The long haul home - Second Leg - Dubai to Melbourne

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NOTE: We are home. This is the final entry for this holiday.



Good to his word, the captain had us touching down in Dubai just after midnight. With our flight to Melbourne at 2.20pm local time we had just over two hours until we were due to be in the air again for the longer leg of our journey home. With boarding commencing an hour before flight time we really only had an hour to stretch our legs.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to change terminals at Dubai, just walk from one gate to another. It’s so much easier to fly in and out of the same terminal and not have to take the train between terminals. We decided to walk to our departure gate before sitting down. It’s much easier to be where you need to be when the gate opens rather than being distracted elsewhere in the airport and then having to rush to the gate. Even Dubai Airport has very little open in the middle of the night so there wasn’t really anything to distract us apart from yet another security check. So much less hassle than it was at Manchester Airport. All our electrical items and cameras could stay in our carry-on bags here.

When we arrived at the gate, we could have gone straight through to the gate lounge, even though it was ahead of the stated boarding time. There was a single attendant on the gate, and he wasn’t turning people away, but neither were they announcing that the gate was open. We decided to stay outside until they actually announced that the gate was open. We both used the facilities and then thought about buying a bottle of water from a vending machine right beside the gate. However, there were now more staff on the gate, and they were encouraging people to come through. Not sure that we would be able to take the water through the gate we decided to wait for a drink.

Phew, just as well we didn’t buy the water as the staff were asking passengers if they were carrying liquids and telling them they would have to dispose of them downstairs. We proceeded downstairs and even though we had already been through X-ray security screening we had to open our carry-on bags for a search before we were allowed into the gate lounge. What? Where on earth would we acquired something dodgy between security checking and the gate other than IN the airport from one of THEIR vendors or vending machines???

Despite the fact that we had been asked at the gate about liquids there were heaps of passengers arriving at the checkpoint at the entry to the lounge with liquids. So many people chugging water or tipping it into the bin despite having been warned that liquids would have to be relinquished. It seems so at odds with their comfortable flying guidelines. The ICE system reminds passengers frequently to wear comfortable clothes, stretch and drink plenty of fluids during the flight. Then they won’t let you buy a bottle of water outside the gate to take onto the plane. Do they think their suppliers are filling the vending machines with illicit liquids??! As we sat waiting for boarding to commence there were so many grumpy people arriving totally pissed off about not being able to bring a bottle of water in with them.

We commenced boarding late so it seemed unlikely that we would be departing at 2.20pm. By the time everyone was loaded, and the cabin doors were closed it was nearer to 3.00pm. There’s obviously some padding in the flight times as, once again, the captain assured us that the time would be made up in the air and he anticipated having us in Melbourne on time.

We would have liked to get some sleep straight away and then be awake in the second half of the flight so that we could hope to get some sleep after we arrived home sometime after 9.30pm Wednesday night. But we also wanted to be fed. Oh yay, it was rubber eggs for ‘breakfast’. We both decided on the omelette rather than the scrambled eggs. Eggs really don’t hold well and they always seem akin to a lump of foam! Fills a spot, I guess?

After being fed we both managed to rest/sleep for a while. I actually think we may have managed to be sort of dozing/asleep for about four to five hours?? After waking up Bernie watched Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. My choices were much more sophisticated. I watched The Menu (starring Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult) and then Master Gardener (starring Sigourney Weaver and Joel Edgerton). Both rather quirky little films! Master Gardener was rated R for language, sexual content and nudity. However, after reformatting for the in-flight entertainment, I rather think all of that content had been edited out!

We were fed … again. Beef or chicken … again. We both opted for the beef … again. Damn, the beef was done very differently on this leg of the journey. More a stir-fry offering this time with rice and chilli. OMG, I wasn’t expecting the heat and nearly choked on the first mouthful. Once I stopped coughing, I had another go and managed to consume the rest without incident.

Finally, out over the Great Australian Bite the Captain announced that we would soon be on our final approach to Melbourne. Thank goodness, so ready to be back on the ground. Hmmn, maybe I should be careful what I wish for because the pilot slammed us down onto the runway at Tullamarine in one of the hardest landings I can recall experiencing. I had the camera from the plane’s nose cone on my screen and it was a bit scary with us seemingly coming in not quite lined up with the centre of the runway and then SMACKDOWN!! But, hey, we made it.

It was such a relief to be off the plane. On the one hand flying straight through gets you home quickly, but being cooped up for that length of time is pretty hideous. As we were walking through to the SmartGates I said to Bernie, as we passed a counter where other passengers were filling in incoming passenger cards – we need to fill-in arrivals cards. We must’ve been asleep when these were handed out, but I knew they had been because I saw they guy sitting beside me filling his in. However, after 24 hours in transit Bernie was convinced that we didn’t need to fill in incoming passenger cards.

We passed the first SmartGates and the second SmartGates knowing from last year that there would be hardly anyone at the third set of gates. Well, there was hardly anyone there BUT the first gate we tried wasn’t working. Aargh. Not what you need when you are sleep deprived! Fortunately, the second gate was working, and we were on our way to the luggage carousel.

We waited and waited and waited for our luggage to appear. I had another crisis of confidence about arrivals cards and set off to see if I could find some despite Bernie remaining convinced that we did that as part of our passage through the SmartGate. We’ve answered those questions he told me. Hmmn, yes, we’ve answered two questions about being in Africa or Malaysia (I think that was the second country?) within the last two weeks, but I am sure we need to supply more information than that. I completed a circuit of the hall where all the luggage carousels are and couldn’t find any desks with incoming passenger cards or even someone to ask. Fine we’ll do it Bernie’s way.

Finally, our bags appeared. I suppose on the plus side, so many other passengers had collected their luggage by this stage that Bernie didn’t have to fight his way into the belt to haul our cases off??? The container with all the luggage that had originated in Manchester must have been the last one out of the cargo hold??

Cases in tow, we started towards the Border Control lanes. We were heading in a straight line until a staff member told us we would have to go around to the end of the queue … way over there. OK, still feeling certain that we were lacking some paperwork I approached this person to ask. Yes, she said, you need to fill in incoming passenger cards, wait a moment and I’ll get some for you. Aaarrgh! We went around to the end of the queue with me just about going into a complete meltdown because I had to sit at the side of the hall filling in the bloody paperwork that we really should have completed on the plane or at least in the corridor on our way to the SmartGates!! I HATE not having everything in order.

After our visit to Lyme Park on Monday there had been a number of conversations about whether or not we should declare that we had been on farmland. Bernie thought not BUT, of course, Ms Compliance thought we should declare that our footwear had traipsed around a National Trust estate that is home to a herd of deer. Since I was filling in the paperwork at the last minute I ticked ‘Yes’ to the question about farmland.

We were duly pointed towards the red line which wasn’t busy because all the people whose suitcases had come out early had already been through Border Control. Seriously, I shouldn’t have worried. The guy at the gate didn’t even ask us why we were declaring, only if our shoes were clean and dry. He didn’t even ask if our declaration was in relation to the footwear we were actually wearing!! We flashed our soles at him, and he waved us through. I think we would have been through in about the same time regardless of going through the red or green channel this evening.

I rang Kerry who had already spent her designated half an hour in the holding car park and was now on her fourth circuit through the pick-up zone. She hadn’t dared to stop in the pick-up zone because they were towing a car on her third circuit!! Watched with bemusement as one passenger was picked up. His driver had to take a selfie of them being reunited before he could clear the pick-up zone. Seriously? Does absolutely every moment in life have to be photographed? Just as well they were gone before Kerry arrived and needed the spot. I reckon we had loaded our cases and ourselves in about 30 seconds and we were on our way. Why can’t everyone do it that way?

It was an easy run along the freeway and Bell Street at this late hour, so Kerry had us home quickly. We organised a few things for tomorrow. We are crazy and have said we will be at our volunteer roles tomorrow morning! We turned the water back on for the fridge, Bernie put my car on the battery charger so it will start when I want to go to my Pilates class tomorrow afternoon. We unpacked our toothbrushes, showered, cleaned our teeth and fell into bed about midnight.

It’s good to be home.



Steps: 5,118 (3.52 kms)

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