Pinkberry in the Dubai airport

Getting there.

Flying to Singapore.

I’m supposed to be in Bangkok. That was the plan. Bangkok seemed like a good place to go to start my first-ever trip to Asia, it’s a starting point for many Southeast Asia backpackers, and, after four months in Europe it was time to make my way there.

But things happen. Like floods that seemed to be taking over the news (or at least the news I was paying attention to) that were threatening to take over the city. I went back and forth over what I should do. I knew I could still fly in. I knew I could still go. But did I want to?

With 48 hours to go I decided to change my plan. I called and cancelled my ticket and booked a new one and frantically searched for a hostel. In Singapore.

Bangkok will still be there in a month and hopefully be less wet. Besides, I need to go in February anyways, so it’s not like I will miss it.


So, I left Turkey on Sunday. Taking 2 flights with a layover in Dubai. On the first plane I managed to spill a Pepsi all over myself and the (luckily empty) seat next to me.

And I started watching UP knowing full-well that I didn’t quite have enough time to finish it. And so I landed without seeing the end. Which made the third time I’d seen the beginning with no clue how it all wrapped up.

In the Dubai airport I managed to lose my next boarding pass which led to a wild goose chase of everyone telling me I had to go somewhere else to get a new one. Finally, someone printed one up for me.

And so I took my last 20 Turkish lira to the exchange counter and traded it in for 40 Arab dirham. And I used that to buy Pinkberry. I needed the treat.

Pinkberry in the Dubai airport

Pinkberry in the Dubai airport

I also decided to dump all of the Euro change that I’d been lugging around in my wallet into a container for charity. I needed to lose the weight. And I needed the good karma.

Finally, at 3am Dubai time I boarded plane two. I immediately set my TV to UP and finished the movie. Which was a mistake. Because it just meant I sat there crying for the next half hour.

The plane landed in Singapore at around 3pm local. And I was tired for I had hardly slept on the plane. I found the metro but the ticket machine only took small bills and the ATM machine only gave out 50s. So I found an exchange counter and got about $4.50 Singapore for my remaining 15 dirham.

It took 3 transfers on the Metro before my final stop in Little India. Where I found my hostel and passed out on my bed. And I slept away the day then stayed up too late watching Man Vs. Wild in the hostel lounge.

Jet lag at its finest.

Hi, I'm Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the kitten. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job, bought a one-way ticket to Europe, and traveled for three years. Now I'm back in Chicago, decorating my apartment in all the teal, petting my cats, and planning my next adventure.

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3 Comments
  • jenjenk
    November 3, 2011at2:03 am

    yikes, girl!! that is some journey!!

    and i’ve been there, bawling over Wall-E as a flight attendant asks me with an alarmed expression on her face if I was ok…she looks over at my movie, pats me on the back and says, “aw, sweetie…it’ll be ok…don’t worry”

  • Jaime
    November 3, 2011at4:49 am

    Damn that is crazy… umm yeah UP makes me cry every time. It’s such a sad movie… but so good about living our dreams & hell we are doing that. Sorry you spilled a drink on you… that is one of my biggest nightmares on a flight spilling a drink on me…lol cus then thats it for a while. Oh & change of plans like this are good… you never know whats gonna happen next.

  • Meghan
    November 3, 2011at11:03 am

    I cry at the opening sequence of UP, not the end. 🙂 Glad to hear you made it there safely, I really enjoy reading all about your travels, it’s reigniting my wanderlust!

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