Trip Reports - From CBR to PHX.. the long way....

G'day Folks,

First attempt at a TR here.... it was a long trip (by my standards) so the report is likely to be... well... long too! It was also my first experience of a number of airlines... first trip as a *G...and my first not-on-NZ premium cabin travel. My delight in THAT will no doubt show!:D

I'll no doubt write far too much and then "edit" it....:p Sorry!

The trip ended up as

(CBR-)SYD-SIN-BKK-HKG-NRT-ICN-YVR-PDX-PHX-LAX-AKL-SYD(-CBR)

11 flights. 8 Airlines. 23338 miles.

These flights were in C... the rest in Y.



Part 1. CBR-SYD-SIN-BKK

After booking the flights ex-SYD I decided to see what the direct CBR city to SYD (Airport) [I]BUS service was like...(:eek:)..

Having not travelled by "Coach" for many years it was interesting to see the equipment in use these days..... Large... reasonably comfortable (I'd estimate 31-32" pitch with footrest).. and fitted with a decent sized flat screen on which we were to be treated to a movie on the 3 hour trip... the movie itself was some crappy teenage thing.. but it's the thought that counts! :p

Seat belts were fitted to all seats.... my count of pax actually wearing them?

Zero.:D

Fortunately the load was extremely light... 10 pax. So room to spread out.

A very smooth ride ( I slept.. so insert any travelogue you like here..).. and delivered, as usual, to the wrong end of the International Terminal....

SYD-SIN SQ220 A380 Seat 76H

Dragged self, checked bag (I know, I know) and hand luggage up to the SQ check in where I met up with my regular travel buddy "Rooster". With some trepidation we slipped quietly into the Business/*G line..... (;) tol' ya us hicks wuz new to this stuff!) SQ check in staff were excellent (and friendly!).. which set the scene for this whole first part of the expedition.... even offered an UD exit row seat... too bad there were two of us... we stayed with the seats originally requested...

I tend to suffer last day/minute nerves at the beginning of each trip so a good start is important to me..... with that assured it was off to the NZ lounge...... I like that lounge and feel comfortable there.. like the ham & cheese croissants too... I think the SYD SQ lounge IS "Star Gold" so I'll try it some other time!

Boarding was delayed (late arrival in I believe) so we took the opportunity to try for some photos... three airbridges do obscure the a/c unfortunately!

Once underway boarding was very rapid indeed... not surprising with a load of only 190! http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0048.jpg
Seats proved to be quite comfy. Some real thought has gone into the design IMO... and I REALLY like the fold out cupholder.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0067-1.jpg
Why is that NOT standard everywhere? :D Menu/blanket/pillow on each seat. Nice touch in Y!

Takeoff was as quiet as others have reported... whole flight in fact was "smooth and quiet"...

Right from the start the "Singapore Girls" in UD Y lived up to the SQ reputation.. no doubt the light load helped but the service was VG indeed. Water runs every 30 min at least... hot towels.. twice. Very friendly... and seemingly proud of their aircraft/airline... Fed twice on this 7:15 hour flight... both meals perfectly acceptable. An Asian and a Western choice available at both meals...

Moved to an empty centre "4".. put up the armrests (they go ALL the way up) and had a kip.....:)

Here's the seat I want next time...http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0049.jpg

Arrived in SIN having made up most of the departure delay. Had to go from T3 to T2... What an airport! Clean, efficient.. and at the time we were there... virtually empty. This became something of the "theme" of the trip.... we encountered virtually no crowds at ANY airport....:confused:

Loved the train between terminals..... and found the staff extremely helpful.. but as the signs seemed perfectly clear we were able to find our way without needing any help... THAT has to be one of the real secrets of airport design.

Bit of window shopping then went to check out the SATS Premier Lounge. It was adequate, but is clearly WELL used (which really shows in the bathrooms) . Pleasant enough with a basic range of drinks and snack type food and some small sandwiches...

SIN-BKK SQ978 777-200 33C

To be continued.

SIN-BKK SQ978 777-200 33C

As it turned out we were lucky to actually make this flight. A bit of explanation to set the scene......:rolleyes:

I said at the start I have been travelling for my sport right? Well... as un-PC as it may be my sport is target shooting.

Anyway... having already passed through screening at SIN I waited... and waited... and waited for Rooster to appear... I was then paged....

Turns out an item of clothing in his carry on (which BTW had travelled BNE-CHC-HKK-CHC-BNE.... and BNE-SYD.. and of course SYD-SIN within the past three weeks...) had a single, SPENT cartridge case in the pocket!!! :eek::eek:

SQ staff (and screeners and everyone else) were really polite/nice about the whole thing.. but had to follow "procedure"... which involved calling the Police.... (and given the Singapore police we saw were walking around with H&K MP5's we didn't take THAT lightly!)

As it happens the Police were just as polite and nice as everyone else... the offending item was confiscated.. and a receipt given (got to love that)... and we were the last two to board the BKK flight.... Whew!

I have of course now threatened to chastise Rooster (with a mallet!) if he continues to use his "Range Bag" as a carry on!! :D

Not much to say about this flight. After the empty 380 a fully loaded 777 in Y felt cramped to say the least.... The service was VG again.. no surprise there.. but the seats were not comfortable.. I imagined I could feel a "bar" in the front third of the seat..??? Whatever it was it made me glad the flight was a short one! I'll just note that these two flights showed that SQ lets the AVOD operate much later in the flight than NZ does... which seems good practice to me!

continued.....

On arrival in BKK our bags came out nice and quick (priority tagged by SQ in SYD...^) and only a short wait for immigration formalities. Having read the advice here about catching cabs at Suvarnabhumi I chickened out and booked a room at the Novotel.... glad I did that as the arrivals landside area could I think be a bit daunting to a first time visitor... touts everywhere!

The hotel shuttle was easy to find and away we went. The Novotel is an impressive looking place... but check in was painfully slow. Not ideal after a long day of travelling..... Considering the price paid (advance purchase/nonref etc) the room was more than adequate. Very nice in fact. One question however.. what is the huge window in the bathroom - looking into the room itself - for???:confused:

The real fun started in the morning on the shuttle back to the airport.... (after an equally painful check OUT) Driver asked which airline, and whether Business or Economy... it was a nice change for us to reply "Business".... (told ya we wuz hicks!) Another new experience for us when we got to the kerb... airport (?) staff with luggage trolleys grabbed our bags and "whisked us away" to the Royal Silk check in..... from there through immigration and on to the lounge.... I'd estimate from shuttle to lounge in less than 10 minutes..

As I said to Rooster.. "I could get used to this." :)

The Royal Silk Lounge at BKK is a good'un. Plenty of room - even with the narrow/long configuration... sleeper chairs in little side rooms (but no doors???).. a well equipped computer/Internet area. Wasn't hungry but the food offerings looked decent (and popular)... Strange views though... out into a long corridor....

...and the piped music was from that well known collection "Music to go mad to"

BKK-HKG TG600 747-400 Seat 19A

BKK is an airport I think folks would either love or hate.. it is certainly distinctive. Making our way to the gate I felt like I was inside a giant Meccano set. Certainly not a boring design!
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0129.jpg
Air bridges were emblazoned with signs saying "Long Live the King"... a nice touch. Onboard and upstairs we went.... last row portside.. Big old cradle seats. Perfectly comfortable.. but like the rest of that particular aircraft they were showing "fair wear and tear"...:p The old Thai livery does not age well.....

Drinkies... hot towels and menus...... In the seat pocket was an interesting folder with postcards, notepaper etc.. and a little peel off "Do not disturb" sticker with instructions to place it on the headrest if wishing to sleep. A good idea I had - up till then - only read about....

Service was very attentive.. breakfast was delicious - Fruit and yoghurt..
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0141.jpgfollowed by Crepe filled with herb scrambled eggs Grilled Back bacon, Vegetable nugget
OK.. sure...the "vegetable nugget" was a bit strange....;)

Rooster said the coffee was excellent...... I'll take his word for it.

HKG proved to be another well organised Asian airport and we strode off confidently....... but pride cometh before a fall.. after collecting our BP's at the transit desk we had some trouble finding the lounge.... ah well....

Strangely enough the NH staff gave us invitations to the L'espace Affaires lounge... :confused: (I was expecting to go to the TG one) Once we found it it turned out to be rather good. The hot food offerings were particularly tasty.. and were replenished often. Best reading material selection I've yet seen in an airline lounge..... enjoyed the views too...

Off to NRT.....

....

HKG-NRT NH0910 777-300 Seat 01D

This flight was one of the few I'd been able to select seats for online... the seatmap offered was a little odd... so I took a chance on what I thought might be the "problem".. and sure enough - our Row 1 Business class seats were actually NH's brilliant First class "pods"... (3 class sold as 2??)http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0184.jpg

I don't have much experience with premium seats.. but I suspect these are some of the best around.... Made me wish THIS was the Transpac segment....;) No amenities pack.. but a nice pair of slippers.. not made for a EEE western foot unfortunately....:D

The service had a different "character" to SQ or TG.. hard to define it more than that.. Very, very formal and polite......extremely focused.....If I had to choose a one word description it would be "impeccable". Sorry if I sound too impressed.. but it really was a terrific flying experience....the FA's were marvellous.

Chose the Kaiseki course option.. and did not regret it! Food was as good as the service.http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0187.jpg

According to the "map" we flew past Iwo Jima (or more correctly these days "Iwo To")... couldn't spot it which was a shame... although perhaps looking for "Sulphur Island" from a Japanese flag carrier may be considered a little weird...purely historical interest I assure you!!;)

Tried the seats "bed" setting.. and after THAT meal actually nodded off....:rolleyes: Hopeless.

First off in NRT... bags came out almost immediately.. and ours came out together... this became another "theme" for the trip.. it happened so often as to be a little disturbing.....:eek:

Narita and onwards...

After clearing customs etc, and changing some $$$ I asked at the well placed/easily found Information desk about our hotel shuttle.... and had my attention drawn to a fairly obvious sign that I simply hadn't noticed......:rolleyes: Dumbass

Less than 5 minutes later we were in the van and on our way.... had booked at the Tobu Narita Holiday Inn.. after reading up here and on tripadvisor.... The young folks we spoke to on the shuttle were less enthusiastic about the place.... Hmmmmm..... At check in we were told we had been "upgraded".. and if true, I wouldn't like to stay in their "standard" room methinks...:eek:

We weren't due to fly out until 1330 the next day so we caught a lift back to the airport quite early in the am and took the train to Narita township... too early in fact as nothing was open... except for a small coffee shop thankfully. Once the place "woke up" we went to the Naritasan Shinsoji temple complex.... Magnificent!
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0221.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/trooperdgb/DSCN0231.jpg

Wandered around there for several hours... observed a Shinto service..and were really impressed at all the local people (or visitors from other parts of Japan I suppose) who were using the place for what it really is.. a place of worship and prayer.

Easy to forget that these "tourist destinations" have a real life/purpose too......

Ate at a tiny restaurant on the way back to the station... run by two elderly ladies who spoke about as much english as I speak japanese (am I the only person here embarassed by their own monolingualism???).. still... with a smile and a positive approach many things are possible..... the meal was bloody good BTW....

And on to Korea....:D