Catching the Flight: I travelled 7,000km- flew over 30,000ft across the globe to get this photo taken. (Part 2)

Have you ever seen a movie wherein the characters had to do everything just to make it to their flight? The plane was just about to leave,
and there they were, still chasing traffic outside?

I did that last Tuesday evening, just to get this photo taken:

_{Beating the Odds- I travelled 7,000km- flew over 30,000ft across the globe to get this photo taken. (Part 1)}

I had to go through a lot just to be able to make it for my Father's 60th birthday (story linked above). I got my visa and bank account sorted. Now what?!

Here's the rest of the story:

The Plane Ticket

Airfare costs a ton. So when there's five of you who need to travel, you really need to prepare for it. Besides, it's not just about how to reach your destination. The vacation itself also costs a lot.

What a sigh of relief it was when I got offered a discounted rate, around 60% off. They were prepared to give me the tickets from last week, but I myself was not ready. My visa was yet to get stamped and my bank account was frozen.

By the time I got everything sorted on my end, it was already September 26, 2 days before my Dad's birthday. A direct flight from Abu Dhabi to Manila lasts 8 to 9 hours. If I were to make it in time for the party, I had to travel on the same date. The discounted tickets however, were no longer available!

We checked online, Etihad flight tickets for me and the kids cost AED 8,800 (daddy @kennyroy cant make it this time because his new residence visa is not yet done). There was a cheaper flight via Kuwait Airlines but there was 15 hours layover in Kuwait. 15 hours! I cannot imagine being stuck in the airport with 3 kids for that much time. I would have died!

Finally, at around 3pm, I messaged my sissy @erangvee that I will not be able to make it anymore 😢😢 and that she should at least try to take a day off from work (from which she started just a few days ago!)

What she did, she tried looking out for some other ticket options online. Almost everything was expensive (or at least out of my budget). Then I remembered Cebu Pacific! They've got a fly only rate which means that you don't get checked in baggage allowance nor food on flight. This was fine with me since I had nothing to bring but ourselves and few clothes and necessities.

I finally booked our tickets!

Running out of time. 🕜

The flight was on the same night at 11:00pm from Dubai airport which was 2 hours away from Abu Dhabi where we came from.

It was already almost 5 o'clock when I packed our clothes since I also spent time coordinating with my Aunt and sister about our ride from the airport in Manila to our place. I did not want to use our car because my parents would ask and I wanted it to be a surprise! 😍

Going to Dubai Airport, I spoke to my colleague and he agreed to drive us using my car. We were supposed to leave at 8:00pm.

Off to the Aiport

Around 7:30pm, while I was at the hypermarket to buy a few essentials and chocolates that we will bring home, I got a call from this colleague and he apologized because he could not make it anymore. He suggested another option though, but this other guy would charge $100 for the trip!

I did not have budget for that. I decided that I would drive myself. I would leave my car to my aunt's place, and take the Metro train 🚈 from there to the airport.

It was so stressful as it was already past 8:00pm and I still had to tank up. We came to the petrol station and was greeted by a long queue of customers!

🚗We finally sped off at around 8:20pm. The trip to Ibn Batuta mall, which normally took me 1.5hours was slashed by 30 minutes.

I am now anxious that I would be greeted by speeding tickets upon my return to Abu Dhabi. There were a couple of times that I noticed that I was speeding at 145kph when the speed limit was 120kph(+20kph buffer).

From Ibn Batutta Mall, my kids and I transferred to a taxi (my aunt suggested against the train) and we reached the airport at exactly 10:00pm, an hour before the flight.

There was no more passenger queue at the check in counter. Off we went to the immigration queue and the final security check.

I have not travelled from the Dubai aiport for a very long time but I knew that we had to walk far. If I were alone, it was fine. But running out of time and with 3 kids in tow, it was difficult. Fortunately even the two little ones cooperated. When I said "faster" they'd also go faster. 😆

Finally, we reached the boarding gate just in time.

What followed was 9 hours of flight- seamless, I would say, considering I had children with me.

Surprise!

My mom and dad were totally clueless that they would have "visitors" from overseas. Imagine their surprise when we showed up their doorstep! It was a very marvelous sight. The surprised look and delight. All the hardships we went through had paid off, just by seeing their faces. I would never trade that for anything else.

_{Credits to @elyaque for the followers and reputation badges, @merej99 for the Community Engagement Badge. Want your own Homesteading, Gardening, Beekeepers, Woodworkers, Dads, Moms, Food Preservers, Preppers badge? Contact @daddykirbs}

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