already counting the minuets down before I could get to my apartment (the last hurdle in my mind to being happy here) and then hopefully sharing the good news with mum and dad. The plane had three outdoor cameras in different places on it so you could watch outside views of what was going on. So as we were landing I selected one of the views and saw nothing but sand for thirty mins before just like that a city appeared out of nowhere, no warning, it just appeared! Almost like a magic trick because it didn't start small either. Giant sky scrappers clustered together and high-rise after high-rise zoomed beneath the plane. The airport is something I am looking forward to exploring one day as well. It has some gorgeous architecture with the lines they created and the different texture of materials they used. As I walked through the airport towards arrivals sure enough just as they said my name was on a huge screen coming into the arrivals area and a lady in a navy blue blazer met me there to take me through the immigration and visa process. It took less than 30 mins (mostly because she pushed us through the line up of people, I tried not to look any of them in the eye) and it was the first time I saw their outfits up close. The immigration officer I received has to be the scariest person currently living and in equal comparison to my visa officer whom looked me in the eyes three times before stamping my passport for entry into the country and as we continued on he smiled at me and was the very first person to say "Welcome to Dubai!" (Sigh of relief with me everyone!) and when we arrived at my bags they were already spinning around the carousel waiting for me! I am pleased to say I love my new home on the lone reason that they had free extra large trolleys for my luggage (Thanks for nothing Canada!)
It was a short drive (maybe 20 mins) from the airport to my apartment. There's a Carrefore in the basement of the building (it's their Walmart/Superstore basically) and a pretty French cafe and Subway right across the parking lot. You can't see much around us because the buildings are so tall! When I stepped out of the brand new Range Rover that was my chauffeur ride from the airport I felt the heat for the first time. (Mike requested this part especially!) In short, it was suffocating. It wasn't the beating down heat from the sun or like anything I had felt before, it was all around and it was heavy hot air. I confirmed with three people at the airport that their heat here is dry desert heat not humid. I'm pretty sure I was lied to three times.
I was dropped off on the garage level of the apartment building so I could gather my keys from the (9) security guards they have on staff 24/7 in my building and was greeted with large smiles and how was your flight Miss Achen? It felt a little like checking into a fancy hotel because the lobby was impeccable! Marble tiles, granite, stone here stone there surrounded everything! There are four elevators in the building and 28 floors including a 13th floor (creepy!) and in my excited haste I went to the wrong door at the beginning. Oops! So I pushed my luggage back towards the elevators and this time read the signs that blared out at me to go the opposite way I had come. When I tried both keys, nothing happened. I was hot, tired and nervous this was the last thing I needed! I felt like a kindergartener that couldn't open a door! I left my luggage by the door this time knowing I was correct and made my way back downstairs to give them a little grief. Next thing I know I've got two guards fumbling over me to get the correct key and apologize. They ran back upstairs with me and tried the keys themselves only to discover that I was correct and they didn't work. As one of the guards was trying the keys for a second time "just to be sure" the door swings open and there's my roommate. A pretty tall blonde girl who smiles and waves at me immediately and says Welcome Leanna!! (Did they hand out an announcement I was arriving that they all knew my name?) I wanted to push everyone and my bags out of the way and give her a big hug, she wasn't weird or messy or from somewhere I didn't understand, she's from vancouver but I kept my hands to myself and decided to hug her later. The guards returned back downstairs to check their cabinet of keys and arrived back shortly to try the keys again and handed them over when they finally worked. Meanwhile after our introductions "Ashley" started helping me into the room with my bags and launched into a speech about how she just resigned and is leaving on July 10th and how sorry she is that the apartment is a bit of a mess since she is packing all her belongings up. I couldn't believe it, I get someone I like right off the bat and they are leaving. Bright Side - She wants to help me get her big master bedroom as a parting gift! My room right now is lovely however, ensuite bathroom, big closet (for my 6 hangers, haha!) a pretty vanity with matching chair and headboard, it's cute! I will hold off doing too much decorating in case I move into her room in two weeks (fingers crossed!) Our kitchen is a big U shape and has a big bright window above the sink. The living room has two couches and a console for the tv and a big nook for the dining table and 6 parson chairs that match our bedroom sets. The balcony can only fit a tiny set of table and chairs for two but it's overlooks some nice green space and a million palm trees! The master bedroom also has about the same size personal balcony! There are two pools in our building and two work out rooms that Ashley is taking me around to see tomorrow as well as a little girly shopping for whatever I need/want and will show me how to get there.
I tried to have a shower last night before bed but freezing cold water kept coming out. A quick inspection of the room led me to a light switch looking mechanism that says "Water Heater 20V" which I prayed was the solution. Apparently it takes longer than 20 mins to heat water and that's about as long as I am wiling to wait so I gave up on the shower and washed my face in the freezing cold water instead and fell asleep fast. Please let the water be hot tomorrow morning!!
I woke up at 7AM after going to bed at midnight and I couldn't go back to sleep. I am excited to see the city today, and I was also pretty hungry. I unpacked a few things from my Welcome Pack last night but it's mostly full of kitchen things (Pots, pans and utensils) and they also gave us a welcome pack of snacks and water which I am happily munching away at now as my early breakfast (I promise I will eat better tomorrow after I visit the grocery store today!) FYI Their Cheeze Whiz comes in a tuna can and I live a couple blocks away from a Camel Race Track. When I couldn't sleep after waking up at 7AM I started making a list of everything I needed in my room (More hangers, more towels, a clothes hamper and at least 20 more items) i won't of overboard, I won't go overboard, I won't go overboard!
Enjoy the photos for now, I'm going to try the shower out again and get ready for my shopping date!
Leanna xo
This is Ali, he helped call Head Quarters in Dubai after I missed my flight and booked me that lovely Presidential Suite in Toronto!
Airbus A380-800
As I was standing at the window admiring the plane and snapping a quick photo to show everyone my maiden voyage a guy who was sitting near the windows walked over and asked if this was my first time to Dubai. I was polite and chatted with him (even though I wanted to be alone) and I find out he's the buyer for my favourite store (FOREVER 21) how incredible! His head office is in Sri Lanka, Colombo and he was in Toronto to start the formalities to open an office in Canada. He explained all about it when he saw my eyes go all big when he started mentioning all my favourite shopping spots!
We exchanged emails and he said to keep in tough as he wanted me to come see his office someday in Sri Lanka (which we fly to!) he also gave me the email address of the top Senior Purser for Emirates (his best friends wife!) and said he would contact her and let her know that I was here and to take good care of me and give me lots of helpful tips. Then I was glad I didn't ignore him. HAHA
I'm sad to say the flight to Dubai was nothing to write home about, nor does it receive any rave reviews. Perhaps I am so used to flying nothing surprises me anymore? I was disappointed, I don't know quite what I expected but I know I didn't receive it. Their new entertainment system was quite snazzy however. So many movies you can barely decide which to watch first! "The Artist, Extremely Loud Incredibly Close, Ratatouille, MI4 Ghost Protocol, Documentaries about Dubai and We Bought a Zoo plus a million more that I don't remember!" I watched bits and pieces of other movies when I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I kept the menu from the flight also.
Three hours before landing I was already counting the minuets down before I could get to my apartment (the last hurdle in my mind to being happy here) and then hopefully sharing the good news with mum and dad. The plane had three outdoor cameras in different places on it so you could watch outside views of what was going on. So as we were landing I selected one of the views and saw nothing but sand for thirty mins before just like that a city appeared out of nowhere, no warning, it just appeared! Almost like a magic trick because it didn't start small either. Giant sky scrappers clustered together and high-rise after high-rise zoomed beneath the plane. The airport is something I am looking forward to exploring one day as well. It has some gorgeous architecture with the lines they created and the different texture of materials they used. As I walked through the airport towards arrivals sure enough just as they said my name was on a huge screen coming into the arrivals area and a lady in a navy blue blazer met me there to take me through the immigration and visa process. It took less than 30 mins (mostly because she pushed us through the line up of people, I tried not to look any of them in the eye) and it was the first time I saw their outfits up close. The immigration officer I received has to be the scariest person currently living and in equal comparison to my visa officer whom looked me in the eyes three times before stamping my passport for entry into the country and as we continued on he smiled at me and was the very first person to say "Welcome to Dubai!" (Sigh of relief with me everyone!) and when we arrived at my bags they were already spinning around the carousel waiting for me! I am pleased to say I love my new home on the lone reason that they had free extra large trolleys for my luggage (Thanks for nothing Canada!)
Don't be fooled. The trolley makes my luggage look tiny but it was hella heavy!
It was a short drive (maybe 20 mins) from the airport to my apartment. There's a Carrefore in the basement of the building (it's their Walmart/Superstore basically) and a pretty French cafe and Subway right across the parking lot. You can't see much around us because the buildings are so tall! When I stepped out of the brand new Range Rover that was my chauffeur ride from the airport I felt the heat for the first time. (Mike requested this part especially!) In short, it was suffocating. It wasn't the beating down heat from the sun or like anything I had felt before, it was all around and it was heavy hot air. I confirmed with three people at the airport that their heat here is dry desert heat not humid. I'm pretty sure I was lied to three times.
I was dropped off on the garage level of the apartment building so I could gather my keys from the (9) security guards they have on staff 24/7 in my building and was greeted with large smiles and how was your flight Miss Achen? It felt a little like checking into a fancy hotel because the lobby was impeccable! Marble tiles, granite, stone here stone there surrounded everything! There are four elevators in the building and 28 floors including a 13th floor (creepy!) and in my excited haste I went to the wrong door at the beginning. Oops! So I pushed my luggage back towards the elevators and this time read the signs that blared out at me to go the opposite way I had come. When I tried both keys, nothing happened. I was hot, tired and nervous this was the last thing I needed! I felt like a kindergartener that couldn't open a door! I left my luggage by the door this time knowing I was correct and made my way back downstairs to give them a little grief. Next thing I know I've got two guards fumbling over me to get the correct key and apologize. They ran back upstairs with me and tried the keys themselves only to discover that I was correct and they didn't work. As one of the guards was trying the keys for a second time "just to be sure" the door swings open and there's my roommate. A pretty tall blonde girl who smiles and waves at me immediately and says Welcome Leanna!! (Did they hand out an announcement I was arriving that they all knew my name?) I wanted to push everyone and my bags out of the way and give her a big hug, she wasn't weird or messy or from somewhere I didn't understand, she's from vancouver but I kept my hands to myself and decided to hug her later. The guards returned back downstairs to check their cabinet of keys and arrived back shortly to try the keys again and handed them over when they finally worked. Meanwhile after our introductions "Ashley" started helping me into the room with my bags and launched into a speech about how she just resigned and is leaving on July 10th and how sorry she is that the apartment is a bit of a mess since she is packing all her belongings up. I couldn't believe it, I get someone I like right off the bat and they are leaving. Bright Side - She wants to help me get her big master bedroom as a parting gift! My room right now is lovely however, ensuite bathroom, big closet (for my 6 hangers, haha!) a pretty vanity with matching chair and headboard, it's cute! I will hold off doing too much decorating in case I move into her room in two weeks (fingers crossed!) Our kitchen is a big U shape and has a big bright window above the sink. The living room has two couches and a console for the tv and a big nook for the dining table and 6 parson chairs that match our bedroom sets. The balcony can only fit a tiny set of table and chairs for two but it's overlooks some nice green space and a million palm trees! The master bedroom also has about the same size personal balcony! There are two pools in our building and two work out rooms that Ashley is taking me around to see tomorrow as well as a little girly shopping for whatever I need/want and will show me how to get there.
Welcome Pack - Mostly kitchen stuff!
I tried to have a shower last night before bed but freezing cold water kept coming out. A quick inspection of the room led me to a light switch looking mechanism that says "Water Heater 20V" which I prayed was the solution. Apparently it takes longer than 20 mins to heat water and that's about as long as I am wiling to wait so I gave up on the shower and washed my face in the freezing cold water instead and fell asleep fast. Please let the water be hot tomorrow morning!!
I woke up at 7AM after going to bed at midnight and I couldn't go back to sleep. I am excited to see the city today, and I was also pretty hungry. I unpacked a few things from my Welcome Pack last night but it's mostly full of kitchen things (Pots, pans and utensils) and they also gave us a welcome pack of snacks and water which I am happily munching away at now as my early breakfast (I promise I will eat better tomorrow after I visit the grocery store today!) FYI Their Cheeze Whiz comes in a tuna can and I live a couple blocks away from a Camel Race Track. When I couldn't sleep after waking up at 7AM I started making a list of everything I needed in my room (More hangers, more towels, a clothes hamper and at least 20 more items) i won't of overboard, I won't go overboard, I won't go overboard!
Enjoy the photos for now, I'm going to try the shower out again and get ready for my shopping date!
Leanna xo
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