The next couple of posts will not be about an adventure in Doha but instead about the adventure of my first trip home to Canada from Doha.
Way back in September 2010, it was decided that it would be a great idea for me to go home to Canada for Christmas instead of honeybunny coming to Doha. This was for a couple of reasons - 1 - dating is frowned upon here, 2 - we would have to find him a place to "stay" and 3 - if I came to Canada, I would see more people. And so it was decided. Once I had a ticket, it seemed everyone was anxious and excited to see me and hear about my time away. (I guess those people aren't following this blog... :-( )
The anticipation started on October 1st when the countdown calendar went up on the wall in my apt. All I needed to do was get through 82 days and I could see all my friends, family and loved ones - well the ones who lived in Nova Scotia anyway! As the days were X'd off one by one, I couldn't believe how fast they were going...then it was OMG it's only 10 more days...9...8...7 and so on until 2 days before the flight.
My flight out of Doha was with Qatar Airways, who allow online check in up to 36 hours prior to departure. So, when the 36th hour prior to my flight arrived, I tried checking in online and was told "There are no flight to check-in". LOVELY! I thought, but hey...I'm in the computer biz, maybe it's a glitch...I'll try again later. And I did...and guess what...SAME THING! I continued to try for about 24 hours without success. Well, boy, was I nervous then.
So I started to talk to my co-workers to see if this was normal. One of my co-workers...the nice gent that he is...suggested that the flight was oversold. Oversold?? How can that be...there is a definite number of seats on the plane....how does one sell more seats then one has? Apparently this happens quite regular here but this is a concept I just can't conceive of....If you have only 5 apples, how can you sell 8...? So, I asked my co-worker - the nice gent - "well what should I do??" He suggested I go to the airport at least 5 hours before the flight...that should ensure that I get my seat. So that is what I did.
Okay, so now, I have my 2 suitcases and my carry on and I am at the airport...I am successfully checked through passport control and I have a boarding pass (YAY!!) so there is no way I am not getting on that flight...now all I have to do is find something to occupy myself for 5 1/2 hours...First things first, I notify honeybunny that I have a boarding pass...(he was at home as stressed as I was about me getting on the flight and making all the connections.)
Next, check out the Duty Free shop...Since I don't recall ever being in a duty free shop I can say...WOW! What an experience...there was even a Rolls Royce in there...Can you imagine the cost to get that home...?? I didn't realize until later that it was for a raffle. All the top names were represented at Duty Free - Bvlgari, D & G, Versace, Chanel, Toblerone, Lindt, Marlboro, and a very small liquor section too (impressive since it is a dry state) There were some interesting Qatar themed items too so, I made a few small purchases and then headed upstairs...
Upstairs was were I found a food court...and not a very good one at that. Nonetheless, I was bored so I tried it. The food was NOT good. I definitely wouldn't recommend this food court to anyone traveling through Doha International Airport.
After the food court, I managed to find another small duty free shop upstairs...YAY Me! They had even cooler Qatar items than they had downstairs so of course I bought some more items. I picked up a copy of Top Gear UK magazine for my 2 gear head friends and a decorative pipe as a gift. Then it was off to Costa Coffee. They make a great vanilla latte so I was all set now to settle down and wait a few more hours until my flight started to board.
After sitting and watching things going on at Doha International Airport...I finally figured out why no flight takes off on time from there. A flight to Columbo, Sri Lanka was boarding at the gate I was waiting at. It was supposed to depart at 00:50. At 1:10am it finally departed after the personnel at the gate stopped calling for people to come on that flight.
Shortly after that, my own flight started to board. Once on the plane, things went pretty smoothly. I think I was asleep before we reached our cruising altitude and I woke up in time for canberry and cheese crepes for breakfast before landing in Frankfurt. Yummy! The cool thing about an overnight flight from Doha is a great little pack that is sitting on your seat when you get on. There is the requisite blanket and pillow but then there is a little pouch on a string, something I had never seen before as Air Canada definitely doesn't provide this. Inside the pouch was a pair of burgundy cotton socks (to keep your feet warm), ear plugs, a sleep mask and a travel toothbrush with a mini toothpaste. So cool!
In Frankfurt, I waited in line for over an hour for an Air Canada agent to show up and issue my remaining boarding passes. (I suppose I can cut her some slack since we did arrive at 6:30ish in the morning.) To keep from being bored I struck up a few conversations...I met an lovely older gent from South Africa who was on his way to Dallas. He'd been waiting for a flight out of Frankfurt since the previous day because of major snow storms across Europe. We chatted for a bit. Then another nice fellow and I started talking. He'd just flown in from Doha as well. He was interviewing for a job there. He had tons of questions about life in general and how things are for women specifically, which I was happy to answer. I gave him my card so maybe he or his girlfriend will send along some questions. I know I benefitted greatly by having someone to talk to before I came over.
Next twas on to get a bacon and egg mcmuffin from McDonalds....You might think this is odd but since I can't get bacon in Doha, I made a beeline straight for the 1st place I knew I could. Alas it was not as tasty as I remember them being in Canada...
After the disappointing experience at McDonalds, on my way to the gate, I decided to take in some more retail therapy. I went to duty free and had a peak around and then I found a small kiosk that had a couple of beer tankards. One design was blue and white. It listed many city names and crests found in Germany. Another design was more plain with a white background, the German Crest and Deutchland written on it. I opted to buy the 1st one. And a mug with Frankfurt written on it as honeybunny and I have begun collecting the mugs where ever we go.
Next I was off to Toronto. As many of you know it isn't my favorite city to live in but I do like the airport. I find it very easy to get around and there is tons to do once you are through security. There's quite a number of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and retails stores for shopping. Also the recent renovations that have been taking place over the last number of years have made it much easier to get around. Unfortunately, on this trip, I did not have a lot of time to do any of those thing. I had to go through passport control and tell them what I had to declare, then pickup my bags, and bring them through a checkpoint to be re-scanned and loaded onto the flight to Halifax. That left me just enough time to run to a bathroom to change, so I would look presentable to honeybunny when I landed, and about 5 minutes to wait before boarding the plane. Maybe next time I will be able to have a drink or a meal between flights.
The landing in Halifax was a bit bumpy but the pilot got us there safe and sound which is the most important part.
My reunion with honeybunny, after a little more than 4 months, was terrific. He was as excited to see me as I was him and he was very thoughtful to bring me a winter coat, hat, and scarf since I didn't have one.
Keep yourself posted for my next installment. It will be a short bit about my my time at home and how I spent Christmas, and then the harrowing story of my return to Doha...
Stay Safe! :)
PS...Feel free to leave comments (even if it is to say I talk to much - I know I do!) and to click follow to be kept updated when new posts have been made. Cheers!
