Five days in Dubai

In last week’s edition I recounted how my dream of visiting Dubai and also experiencing the Emirates airline’s service all came true within a short time of my wish while also having the experience of travelling in the double deck jumbo jet – A-380-800. My adventure is just about to begin so fasten your seat belts.

The Boeing 777 – 300 is likely to take over 300 passengers in its First, Business and Economy classes. Both planes seat 10 in a row – three seats at the flanks and four in the middle. 

The food from Accra was on point but I noticed that the lunch served from Dubai was more like introducing the passengers to the oriental food they would be eating in Beijing. One of my first experiences on an airline too was the menu card distributed to passengers to prepare them for the meal. 

I found that quite ingenious, as it affords those who have special diets to request such meals, but that is if the cabin attendants can provide that.

Well, we had a smooth flight to China for a two-week programme, after which I returned safely home, oblivious of the fact that I would be making my dream trip to the UAE just in a few months. Later events were to show me that it had been preordained.

Dubai trip invitation

The following year in January I received a call that I had been selected to be on a media trip to the UAE and I remember the first question I asked was why I was selected because it came as a surprise. The answer even surprised me more. You wanna know? Then see me in chambers.

To add to that, I had completely forgotten I had made a wish that I wanted to visit the Emirates. Preparations were made thereafter and we emplaned to the UAE in Business Class as the trip was being organised by the airline.

It was on Sunday, February 23, 2020 in the evening that the team finally emplaned for Dubai on what was going to be an exciting five-day trip.

When we arrived, we were taken to the V Hotel which would be our place of abode for five nights and four days. In front of the hotel was a flyover that looked so familiar in its design. It was then that it clicked. 

It looks just like our Dubai flyover that forms part of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange in Accra. No wonder it was referred to as Dubai when it was opened to traffic.

Special welcome

On my bed to welcome me into the room was a towel designed into a heart and littered with rose petals, as well as a welcome note and card with contacts to reach if I needed anything. 

Aaaaaaw! Isn’t that sweet? At least that assured me that I was welcome and a good time at my temporary home was assured.

Once we settled in, there was little rest, after which the team plunged into action the following day, with visits lined up to places of interest such as the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve for a safari ride, dinner and camel ride, a boat cruise on the Dubai creek in the night referred to as the Bateaux experience and the various departments of the Emirates airline, starting with the Flight Catering Department and ending at the Engineering section.

There were also visits to the market, Dubai Museum, a boat ride to the traditional part of the city, a visit to the Jumeirah Mosque, the Emirates Aviation College, the World’s Tallest Building - the Burj Khalifa, a special dinner experience with a chef, lunch at the Arabian Tea House and a visit to the waterfront, among other interesting places.

Flight catering

Our first port of call was the Emirates Flight Catering department early in the morning, and my! Were we not impressed with what we saw? We noticed that all the food served on board Emirates’ numerous flights were catered for under strict hygienic conditions.

After we had been given some white overcoats, hair nets and covering for our shoes, we proceeded to disinfect our hands before going round the kitchen and bakery, where we saw staff busily preparing meat, vegetables, pastries and various kinds of food and vegetables.

We also visited the section where the cutlery for the flights are prepared and taken onboard.    

Desert safari

Our first experience on a desert safari could best be described in one word - thrilling. Not knowing exactly what to expect except driving on the desert, we got ready on Monday, February 24, 2020 at 9:00a.m. for an adventure on the Dubai Desert.

The vehicle to take us on that unforgettable escape, a Toyota Land Cruiser with Arabian Adventures written on it should have given us a foreboding of what lay in store for us on the dunes.