Beth's Big Adventure Day 1 - Manchester to Dubai

Dubai by night.

Not exactly Cumbria I know, but thought it might be fun to keep tabs on this adventure!

Early doors & Manchester airport and massive queue at the Emirates desk. The only problem with this was the two whinging Brits stood behind me. For a nation that invented queuing we don't half moan about it sometimes. They had a go at the concierge chap so I was ultra nice to him & the check in guy & he gave me a seat with extra legroom - I never saw them again to thank them.

Posh hotel room.

The flight was a wee bit bumpy in places but otherwise uneventful. Emirates have a camera in the nose and under the plane so whilst you're flying you can properly check out the world outside. Made me feel a little nauseous as I watched the belly cam showing the world passing by 41,000 feet below.

Thanks to only having a carry on bag I zoomed through arrivals. Wheels down was 7:15pm and I was in my hotel room before 8:00pm. I'm staying at the Park Regis and it is scarily posh. Well, scary for me, I'm more of a Travelodge girl usually. I've been in Dubai before but had forgotten how crazy the drivers were - it made the turbulence on the plane seem like a walk in the park, albeit a bumpy one. As we weaved through the traffic I took in as much of the local sights as I could; the Burj, the Raffles Hotel, Marks & Spencers...

Blurry Alps maybe?

I'm currently making use of the free wifi in the lobby before taking a short stroll in an attempt to absorb at least a little of the culture - this whistle stop tour is way more whistle than stop so I'm making the most of every chance I get. A dip in the rooftop pool beckons before brekkie and a full day's work (their working week starts on Sunday). Then it's a 2 hour drive through the desert to Abu Dhabi for the next instalment. I'm a very little Beth in a very big world - but it's nice to explore a little bit of it occasionally - though I'd really prefer it if Steve were here with me.

PS Please excuse the lack of possessive apostrophe in the title - the editor I'm using can't cope with it!  (Now sorted!)

Rooftop Pool & Dubai Skyline