Goodbye Europe, hello Middle East...

Day 66

Said my goodbyes to Elina and bid farewell to London. My flight was to fly out of Luton Airport (quite a way out from the city) but I had booked a shuttle bus so no issues. No dramas with check in and security, although I was able to get a bottle of water through the scanner. Guess they don't check the bags that carefully. Boarded my Easyjet flight and in no time, I was back in Emmenbrucke and doing an afternoon cycle through the Swiss forests, before settling down in my relatives' restaurant and enjoying a delicious dinner and a night of recounting my many adventures. That's pretty much it for Day 66, you don't do much when it's a travel day. Although as I unpacked my backpack and did laundry, it hit me that my trip was coming to an end (well, the Europe component at least). Scary. I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave. There's always more to see.

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Day 67

Had a great sleep in in a bed and room that was so comfortable and warm. You really miss some of these comforts in some of the hostels. Cycled with my uncle to Luzern for lunch. Made the mistake of not wearing gloves resulting in extremely painful hands from the chilling wind. Braved the cold and cycled home to get the gloves before setting out again towards the snow-capped mountains. This whole time I've been in Europe, I've been hoping to see snow. And so far, nothing. Well I did see it on the bus from Paris to London but I wasn't outside and feeling it, and besides it was very light snowfall. No such luck today either. It certainly was cold enough (all the puddles on the ground were frozen over) but still no snowfall. The day wasn't a total waste though. Got exercise and managed to find some scattered snow in the forest along the way to the mountains (we never got to the mountains because the weather took a turn for the worse as the afternoon wore on). 

As I got back to the house and started to pack everything, I reread my travel documents and realised that I actually had 30kg baggage allowance (as opposed to 23kg which was the domestic limit which I had been following). Furthermore, I could actually split the 30kg over several bags, meaning that I could actually take home the suitcase I left here three years ago. Win. Preliminary weighing on bathroom scales indicated that I was at 29kg. Done. Hopefully I don't buy too much in Dubai and Doha.

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Day 68

The day I was to fly out of Europe. Bags packed, I had one last piece of business to attend to. My extremely scruffy appearance. After 68 days, I was sporting quite an impressive amount of facial hair (if I do say so myself). It had kept my face warm from the wind and cold, been an annoying catcher of food and sauce, and kept my hands occupied when I didn't have anything to fidget with. Given how long it was, I actually had to trim it first before going through with the shaver. Twenty minutes later (I'm very thorough), I was quite surprised to see the person staring back at me. I had gotten so used to seeing the beard that I actually didn't quite recognise myself without it. What's more, I finally saw the toll that two months of travelling had taken. My face was slimmer and my jawline more defined. Not a bad weight loss regime haha.

Anyways, I should tell you that my room (with an ensuite) was actually below ground and given the sleep in, the packing and shaving, I didn't actually ascend the stairs to the ground level until about noon. And what a sight when I finally did!! It was all white outside!! It had been snowing all night, and everything was covered with a fresh layer of soft powder. Like a little kid, I raced outside and just started frolicking in the snow. It's like the gods had answered my prayers and sent a burst of snow for my last day in Europe. I would be able to leave Europe satisfied.

Left the house pulling two suitcases through the snow to the train station. What had been the source of pure joy and excitement earlier in the day was now a major hindrance. Oh well. Eventually got to the airport and checked in, with luggage at 29kg as expected. Now all I had to do was wait for the flight to Dubai. And what do you know, as a result of the snow and frost, the flight was delayed an hour. Now I was kinda wishing it hadn't snowed haha. Anyways we eventually took off without any further issues.

As I had my dinner of roast chicken and mash potatoes, I reflected on my second time in Europe. Definitely had a very different experience to my first time, being more experienced and taking advantage of more opportunities. I saw a lot more than I did last time, going through 13 countries in two months as opposed to 10 last time, and so many more cities as well. But the main difference this time was that I had so many friends all over Europe which made it so much fun and great to see and travel with familiar faces. On the flipside, I didn't make as many new friends this time (but maybe that's cos I didn't party as hard and as often - I'm getting too old for that haha). Nevertheless, however different the two trips, they were both amazing and broadened my knowledge of the world, not to mention I developed more self-reliance and confidence. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

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Day 69

A 5.5 hour sleepless (and movie-filled) flight later, I landed in Dubai. It wasn't as hot as expected but the winter gear I had on certainly wasn't doing me any good. A friend's father was kind enough to host me in his apartment on the Palm Jumeirah (the man-made palm shaped island) for which I am eternally grateful. It was a great place in a great location with excellent views of the ocean and the "fronds" of the palm. What more could I ask for?! Given my sleepless night, I spent the rest of the day sleeping before heading out for dinner. I made a faux pas of asking for a local Emirati beer, before being informed that being a Muslim country, they did not have any of their own beers. Ooops. Spent the rest of the night out on the balcony enjoying the cool sea breeze and the lights before packing a small suitcase for my week in Doha, Qatar. The usual responses I've received when I've told people I'm going to Doha are: "where's that?", "why Doha?", and "why a whole week?!". Haha I have family who have relocated there for work so thought I'd visit them and experience what it's like in the middle east (plus tick off another country). Looking forward to it!!

HBL signing out from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Up next: 9 years too early for the World Cup...
Previously: Musical binge in London's West End...