After wrapping up our final day of fun in the sun, we headed to the Dubai airport for a night flight to India. It was Thursday, the end of their work week, so we had a longer ride than normal on account of traffic.
Making it Happen
The long ride was made enjoyable by our driver, a young 20-something from Pakistan. He shared all kinds of interesting tidbits about Dubai. Since we’d largely hunkered down in our hotel for our few days, it felt like we were getting a tour with all his insight. Hearing him speak about Dubai made us eager to come back someday to explore beyond the hotel pool ;)
Consistently in conversations with people throughout our travels in the Middle East, we’ve heard a common theme. People who move to make a better financial life for their families. Our driver and his brother moved to Dubai two years ago; their plan to make & save money and take it back to Pakistan. They’ve financed a car and each work 12 hour shifts. He explained that his father had been away from their family the majority of his adolescence, working as a welder and technician in Saudi Arabia so he could send money back to the family. It allowed him and his siblings to get a good education.
We’ve heard this similar story numerous times in the past couple of weeks. It’s been a great reminder for us adults how flush we are with opportunity because of what and where we are from. For the girls, it’s an eye opening view of the world outside of their sphere. The common thread . . . these are people who endure obstacles to make it happen.
When he dropped us off at the airport, I almost wished traffic had been worse so we could chat more.
Feeling the NYC Love
Shake Shack was our favorite family burger in NYC. It’s hugely popular in the Arab Middle East and we weren’t going to miss a chance to indulge in a little bit of home. It was delicious, but it created a reflective dinner where we recalled our fondness of our home for the past 14 years. They had pictures of New York City, many of the places we frequented (Central Park) and some we didn’t (Times Square).
At one point while inhaling a Double Shack Burger, the office building I worked in for the past four years was front and center in a skyline view of the city.
Night Flight
Our flight departed at 10pm from Dubai, arriving in New Dehli at 2:30am - a three hour flight, plus a time change. We passed the time enjoying the in-flight entertainment system ;)
In-Terminal Hotel
You’d think getting to an airport hotel would be simple, but based on the written instructions, we knew it would take some brainpower. We’d booked an in-terminal room at the Holiday Inn, which wasn’t by night, but rather bookable in 4-hour blocks to accommodate transit passengers - in fact, you can’t stay their without proof of transit.
The directions were a bit confusing, but we were ready. Unknowingly, there was a representative from the hotel holding a sign for us when we got off, great! He proceeded to walk us through the immigration and customs process.
4:30am-12noon
We finally hit the sac at 4:30am and woke up just after 12noon. The final leg of this journey was a flight to Pune, India to visit some friends from NYC who moved backed to their home in India two years ago.
Indian Food
We've been talking about our stop in India for the food for quite some time. Paige consistently says that Indian is her favorite food. She got her first in-country taste at the Holiday Inn! In a surprise, the food was excellent and we all went away happy with our first bites in a country that is full of many amazing flavors. As we left lunch...
"That was a great way to start our eating in India" - Paige
"That was way better than Shake Shack" - Sadie
Domestic Terminals
I've always found domestic terminals in farther afield countries to be really interesting. Everything about it is more typically real - the locals, stores, foods, customs, etc. I was reminded of it when we saw ghee (clarified butter, that you can say in India is like Olive Oil is in Italy) on the list liquids that can't be carried on.
Pune - We've Arrived
Finally at 7pm we arrived to our final destination, Pune!
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