Kuwait > Via Dubai back home

Although my alarm is set for 6:15 a.m., I wake up before it goes off. I take a shower and pack the last things in my luggage. It’s still too early for breakfast, so I’ll eat at the airport if I get hungry. At the reception, I check out and ask for a taxi. Since the taxi driver cannot process credit card payments, I pay for the ride at the hotel in advance. I also pay for my breakfast, which I have to ask for because it’s not on the bill. After all the hospitality yesterday, I can’t leave Kuwait with outstanding bills. The taxi drives me to the airport. The driver is originally from Kerala, India. The receptionist from yesterday is also from there. They probably know each other and help each other out. While in the taxi, my phone rings. It’s the receptionist from yesterday. He missed me this morning at departure and wants to wish me a good flight. He surely doesn’t do this for all guests? At the airport, I give the taxi driver my last Kuwaiti money — about five euros. I won’t need it at home. I had already set aside some bills for my collection. Inside the terminal, I’m not exactly sure where to check in. I get the impression that I’m heading straight for customs with my luggage, but that’s not the case. Boarding for Emirates is in zone 2. The staff member cannot check me in for my flight to Amsterdam.

Kuwait - Departure from Kuwait back to Dubai

She says I depart from a different terminal in Dubai. This means I have to go through customs, collect my luggage, take a metro to the other terminal, check in again, and go through customs once more. Fortunately, I have four hours to do this. “Don’t dawdle too long,” she advises. It is Dubai Airport, after all! I walk into the somewhat dull departure hall. There are no shops near the gates. I take a seat and wait for boarding to begin. Looks like I’ll have to wait quite a bit today. Once on board, I can follow the flight via a camera at the front of the plane. I see we wait a few minutes before taking off. Then we lift off and I get one last view of Kuwait City. The plane makes a turn and flies over the Persian Gulf towards Dubai. Just before 1 p.m. — it’s one hour later in Dubai — I land again in the United Arab Emirates. I have to collect my luggage first. The route to the baggage claim seems endless. I check my step counter and see I’ve taken over 2,000 steps before reaching customs. Could this be what the staff member meant this morning when she said not to dawdle? I receive another entry stamp for Dubai. Because of the long walk I took, all the luggage is already on the belt. Now I have to get from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 — or so I think — but my ticket doesn’t indicate the terminal. In Terminal 3, flights from the other terminals are not displayed. A man organizing taxis in the arrivals hall helps me and looks up on his phone that I do indeed need to go to Terminal 2. The taxi driver is a bit disappointed; he had hoped for a longer ride.

Kuwait - The trip ends with a flight from Dubai to Amsterdam

While driving me to the other side of the airport, he says it’s good I have enough time. Travelers sometimes get into trouble. Especially during rush hour, traffic is heavy and the trip can take a long time. I’m still too early for check-in; the desk opens at 2:30 p.m. I wait a few minutes. After check-in, I go through customs and hand luggage control again. My bag is searched thoroughly, but I’m not sure what they are looking for. They do what they want. Eventually, I’m back in the waiting area where I was a few days ago. I order coffee and wait patiently. In the late afternoon, I board for the last time. As dusk falls outside, flight HV 6902 takes off. Along the way, there’s a stopover in Burgas, Bulgaria, where the plane refuels. I have no passengers next to me. As soon as the seatbelt sign goes off, I lie across three seats. I have five hours until the stopover. I order a sandwich and a cola, and later a glass of wine. After the stop, we head toward Amsterdam. Around 11:30 p.m. Dutch time, I land again at Schiphol Airport. Around midnight, I collect my luggage. Outside, my car is waiting. After a 22-hour journey, I drive home again.