Bye Dubai, Flying to Paris

We’re glad we came here to Dubai even for a few days. We enjoyed our short holiday and today we leave in awe and with high respect for this Arab country.

Sofitel Downtown Dubai will be our hotel of choice next time we visit. We like its location.

Emirates Airlines’ limo service is reliable.

Dubai wants to be the leading tourist destination in the world. They are thinking of ways to make visitors feel comfortable. A perfect example is the VAT tax refund. The small counter is located right there as you enter the airport. You won’t miss it. No need to look for directional signs, to ask the information counter. Unlike in most airports, you could miss your flight just by looking for the tax refund counter. And the process is confusing and tedious. Here in Dubai, they simplified everything. No documents to fill out. Just give the receipts from the store. Mabilis lang.
The only delay that happened to me was because the Burberry store where I bought this hat didn’t provide the correct VAT form.

Actually, I find it stressful to get tax refunds in airports. And honestly, I don’t get to receive all the refunds that I have filed in all the years that I’ve been traveling.

We were a bit early so we made istambay in the airport lounge. We will never feel like strangers in this foreign land. I think majority of workers here at the airport are Filipinos. This particular food station serving Middle Eastern food has Filipino food attendants and cook.

Big enough space for accumulating thousands of steps.

Killing time browsing at stores. I am always in need of padlocks kasi I misplace them.

Kababayan sales staff
More kababayan sales employees

Givenchy used to be my brand of blush and lipstick. They stopped manufacturing my favorite lipstick shade so I switched to other brands.

Benefit’s Filipina sales lady

My perfume when I was in college was Caleche. The first few bottles were gifts from my brother, Kuya Lito. I stopped wearing this scent when I realized that the smell was more suited for older women. Now that I am old and gray maybe I should start wearing Caleche again. Or I should wear Johnson’s baby cologne so that I would smell like a baby.

Boarding time, picture muna

We are always flying and we still worry about getting Covid inside enclosed areas including airplanes. Dubai to Paris is another 8 hours and that’s 8 hours of sharing breathing space.

I hope it’s going to be a relaxed journey.

The plane Emirates uses from Manila to Dubai is not as large and not as fancy. But this one from Dubai to Paris is double-decker and elevated in comfort.

Hello it’s us

We missed the hotel buffet because we checked out too early this morning before the restaurant opened.

I brought Theo’s t-shirt with me. I hug it kasi miss ko apopoo ko. Ganito rin ako when my kids were still little. Whenever I travel, I bring along their lampin, or t-shirt, and I place them on my chest when I sleep at night or when I am on the plane.

I wrapped my handbag with the plastic wrapper from the blanket to protect it from red wine splatters just in case.