DUBAI to SYDNEY – going back home

Sunday/Monday – I have had a long walk through the corridors and spaces of Dubai airport – this camera bag is getting heavier with every step.  Even at this late hour the airport is full of travellers – the place never closes – and most people have fist fulls of food! It does smell good but I know that I will be fed into oblivion on the plane.

Finding my gate, there are wonderful seats with extended footrests to relax my tired body as I wait for my flight to be called.  I hate the trip home from anywhere; in saying that I am glad to get back to the best place on earth but I hate the effort it takes and usually I lose a day or two depending which way I travel.  By this stage of the trip I have lost most of the enthusiasm to take photos – yep, hard to believe but true.

Flight EK414 – seat 47K.  Departing Dubai 1.50am – arrive Sydney 10.30pm.  Yep I am still awake at this time of the morning – running on empty but still awake.

Boarding is called and my seat welcomes me as I get organised – this time I make sure that the camera is within easy reach and even though there is plenty of room in my seat area my body is screaming that it wants to lie down – unfortunately it will just have to make do with what it has.  It is not long after that we are offered the hot towels which let me say are most welcome.  I can feel myself starting to nod off –

Spoiler alert – there are no photos of food – no photos of my seat – no photos of the take off and only one photo of landing in Sydney – there are photos of the flight screen to keep you happy.  I will have to remember that taking off at night and landing at night is not a good idea.  In future I will try for all daylight excursions.

The outside temperature is -49 degrees celsius and with that thought in mind I pull the blanket up a little higher.  I drift in and out of sleep and then it is time for Breakfast. I know we have to get our bodies used to the time where we are arriving but sometimes I just wonder is it worth it.  The minute I start to smell food I am awake and let me say breakfast in the middle of the night is just a bit over the top.

Unfortunately Emirates does not have a continental option, it’s either eggs or eggs both of which I do not eat.  Nevertheless, I want the fruit and croissant etc so which is the lesser to smell.  Much of a muchness – I enjoy the remainder and leave the eggs nestled up in their little foil tray.

A short time later we are presented with Vegetarian Pizza to snack on along with some fruit and snack bars.  They certainly don’t want us to starve to death – but I see a method in their madness – they want us to stay awake.

Time for Lunch – Smoked salmon appetisers, Grilled chicken with peppercorn sauce and veggies; Vanilla cheesecake and coffee.

That ladies and gentlemen is the end of the food for this flight so I can now settle down until it is time for us to arrive in Sydney.

I do take some photos of the screen as I cannot see to write – my eyes are so tired.

This is the sunset over OZ.  We are nearly home – we are flying into the night and have only an hour or two to go.

Sydney at night from the air would be great to see.  Tonight however, I am lucky to see anything – let alone take photos.

This is the final photo of what has been one of the best holidays I have ever had.

As Chris and Jess say in the itinerary – ‘you can jet back to the reality of your busy lives back home, attend to that flood of emails building up in your inbox and get ready to return to work on Monday.  Stick a few of your best photos up on the wall and remember, forever, two of the most exciting weeks of your life!!’

So now it’s over.  The family are at the airport to meet me – – all I want to do is stretch out in my own bed and sleep without any wake up alarms, although I am sure I will spring out of bed and grab for the cameras as soon as I wake.  Maybe I will just lie there and remember hearing the sounds of the animals.

To finish this safari – THANK YOU – once again to everyone who made it so memorable.  Thank you for the thousands of incredible moments captured in my photos including the amazing people and those angelic faces of the school children.  This is a once in a lifetime trip, although if I win lotto I will be back like a shot.

To everyone who reads my travel adventures – I hope you had an amazing time. Do yourself a favour and go to Kenya if you haven’t already done so – it is the most amazing place.

These are my Big 5 photos – you have seen them before – but I will print and frame – and then I can look at them all the time without turning on the computer and flicking through the thousands of photos – which is most probably what I will do anyway!

Time now to start planning the next adventure so stay tuned for updates.

Highlight of the day – arriving home safe and sound.