Friday, November 26, 2010

A Long Trip

We departed from Washington Dulles at night, flew through daylight, and landed in darkness. We checked seven suitcases and a large car seat. Having never been able to sleep on airplanes, I took a double dose of maximum-strength knockout drugs and still was only able to doze. Luckily, though, Cricket did not have the same problem and was unconscious for the majority of the flight. All in all, the fourteen hours were relatively painless. Our seats were just two rows from the back of the 777, and since deplaning is done from the front and back, we were in the first bus to depart for the terminal.
The same welcome service had been booked for us as during our summer trip, but things did not go nearly as smoothly. As we waited for the return of our passports the line to go through immigration emptied several times, and many other travelers came and went. Once we were able to advance through the airport, there were no porters available, so we had to collect and lug all of our own baggage. After doing this, we quickly found that there was no one from the hotel to transport us, as had been arraigned. We were taken to the welcome service's counter, but they did not know of the hotel and could not find the number. After some waiting, they did find it, but the hotel could not find any record of our stay, and so were no help. Twenty minutes later they found it, and said they would send someone. We sat and waited in a coffee shop, and after quite a while the driver appeared. They had been told we were coming in the previous day.
As we drove out of the airport, Cricket spotted a mosque and said "Look, a lid!" We told her it was called a dome and was part of a mosque, an Islamic church. She started right in with "No, you're a mosque!"
The hotel, Ezdan, looked quite impressive from the outside. It is made up of three very large buildings that look like old-school magnets, and at night they are outlined with color-changing LEDs. However, once we entered our room we quickly found that there is much to be desired. Still, it was nice to finally have arrived and be able to rest. 

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