Thursday, July 31, 2014

A long long trip

I an sorry for no photos in this post.  I did not have my camera out during the flights to SrLanka.

Getting to Sri Lanka takes a very, very long time....

After a two hour and then a three hour flight, my husband, daughter and I arrived at Dulles in Washington DC and flew overnight for thirteen hours on a 777 to reach Dubai.  It was difficult to sleep but the service was excellent on the flight. As we neared Dubai, a young woman in front of me, struck up a conversation.  She said she was from Dubai and wondered if I was visiting there.  We looked out the window to the desert below and she told me what I was seeing.   I explained it was just a layover in Dubai. She told me Dubai was beautiful and there was a lot to do and everything was open very late and I must come some day to vacation.   I explained to her that I was on my way to Sri Lanka for my son's wedding.   She said that her language was Arabic and in Arabic they say "mabrook" to say congratulations so she was saying "mabrook" to me on my son's wedding.
When we landed in Dubai, it was very, very hot but the airport was comfortable.  I was most happy to get off the plane, brush my teeth and wash my face in the airport.  I was also pleased that I had chosen to wear a long sleeve sweater and scarf over my tshirt.  Everyone was very conservatively dressed in the airport.   There were women in brightly colored headscarves and those covered from head to toe in black with only a narrow opening for their eyes.  There were many men in religious garb too but not as many as the women.  My daughter and I were the only blondes in the airport.  

We boarded the plane to SriLanka.   I was not seated near my family on this flight, which I did not mind because I love to talk to strangers...or as a friend once said "Mary has never met a stranger, they are all just new friends."  The airline we flew, FlyDubai, had the best safety video, entertaining in Arabic and in English as a animated video.  I think you may be able to find it in YouTube .  It was great! The woman next to me, Silva, was from Lebanon, and a Jevovahs Witness.  She was on her way to SriLanka for a Jehovah's Witness convention.   She loved Lebanon and was a taxi driver there but told me they did not always have water or electricity.  She said that the Bible said when Jesus comes to reign on earth the fruits will be like those of Lebanon and we discussed fruit and weather.  She also said "mabrook" to me and explained the meaning when I told her my son was to be married in Sri Lanka.  I also spoke to some Sri Lankan women who were friendly and  wanted to hear about the wedding.

We arrived in Sri Lanka at around 1 am Thursday Sri Lankan time which would be about 1 pmWednesday  Minnesota time.  We will gain back this half day when we return.

1 comment:

Aunt Kim said...

Oh I am so excited for you!! I can not wait to hear more and see pictures, what an amazing adventure, enjoy!