FLYING TO DUBAI DURING THE PANDEMIC (FIRST TIME FLYING EMIRATES)

Good morning from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. I am at the Brooklyn Navyyard. Uh I actually just landed from Israel this morning in New York and I'm headed to Dubai tonight and one of the things you need to do when you go to Dubai during the coronairus pandemic is to bring a negative PCR test result showing that you do not have coronairus. The problem with that is that it's almost impossible to find a place that does PCR tests within a short matter of time and you can get your results within a day or two. Almost nobody does that. The average results take about 5 to 7 days. I know it sounds crazy, but I landed in New York this morning going to Dubai tonight and I need to find somebody who can do my test. So, thank God I found out about Sherman Abraham's laboratory and they're doing a very special favor for me. Uh, probably because of Ammy Magazine, they're going to allow me to come in, take my test, and get results within an hour. So, here we are. We're going to go inside, take a look. Come in with me. Okay, so I'm in JFK. I got checked in. Thank God. But as soon as you show up to the Emirates check-in counter, you need to show proof of your negative COVID test, which I got today, thank God. Um, they gave me a hard time with my bags cuz they were overweight, but we figured it out in the end. And, uh, I had to sign a declaration saying that I'm healthy and I haven't been in contact with anybody who's been sick. So, that's the process as of check-in. Uh, notice my nice smiley face mask, which I'm wearing because I'm going to the UAE, which is an Arab country. I'm obviously very Jewish and I try to represent my people in the best way possible. So, if there's going to be a Jew running around the UAE, it should be with a smile on his face. If my face can't show, at least my mask should have a smile. It's crazy that every single store is closed. Everything is closed. There's like literally nothing open and it's just uh freaky in a way. Never seen anything like this in JFK. [Music] So, we're at the gate. Actually did find one store that is open. Hudson had some news. They have books and some souvenirs and some food and drink. Anyhow, uh unfortunately there were a whole group of people at the check-in counter who were not allowed to board the flight because they did not have uh negative COVID 19 certificates. meaning they they had no idea that you needed to get one. Which is why it's always important to uh check with your travel agent or the website or whoever sold you your ticket to make sure that you know all the restrictions and guidelines in the destination that you're traveling to. Um I did hear the Emirates agent say that they would be able to use their tickets at another date once they come up with the tests. But especially during this whole COVID pandemic, very important to do your research and know the restrictions so that you don't end up uh missing your flight. Okay, so we're being boarded now uh with social distancing. That means five rows at a time. And it looks like they're doing uh looks like they're doing temperature checks right now. Yeah. So, surprisingly, that actually was not a temperature check. They take a picture of every passenger before they get on the plane. Um, and come to think of it, nobody checked our temperature tonight, which is interesting. I wonder why that is. Hello. So, we're on the plane. Um, it's very empty. I'm the only person sitting in my row so far and I don't think anyone else is coming cuz it looks like they finished boarding. So, from one side, it's sad to see this whole few people are traveling. At the same time, I can rejoice in the fact that I have lots of extra space. If I need to get out the middle of the flight, I'm not going to bother anybody or wake anybody up. So, that's a celebration for me. So, a little update over here. They just handed out this travel hygiene kit which has masks and gloves and hand sanitizer and hand sanitizing wipes. Pretty cool. Uh co comes with all sorts of interesting surprises and I guess this is one of them. We also got a some kind of pouch from Emirates with a um had socks and a eye mask in there which is I guess pretty pretty usual but it came in this nice pouch which most airlines don't give. And we got this co form which you have to sign and fill out um you know stating that you will comply with the rules in Dubai. the co regulations. Um, it's my first time flying Emirates and I'm excited. This is the kosher meal. It's barbecue chicken and horso. Tastes very good and I loving it. Okay, so we're about halfway through the flight. We just woke up. I was so tired yesterday. I was up since like 3 in the morning and I was up all day to about 11 p.m. And I've been running around New York all day getting a PCR test and shopping, doing whatever needs to be done. So I was exhausted. Soon as I sat down on the plate, had my dinner and just passed out. uh when I woke up was light outside and uh I wanted to say this is my first time flying over this and it's actually a very nice uh airplane like I don't know if you can see this but on the ceiling over the aisles there are these little stars just you know doesn't really make a difference but it adds a nice touch to the aesthetics of the aircraft. Let me see if I can show that to you. Might be hard to see, but there's these little uh small stars in the uh there. Additionally, the airplanes are very very clean. Um the staff are very friendly and food was good. So, they turned off the lights again. I guess people want to take an afternoon nap. So now I can show you these stars on the ceiling of the airplane. That's what I was referring to. It's pretty cool. According to the in-flight map, we are currently flying over Iran, which I think is so cool. Um, love to visit there maybe one day. Anyway, we just got served our third kosher meal. I see. When I say me, I mean I. Um, and we are about 2 hours away from Dubai. I'm going to try to take out my computer now and get some work done before we land. You probably can't see that, but right outside the window, uh, the city of Dubai has just come into view. We're about to land in about 20 minutes, and there's nobody more excited than I am to be back in this amazing country. So just arrived. in Dubai. Third time here. Uh first time during co so we're going to see what the process is like again and there are conflicting reports about whether one needs to go into quarantine when they arrive or not. So we are going to find out very soon. Okay, so we actually got in. It was quite easy. Just went to the regular uh border control counter. They asked me for my passport. They asked me for my test result. And once they saw that I had taken a test, they told me that I'm free to go. No quarantine needed. They snapped me into the country and all was well. Um, I went over to Currency Exchange now to see if I can get if I can change Israeli shackles into Dirhams, but they are not able to do that yet. They do not accept shackles here. So, that was a bit disappointing cuz I actually don't have any American money on me. But anyway, uh in the future they certainly will be accepting shackles very soon. And now it seems like my luggage is about to arrive. And once that's done, we can go rent our car and get into the city, start this awesome trip. Got all the paperwork done for the car. Now I'm heading into the parking lot to get the actual car and we're ready to go see Dubai. Woohoo. Look at the beautiful city of Dubai unfolding right before your eyes. The Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world, right there in the center. So, so, so good to be back. Oh my goodness, I missed this place. I really did. I've arrived at the hotel. It's simple but nice. And check-in was easy. Um, there weren't any special procedures because of CO. So that is pretty much the process for coming to Dubai, the UAE during the COVID pandemic. Get your COVID test, follow the rules, stay safe, and safe travels.