Lessons Learned: January 2016

I learnt a very valuable lesson early on in 2016, two days in to be exact. That lesson was to always ALWAYS check what visa requirements you need before entering a country. Why would I possibly need a visa to enter Australia? Not me, surely. I lived and worked there for three years and I'm a British passport holder. I've been coming in and out of Australia for years, I'll be absolutely fine. - I told myself assured that I was right, I'm always right. WRONG. I embarrassingly was not granted permission to board the flight bound to Perth from Abu Dhabi and felt a million miles from anywhere remotely familiar. Well, as fate would have it, my long-term work visa {a 457 visa which I used while living in Australia] granted me access to and from Australia without the traditional tourist e-visa, however, with that no longer valid, I was subject to the tourist e-visa like everyone else. Waves of sadness consumed me as I watched all the jolly holiday-makers boarding my flight to sunny, beautiful Perth and there I was banned from entering and not having a clue whether I would make it there at all. Once the despair wore off and my wonderfully optimistic boyfriend {who stayed with me in Abu Dhabi despite my episode of visa stupidity} convinced me that we may as well enjoy our impromptu adventure to the UAE's capital, I began to get that tingly feeling of excitement. One that emerges from the prospect of exploring a new city. I already knew what was on the agenda for our 20 hour stay in Abu Dhabi. I had seen {read, stalked} photos of the jaw droppingly beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and wanted to see it for myself. Photos cannot accurately portay the calming and celestial beauty of this Grand Mosque, it's something one must see in the flesh to fully appreciate every aspect of it's spendor.