The Journey Begins...
(and an argument for Instagram)
This was the first leg of my trip to South Africa. The travel agent had twisted my arm to take Air Emirates and the opportunity of a free stopover in Dubai en route to Cape Town. It was a tough sell. We were leaving Edmonton on the afternoon of March 29 and while waiting in the newly renovated international departure lounge, I decided to try something new on this trip and keep friends/family engaged with Instagram. I'd never used the app, but I thought wherever I was in the world with wifi, I could quickly and conveniently upload an iPhone picture. So my narration from this trip will include my social network commentary. I hope it's an interesting read.
Burj Khalifa
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38 hours earlier...
"Sitting in the new #yeg international terminal, beginning a long journey to South Africa and loaded with camera gear! I'm going to try the social media thing. Please follow me for updates!"
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Seat 9D. Goodbye 3G coverage, hello free wifi abroad! #fingerscrossed
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So long, snow! As we gain altitude from #yeg, I am glad my sinus infection started to clear up yesterday. Shout out to my sinus rinse kit. And pseudo-ephedrine #time2party
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Flying over the Alberta Rockies.
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Imagine doing donuts in this bad boy! #funjob
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We all hated to leave the sunshine on our way into the terminal in Seattle! #loitering
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You know you're on a fault line when... #mayhem
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I'm fixin to get real familiar with this beast #bedsores
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I think I could eat off the floor in the Dubai airport. #shinyprettythings
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The transition from the airport was smooth. After a lot of walking through a beautiful airport, we were whisked through customs by a friendly officer who approved our visas. The shuttle I had arranged was waiting for us, as were the hotel staff when we arrived. This is home sweet home for the next day and a half. Our suite is basic but equipped with a kitchenette. It looks like easy walking distance to the metro station from here, through residential type apartments. I hope sleep comes easily; it's bedtime here but it would be before noon at home.
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Disappointment in Dubai. After getting up at 4 am for a sunrise hot air balloon ride, the wind had other ideas. I had been pumped to get some sweet pictures. Oh well. We're going to have breakfast at the hotel and then catch a shuttle to Jumeirah. #staytuned
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Returning to Dubai from the desert. The Burj Khalifa shines on the left of the frame. Chatting with some nice Swedes and an Argentinian. #goodstrongs
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Sand and construction everywhere #workinprogress
Shooting out the window.
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Returning to our hotel from the hot air balloon non-tour.
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Eye spy something that is Canadian #doubledouble #eatfresh
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One of the funniest moments of the trip followed shortly after breakfast. A guy in a Bugs Bunny costume was running around the hotel, with a camera guy in tow, shoving carrots at the mouths of guests while exclaiming "meep meep!" #confused #funnybit
The restaurant at our hotel was decked right out in tacky Easter decorations #unexpected There's an Easter joke in there somewhere about our hot air balloon not rising until Monday #crucifixionhumor
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Spent the morning at Jumeirah Beach. Lovely water and sand. We rented an umbrella and some beach chairs. There was interesting people-watching and it was the most diverse group of tourists I've ever seen. No cameras are allowed at the beach, but I snapped a couple discreetly. I played volleyball with some guys with big accents and small speedos. Oh, and the weather? About 28 degrees with a soft breeze. #toughonepal
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Jumeirah Beach club. After a long winter it was nice to walk around in bare feet for a while. I hope I don't burn #itsacurse
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We walked from our hotel to the nearest metro station. In the mid-day sun I found myself hurrying from one shadow of refuge to the next. #movingtarget
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Descending into Dubai's metro system. It is clean and easy to navigate but it has a distinctive aroma. #armpits
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WEM eat your heart out. The Dubai Mall has a Euro-sized ice rink #nohitting
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Who buys this stuff? #opulence
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Really?? #bratsintraining
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Don't forget to wear your googles. #giggle
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This time we lucked out. Stood on the tallest building in the world as day turned to night. My real camera and tripod finally got a work-out. The line-ups were horrendous and the Dubai Mall was a maze, so we didn't make it to the Burj Al Arab afterwards. After the hot air balloon fiasco, I'm going to call the rest of this day a win.
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Returning to the airport at an obscene hour, Cape Town bound. Will have been awake for 24 hours by the time the plane departs. A little hiccup with the booking may result in us sitting apart. #lotteryseating
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Doesn't air travel look fun? #allsmiles
