South Pacific, Israel, Lebanon - 6 Weeks - 71,500 miles - 24 countries
Nov 25, 2014, 4:14 am
#151
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: Too many golds, no plat: OZ*G, AC*G, NZ*G, VA Gold, QF Gold, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 5,350
Argh, sorry to hear you were let down by Auckland's fickle climate. There's a local saying that if you don't like the weather in Auckland, just wait five minutes... (It's lovely when the sun shines, though...!)
Nov 25, 2014, 8:57 am
#152
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
Nothing wrong with taking a few cookies...now if they had brought along a lot of tupperware...
The worst I've ever seen was at the old NWA (or was it already Delta) lounge at DTW, where a guy pulled a Nalgene bottle out of his backpack (yes, a 1 litre bottle) and poured the ENTIRE bottle of vodka into it before putting it back into his backpack.
...and as if that wasn't enough, he took what looked like about a dozen cookies as well, put them in a large gallon ziplock bag. Amazing...
...and as if that wasn't enough, he took what looked like about a dozen cookies as well, put them in a large gallon ziplock bag. Amazing...
Nov 27, 2014, 7:40 pm
#153
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: VA WP, NZ *A SG
Posts: 529
What an excellent TR! I'm quite surprised that being such an experienced traveller you planned such very short turn turn arounds in so many remote places? Island time doesnt work with travellers at break-neck speeds - the flight depart when they feel like it, not following a strict schedule.
Looking forward to APW - I was in Samoa a few months ago.
Looking forward to APW - I was in Samoa a few months ago.
Nov 28, 2014, 1:14 am
#154
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,523
I'm quite surprised that being such an experienced traveller you planned such very short turn turn arounds in so many remote places? Island time doesnt work with travellers at break-neck speeds - the flight depart when they feel like it, not following a strict schedule.
I figured, if it's booked there's a chance it'll happen....if not there's no chance...
Nov 28, 2014, 1:48 am
#155
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,523
XXVII. Auckland to Tonga with Air New Zealand
The flight wasn't too early, so I was able to have a nice relaxing start to the morning in Auckland. When I finally did check out and head to the airport bus, I encountered the Aquarium bus on the way. Every city needs a shark bus!
Check-in area was rather packed but Air New Zealand's premium check-in is rather nice. Of course, it didn't want to check me in at the kiosks, but with a little help from an agent I was checked in and on my way in five minutes. The nicest part of the premium check-in area is the private elevator up to immigration and security. It feeds into a private immigration line, and then into common security, but appeared to save several minutes.
I'd gotten to the airport several hours before the flight to catch up on a bit of work, so I was quite hungry for lunch by the time I arrived..Another reasonably good Mac's beer and some tasty stew to start:
Finished off with a MOA IPA which was quite delicious, and some sweets and cheese for dessert:
Wifi in the lounge was quite good and I managed to get a good amount of work done, and about 45 minutes before the flight I headed down to the gate area, which was jam packed and standing room only.
Air New Zealand.flight 274
Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Nuku'alofa, Tonga (TBU)
Depart 16:15, Arrive 19:10, Flight Time 2:55
Boeing 767-300, Registration ZK-NCK, Manufactured 1997, Seat 2A
Boarding began right on time, and bubbly was offered. The load was incredibly light in business today, since the plane had been switched from an all-economy A320 to a 767 about a week before the flight. More bubbles for me! Coach, however, appeared to be packed.
Today's dinner menu:
This was my first flight with Air New Zealand, and I had high expectations based on what I'd heard from others. I mean, how can you not like an airline that shows Monty Python:
Dinner started out with more bubbly, and a small bowl of nuts:
Due to the light load, it was suggested I have multiple appetizers, both of which were quite good:
The main was also pretty good as well, especially for a 2.5 hour flight:
Plus, cheese and desert. Amazing service for such a short flight:
Flight went very quickly, and soon we were on approach to Tonga. The crew had been excellent and friendly, although it was hard to tell how much of that was due to the extremely light load in business and how much was the usual excellent service. Either way, it was a fantastic flight despite the rather poor hard product for a 767.
Tonga was taking Ebola extremely seriously, and a group of 10+ nurses in old-school white nurse uniforms met the passengers just inside the terminal and asked questions and distributed information cards:
Immigration moved on island time and took over 30 minutes, but it was no big deal because all the fellow passengers were super chatty and friendly. It was great meeting a few people who'd been on the flight and they were all really excited that someone would come all the way around the world to visit Tonga.
Check-in area was rather packed but Air New Zealand's premium check-in is rather nice. Of course, it didn't want to check me in at the kiosks, but with a little help from an agent I was checked in and on my way in five minutes. The nicest part of the premium check-in area is the private elevator up to immigration and security. It feeds into a private immigration line, and then into common security, but appeared to save several minutes.
I'd gotten to the airport several hours before the flight to catch up on a bit of work, so I was quite hungry for lunch by the time I arrived..Another reasonably good Mac's beer and some tasty stew to start:
Finished off with a MOA IPA which was quite delicious, and some sweets and cheese for dessert:
Wifi in the lounge was quite good and I managed to get a good amount of work done, and about 45 minutes before the flight I headed down to the gate area, which was jam packed and standing room only.
Air New Zealand.flight 274
Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) to Nuku'alofa, Tonga (TBU)
Depart 16:15, Arrive 19:10, Flight Time 2:55
Boeing 767-300, Registration ZK-NCK, Manufactured 1997, Seat 2A
Boarding began right on time, and bubbly was offered. The load was incredibly light in business today, since the plane had been switched from an all-economy A320 to a 767 about a week before the flight. More bubbles for me! Coach, however, appeared to be packed.
Today's dinner menu:
This was my first flight with Air New Zealand, and I had high expectations based on what I'd heard from others. I mean, how can you not like an airline that shows Monty Python:
Dinner started out with more bubbly, and a small bowl of nuts:
Due to the light load, it was suggested I have multiple appetizers, both of which were quite good:
The main was also pretty good as well, especially for a 2.5 hour flight:
Plus, cheese and desert. Amazing service for such a short flight:
Flight went very quickly, and soon we were on approach to Tonga. The crew had been excellent and friendly, although it was hard to tell how much of that was due to the extremely light load in business and how much was the usual excellent service. Either way, it was a fantastic flight despite the rather poor hard product for a 767.
Tonga was taking Ebola extremely seriously, and a group of 10+ nurses in old-school white nurse uniforms met the passengers just inside the terminal and asked questions and distributed information cards:
Immigration moved on island time and took over 30 minutes, but it was no big deal because all the fellow passengers were super chatty and friendly. It was great meeting a few people who'd been on the flight and they were all really excited that someone would come all the way around the world to visit Tonga.
Nov 28, 2014, 8:24 am
#157
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: TLV
Programs: LY, DL, AA, LH
Posts: 7
Long time lurker here. Great report, as usual. It satisfies my curiosity about countries and places that I might want to visit someday (e.g. Bali, Fiji), as well as those that I don't really feel compelled to add to my to-do list (Nauru, Kiribati).
Did you make it to Israel through the Thanksgiving storm? If so, did your, um... unique collection of passport stamps raise any questions at TLV?
I'm looking forward to the rest of the TR, both the Pacific and Middle Eastern parts.
BTW, if you have any questions or need any tips or recommendations for Israel, don't hesitate to send me an email or PM.
Did you make it to Israel through the Thanksgiving storm? If so, did your, um... unique collection of passport stamps raise any questions at TLV?
I'm looking forward to the rest of the TR, both the Pacific and Middle Eastern parts.
BTW, if you have any questions or need any tips or recommendations for Israel, don't hesitate to send me an email or PM.
Nov 28, 2014, 9:02 am
#159
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,523
Decided to pay up - my fare wasn't upgradeable. Basically, due to all the change fees/etc it didn't cost me much at all out of pocket.
Nov 28, 2014, 9:42 am
#160
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,523
XXVIII. Tonga
After making it through customs, I looked for my hotel driver who'd confirmed the day before that they would be waiting for me. No sign of them. However, plenty of taxi drivers more than willing to take me there. I waited 15 minutes to see if the hotel would show up, and with no sign of them, took one of the taxis up on their offer. They wouldn't take New Zealand dollars, so changed some at the airport and we were off through the very dark night.
My hotel was near "downtown" Nuku'alofa, and was about a 30 minute drive from the airport. Finally got there around 8pm, rather late, and checked into my hotel the Little Italy hotel. I'd been advised it was the most comfortable option in Tonga, and really didn't let me down...although the rooms looks like something out of your grandmother's house:
My room also came with a complimentary pet included:
I was still pretty full from the plane, so decided to head down to the hotel restaurant for a glass of wine, a little dessert, and to read a bit of my book. The tiramisu was surprisingly excellent:
Crashed early, and woke up just as the sun was rising. My flight was relatively early to Fiji, and I wanted to be sure I had plenty of time to explore before then. Breakfast was included with the hotel, and the Mona Lisa was supervising in the restaurant:
The restaurant was all decked out and festive for the holiday season:
Headed out of the hotel for my walk, and there was a nice paved path right along the ocean. Caught this pic of a local pig and one of her piglets next to the hotel...right before she saw me and started charging towards me. I can see the headline now..."tourist killed by pig 30 countries short of goal."
After escaping, I kept walking towards the city, and saw this car. Clearly they love their country!
Transport ship near my hotel. I later asked the front desk about it, and she said it went ashore years ago during a low tide, and now it's damaged and will cost far too much to remove so it sits there in the water rusting away.
Walking the path into town:
Passed through a cemetery along the way:
The British High Commission:
The "Greater Nukualofa Tsunami Evacuation Map" ...because of course you'll have time to consult this when the waves come crashing in...
The gates to the Royal Palace:
Royal Palace:
While looking through the gate, I asked the guard if it would be ok to take pics through the gate. No problem he said, the king's not home...would you like to come inside the gate to take some pictures? Seriously? Very cool!
As soon as he opened up the gate, the King's dog Puma came trotting up to me and wanted to be played with. I use the term trotted loosely, because I seriously thought it was a pig and not a dog at first. This thing was HUGE!
After petting the dog a bit I continued on my walk. The local girl guides were all out today, and a were getting an inspirational talk by a local businesswoman. When I started taking pictures they all started staring at me and not the speaker, so I walked away so as not to distract them further.
Bustling downtown Nuku'Alofa:
Walked around the downtown a bit more, and the one thing I noticed was lots of fitness billboards urging Tongans to exercise and be healthy. See, for the last few years Tonga has been named as the most obese country in the world, with nearly 90% of the population over 14 being obese. They were clearly trying to take action on it, but a diet high in important carbs (especially rice and noodles) that don't agree with Tongans genetic makeup was proving difficult to counter. Stopped in a cafe for a small snack, knowing I was unlikely to get much of anything to eat until much later that evening. Small sandwich and a Diet Coke later, I was ready to start walking back towards the hotel.
Backyard of the Royal Palace. Satellite TV for the king:
Starting the walk back to the hotel:
Selfie on the path:
You might notice I'm wearing black in the picture above. Compared with all the islands I'd been to previously on the trip Tonga was surprisingly pleasant, with temperatures around 25/27 celsius or 80-82 fahrenheit. It was almost nice out!
Got back to the hotel, packed things up a bit, and waited for the hotel transfer which would take me back to the airport for my flight onwards to Samoa!
My hotel was near "downtown" Nuku'alofa, and was about a 30 minute drive from the airport. Finally got there around 8pm, rather late, and checked into my hotel the Little Italy hotel. I'd been advised it was the most comfortable option in Tonga, and really didn't let me down...although the rooms looks like something out of your grandmother's house:
My room also came with a complimentary pet included:
I was still pretty full from the plane, so decided to head down to the hotel restaurant for a glass of wine, a little dessert, and to read a bit of my book. The tiramisu was surprisingly excellent:
Crashed early, and woke up just as the sun was rising. My flight was relatively early to Fiji, and I wanted to be sure I had plenty of time to explore before then. Breakfast was included with the hotel, and the Mona Lisa was supervising in the restaurant:
The restaurant was all decked out and festive for the holiday season:
Headed out of the hotel for my walk, and there was a nice paved path right along the ocean. Caught this pic of a local pig and one of her piglets next to the hotel...right before she saw me and started charging towards me. I can see the headline now..."tourist killed by pig 30 countries short of goal."
After escaping, I kept walking towards the city, and saw this car. Clearly they love their country!
Transport ship near my hotel. I later asked the front desk about it, and she said it went ashore years ago during a low tide, and now it's damaged and will cost far too much to remove so it sits there in the water rusting away.
Walking the path into town:
Passed through a cemetery along the way:
The British High Commission:
The "Greater Nukualofa Tsunami Evacuation Map" ...because of course you'll have time to consult this when the waves come crashing in...
The gates to the Royal Palace:
Royal Palace:
While looking through the gate, I asked the guard if it would be ok to take pics through the gate. No problem he said, the king's not home...would you like to come inside the gate to take some pictures? Seriously? Very cool!
As soon as he opened up the gate, the King's dog Puma came trotting up to me and wanted to be played with. I use the term trotted loosely, because I seriously thought it was a pig and not a dog at first. This thing was HUGE!
After petting the dog a bit I continued on my walk. The local girl guides were all out today, and a were getting an inspirational talk by a local businesswoman. When I started taking pictures they all started staring at me and not the speaker, so I walked away so as not to distract them further.
Bustling downtown Nuku'Alofa:
Walked around the downtown a bit more, and the one thing I noticed was lots of fitness billboards urging Tongans to exercise and be healthy. See, for the last few years Tonga has been named as the most obese country in the world, with nearly 90% of the population over 14 being obese. They were clearly trying to take action on it, but a diet high in important carbs (especially rice and noodles) that don't agree with Tongans genetic makeup was proving difficult to counter. Stopped in a cafe for a small snack, knowing I was unlikely to get much of anything to eat until much later that evening. Small sandwich and a Diet Coke later, I was ready to start walking back towards the hotel.
Backyard of the Royal Palace. Satellite TV for the king:
Starting the walk back to the hotel:
Selfie on the path:
You might notice I'm wearing black in the picture above. Compared with all the islands I'd been to previously on the trip Tonga was surprisingly pleasant, with temperatures around 25/27 celsius or 80-82 fahrenheit. It was almost nice out!
Got back to the hotel, packed things up a bit, and waited for the hotel transfer which would take me back to the airport for my flight onwards to Samoa!
Nov 28, 2014, 6:26 pm
#161
Join Date: Feb 2007
Programs: NZ Koru
Posts: 6,413
Wifi in the lounge was quite good and I managed to get a good amount of work done, and about 45 minutes before the flight I headed down to the gate area, which was jam packed and standing room only.
Nov 30, 2014, 3:11 pm
#162
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,523
XXIX. Tonga to Apia, Samoa via Fiji with Air Fiji aka Air MESS
The plan today was to fly from Tonga to Samoa via Nadi, Fiji. There was a nice route with a 90 minute connection in Nadi, and I booked all of this before I ever learnt that Fiji Airways and I were soon to enter into an abusive relationship. The first week of this trip I'd received an email from Expedia. It seems .Fiji Airways had decided to "retime" the onward connection to Samoa, and I would now have a 5.5 hour connection in Nadi. Instead of leaving at approximately 530pm we would now leave at 11pm and arrive at 230am. Ugh, not desirable at all, but if that was the worst drama I'd have this trip I'm not going to complain.
Unfortunately, three days before the flight, just after I got out of the shower on the Emirates A380, I checked my phone and there was an email. From Fiji Airways. I figured it was something about my Tuvalu refund.
Oh no, not at all. They had "retimed" my flight once again, and it was now going to leave a further 14 hours later - the NEXT DAY. Meaning I'd get stranded overnight in Fiji. UGH. There goes my first day in Samoa. Ok, breathe deeply. Water under the bridge. This is Fiji Airways. At least you get a nice relaxing nice in Fiji now. At least you won't land in Samoa at 230am. Try and stay positive.
So I did.
Got to the airport, and check-in for Tonga took nearly 45 minutes. The ground handling company was clearly moving on island time, and there was a reasonable breeze in the terminal, so it wasn't too bad. I asked about the exit row. She disappeared for about 10 minutes to "see if it is possible." She came back, and without a word gave me a non exit row seat. I asked again. "No, not possible." That was it.
Based on the flights departure board you'd think they'd be bored and looking for something to do:
Your medium sized wood carvings are ok for carry on, but your wooden knives are not...no matter which way you point them!
Shot of the bustling Nuku'Alofa airport from the passenger dropoff area:
It was a walk to the plane gate, and notice all the friends and relatives waving goodbye to us:
Pretty sure this is the first time I've ever boarded a plane through the rear. It was terrifying.
...but I still managed a smile.
Upon boarding, I asked the flight attendant if by chance the exit rows remained open, I could sit there when the door is closed. "Yes yes, of course."
Fiji Airways flight 212
Nuku’alofa, Tonga (TBU) to Nadi, Fiji (NAN)
Depart 15:45, Arrive 17:15, Flight Time 1:30
Boeing 737-800, Registration DQ-FJG, Manufactured 1999, Seat 23D
I stalked the exit rows. I actually sat in 23D to deter people from getting the same idea. Nobody showed up. Score! Now really, how much work would it have been for the check-in agent to actually assign me this seat? Clearly too much. I had the entire row to myself!
In the approximately 10 days I'd been away, Fiji had also apparently gotten quite serious about Ebola:
Despite only being a 90 .minute flight, Fiji Airways offered a small snack. Another scary sandwich slathered in mayo and mystery meat, and today there was a pasta salad as well. No thanks, not going to risk it. Fortunately it was biscuits and bitter to the rescue again!
This was my third visit to Fiji this trip now, and I knew the drill. I even knew exactly how much cash to withdraw from the ATM to get me back and forth to the hotel in a taxi. I'd asked Fiji Airways about the possibility of a hotel since it was their fault, and they offered me something called the "Pleasant Inn" near the airport. Yes, meaning no beach, no nothing. Couldn't find it anywhere online. I suspected the Pleasant Inn was likely to be anything but pleasant. I opted to prevent further ruination of my vacation, .and coughed up some points to stay at the Sheraton.
Clearly, unlike Fiji Airways, they were happy to see me:
Had a nice dinner on the beach, relaxed, and generally made the most of a less than idea situation. I mean, with a view like this out my hotel room, how bad could it be?
The next morning, slept in a bit, and then relaxed by the pool:
Soon, it was time to head back to the airport and renew my love affair with Fiji Airways.
Parked next to the security fence was a KC-135 refueling aircraft. Not exactly sure it was doing there. Was it refueling Obama on the way back from the G20 in Brisbane? Something to do with keeping the Ruskis in check since they'd deployed ships off Australia? Who knows...
Check-in with FIji Airways was painless, and the agent informed me they'd changed the aircraft from an ATR-72 to a 737. Wait, does this mean it has business class? Yes. Is it available? Yes. Can I upgrade? Yes. I was afraid to ask the price by did anyways...it was a very reasonable approximately $80 US and I l jumped on it. Sure it was only a two hour flight, but after all the Fiji Airways drama I was over it. I asked them to comp it in exchange for stranding me overnight. No dice. Oh well...at least I could still use the lounge.
Security and immigration were a breeze, and soon I was at the lounge:
A minor flood? ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME? Of course not, it's Fiji Airways! I was hungry, and went to try and find a Fiji Airways agent. This guy looked...helpful:
I didn't .have the heart to tell him there's nothing to uphold. It's an absolutely nightmare. Eventually he found a FIji Airways representative for me, and they agreed that as a business class passenger it was disappointing there was no lounge. Yes, they would get me a voucher to get something to eat. Just wait here. Nearly 30 minutes later, they finally showed up. Look what they had for me...
Not just any chocolate cake like they'd pumped me full of in Suva, but WICKED chocolate cake. Wicked seemed to be a good term to describe anything and everything associated with Fiji Airways. I ate it. It was not nearly as good as the non-wicked cake in Suva. Case closed.
Soon, we were ready to board.
Fiji Airways flight 255
Nadi, Fiji (NAN) to Apia, Samoa (APW)
Depart 13:35, Arrive 16:25, Flight Time 1:50
Boeing 737-800, Registration DQ-FJH, Manufactured 1999, Seat 2A
The seats were quite nice for a shorthaul:
So, I got comfortable. We were only booked to 4 of 8 seats, which was extra nice:
Cool lemongrass scented towels and bubbles. Wait, this is Fiji Airways? It's far too nice!
Legroom shot. It was quite good:
Printed menus for a 90 minute flight? Who are you and what have you done with Fiji Airways!!!
The starters...well they were really sad. Took one very disappointing bite and passed on the rest.
I never eat fish on a plane. Never. The flight attendant insisted. She told me it was delicious. So...I risked it...and she was right. I might have asked for seconds. Still delicious.
Soon we were approaching Samoa:
Ominous clouds for our arrival:
At baggage claim. Can I buy a vowel? Vanna...can I have an A please? There are SIX As....hahahahah.
Fiji Airways really tried to redeem themselves this flight with the onboard product. Too bad for them everything else related to this flight was a disaster, and let's not even talk about my previous experiences with them. There's no way I'd book them again if there was any other mildly reasonable choice...which unfortunately there won't be when it's finally time to go back to Tuvalu.
Hotel transfer was waiting when I got out of passport control, and soon it was off to enjoy my remaining time in Samoa.
Unfortunately, three days before the flight, just after I got out of the shower on the Emirates A380, I checked my phone and there was an email. From Fiji Airways. I figured it was something about my Tuvalu refund.
Oh no, not at all. They had "retimed" my flight once again, and it was now going to leave a further 14 hours later - the NEXT DAY. Meaning I'd get stranded overnight in Fiji. UGH. There goes my first day in Samoa. Ok, breathe deeply. Water under the bridge. This is Fiji Airways. At least you get a nice relaxing nice in Fiji now. At least you won't land in Samoa at 230am. Try and stay positive.
So I did.
Got to the airport, and check-in for Tonga took nearly 45 minutes. The ground handling company was clearly moving on island time, and there was a reasonable breeze in the terminal, so it wasn't too bad. I asked about the exit row. She disappeared for about 10 minutes to "see if it is possible." She came back, and without a word gave me a non exit row seat. I asked again. "No, not possible." That was it.
Based on the flights departure board you'd think they'd be bored and looking for something to do:
Your medium sized wood carvings are ok for carry on, but your wooden knives are not...no matter which way you point them!
Shot of the bustling Nuku'Alofa airport from the passenger dropoff area:
It was a walk to the plane gate, and notice all the friends and relatives waving goodbye to us:
Pretty sure this is the first time I've ever boarded a plane through the rear. It was terrifying.
...but I still managed a smile.
Upon boarding, I asked the flight attendant if by chance the exit rows remained open, I could sit there when the door is closed. "Yes yes, of course."
Fiji Airways flight 212
Nuku’alofa, Tonga (TBU) to Nadi, Fiji (NAN)
Depart 15:45, Arrive 17:15, Flight Time 1:30
Boeing 737-800, Registration DQ-FJG, Manufactured 1999, Seat 23D
I stalked the exit rows. I actually sat in 23D to deter people from getting the same idea. Nobody showed up. Score! Now really, how much work would it have been for the check-in agent to actually assign me this seat? Clearly too much. I had the entire row to myself!
In the approximately 10 days I'd been away, Fiji had also apparently gotten quite serious about Ebola:
Despite only being a 90 .minute flight, Fiji Airways offered a small snack. Another scary sandwich slathered in mayo and mystery meat, and today there was a pasta salad as well. No thanks, not going to risk it. Fortunately it was biscuits and bitter to the rescue again!
This was my third visit to Fiji this trip now, and I knew the drill. I even knew exactly how much cash to withdraw from the ATM to get me back and forth to the hotel in a taxi. I'd asked Fiji Airways about the possibility of a hotel since it was their fault, and they offered me something called the "Pleasant Inn" near the airport. Yes, meaning no beach, no nothing. Couldn't find it anywhere online. I suspected the Pleasant Inn was likely to be anything but pleasant. I opted to prevent further ruination of my vacation, .and coughed up some points to stay at the Sheraton.
Clearly, unlike Fiji Airways, they were happy to see me:
Had a nice dinner on the beach, relaxed, and generally made the most of a less than idea situation. I mean, with a view like this out my hotel room, how bad could it be?
The next morning, slept in a bit, and then relaxed by the pool:
Soon, it was time to head back to the airport and renew my love affair with Fiji Airways.
Parked next to the security fence was a KC-135 refueling aircraft. Not exactly sure it was doing there. Was it refueling Obama on the way back from the G20 in Brisbane? Something to do with keeping the Ruskis in check since they'd deployed ships off Australia? Who knows...
Check-in with FIji Airways was painless, and the agent informed me they'd changed the aircraft from an ATR-72 to a 737. Wait, does this mean it has business class? Yes. Is it available? Yes. Can I upgrade? Yes. I was afraid to ask the price by did anyways...it was a very reasonable approximately $80 US and I l jumped on it. Sure it was only a two hour flight, but after all the Fiji Airways drama I was over it. I asked them to comp it in exchange for stranding me overnight. No dice. Oh well...at least I could still use the lounge.
Security and immigration were a breeze, and soon I was at the lounge:
A minor flood? ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME? Of course not, it's Fiji Airways! I was hungry, and went to try and find a Fiji Airways agent. This guy looked...helpful:
I didn't .have the heart to tell him there's nothing to uphold. It's an absolutely nightmare. Eventually he found a FIji Airways representative for me, and they agreed that as a business class passenger it was disappointing there was no lounge. Yes, they would get me a voucher to get something to eat. Just wait here. Nearly 30 minutes later, they finally showed up. Look what they had for me...
Not just any chocolate cake like they'd pumped me full of in Suva, but WICKED chocolate cake. Wicked seemed to be a good term to describe anything and everything associated with Fiji Airways. I ate it. It was not nearly as good as the non-wicked cake in Suva. Case closed.
Soon, we were ready to board.
Fiji Airways flight 255
Nadi, Fiji (NAN) to Apia, Samoa (APW)
Depart 13:35, Arrive 16:25, Flight Time 1:50
Boeing 737-800, Registration DQ-FJH, Manufactured 1999, Seat 2A
The seats were quite nice for a shorthaul:
So, I got comfortable. We were only booked to 4 of 8 seats, which was extra nice:
Cool lemongrass scented towels and bubbles. Wait, this is Fiji Airways? It's far too nice!
Legroom shot. It was quite good:
Printed menus for a 90 minute flight? Who are you and what have you done with Fiji Airways!!!
The starters...well they were really sad. Took one very disappointing bite and passed on the rest.
I never eat fish on a plane. Never. The flight attendant insisted. She told me it was delicious. So...I risked it...and she was right. I might have asked for seconds. Still delicious.
Soon we were approaching Samoa:
Ominous clouds for our arrival:
At baggage claim. Can I buy a vowel? Vanna...can I have an A please? There are SIX As....hahahahah.
Fiji Airways really tried to redeem themselves this flight with the onboard product. Too bad for them everything else related to this flight was a disaster, and let's not even talk about my previous experiences with them. There's no way I'd book them again if there was any other mildly reasonable choice...which unfortunately there won't be when it's finally time to go back to Tuvalu.
Hotel transfer was waiting when I got out of passport control, and soon it was off to enjoy my remaining time in Samoa.
Dec 1, 2014, 1:49 am
#163
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
Programs: UA GS, AS MVP 100K, DL Diamond, Marriot Lifetime Titanium, AmEx Centurion
Posts: 5,523
XXX. Two nights in Samoa and diving with Aqua Samoa
Quick transfer by shared hotel bus to my hotel the Aggie Grey's Resort which was less than 10 minutes from the airport. First impression on check-in was that the hotel/resort seemed to be absolutely dead. There were no people around at all, and the staff was moving at about half of normal island speed.
At least things looked promising on the hotel activities board;
Had to try two different rooms to get one with adequately functioning air conditioning...which didn't seem like it should be a problem given the low occupancy. The second room had a nice view of the gardens, looking out towards the ocean:
Beach right outside my room:
Headed to the hotel bar/restaurant to have a beer before dinner, and watch the sunset...which was stunning. After all the sunsets I've seen on this trip, the purples of this one were just stunning and unique:
Some pics of the room. It was nice-sized, but felt quite empty with lots of open space. Definitely met my "Three Cs" though - clean, cool, and comfortable. No complaints at all.
Nothing says "don't drink the water" like endless bottles of bottled water left for you:
Woke up the next morning, and had a lazy start. Breakfast was included with the room, and there was quite a good spread, including eggs cooked to order. Nobody was going to go hungry! I had booked two dives for the day, and we weren't going to head out until 10am, so it was nice to have a nice and relaxing start to the day.
Aqua Samoa was located clear across the resort, a 10-15 minute walk from my room. When I got there, I found out I was the only diver booked that day, so I'd have a private trip with just the boat driver, the divemaster, and myself. That was definitely a first for me! With just the two of us we were in absolutely no rush to get going, so took our time.
Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to recharge my camera so didn't get any pictures from these dives. The most memorable parts were the really cool underwater geography. Both sites featured some really cool 40 meter high coral columns sticking up from the ocean floor, and there were pretty strong currents which allowed us to head down about 25-30 meters and just drift around the formations. We saw a couple of sharks in the distance, but nothing terribly close. The fish life was nothing special, but the dives were definitely unique due to the topography.
Finally made it back to my room just after 2pm, grabbed a quick snack, and relaxed on the beach for the remainder of the afternoon:
Samoa had an absolutely amazing sunset in store for us again. I think when this trip is over I'm going to need to put a post together with just the sunset pics:
My last day in Samoa I had planned a daytrip to American Samoa. The flights to Pago Pago leave from the domestic airport in Samoa, which is about a 45-50 minute drive from the international airport and the resort. Once a day, Aggie Grey's runs a free shuttle into town for guests so they can explore the city. It worked out reasonably well for my departure time and would save a $30 or more taxi ride, so I headed into town with the hotel van. Chatted on the way with a nice couple from New Zealand who were originally from Fiji, and it was really interesting hearing their different perspective on the resort. I was a bit disappointed how quiet it was and how little there was to do, but they were thrilled with how quiet things were and how relaxing it was...while still having nice facilities.
Picture of Aggie Grey in the reception area:
After about 50 minutes we were in downtown Apia, and I had about an hour to walk around before I needed to grab a short 10 minute cab to the airport. Downtown church:
Apia harbour:
Samoan government building:
Clock tower roundabout:
After walking around for an hour and having some coffee, it was time to head to the airport for my daytrip to American Samoa!
At least things looked promising on the hotel activities board;
Had to try two different rooms to get one with adequately functioning air conditioning...which didn't seem like it should be a problem given the low occupancy. The second room had a nice view of the gardens, looking out towards the ocean:
Beach right outside my room:
Headed to the hotel bar/restaurant to have a beer before dinner, and watch the sunset...which was stunning. After all the sunsets I've seen on this trip, the purples of this one were just stunning and unique:
Some pics of the room. It was nice-sized, but felt quite empty with lots of open space. Definitely met my "Three Cs" though - clean, cool, and comfortable. No complaints at all.
Nothing says "don't drink the water" like endless bottles of bottled water left for you:
Woke up the next morning, and had a lazy start. Breakfast was included with the room, and there was quite a good spread, including eggs cooked to order. Nobody was going to go hungry! I had booked two dives for the day, and we weren't going to head out until 10am, so it was nice to have a nice and relaxing start to the day.
Aqua Samoa was located clear across the resort, a 10-15 minute walk from my room. When I got there, I found out I was the only diver booked that day, so I'd have a private trip with just the boat driver, the divemaster, and myself. That was definitely a first for me! With just the two of us we were in absolutely no rush to get going, so took our time.
Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to recharge my camera so didn't get any pictures from these dives. The most memorable parts were the really cool underwater geography. Both sites featured some really cool 40 meter high coral columns sticking up from the ocean floor, and there were pretty strong currents which allowed us to head down about 25-30 meters and just drift around the formations. We saw a couple of sharks in the distance, but nothing terribly close. The fish life was nothing special, but the dives were definitely unique due to the topography.
Finally made it back to my room just after 2pm, grabbed a quick snack, and relaxed on the beach for the remainder of the afternoon:
Samoa had an absolutely amazing sunset in store for us again. I think when this trip is over I'm going to need to put a post together with just the sunset pics:
My last day in Samoa I had planned a daytrip to American Samoa. The flights to Pago Pago leave from the domestic airport in Samoa, which is about a 45-50 minute drive from the international airport and the resort. Once a day, Aggie Grey's runs a free shuttle into town for guests so they can explore the city. It worked out reasonably well for my departure time and would save a $30 or more taxi ride, so I headed into town with the hotel van. Chatted on the way with a nice couple from New Zealand who were originally from Fiji, and it was really interesting hearing their different perspective on the resort. I was a bit disappointed how quiet it was and how little there was to do, but they were thrilled with how quiet things were and how relaxing it was...while still having nice facilities.
Picture of Aggie Grey in the reception area:
After about 50 minutes we were in downtown Apia, and I had about an hour to walk around before I needed to grab a short 10 minute cab to the airport. Downtown church:
Apia harbour:
Samoan government building:
Clock tower roundabout:
After walking around for an hour and having some coffee, it was time to head to the airport for my daytrip to American Samoa!
Dec 2, 2014, 8:35 am
#164
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AC Elite,Hilton Gold, Fairmont Premier
Posts: 411
Did you have any issues with dogs in Apia? Are they still a problem? The Canadian government actually mentions them as a hazard in Samoa, and in 2012 over 250 people were treated in hospital for dog bites. If daylight Apia-wandering is dog free, that's really good news.