Hi there. This is a different post than my usual Pokemon TCG and math posts. I am starting a Travel blog series based on my recent Summer vacation to China.
In this first post of the series I talk about going from Toronto's Pearson Airport to a layover in Dubai.
At Toronto's Pearson Airport
It was August 12, 2024 on a Monday. This long trip to China was a family trip with three excited tagalong guests. We had hired a private taxi driver to take us from a family friend's place to Toronto's Pearson Airport. Traffic was not so bad at around 10 to 11 AM. Outside of rush hour times Toronto highway traffic is not too bad. Fee for the private driver was around 90 CAD. This is not so bad for 6 people from Scarborough (East part of Toronto) to the Airport which is on the west side of Toronto (near Mississauga).
We arrived at Pearson's Airport at around 11AM. Emirates check-in was around 3 hours before our 2:30PM. Security check did not take too long. Maybe around 45 minutes. Knowing that Toronto Pearson Airport is kind of unfriendly I did not show much emotion. (Note that Toronto Pearson Airport was the worst airport in 2023.)
Gate arrival was 2 hours before we boarded. I had a light lunch while waiting. It was an overpriced Coconut Chicken Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich. No photos shown here as I did not take many pictures on this first day. Sorry. In general prices at Toronto Pearson Airport are high. There is a bit of price gouging here compared to food in downtown Toronto. The Banh Mi sandwich was 10 CAD or 9 CAD with bland tasting chicken. I thought to myself I am sure China food prices will be much cheaper than in Toronto.
Emirates Flight From YYZ to Dubai
The airline of choice is Emirates. In 2023 the family and I went with Air Canada for the Austria trip. Air Canada had direct flights from Toronto to Vienna. This time around we went with Emirates as we did not like Air Canada last year. My uncle recommended Emirates. Tickets were booked around March 2024. The return tickets were about 2400 CAD per person. Tickets were booked through a private Asian travel agency. They have good deals supposedly.
There are no direct flights from Toronto to Guangzhou, China from Emirates. Instead of a long 20 something hour flight it was better to split it up into a 12 hour flight from Toronto to Dubai and then a second flight from Dubai to Guangzhou, China. There is a long layover at Dubai before the second flight. As this stopover time is 23 hours which is between 10 to 24 hours, we would receive a complimentary hotel stay at their Airport Hotel in Dubai.
Below are a few pictures of my flight. There is a picture of the screen in front of me and some food. Pictures taken from my Samsung A50 phone at the time.
Their saffron rice with chicken was quite good. Emirates do provide stainless steel cutlery that is kind of cold. There is a lot of food provided in economy class. I try to stash some snacks into my pouch bag.
Emirates does have an option of having your picture taken with a Polaroid (I think) camera. They give the picture as a gift to you 30 seconds after your photo is taken. They provide a small bag with an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and travel size toothpaste.
Arrival At Dubai International Airport
Arrival at Dubai International Airport (DXB) was at 11:15 AM Dubai time. You do add 8 hours going from Toronto Time to Dubai time. This flight was 12 hours. At this point in time I should be sleepy but because it is bright in Dubai I was somewhat awake.
Here are a few pictures of Dubai's Airport after arriving. I wish I took more pictures here on the first day. This airport is kinda crazy with how modern it looks and the colours.
Security check upon arrival did not take too long. They do have some automation in their checks.
Since we had a long layover in Dubai we had to search for the reception desk that dealt with the complimentary hotel stay provided by Emirates airline. It was a bit of a challenge finding it but we found it.
The next travel post will be about the airport hotel and a short day trip in Dubai, UAE.
Thank you for reading.