The Journey

From Wainuiomata to Lahore

I hadn't realised the length of time it would take ... forty-seven hours on the move, twenty-three of them in the skies!

At Melbourne Airport I saw a face that was familiar.  Joyce (Mc Carthy) had taught in Wainui and was making a connection to London. It was great to spend a few hours together.  I left her to her departure gate and then, in an almost deserted airport, watched some of the highlights from Rio!

The flight to Dubai, via Kuala Lumpur, seemed endless...sixteen hours.  I felt sluggish and very tired on arrival.  I thought the only way I could survive the rest of the journey was to take a room at the Airport Hotel. That did the trick. 

How we actually managed to lift off, out of Dubai, I'll never know ... what a pity I didn't study science at school!  Every passenger seemed to have several bags of duty-free items, and there were push chairs galore.  We arrived in Lahore, in the early hours of the morning, August 8.


Lahore Airport

As I came down the escalator, into the Immigration Hall, I was met by a gentleman from Customs, Rashid.  He quickly moved me to the front of a line ... my passport was checked and I was through!  Talk about efficiency.  I was then put in the hands of another gentleman who stayed with me until my luggage came though.  That was some wait, the best part of an hour. 

Five planes had landed in a very short space of time and there was a sea of people in the baggage claim area. I think the baggage from all those planes was on the one conveyor belt, unbelieveable.


Almost There

Marie-Cecile and Mercedes, an Irish Sister, were waiting outside with their driver.
At an army check point, a few kilometres from the airport, our ID's and passports were checked.  Because we were foreigners in the car we weren't allowed through the Canton.  Our driver had to turn around, drive slowly back to the roundabout, against on-coming traffic, and take a different, less direct, route home. 

We heard the Muslim call to prayer begin at 4:10 am.  I was in bed by 4:45am.