August 21 was the date for my journey to the next stage of my adventure - Dubai.
Up and at it at 0430 - last minute bits and pieces, coffee and a yogurt. Hooligan picked up at 0600 to start his journey - a drive to Seoul, a few hours at the Pet Travel Agency (Gina Nam at First Class Pet is amazing!) then off to Incheon International Airport for Quarantine Inspection and a few hours in the Live Cargo facilities, next a flight to Dubai. He cleared Dubai Customs and agriculture quickly and was delivered to Motor City shortly there after (DKC rocks!!).
Hooligan spent the next 3 hours telling me in minute detail all about his journey (I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't as fluent in MEOW as he thinks I am)...
My journey was a bit different from Hooligan's.
I left my Korean apartment at 0645 for a 45 minute drive to the KTX station in Eonyang. The Bakers helped my wrestle my 2 suitcases, 1 carry on and hand bag on to the train - they quickly hopped off before they had an unexpected trip to Seoul ( We had said our farewells just before the train pulled in to the station - it only stops for 5 minutes!). The train departed at 0822 and it was a smooth 300km/h ride to Seoul arriving at 1045. A porter helped me wrestle my luggage to the AREX (airport express) platform and then on to the train departing Seoul station at 1130.
Arriving at Incheon International Platform at 1212 I wrestled my luggage to the elevator and then to an electric car which delivered me to the terminal building.
I proceeded directly to check in. I was able to go straight to the counter - it took 45 minutes to check in my 60kg (limit of 25kg checked and 5kg carry on) of checked baggage (carry on baggage was happily 'over looked'). Thankfully the check in clerk only charged me for 10 kg and the rest sailed by (1 bag was 15kg, the other was 42kg). There were concerns about my entry permit versus a visa in the passport which meant signing papers to the effect that if I was refused entry in Dubai it was not the airlines fault of expense....
Through security quickly and easily... to find out flight was delayed. Departed Incheon 1 hour late, cutting my transit time in China in half.
Processing through Chinese transit immigration was an issue as my passport is old and well used (heavily wrinkled and full of stamps/visa) which made it SUSPICIOUS! Clearance took long enough that I raced to get to my gate.
The flight was delayed by 30 minutes with no explanation. Then as we were to start boarding the buses to to take us to the plane it started to rain - and rain heavily. The rain meant we could not be bused out to the plane AND that we might NOT take off at all.
EVENTUALLY, we were loaded on the plane (after walking 100ft through the deluge to the single set of stairs leading up to the aircraft). We sat at the 'gate' for 3 hours before being given clearance to line up for the run way at which point the rain picked up again. We sat in this purgatory for 40 minutes before being given clearance to take off - finally leaving china on to my final destination.
Arrival in Dubai was fairly smooth - an electric car to whisk my through the airport, a guide who whisked me through immigration (in the flight crew line!). Well, he was whisking me through until the official said "You can not enter."
Me, "Why not?"
Guide said something in Arabic to Immigration agent who had my Entry Permit, Passport and Boarding Card. Immigration agent typed some more on the computer and voila! I was in.
Baggage claim, pick up by my school sponsor. It is at this point I find out that the bed I order in April so I would have something in my empty apartment to sleep on had not been delivered. Correction, it had been delivered, but not to my apartment and no one knew where it was.
My school sponsor was pet sitting so I was graciously offered her apartment to sleep in and in the morning the hunt for the wayward furniture would begin.
Slept for a few hours and then Hooligan arrived....
Stage 1 of this new adventure has begun.
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