Dubai: Day #1 Arrival

Back in August 2013: Fitting the luggage, was Owen ready to be shipped to Dubai? No. 

December 2013: Now he's ready.

One day after Mat's 7th birthday, we all were ready.

Things the guys did on Emirates EK369 Boeing 777-300ER from 7.45 am (Jakarta) to 1.20 pm (Dubai):

Coloring with Bob Parr.  

Climbing. Posing.

Napping. 

Taking selfies.

Enjoying the snacks.

Attending an exclusive male party on board.

And where did I stand in this joyful ride? Still recovering from fever and diarrhea that caught me a couple days before, and stuck with an Energizer Bunny who kept climbing me for almost the whole time we're flying (the bassinet could only help so much when the seat-belt light was off - which was too short. The sky was not so friendly since we took off.), I had a delayed lunch and didn't have enough time to try one of the things Emirates' been proud of - their ICE. So when finally I could hand the bunny over to Dad and Bro, I used that to rest my numb arms and legs.

Actually it was not that bad. My seat was convenient, at least Owen was asleep through take-off, and we both could catch some sleep cuddling together for about one hour prior to landing. Awwww. We successfully put a smile on an air crew's face who sat facing us. (And he was Indonesian).

Still fresh after 8+ hours indulgence on plane. Yay Mat!

Someone was more interested in what's happening at the back.

The mandatory arrival picture.

At 1st impression, Dubai International Airport was enormous, in a cold way that reminded me of Hong Kong International Airport. But of course, we couldn't compare once we're involved in the airport activities. Going through the immigration line, at that point I was so grateful we had Mat and Owen with us. They gave us priority.

Oh. If only locals were willing to shave their beards, the world would have a better knowledge that Arab country (in general) indeed held some handsomer males alive.

(You could now tell I'd seen a pair of beautiful eyes starring at me intensely from behind immigration counter.  Kyaaaaaa. He might be just curious about my after-flight face compared to my passport-photo face. Different much?)

So after we met my sister at the meeting point, off we went to experience Dubai for the first time through our car's windows.

It was blinding harsh with little greenery around.   Sands were occupying every empty spot in the city.  I truly believed when they said Dubai's climate was un-inhabitable during summer. 

Prestigious cars ran at 120-150km/hour on 6-lane road, definitely caught Andri's attention. And he said to Mat, "Look, it's Porsche!  It's Lamborghini!" And then Mat said, "I already have those cars, right?" Sure, he's talking about his Hot Wheels collection.

I saw a banner back at the airport that said something like this, "In 1991, Dubai had 1 highrise.  And now it has more than 900." No kidding!

The interesting thing was, when you thought all you could see were only wide-roads and mini-deserts, then you saw skyscrapers popped-up in the distance here and there.  Very, very bold sight.

We reached Springs (residence) and set everything in for the day.