2023

So after a slow start today, as we are flying overnight tonight to Bangkok and do not have to check out until 3pm we got going just in time to ensure that we had breakfast! The chef was off today but he had instructed his partner in crime what to do for me and I do not like to let people down! Breakfast was good as it always was and I told them that I just needed 2 avocado toast this morning and just two showed up! Wahoo!

So back to the room to rest, knit and pack – in no particular order and doing all at once at certain times, and we were ready to go to the airport. Well, almost. About an hour before we left I received an alert that our Manila to Bangkok flight had been changed – instead of being at 10am it was going to be at 9am, giving us only 50 minutes to transfer planes. Never been to Manila previously I did not know if this was still a legal connection so I checked in with Philippine Airlines and the flight will be in the same terminal and they will ensure that we get to the flight on time! Okay, I will leave it in their hands – they seemed organized and knew about it.

We actually left the hotel EARLY for our Philippine Airlines flight that was going to Manila that would then connect us to our updated flight Bangkok. Check in went fairly well – they ask you questions about what is in your luggage and as a seasoned traveller I know what to put in my checked luggage and what to carry in my carryon. As again, I had been warned about the Dubai airports and distance to walk, I had asked for a wheelchair. So the lady arranged one and a very nice gentleman came and got me, with Andrew pushing my walker with the two backpacks. Into passport control and immigration we went and out we came with no issues. They do not even care how much you purchased when in the UAE (not that I bought very much).

Now we are at security and our bags go through, I get inspected, my walker gets inspected and our blue knapsack needs to go to secondary inspection. My purse and the light purple knapsack are FINE. Note: In my light purple knapsack is all my medication of which some is illegal in the UAE or needs a special prescription. It also contained some of my knitting and some clothes.

So the police lady opens up my blue knapsack and I am sitting in a wheelchair supervising what she is doing. She tells me that I have a knife blade in my knapsack which I told her I do not. Her English was not very good however I am used to an Arabic accent so I am understanding her fine as long as she speaks slowly. We opened my knitting pouch where I have a needle ruler/sizer and she said it was not that. Then she showed me the picture and it sure did look like a knife blade on the video screen and i was perplexed as to what it could be. As this was an xray, there were several shadows on top of it so I had no clue. In this knapsack was 8 skeins of wool in a see-through plastic bag from the store where I had bought the wool in Siena, Italy. On my needles was the start of a sweater. I also had about a 2 inch wound ball of purple wool too, also from Italy where I had about 12 inches knit for a sweater that I was also making. The rest of the wool was in the light purple knapsack already cleared. So she pulled all this out of the knapsack, making it into a mess and proceeded to tell me that I had “too much” and took my little scissors, which are a size that one is allowed to fly with in any other country, and cut all my knitting apart. She did not ask me. I got very upset and Andrew at that time was very frustrated.

I asked the gentleman who was escorting me who spoke fairly good English, to please get a person to interpret for me what is going on as I do not understand why she just cut my knitting. At the same time he was doing that, the police lady found what the “knife blade” was and it was a fridge magnet that I had bought of the Burj Khalifa! So it was not a security risk and went back into the knapsack and was re-scanned but still my wool, a cord for my laptop now and my knitting scissors she said I could not take with me. That was NOT going to happen. That wool was worth more than $150 alone. I was also worried they were going to inspect the light purple bag which Andrew had that had more expensive wool in it!

So a supervisor showed up and tried to calm me down. I am my worst enemy though as I know that arguing with security is pointless however I was REALLY frustrated for 3 reasons –

1. The lady had cut my knitting without asking which I perceived as an attack on me.
2. I had listened to the man from the Dubai Airports on Friday talk about how WELL they treat people with “determination” and here I was sitting in a wheelchair, shaking from anxiety and wearing my sunflower lanyard which tells them (without me having to tell them) that I do have other medical issues they need to be aware of that are not visible.
3. I had done my research to ensure that when going through security in Dubai I had what I needed for what I was carrying (medication prescriptions and I asked are there any other things that I need to be aware of – I knit and will be carrying knitting needles, yarn and small scissors with me). The answer that I received was to bring proof of my prescriptions from my doctor and knitting is fine – people carry it all the time through security.

The amusing thing was the supervisor kept talking over me like I was a child or someone of lesser education and telling me these things are not allowed. There was a chart on the table that I pointed to and I said – where on this chart does it say wool is not allowed. I understand about my computer cable and my scissors however nowhere does it say wool. He could not give me an answer. Then he said it was a safety issue and I asked him to explain but he again would not give me an answer. Then a man in uniform showed up. I have no idea what was said to this man by the supervisor as I do not understand Arabic, however AGAIN I asked for someone to interpret for me and no one was provided. The man in uniform did not speak English and the supervisor I could tell did not fully understand me. The supervisor said he explained the situation to the man in uniform however I have no idea what was actually said and that, is discrimination. I was getting tired and really upset at this point and Andrew I could tell was really irritated and I did not want him doing something we would regret. So they offered to let me go back to Philippine Airlines and check in my blue knapsack (which we had the ability to check more luggage for free) with the wool, cable and scissors in it and that is what I ended up doing. Andrew stayed behind security and a “special” security guard took me and my escort back to Philippine Airlines to check in my bag.

Back at Philippine Airlines, the business class lady was VERY surprised to see me. I told her I had to check in my knapsack as security will not let me travel with wool in it and she was SHOCKED. However as we were at the check in deadline, she checked it in and I just hoped I would see it in Bangkok! Now, that “special” security guard – no idea who he was but he sure had some pull – people saw him and the waters parted! He carried my passport and showed it to people and we went around immigration and beside security and met up with Andrew and we were on our way! I do not even get that treatment when working at YVR with my Airport ID!

So we were then escorted to the train when took us to Terminal 1 (we had arrived at Terminal 3) and into the Philippine Lounge we went! Boy, instead of spending 2+ hours in the lounge we got 20 minutes! Andrew had a beer and some snacks I think… I sought to calm down in the Arabic tent they had set up with stacks of long foamy type things and cushions and some really nice tea and dates.

Soon we were picked up by a different escort and taken down the LONG terminal to the gate. There were 12 people in wheelchairs at the gate. Oh good grief. I am in no mood for anxiety getting onto this plane! Problem solved – the same lady from Business Class check in was there and she informed me that the 11 wheelchairs are going to Economy and I was in Business Class. I did not ask her any more questions – that must mean something. I will trust her as she knows I have had issues! Sure enough, Business Class boards from a different jetway so I was in silence to get onto the plane! Wahoo!

The flight to Manila was okay – no meal for me for some unknown reason however I was prepared as I had brought my butter chicken from 2 nights ago (which had been in the fridge). Another thing that went through security as it is kind of a liquid, and did not get caught…which I was happy about! Only issue is in the 2 days it had gotten HOT as in spicy! So they realized when I asked for the CAN of Coke Zero that I meant it… Andrew and I had ended up in window seats – they were 2 – 2 – 2 configuration on the 350 plane and I of course was next to the window! However the lie flat business class seats were the strangest that I have ever seen…. Andrew’s lay flat closer to the floor and when I lay mine flat I was higher up – closer to the ceiling! Not exactly bunk beds but about a foot between the height of the beds. Quite interesting!

Now is time for some sleep! See you tomorrow when we land in Manila and make a quick change to our flight onwards to Bangkok!

Well, after that record high elevation day yesterday and the bizarre dinner, got downstairs in good time for breakfast – despite it being a Sunday and the buffet being open later! Unlike the two avocado toast that I had received yesterday, today somehow my ordered doubled and I received 4! My goodness – Andrew had to help me finish them! I love avocado toast – especially when that avocados are fresh and ripe, like they are in Dubai! The chef is just so kind to me always wanting me to eat more! He has already gone well beyond the call of duty!

Next we hopped into a taxi and went to the last tourist outing we were going to do in this city – the Dubai Frame! This is a bizarre structure – yes it IS a GIANT picture frame that is supposed to signify the transition between old Dubai and new Dubai. As most things in Dubai, there is gold on it too or at least the look of gold and it is an excessive display of wealth.

I had bought tickets on one of the tourist websites which offers a cash back feature if you book more than one outing and as this was our 3rd outing we got $20 USD off which was cool and halved our admission price!

Now, we walked in the park, which was beautiful, towards the Frame. There was a HUGE snaking line up and I figured at that point, based on the line, that we might not make our 1pm deadline for lunch. Oh I FORGOT, I am using a walker! Security saw me walking towards the line and motioned for me to come see them. So I walked over with Andrew behind me and sure enough he told me to go right to the front door. So off we went on the “accessible” route which was also marked for those who are visually impaired, right threw the front door (where inside the line looped back around a couple of times) and they held the line for us to go through to the elevator that took us upstairs to the elevators to go up the “Frame”. Once upstairs, we walked through a small area that showed a bit of the history of Dubai – reminded me of the Museum in Victoria, BC and we were at the elevator ready to go up the side of the Frame. Surprisingly, despite the crowd outside, we got a private elevator to go up the Frame and we were at the top in seconds! I do not know what it is about elevators in Dubai however they are VERY fast!

What a view from up top! Not as high as the Burj Khalifa the day before, but a different type of view as the “Frame” is sort of on an angle when facing downtown Dubai. It also has this scroll like covering for the windows which made framing pictures (no pun intended) a bit unique! The only “strange” thing that happened was when we got out of the elevator the greeter specifically told me to stay off the glass part of the floor (yes mum – there is a glass floor in certain areas to look down) and they continued to do that for the 2 other people who arrived in wheelchairs too. I guess they do not want wheels on the glass!

It was a fun thing to do but VERY touristy and soon we had enough – they were controlling how many people went up vs. down so it was not packed however you can only view things so much and then it is time to go. So down we went with a family who was upset that they were not given “priority” in the elevator as they had a child. Some tourist are just not meant to be tourists!

So back into a cab we got and back to the hotel to await our guest for lunch… We have flown half the way around the world to visit Dubai and how funny was it that Andrew’s brother David was going to be on a business trip to Dubai at the same time!

So David met us in our suite and then we went downstairs to the Sports Bar where the World Cricket Game was playing (bar was quiet though) and we had lunch and the boys had beer. After a while I left them to their own discussion and went up to the 41st floor for a pedicure!

The lady who did my pedicure was from Indonesia and was very nice. It was a different kind of pedicure than I have ever had – she really worked hard and did all the work on her hands and knees while I sat on a chair – not one of those cool big chairs that you semi recline and that massage you that you get with a pedicure in North America – just a plain jane chair with arms on it and a bit of padding. She was also quite the perfectionist when it came to putting polish on my nails!

Today we rested and had a late breakfast. That is allowed after all – we are on vacation! Breakfast ends at 11am and I think we showed up at 10am so that was not that bad! I had a surprise in store for me today – the chef had made my avocado toast with the GF buns that they have – which was delicious! I had all my other standard buffet items of a small omelette, fruit and yogurt and veggies and hummus and that rounded out the breakfast / lunch for the day. In fact, we have been having big breakfasts (as they are free with my Marriott level) and sometimes a snack in the afternoon and then dinner – just down to 2 meals in a day. Partly due to the heat also, I just hate eating food when I am hot!

We then went up to the pool which was also on the 43rd floor and had a relaxing time – the pool is on the other side of where the bar is located – so it takes up half the roof and the bar takes up the other half. There was both a pool (not very deep) and what I thought was a hot tub but actually was a kids pool. It was just a bit hotter than the main pool. I dipped my toes into both pools however ended up just hanging out on the pool chairs and relaxing and trying not to get burnt! Andrew did the same. Of course I was knitting, which garners some strange looks in Dubai and Andrew was contemplating life as he normally does.

We had a 5pm entry ticket to the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world, however not for long as the Emir that runs the next state over, where Abu Dubai is, is building a TALLER building which will be finished in a year or two. Oh my, this excess at times kind of bothers me. So at about 3pm we took a taxi to where I thought would be the Burj Khalifa building, but nope, it was to the same taxi stand that we had departed from the other day – they only have one place where you get dropped off and depart from at a taxi for the HUGE Dubai Mall complex – which made walking so some places long distance! As we arrived fairly fast, we took the time to go upstairs (as recommended) and took a picture of the skating rink in the mall – reminded me of West Edmonton Mall and then we were off to find the entrance to the Burj Khalifa! One thing the Dubai Mall as LOTS of is escalators. What it does NOT have a lot of is elevators! Not wanting to get in trouble and take an escalator unless really needed, we went on a search for an elevator and ended up in the “posh” part of the mall where the brand name clothes are sold – sure enough they had an elevator hidden away! Downstairs we went and eventually found the entrance to the Burj Khalifa where there was one LONG line up! Knowing I had bought tickets to see the sunset, I was concerned that the line was going to be a couple of hours long and it was already 4pm. So I asked the man supervising the line where we needed to line up with our tickets and he ushered me into a separate line but I had a problem – Andrew had wandered off somewhere! Andrew figured he would go stand in the line. Good grief. Now re-united we went down the special line and were checked in and cleared security and were up top by 4:30pm. I found a spot by the window in order to watch the sunset and Andrew watched from the wall behind me. It was an “average” sunset – nothing spectacular – also the glass is tinted so not that brilliant either.

After the sunset we walked around more of the 125th floor. Soon it was dark and we could take some great night photos! The one with me in front of the angel wings is a very popular photo to be taken at this building. Then you can WALK down a set of stairs to the 124th floor however a hostess came up to me and offered me a elevator ride down which was nice! Nothing really different on this floor – still another gift shop and windows however fewer people while we were there we watched the water show going on in the lakes below outside of the Dubai Mall. The water show is very similar to the one in Las Vegas in front of the Bellagio Hotel – but a bit shorter it seemed in Dubai.

We then went back up to the 125th floor to take the elevator back down to the safety of the ground floor. On the way to the exit there were some fascinating pictures and videos of the building of the Burj Khalifa that were almost hard to believe! Such as how many floors they would raise in a week.

After we exited I had seen while reading about the Dubai Mall and its plethora of restaurants that there is a PF Changs restaurant – the same as the chain restaurants you can find predominantly in the USA (with a couple in Canada). So once we found it (that was an exercise in itself), I asked if they have a gluten free menu – as they have an excellent one in North American and it is primarily why I like to go to the restaurant. The receptionist was very nice and explained that they do not but they can make certain dishes gluten free for me. He seemed to understand what he was talking about and sat us down and proceeded to introduce the manager to me who came with an allergen sheet so she knew exactly what I could order. This seemed to be going well! I could have edamame, the egg drop soup, salmon, chicken or beef. As I had edamame at our hotel room left over, I was not interested in that, I have a “thing” about frozen salmon and I was hungry, so I chose the chicken dish. Andrew had some beef dish and we were not sharing like we normally do. She said that my dish might take a few minutes longer was that okay? I said fine. I was thinking though that in a restaurant like this with only two dishes it should not be hard to coordinate them to come to the table at the same time. Oh was I wrong!

The first “unique” thing that happened is they sanitized my half of the table and brought me new plates and cutlery. That was interesting! Then we enjoyed our drinks and after 30 minutes Andrew’s beef dish arrived, which considering the restaurant was half full, was to be expected. Just after he was served, Andrew, who was facing the open kitchen, saw a new wok being unboxed. Now we thought that was interesting but they probably have already prepared my meal – it was probably for someone else. Another 30 minutes goes by and at this point, besides being hungry and Andrew eating VERY slowly so he does not finish before I get fed, I decide to ask what is going on. The manager said my meal would be done in 5 minutes. Then, at 15 minutes, I realized it was 8pm and the National Celiac Conference was beginning online at 9pm Dubai time and I really wanted to attend and hear the 1st two speakers. So I asked the manager now for my meal to go. They were not happy about it but I explained that after over an hour of waiting, I could not wait any longer and needed to leave due to a prior commitment. So they boxed up my meal and what was left of Andrews and we left. They did not charge me for my meal, which was good. I did not even have to say anything – they took care of it. I must admit, it was the most beautiful PF Changs that I had ever been to, however they went over the top in preparing my gluten free meal and while I was happy they took such care, the time it actually took was far too long.

Next we went to take a taxi back to the hotel and I had a HUGE ah-ha moment. Unlike the other day when we took a taxi, and there was a long line that snaked back and forth, this time there was a short line of about 10 people. I was tired and they had just closed the door after letting a group of people out to get into taxi’s, so I sat down on my walker. Then about 10 minutes later, the doors opened up again, I got up and walked along with the others in the line to get in queue for a taxi when the attendant said to me “You know to line up over here – I did not know you were in the line!” Which I replied that I was not aware that I was supposed to line up somewhere else and he then explained that for “people of determination” they do not have to line up. All of a sudden the light went on in my head – all the times that people have seen me and opened up lines or had me go into a different door to skip a line – that must have to do with some rule in Dubai. So once in the taxi, I looked it up on Google and sure enough – in 2007, the Dubai government/ruler passed a law outlining how “people of determination” should be handled (for lack of a better word) and one of the things is they do not have to line up. Good to know as the behaviour that I had seen from the airport until now had been puzzling me – to the point that it felt like I was wearing something on my forehead saying “I get priority” which was driving me bonkers!

So back at the hotel, we enjoyed a lovely dinner on the bed while I started watching the National Celiac Canada conference! It is so amazing to use Zoom and be in Dubai, attending a conference in Canada with speakers from Canada, USA and England all participating! I lasted through the first two speakers however once I got to the third speaker it was lights out for me as it was after midnight and we had a busy day!

Now we moved down to the 124th floor and watched the fountain show –

Video of Fountain Show on Lake 124 Floors below!

Imagine my surprised after I had booked our tickets to Dubai as Air Canada had advertised a new route to find out there was going to be an Air Show on in Dubai the week we were going to be visiting! I have been to the Abbotsford Airshows we my dad several times and seen the airshow in the sky at Seattle however this was a REAL Airshow! A HUGE tradeshow hall and the static display had all the types of planes that we fly on today – Dreamliner’s (787), Airbus 380’s (2). 777x (still in testing phase) and others! Now that is a static display I have not seen before! The reason why I wanted to go to the Airshow though was on the Friday they were having a Diversity and Inclusion set of seminars and as I volunteer at YVR and provide feedback on the subject to them as an active customer of YVR in terms of departures and arrivals, I thought it would be interesting to see what other airports had to say on the subject.

The actual Dubai Airshow location was near the other airport in Dubai and that meant a Metro ride and then taking what I was told was an accessible bus provided by the Airshow to its customers, to the Airshow location. So having received information from the hotel on how to take the metro we set out! The metro was not far away from the hotel and when we got there a lady helped us with tickets. I had been told there are 3 types of cars on the metro – women, general and business class. We selected general and went up to the platform. It was a beautiful and clean metro station and no one could fall onto the tracks as there were glass doors that prevented you from doing so! From the display and what we were told we were looking for a specific train headed to the airport and NOT to Expo 2020. So we watched all these stuffed to the gills trains go by saying Expo 2020 and then realized that perhaps our information was wrong and the map we were reading was incorrect and we had to take the Expo 2020 train first and then transfer to the other line. So we lined up at the wheelchair door for the Metro and hoped the next car was not full. Not so lucky! I just pretended I was in Japan and pushed my way onto it as people got off. Andrew barely made it onto the car. After a couple of stops a very kind man pointed out that I should be next to the window where the wheelchair location is supposed to be so I moved there with difficulty as the car was still pretty full and I was able to sit on my walker which was good. Finally we arrived at the station to transfer where we had to change to the other line for 1 stop. That was easy to do and the car was wide open in terms of seating! We arrived at the station for the Airshow busses quite quickly at that point.

Now, we had endured a HUGE for Dubai standards thunderstorm/lightening (which I did not see thank goodness) and rain storm last night between 3 and 5am. So there was water pooling everywhere at this metro station. We had not noticed it much in downtown Dubai, however here it was very evident. We found the busses and asked about the accessible bus and they told us there were none. So as we had a seminar that I wanted to get to on time, I got up on the highway type bus and my walker went underneath and we were off for the 40 minute drive to the Airshow. I was glad at that time we were on a high bus as there was a LOT of water pooling on both the roads and highways – the bus had no issues getting through it! Soon we arrived at the Airshow building and wow – it is HUGE!

We were able to enter just fine – in fact AGAIN pulled out of the line and told to use a fast entrance (this is getting to be weird on how often this is happening to me) and found the Inclusion and Diversity panel discussion area and it was just about to start (what timing!) so I rolled up to a front row seat and sat down with Andrew next to me.

I had asked the VP of Customer Experience, Eric, at YVR if anyone from YVR was going to be attending this Airshow and he told me about 2 months ago when I was deciding whether to register or not, that no one was attending from YVR. We had seen on the website earlier this week that a gentleman from YVR did attend and speak on a panel earlier this week on a totally different subject, however we were too busy being tourists to attend all 5 days of the Airshow!

The moderator started talking for the “Building an Inclusive Passenger Experience” Panel and introducing the guests and imagine my surprise when she introduced a consultant from eastern Canada (Toronto area) who works with various airport entities on the subject at hand. Then Jason from YVR was introduced and I almost fell off my chair! He is the Manager of Innovation and Technology. So not really one of the people in the Diversity and Inclusion area of YVR but wow – that was a surprise! The two other panelists were Alessio from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority and Ali from Dubai Airports. It was interesting listening to each person talk about their airport and what they have done to include people with various challenges with flying. I am not going to go into a lot of details, however considering that I have been to all the airports that the gentlemen represented, I can attest to what they said was pretty correct, with a bit of a “high level management” spin on it.

Then, the floor was open to questions and as I was the only person with a visible disability in the area, the moderator looked right at me. So I thanked Ali from DXB Airport for the phenomenal experience on arrival and let Alessio that I had a similar experience last month in Rome, however the departure on Air Canada needs to be worked on. Then to the two Canadian panel members I addressed Jason first with a Hello, Bonjour which is what we say at YVR and the shock on his face when I did that was quite funny when he realized that I was associated with YVR too. I then asked both of them about the Canadian Transportation Act and how it requires airlines to take care of passengers to the baggage claim and how then passengers become the airport responsibility which unlike the seamless experience I have had on arrival in Rome and Dubai, leaves something to be desired. I was curious if anything had been done in that area. So Jason let Kirk, the consultant, answer the question and he basically said a politically correct answer which is we need to let the Federal Government know that the Transportation Act does not meet people’s needs and go from there. Then that was the end of this panel discussion!

Jason was then on the next panel discussion which was titled “Bridging the Gender Balance Gap” and he invited us to stay so we did! It was also a very interesting subject – with a female CEO of a Space company (Dr.) and Jason along with a gentleman from a space company in Spain. The main focus was on STEM and getting more women into this area of engineering and math trades, however it was great that Jason also brought up how YVR and the Musqueam have a partnership and how integrated into the YVR culture the Musqueam traditions are.

After the panel discussion Jason and I chatted about YVR a bit and then he had to move on to talk with some other people – you know that networking thing! We went and got a drink as I was thirsty and decided to check out the flight line and the static display.

Holy COW it is hot on that tarmac! Good thing I am wearing sun screen! So some of the planes have left the static display we found out – such as the 2nd 380 and the 777x which is too bad however I guess they can only be idle and on display for so long. Still there are some very beautiful planes here that one does not normally get up close access to! Unfortunately, only stairs and some very tall stair cases to get onto the planes to check them out. Lines too!

So we walked around examining planes, engines, front wheels etc. while the air display was going on. They only release what planes are going to be flying in the air display at 10am each morning – today it was mostly aerobatics/smoke and to my frustration, screamingly loud and made the ground shake when they went over us, military planes!

It was SO COOL to get up close to the underbelly of a Dreamliner and the Airbus 380! Pictures of me below checking them out! After checking out all the “big” planes we also looked at some of the medium sized ones on display – I especially liked the one from Embraer! It must have taken quite a few stops for it to get to Dubai from South America! Such a cool paint job too! Well, after just one too many flyby’s despite earplugs on, that almost made me deaf, we decided to go back and look at the tradeshow display. There were several Canadian companies present so I wanted to say hi to other Canadians! We took a bit of a circuitous route, checking out the washroom, which had a very nice accessible stall that while I was waiting for it, the restroom attendant had to point out to some ladies who as a group tried to jump the queue and use it as a group themselves (that was a new experience for me…) was very clean and totally appropriate. Again, I was treated like royalty in the way the restroom attendant talked about me – do they always talk about people with disabilities with such high regard? Puzzling.

Walked the tradeshow floor and had a chat with a lady from Calgary who works at both the Calgary Airport as a “White Hat” volunteer and for deHavilland. She was surprised to run into another true Canadian. I got why she said “true” when we walked behind their booth to the Government of Ontario Booth and it was staffed by a person from Dubai Embassy and NOT a Canadian! So I did not spend my time there.

Then we decided to leave. So I went to the Airshow customer service desk and asked for accessible transportation back to the Metro. Based on the e-mail that I had received, I was just curious where to catch the accessible bus that had been noted. I realized it was about a 45 minute trip so perhaps we had just missed the bus on our way to the Airshow. Several people later, along with some mis-understandings that a bus that “kneels down” but is a highway type bus is NOT accessible, a lady who we had been passed off to suggested that “we be put in a cab instead”. So they arranged for a cab for us. Now generally when this happens due to a lack of accessibility, the company whose services were lacking pays for the taxi. Nope. Not this time we found out! When we got to the metro we had to pay the $45 Canadian bills. So that left a bad taste in my mind about the Airshow. Totally loved it however for the Friday, where the topic of discussion was Diversity and Inclusion, it was a fail.

At the Metro, we UPGRADED to the Gold or Business class car going back. I was NOT going to squish onto the Metro again! What a difference $6 each makes for the 45 minute journey! We each had our own seat (single seats facing each other next to the window) and my walker could almost fit between us. By the time we got back to the station near our hotel that train was bursting at the seams again, including Gold class and it was a bit hard to get out with my collapsed walker, but we made it!

To celebrate the day, we decided to go to the Indian restaurant in the hotel. Yes I know, Lynda the spice wimp is picking Indian food! The front desk made a reservation for us and we changed and off we went! What a great experience! We sat at the window and the waitress asked us what kind of food we liked and knew already that I was gluten free! I guess word gets around about me. We ended up sharing a chicken Tikka appetizer and then I had butter chicken MILD and Andrew had some kind of beef curry – not quite sure its name. It was an excellent meal! You always know if you are in a good restaurant if the locals eat at the same place and there were 2 huge tables with parties – both Indian families!

Now that we are full, it is off to the room to contemplate going to bed – tomorrow is going to be a “tall” day for us!