We got to the Manchester airport by 6:30am. We found our airline counter (Etihad) and proceeded to check in. Good thing my bags were just on the limit! For some reason there was a massive line up to go through security that day. the line up went out all the way outside and even snaked around! It took us almost 2 hours to get to the security check! There was a bunch of people who didn't arrive 3 hours before their flight that had to be fast tracked to the front to not miss their flights. Crazy!
We still had a little less than an hour before our flight so we stopped to get some food. Pasty was open so I eventually got to try the Steak Cornish pasty and it was delicious. It was a bit big so I could only eat half of it. Neil picked up some more tea at the duty free. Surprise surprise.
The first plane ride to Abu Dhabi took about 7.5 hours. It was a very nice flight! We even got real forks, knives and spoons to use! No plastics. We were surrounded by children on this flight, many were toddlers. i didn't get much sleep at all. But at least this flight had a good free entertainment selection. I watched a couple of movies on this flight. I even watched a Chinese movie. This flight included a lunch meal and a snack wrap. I had the chicken and rice and Neil had the fish. His was much tastier, but they were both great. the snack wrap was delicious!
When we arrived in Abu Dhabi, it was super hot and humid. Neil's glasses fogged up right when we stepped out. We had to take the stairs out of the train and onto a bus to get to the arrival terminal. Our layover time was about 3 hours and I was able to convince Neil to visit the McDonald's. I was curious to see whether they had anything different and specific to this country. He ordered a McChicken meal (boring!) and I had the Classic Deluxe Chicken meal. This burger was huge! And much like a McChicken it also had a slice of Swiss cheese and a slice of tomato in it. It was very yummy.
The next flight took about 8 hours. This airline is very on point with their meals. Right away we got a cup noodle and a bun. Then they turned down the lights so we could get some sleep. I think I was able to get about an hour or so. Neil got a bit more. I ended up watching a few movies and TV shows. I watched Divergent which I thought was very good. I also watched 3 episodes of a show about the Silcon Valley. It was interesting. For breakfast I got beef congee and Neil got eggs and chicken sausage. It was very yummy.
The plane arrived about 25 minutes later than it's suppose to. It took us a while to get through immigration, there was a lot of foreigners. We eventually got our luggage and a Mr. Kim met us at the arrival terminal. He brought us to the bus station terminal and helped us with purchasing our tickets to Gwangju. The bus was to take off at 1:20pm. It was a 4 hour bus ride with a break stop at the 2 hour mark. Surprisingly this bus was very comfortable. Big comfy seats that recline back and the A/C was on. Many people were able to sleep including us. I had about a 1 hour nap. Neil even read his book on the bus.
By the time we finally arrived at Gwangju (U-Square) it was about five. Mr. Lee picked us up at the bus station and took us to the school right away to meet with the director, vice directors and some teachers.
