On Our Way to Hanoi - 2

In my last Far East travel update, I explained our hesitation with travelling to Vietnam via Dubai, which has left us with a conundrum. Emirates says our flight is still available, so if we cancel, we will not receive a full refund.  Scenic, our travel company, says they can find alternative flights, but we will have to cover the additional cost.  The problem is compounded by the number of people also trying to avoid the Gulf States, which has increased the additional cost to £6,000.  Ouch!  Foreign Office says essential travel only, so if there are any issues in Dubai, we will have no travel insurance.   With the conflict still on an escalating path, it all seemed a little tricky.

Faced with all the issues, I decided that the Emirates pilot, like me will have a strong desire to live and therefore I will be looking to him to get Julie and I through to Hanoi unscathed.  Now, under strict UAE information laws, I can't be specific about airline and airport activity, but "I counted the flight out and counted it in.” Yes, despite the threats of drones and route diversion over Afghanistan, we have safely made it into and out of Dubai airport.
Finally, I am relieved and delighted to be writing to you from sunny Hanoi, Vietnam, and looking forward to a month away from the news and the traumas of the world. Now getting home will be another story to embellish, but let's forget about that until April 14th

From all the messages before we departed England, we knew lots of friends and family were anxious about us flying via Dubai.  It is clear that many others had similar concerns, as our flight was less than half full.  The seats in front, behind, and on either side of us were empty, which was the only thing that made the journey a little strange.  Service was impeccable, with a really friendly and attentive crew.  Dubai airport at 1:30 am, when we arrived, was buzzing, with people looking for bomb shelters.  “Joke!”  As a major transfer hub, we were swept along with a sea of humanity, all trying to reach their outbound flight.   Our airport adventure via the connections desk gave us plenty of opportunity to get our steps in for the day.  Excluding the train ride, we must have walked over a mile.  Interestingly, Emirates sent me a text message while we were sitting on the aircraft, telling us our bags had been loaded into the hold.

The in-flight system provided live news feeds from the BBC, so it was with some surprise, to say the least, that we saw a flash report of a missile hitting Dubai airport.  Difficult to judge, but we guess it must have happened within 30 minutes of our departure.  Shame, really, as I was expecting to have to make up some stories about close escapes from our war-zone exploits.  In reality, the airport is so massive that even if we had been on the ground when the missile hit, we probably would not have known.  Makes for good headlines, though. 

Pic 2  in hotel lounge

To finish another music video that reflects the eclectic mix of cultures in Dubai: https://youtu.be/bJ9r8LMU9bQ