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Published: January 4th 2010
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Arrived 2 1/2 before flight departure at Sana'a airport, I could not figure out which counter to go for Gulf Air, there were no signs so I asked one counter and was told it opens in 10 minutes. There hardly was a queue so check in was smooth, then as I head down to immigration counter a bored guard stopped me and pointed to a pink card I need to fill up, but there was no pen! I went back to the Gulf air counter, no pen either, ok so i walked around hunting for one, at the duty free shop the cashier has one so she lend me it and as I was filling up the form next to her she told me she needs my passport information for the computer, I thought it was odd, i did not buy a thing I just borrowed their pen, anyway at immigration it was smooth as well. I can see a lot of Indian looking people they are in a group, perhaps members of a religious community, headed to Mumbai, the men wear a very cool embroidered skull cap and the women a nice Amish looking dress but very colorful and different
patterns. I wonder if they have something to do with the religious cult in Al Huteib, the place i visited in Haraz?hmmm..
We boarded before them, there was this stupid dude who when I was in the queue at immigration tried to cut me! When I was ushered to approach the officer he went with me! The officer yelled at him to move back and wait his turn. On the plane this same dude was behind me, his friend had his feet up resting on the corner of my seat, I was very annoyed, the local men wear slippers with their garb and so as if he is at home resting his feet up in chair and it smells! I almost said something but he withdrew his feet at dinner.
About to land in Bahrain we can see the glitter of lights in the city and Mr. Simpleton behind me taps me in the shoulder and asked me something in Arabic, all I can undestand is Saudi Arabia and him pointing at the lights outside. Then I realized he may be asking is that Saudi Arabia below us? The captain announces in English and in Arabic, how can we
be in freaking Saudi Arabia, the captain moments ago said we are about to land in the Kingdom of Bahrain!
3 hour layover in busy Bahrain airport, lots of Filipinos, indians and various nationalities, I busied myself with free wifi internet. The flight to Dubai was short, I was in the middle, dont mind for a short flight. When we landed in Dubai the fat dude sat in the window seat wants to get his belongings above in the storage compartment, i told him he can do that later when people started moving forward in the aisle. He did not listen kept pushing me, there is no place to go so i lost it and yelled at him" come on could you please wait like everyone else". he blurted something in Arabic, I walked away. the bridge to immigration is long we made it to the counters, immigration asked me where I am staying, i said am in transit, he looks at me funny and then stamps my passport, 30 days.. 20 hours would have sufficed really.
Out of customs I hurriedly went out of the terminal , information desk told me there is a left luggage outside,
found it and it was only 10 dirhams($3) to store your bags for 12 hours, sweet! Walked around trying to find my way back the departure lounge of terminal 1, then proceeded to the 2nd floor where they have restaurants and some empty chairs, i took advantage and had a nap in along stretch of chairs next to a bank. Few hours of sleep helped. Now i had breakfast at Chowking, a Filipino chain of fastfood Chinese restaurants. Then tried to figure out how I could see the city cheap, the waiter told me buses outside can take me to the center. Went outside no driver in the bus then I saw a guy get i the other bus, i asked him if he can take me to Deira shopping center, turns out he's Filipino and we spoke in our native tongue he heloed me sort my shit out, he told me to buy a card thing for the bus and trains, 20 dirhams($6) and I dont need to take the expensive city bus tours, he gave me instructions to get to the Emirates mall where I can just chill and also see the Burj al Arab hotel, the train
is spanking new you have to wand your card going in and out of stations and buses otherwise you could get fined heavily.
The mall was boring, all these expensive shops, i had lunch at KFC for $3 snack meal of chicken, and found Carrefour, bought a juice so I saved heaps for lunch. I got bored after awhile so went back to the airport the same way, the city is huge and full of concrete slabs, and more buildings and infrastructures are being built, a big change from dirty Sana'a to cosmopolitan, modern high tech Dubai, such a culture shock!
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