1) I haven't slept at all tonight. Mainly because my transport (very graciously arranged by Dr. Wang) would come at around 3:15am, which meant I had to be up and ready before that. So I decided against any sleep at all, and just stayed up contemplating what would be my last night here in Suzhou, China.
2) At 3:00am, I say a final goodbye to my accommodation, and head out to the main gate - only to find that it's pouring cats and dogs. Luckily there is some cover from the rain, although after a while the strong winds blow the rain diagonally so I still end up wet. Thankfully, the car arrives soon enough, and I hurriedly store my luggage in the boot and get in. Safe and sound, for now. Phew...
3) I get some rest while on the journey to the airport. Miraculously, I open my eyes just as he pulls over - at the correct terminal. After signing a form (to confirm we arrived at the correct destination), I head inside the airport. The first thing is to check in with Emirates, when I realise there would be a problem. My flight is at 7.00am, and now is only 4.45am, but the queue in front of me is so long that I'm pretty sure we would take an hour at least to check in our luggage.
4) At just past six, I've finally gotten my luggage weighed and stowed away. Hurriedly I head to the customs, and find another long line of people waiting. It should take another hour according to the rate they are going at. Very fortunately, at 6.30am, they suddenly open a new gate, and we are some of the first in line! Because of this, I finish customs immigration and inspection at quarter to seven.
5) As I reach the correct departure gate (very close to the inspection area, thankfully) I realise that the gates haven't even opened yet. Then, a stewardess makes the announcement that there has been a delay due to poor flight visibility. After several moments of waiting, the final departure time is announced at 7:30am - much to everyone's relief. It certainly brought back memories when I was travelling with my parents and we were returning to Ireland, only to have our flight delayed from afternoon all the way till late night!
6) By 7:20am, everyone was invited to board, and we had a safe (if uneventful) flight to Dubai, where we transited. Luckily our luggage was transported directly to the final destination i.e. Dublin, so I didn't have to worry about it. I spent a solid couple of hours just resting and eating complimentary ice cream from Emirates :) In the afternoon, we boarded the connecting flight back to Ireland.
7) The only problem on my mind was the slight delay we had in taking off. This would affect our landing time, meaning we arrived later than usual. Before this, I had promised Niamh to help her carry some stuff back home, where her parents were waiting (and very kindly would drop me off at my accommodation). But in the air, I had no way of contacting them or anyone for that matter. So I felt bad for making them wait for so long. Immediately after clearing immigration and retrieving my baggage, I made a B-line for the exit.
8) After a nice chat with Niamh's parents, they drove me all the way back. It was very nice touching down in Ireland, but it definitely took some adjusting to after so long in a different country. I still remember waking up the next morning thinking I was still in China XD. It was really a couple of near misses that I had, especially with the timing of the flights and transport - so I'm just glad to be safe and in one piece. Anyway, all's well that ends well as they say. That's it for my blog today, and thanks very much for visiting. Have a nice day, cheers! :D
Beautiful Shanghai Pudong International Airport
One last look before I bid farewell to China! :(
The ground floor of our accommodation, taken at 3:00am XD
Flight EK305, scheduled for 7:15am
Shanghai Pudong International Airport
(this was after I cleared customs and everything else, just in case you were wondering ^^)
Indeed, it does look like poor visibility was a problem here
Waiting right at the departure gate
Very spacious and comfy flight
I know some people complain about airplane food, but personally I love it!
(Especially their apple juice, it's really good :))
Complimentary ice cream from Emirates ^^
Mango flavour
Beautiful architecture of Dubai International Airport
Another round of food - oh YES! XD
Guess who got a haircut after MORE than 2 months?!
(back safe and sound)
