Up up and away... And away... And away...

Well, our trip is off with a bang! There was the expected flurry of activity in the last day or two before the takeoff, and with the exception of leaving a laptop charger at home which required a quick return all went smoothly.

Seattle to Amsterdam was a 10 hour flight with not a lot of sleep, which resulted in a bit of slap-happiness and the picture below. We'd been in the Amsterdam airport before, and its European/Nordic charm was comforting- tulips and blue-and-white porcelain patterns on every wall.



The next step was Amsterdam to Dubai, where Ben and I both tried to leave our passport and phone (respectively) on the flight but recovered them immediately, praise be. Dubai airport is the ultimate culture clash. Bikinis are displayed in shops as women in headscarves and full burqa walk by. We saw a young bearded hipster-looking guy in tank top and short shorts walking hand in hand with a woman in black covering from tip to toe. Traditional architectural patterns and prayer rooms sit along side flashing neon duty free signs.



Shiny glass and chrome reside next to palm trees and historic-looking arched windows.


Separate prayer/mosque rooms by gender.


Dubai's kitschy souvenirs with my derby bag.


Flights to cities I've never heard of! Next trip, Thiruvananthapuram?


Immediately upon arrival we walked between a Pinkberry and Hagen Daaz- there seems to be a great love of ice cream here.


Our first view into the airport on arriving.


Winston-sponsored smoking lounge right next to the fancy pastry shop, so well ventilated you couldn't tell anyone was smoking.

We spent 12 hours in the KLM lounge and sleeping where we could, then boarded our final flight to Kabul. On the plane, we walked to the commoner seats only to check out boarding passes and discover by some fluke we got upgraded to business class- a first in my life! This photo captures at once my first foray into wearing a headscarf, my happy surprise at the upgrade and a hilarious photobomb from a fellow passenger.


For now, I'll enjoy reclining massage chairs, hot towels, a keypad operated personal TV and really tasty food- lamb and rice, garbanzo salad, syrupy donuts, mango juice and anise seeds "for digestion." The travel gods are with us this far, knock on wood!

Takeoff: 6p Monday 6/14 Seattle
Final arrival: 2p Wednesday 6/16 Kabul (exiting the airport at 3p)
Total travel time: 34 hrs?

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