With a 14:30 departure from Dubai, it meant that we could have a leisurely lunch in the lounge before boarding our flight. Tom had never been to the Emirates First lounge before so he wanted to make sure we had enough time to enjoy it all.
As our flight left from B19, we used the First Lounge in that terminal which is the original one that I experienced many years ago. I gave Tom a brief tour and then we installed ourselves in a quiet section for 45 minutes until we decided to have lunch.
Tom experiences the Emirates First Lounge for the first time
Lunch in the lounge starter with some sushi
An empty lounge made for a very private experience
Langoustines in an amazing sauce
Tom enjoyed the duck salad
The Dover Sole was lovely
Lunch was simply outstanding. Everything was excellent. I had had some amazing scallops last year and was looking forward to tasting them again. Unfortunately they were gone from the menu but a delicious langoustine starter was an good alternate.
We both enjoyed a complementary 15 minute massage after lunch. He did head and I did shoulders. It was short and sweet but nice.
Soon enough I received a notification from the Emirates app that we had started boarding and that it was time to go. We were surprised that when we arrived at the gate, it was empty. They had loaded the whole plane! As we approached the plane I thought it was weird that we were entering a plane at B21 and not B19 but thought that it was just a jetway line up issue.
On board we were warmly greeted by our male flight attendant and soon we had champers in hand. It’s nice that they open Dom on the ground in DXB. Tax free Dubai! We did not have the luxury of having the entire first class cabin to ourselves as two other passengers occupied the left side seats. But my side was completely empty which meant I had a meal suite with Tom in the middle and then a sleeping suite at the side.
A pre-departure glass of Dom
Here’s to another EK flight
A Grey Goose martini is a great way to start a flight once in the air
Once in the air I broke with tradition and ordered a Grey Goose martini. Two of them went down very smoothly. Then about an hour later we let the FA know that we were ready for dinner.
It must be dinner time!
Mmmmmm, caviar
Have we been hijacked?!?!?!!
As we were finishing up our caviar, I happened to look at the airshow and noticed that we weren’t really en route from Dubai to Johannesburg!! We had gone far off course and were quickly headed to West Africa! Had we been hijacked by some terrorist group in Senagal or Nigeria? This paired with the weird gate number and my eyebrow went up.
We called over Fabiano, our FA, and shared our concern with him. He looked puzzled and said yes, this flight was destined for Johannesburg. He would check with the pilot.
Luckily he returned from the cockpit saying that the pilot confirmed that we were indeed over EAST Africa and that the Airshow map was incorrect. Phew! Let’s continue with dinner.
Harissa spiced lamb on lentil salad
Beef short ribs
Petit fours
I finished up the final season of Downton Abbey on this flight. I think I watched 4 episodes including the final “Christmas” episode where Julian Fellows nicely wrapped up everything.
I also dozed off for a short while but didn’t want to sleep too long as we would be landing around 9 p.m.
Something’s rotten in Denmark. Or Africa in this case.
As we landed the Airshow was still confused but it was nice to see the familiar sights of OR Tambo as we taxied to our gate.
The flight was once again a great flight and I was once again in my second home South Africa. I immediately thought of my first visit so many years ago in 1988. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Africa and had journeyed down to then Jan Smuts International Airport to spend Christmas with my best friend’s family who lived in Johannesburg. I had never met them and it turned out to be an important moment in my life as his parents grew to be my second parents. At this point I reckon that I have made over 50 visits back to South Africa and a part of me will always be here.
This trip I got to share my South Africa with Tom who had never been anywhere in Africa before. As we arrived to passport control, it was so clear that so much had changed in the subsequent 28 years since my first visit. In 1988, all of the passport control agents were white males. Only whites. Only males. Today the row of agents was a much more accurate representation of this amazing country. As I arrived to my agent, this lovely black, African woman said, “Welcome to South Africa.”