It's been a little bit since I wrote an update so here you go...
I'm sitting in the Qatar Airways Business Class section of their Premium Terminal waiting on my fight to the Seychelles. Boy, if only all airline lounges were like this. It's actually a bit unbelievable. There are more people working in this single lounge than probably work in all the United Clubs in the US and they're not contract employees.
To bring things up to date, Dar Es Salaam wound up just being a pit stop. By the time I dealt with the fact my luggage didn't arrive and I got to the hotel, it was about 5 AM. The visa process was a bit insane. Once you filled out your forms (including entry card), you gave them plus the $100 multi-entry fee and your passport to one person. He gathered a few passports then took them to one window. The person in that window processed them somewhat then put them on a stack next to her. The three people issuing visas then took a part of the pile and worked through it. When they were done with someone's passport, they called out their name and showed the passport. When it was your turn, you went up and got your photo taken and a scan of both hands and thumbs. Then you were issued the visa and went through immigration to the luggage carousels.
Of course, my luggage wasn't there so I filed a claim manually as stated before and exited the airport. Got a taxi and headed off to the Doubletree. Stayed up for a bit then caught a few hours nap. There's not much around the hotel but I did take some photos from my room which was very nice.
Dar Es Salaam, in the daylight, looked like a city trying to progress. From the news I read, it didn't seem that corruption was much of an issue in Tanzania but they're still concerned. The airport, however, needs modernization and so does their visa procedures.
I spent quite a bit of my time at the airport trying to figure out if my luggage came in on the early Ethiopian Airlines flight. It didn't which I knew it wouldn't because there was no way it could have gotten from Johannesburg in time to make the flight. I wound up getting access to baggage claim and told the folks there that if they arrived on the same flight I did one day later that I wanted the bag sent back to Addis Ababa where I would pick it up on Friday. I haven't heard if this has happened. I'm hoping that Addis will be able to put a trace on the bag to find out where it is.
So, off to Addis, Dubai, Doha, and the Seychelles I go with only my carry on luggage....
Got to Dubai after a long wait at Dar to go through exit procedures, boarding a 777 from a bus gate with a busload of passengers pushing their way up the stairs, and an okay wait at Dubai Immigration. Exited Customs to find my driver from the hotel waiting. It was nice being chauffered to the hotel in an Audi A8. Checked in and found they had upgraded me to an Executive deluxe room on the top floor. Found out later that the rooms on the top floor are the only ones with balconies.
I also found this little creature in my room...
He was composed solely of towels except for his eyes which are two water bottle caps.
This was the view out of the balcony this morning.
With a departure time to the airport of 3 PM, I didn't really have a lot of time today. So, what do I do? Yep, it's the tourist thing. It's the Dubai Big Bus Tour. I took a cab over to the first stop because it was too hot to walk the 10-15 minute walk (imagine the heat of the California desert combined with the humidity of New Orleans and you've got Dubai!).
Hopped on the bus and started the tour. I had thought, at the beginning that I might get a chance to go to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) but I had to settle for just driving by it. There was a ton of traffic and I wanted to get a shower before I left Dubai to freshen up.
Since most of my photos in cities tend to be of architecture, they also tend to be of churches or mosques in the case of Dubai. There were many many beautiful mosque buildings in the city. Here are only a few...
There's been a lot of building going on in Dubai. There's been some interesting architecture involved with that building. Here's a few examples.
It was definitely an interesting time in Dubai and I only scratched the surface. I'd like to go back and visit more than just the one Emirate as there are seven total that make up the United Arab Emirates.
It was then back to the hotel for a quick shower and snack then off to the airport for an uneventful hour flight on United to Doha where I sit now.
I'm sitting in the Qatar Airways Business Class section of their Premium Terminal waiting on my fight to the Seychelles. Boy, if only all airline lounges were like this. It's actually a bit unbelievable. There are more people working in this single lounge than probably work in all the United Clubs in the US and they're not contract employees.
To bring things up to date, Dar Es Salaam wound up just being a pit stop. By the time I dealt with the fact my luggage didn't arrive and I got to the hotel, it was about 5 AM. The visa process was a bit insane. Once you filled out your forms (including entry card), you gave them plus the $100 multi-entry fee and your passport to one person. He gathered a few passports then took them to one window. The person in that window processed them somewhat then put them on a stack next to her. The three people issuing visas then took a part of the pile and worked through it. When they were done with someone's passport, they called out their name and showed the passport. When it was your turn, you went up and got your photo taken and a scan of both hands and thumbs. Then you were issued the visa and went through immigration to the luggage carousels.
Of course, my luggage wasn't there so I filed a claim manually as stated before and exited the airport. Got a taxi and headed off to the Doubletree. Stayed up for a bit then caught a few hours nap. There's not much around the hotel but I did take some photos from my room which was very nice.
Dar Es Salaam, in the daylight, looked like a city trying to progress. From the news I read, it didn't seem that corruption was much of an issue in Tanzania but they're still concerned. The airport, however, needs modernization and so does their visa procedures.
I spent quite a bit of my time at the airport trying to figure out if my luggage came in on the early Ethiopian Airlines flight. It didn't which I knew it wouldn't because there was no way it could have gotten from Johannesburg in time to make the flight. I wound up getting access to baggage claim and told the folks there that if they arrived on the same flight I did one day later that I wanted the bag sent back to Addis Ababa where I would pick it up on Friday. I haven't heard if this has happened. I'm hoping that Addis will be able to put a trace on the bag to find out where it is.
So, off to Addis, Dubai, Doha, and the Seychelles I go with only my carry on luggage....
Got to Dubai after a long wait at Dar to go through exit procedures, boarding a 777 from a bus gate with a busload of passengers pushing their way up the stairs, and an okay wait at Dubai Immigration. Exited Customs to find my driver from the hotel waiting. It was nice being chauffered to the hotel in an Audi A8. Checked in and found they had upgraded me to an Executive deluxe room on the top floor. Found out later that the rooms on the top floor are the only ones with balconies.
I also found this little creature in my room...
He was composed solely of towels except for his eyes which are two water bottle caps.
This was the view out of the balcony this morning.
With a departure time to the airport of 3 PM, I didn't really have a lot of time today. So, what do I do? Yep, it's the tourist thing. It's the Dubai Big Bus Tour. I took a cab over to the first stop because it was too hot to walk the 10-15 minute walk (imagine the heat of the California desert combined with the humidity of New Orleans and you've got Dubai!).
Hopped on the bus and started the tour. I had thought, at the beginning that I might get a chance to go to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) but I had to settle for just driving by it. There was a ton of traffic and I wanted to get a shower before I left Dubai to freshen up.
Since most of my photos in cities tend to be of architecture, they also tend to be of churches or mosques in the case of Dubai. There were many many beautiful mosque buildings in the city. Here are only a few...
There's been a lot of building going on in Dubai. There's been some interesting architecture involved with that building. Here's a few examples.
 |
| Burj Al-Arab Hotel |
 |
| Anothr Burj Al-Arab view |
 |
| Dubai's Atlantis on the crescent at Palm Island |
 |
| Dubai's Atlantis on the crescent at Palm Island |
 |
| The funky sloped thing? That's Ski Dubai an indoor ski slope |
 |
| Burj Khalifa |
 |
| Burj Khalifa |
 |
| Burj Khalifa |
It was definitely an interesting time in Dubai and I only scratched the surface. I'd like to go back and visit more than just the one Emirate as there are seven total that make up the United Arab Emirates.
It was then back to the hotel for a quick shower and snack then off to the airport for an uneventful hour flight on United to Doha where I sit now.
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