An unplanned New Year...

It was New Year's Eve. We had planned to make the most of the long twenty-hour layover with short in-transit visit to Dubai - especially to see Burj-Khalifa and Dubai Mall, including the Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. We had even arranged a special in-transit Dubai visa through Emirates for the same. But nothing went as planned.

Her flight from Mauritius took off on time and landed in Dubai at around 5:30 a.m. Although she had the visa, I asked her not to step out of the airport. If she did, she would have to undergo another COVID test, and I feared that a positive result there would leave her stranded in Dubai as well. It felt safer for her to return to Kolkata first and then deal with quarantined if needed. That meant she had to spend the entire long layover at the airport.

While at the airport, she explored a bit - walking through the terminals and even experiencing the internal metro that connects from one terminal to another. But the situation weighed heavily on her. The anxiety of returning home alone, while leaving me behind in Mauritius with COVID, made it difficult for her to truly enjoy anything.

She had some food from the different shops at the terminal as needed while spending the long day there. Before boarding, she picked up some chocolates to carry back home. Eventually, she settled near the boarding gate, waiting for the final leg of her journey. This also meant we were welcoming the first New Year after marriage in two different countries - though at the same time-zone.

💵 Dubai In-Transit Visa Charges (2) - 3,921.00 INR

🍫 Bon O Bon Chocolate
🍫 Candy Nuts

🍽️ Breakfast (Alshaya Group):
🫔 Halloumi, Kashkawane & Zaatar Wrap - 27.25 AED

🍽️ Lunch:
🍛 Yellow Rice with Chicken Kasha
🧃 Fresh Orange Juice (Camden Food Co.)

🍽️ Breakfast (The Daily DxB):
🍝 Chicken Alfredo Pasta - 45.00 AEDRead more