Flights? Check. Visas? Check.

Our visas and final flight confirmations came through this evening. Wooohooo!

Around this time of year there are lots of muslim holidays and also the Emirates celebrates the anniversary of the formation of the Emirates - so it takes a while for things to happen. Elise, from race organisations, handles all of this admin and she certainly has plenty of headaches dealing with this stuff.

Last year, we didn't have our visas when we got to the airport. Elise said that our names were logged with customs. The visa is very much a formality - it doesn't go in your passport. It's printed on a piece of A4 paper. Anyway, she said it would be fine.

So, we get to the airport nice and early (I have an airport paranoia - especially when leaving for races; I like to be very early to check in crates and such, just in case of problems). But, the local pasport checker - before the check-in counter - wouldn't let us through without the visas. I phoned Elise and asked her to send the visas. She then started making calls and some two odd hours later, I was printing them out in an office at the airport! Yes, I was very tense!

It is a relief to have them in my hands tonight ;) Thank you Elise.