Day 59 Dubai, UAE

Our transport today from the Fairmont to the airport was in a Cadillac.  First and probably only time we will get to experience that, but what a luxurious car.  It made the trip to the airport through Toronto's gridlocked roads a whole lot more pleasant.  Toronto really has a problem with there roads and our driver thinks perhaps they need to copy America with more "fly-overs" and I have to agree.

A little hitch at the check-in counter as we were told our suitcases would go all the way to Sydney from Toronto.  We explained that we are having an overnight in Dubai so we will need to collect our cases.  If we had known in advance that this was the case we would have packed our cabin bags with a change of clothes and not worried about collecting suitcases in Dubai.  Oh well.  We will know better next time!

The plane we are boarding is the Emirates A380.  They are very comfortable and the cabin stewards are very attentive.  The food is "on demand" so for our 12.5 hour journey we have dinner and then a continental breakfast.  We have learnt over the years of travel that the best food on board your flight is food that doesn't have to be heated.  I tend to go for a soup followed by a salad and perhaps a dessert.  The food is okay on board this flight.

Sleep came easily for me but Philip said that he had a disturbed night.  I still have a head cold and took a codral night capsule that seems to make you drowsy so that probably helped my sleep. In fact I sleep so well that a steward had to gently wake me an hour before we landed so that I could order breakfast!

The transit through Dubai airport goes relatively smooth although we had both forgotten how big this airport is!  You need to board a train to collect your baggage from another terminal but it is a direct shuttle so no getting lost.  Customs and Immigration are always a hassle but they have a "tourist" visa line that is easy to negotiate and well within the hour we are at the front of the terminal and sitting in a  car that will take us to the Burj Al Arab for our overnight stay.

The Burj is everything and more.  Our travel agent suggested that we stay here as a once in a lifetime indulgence and I'm glad we took her advice.  The Burj Al Arab is the only 7 star hotel in the world and from the moment you enter through the security gates you know that you are going to be treated like royalty.  No heading to a check-in counter here. No sirreee.  You are seated in a comfortable lounge and feed Turkish dates and coffee while your attendant takes your passport and does all the checking in for you.  She comes back to us with the welcome news that our room is ready and we have been upgraded!  She then guides us all the way to our suite and takes the time to explain everything to us.  

This suite is massive.  Two stories with a very grand staircase leading to the second floor.  I have never seen anything like it in all my life and probably will never see again.  The views across the ocean are magnificent and it is hard to believe that a lot of Dubai is man-made islands.

It is very hot in Dubai today - around 37 degrees - but we decided to stretch the legs and take a walk around the outside of the building before heading inside to find a restaurant for lunch.  It is actually quite pleasant to feel the heat after two months of cold weather but we only stay outside to take a couple of photographs before heading inside to the air-conditioning.

Back inside and I stop to take some photographs of the 26 story atrium that all suites open out onto.  It is very impressive as is the "fountain" with its arches of water, that suits in the foyer.  It is all very grand.

By the time we were ready to eat it was almost 2.30 but the restaurant on the 27th floor was still serving lunch so we headed up there in the glass exterior lift.  We ordered the three course lunch menu that was absolutely delicious and I'm very pleased to say that the meals are much smaller after the monstrous meals we were served in Canada. Thank goodness!

We are now tucked up in our bed after taking shower in a bathroom the size of a ballroom, and we have just had a knock on the door.  It is our butler (there is one on each floor) with yet another plate of food.  These are truffle savouries.  I have to say neither Philip nor I are great lovers of truffle so these will go uneaten, as pretty as they are.

Our 12 hour flight from Dubai to Sydney leaves tomorrow around 10.30am and we arrive into Sydney 6.30 the following day. We then have a connecting flight back to Cairns so this will probably be the last post I make from this particular holiday.  

It really has been an incredible journey through Japan, Alaska & Canada and we have lots of great memories of places we have visited and friends we have made along the way. It all seems a bit surreal but thank goodness for this blog, that I can refer back to and recall the good times.