will i am's delayed diary

Our second day in Egypt started bright and early with breakfast at 6 AM. Pretty standard fare, with the exception of some local stuff like falafel. By 7:15 AM, we were out to mass at the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth. The building was unmarked, with high walls, located beside a canal underneath an elevated highway. The entrance was dominated by excavators laying huge water pipes. Several Italian sisters welcomed us into the compound. A different group from India ( also were staying at Movenpick ) had the earlier slot, so we had to wait for them to finish. Mass was celebrated in the chapel, just enough for the forty of us. It was small, but the acoustics were great. No local tour is completed without visiting some kind of factory for some tourist trap shopping. Hany brought us to Golden Eagle Crystal, a government-owned outlet for a 'crash course' on fragrances. We were ushered into a small room filled with pretty glass vials. Our salesman also s...

Way back in July 2018, mum and I decided to join a pilgrimage to the Holy Land scheduled for April/May 2019. Since then, I had constantly ignored the trip until the departure date arrived. Opps. Didn't start packing until a few days before. Sis and Little Monster sent us to the airport. The check-in at the Emirates counter was a breeze. The whole group gathered at 10 PM for the pre-pilgrimage briefing. Our flight out to Dubai was at 1:25 AM, so we had hours to kill. It was my first time on Emirates and also my maiden flight on the A380. Leg room was decent on economy class and the entertainment console was good. Didn't feel much turbulence at all. No complaints about the food and service ( no cute steward :( ). The only bad thing was that mum's tray table kept falling down. Watched "Mortal Engines"  which truly was an underwhelming affair. Arrived in Dubai International Airport at about 5 AM. DBX's reputation as the biggest transit airport also means...