I was able to meet up with Rachel our Flight Attendant in the hotel in the morning. We traveled to the airport together. Laurent met us at the gate for the flight. He will be our base manager for the duration of my stay.
We departed this time from Terminal 2 which is the smaller "Regional" terminal. It is located across the airport from Terminal 1 just a short drive away from the hotel too.
The hotel car service took us to the airport for 35 AED (Dirham) which is about $10 Canadian.
Check-in and Immigration Out-Clearance was uneventful. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is a country that has very strict security policies in place, making it one of the safest countries for air travel in the world. Border control is also taken very seriously.
When you enter the country you clear customs, as you would with any other country. But, after speaking to the officer, your bags are X-Ray Scanned again. This applies when you leave the country as well.
Rachel and I checked out some of the duty-free things as we left Dubai. There is a very good selection in the shops. They have alcohol, tobacco, toys, gifts, electronics, jewelry, and much more.
I had to try it once here in the middle east. But we found a McDonald's in the terminal right next to our gate. Things taste a little different, but for the most part its the same.
With Ramadan on right now, most restaurants are very quiet during the day as well, and the Muslim people are not permitted to eat during daylight hours.
The Flight into Kabul was very smooth. I finally got a window seat so I was able to take some photographs in the air.
The airplane was VERY HOT, and HUMID when we left Dubai. We boarded from both the front and the rear, so with 2 doors open it heats up very quickly inside. Soon after closing the door, things were back to normal and the temperature was quite comfortable.
We flew across on a Boeing 737-800. For those friends from Canada, that would be the largest of the types of planes that WestJet flies. Our cabin crew was wonderful on the 2 hr 55 min flight over. Everyone on the plane is assigned seats, however that doesn't seem to matter much over here. People sit wherever they like, so I was inclined to do the same! Which for a seasoned traveler like myself meant... EXIT ROW!!!! TONS OF LEG ROOM!
As you begin to approach Afghanistan, you can see the terrain becomes more mountainous, rather than flat plains. I mentioned to Rachel that it reminded me a great deal of Western Colorado, into the mountains.
Large rising slopes were capped with almost sheer cliffs in areas. Small valleys with rivers in the base formed a lengthy, lush, green oasis which lies in stark contrast to the surrounding terrain.
Arrival into Kabul brings you quite close to the terrain. Much like a city such as Los Angeles, Kabul sits inside a sort of bowl, surrounded by terrain on all sides.
The city is quite spread out, until you get within the area around the airport then it is densely packed.
Once on the ground you definitely notice that you are, as the saying goes, "not in Kansas anymore". There is a massive military and international presence on the airport in Kabul, which apparently pales in comparison to a location like Kandahar to the southwest. The airport grounds are surrounded by a large perimeter wall with guard towers interspersed along it.
Modern jetways to the aircraft give way to a terminal that looks like something out of the movies. The Immigration officers sit in wooden "bus shack" type booths that would look more like something from a decades old train station rather than an airport. The officer I dealt with did not say a single word. Simply scanned my passport and handed it back.
Once at the baggage carousel, it was like Africa all over again. Dozens of locals pushing carts, swarming towards the passengers.
"Excuse me sir, take your bags?? Take your bags sir?? All ok, I take your bags..."
In a country like this, and in times like this.... I think not.
Abdul, our local liasson met us in the baggage claim area with a cart and grabbed our luggage. Again through the X-Ray machines, and off to the car. It was quite a walk from the terminal to our vehicle, which was waiting on the street outside the airport. After exchanging pleasantries with the crew that met us, it was off to my home for the next month, the Baron.
I'll be posting more about the baron very soon here...
As per usual, here come the photos. Enjoy!
McDonald's Dubai Airport
Here we go...
Pushing Back
Dubai Tower
More and More Mountains
FlyDubai
River Valley
Arriving into Kabul
Kabul Closer
Helicopters On The Ramp
Boneyard
Airport Sign
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