ironmanjt

In total, I had arranged for five nights in Sydney, and was really looking forward to this being the relaxing "vacation" part of the trip. Something I promised myself after finishing all the countries is that at least to a degree I'd slow down and explore places a little more in depth. Yeah, so I had to cross the southern hemisphere on this trip "because it was there," but now that I was in Sydney, it was time to relax.

My first day, honestly, I didn't do too much that was blog-worthy. Wandered around, saw some of the same sites I've posted on here before, and just basically killed jetlag. Lots of great coffee shops, tons of walking, and just overall relaxing...and being on vacation!

Second day, I was ready to do some serious urban walking, so after breakfast caught the bus for a rather long ride up north to the Spit Bridge to begin the Spit to Manly walk. Apparently, there's a funeral shop just for white ladies...



The Spit Bridge, where the hike starts:



Fishing near the bridge. He was rather bundled up, and it was a bit chilly near the water, maybe 15C, but walking at a brisk pace I was nice and warm.



Lots of boats out today near the bridge:



Next to Vancouver, I can't think of any city that has as many amazing ocean views as Sydney does.



In several parts, the walk was rather high up on the cliffs, but there were options to descend down to sandy coves for some amazing views:



At once point, there was a site where several aboriginal rock carvings had been found. This fish seemed almost too real to have survived years of weather:



How can you not love a view like this? The waves were really crashing today.



As you got closer to Manly, the trail was actually walking in the sand on the beach at several places. However, during high tide apparently, some parts of the trail aren't passable and you have to go a few blocks inland and use city streets.



...and in other parts, it was just a nice trail through the woods.



Part of the walk that went along the water (Forty Baskets Beach) that may not be passable at high tide. I can see why based on how high the water already was:



Lots more boats. It seriously seemed like half the city must own a boat there were so many out.



Nearly Manly. Are there seriously Penguins this far north in Australia?!



After finishing the nice long few hour walk, decided to reward myself with a couple of beers and a sausage roll at 4 Pines Brewing Company. It was a weekend, and the place was absolutely packed with locals having lunch and pints.



Some other highlights from the first couple of days include one of many perfect flat whites...



...a pizza with crocodile, kangaroo, and emu at the Australian Heritage Hotel: (which, btw, has an amazing list of beers on draught, and dozens more in bottles.)



...and who needs Starbucks when you have perfect flatwhites at local independent coffee shops everywhere you look, and grumpy donuts to eat!



With that, the first two days in Sydney were done, one fantastic walk down and at least one more to go...along with a lot more relaxing, seeing friends, and just generally having a real vacation!

offerendum

A lot new interesting things! Hope no one buys this ugly Zebra-pelt from duty free, I like the oven pitts in Perth much more.

White Lady Funerals is quite "interesting" from my point of culture. It´s not really "for" white ladies.

adampenrith

White Ladies Funerals are a subsidiary of Invacare - a big American Funeral company that has taken over many of the funeral companies in Australia. They trade under many names but basically are the dominant company in the Funeral Industry.
White Ladies are all females dressed in white suits with burgendy shirts hats and accessories. We have never attended a White Ladies funeral that has run smoothly.
The have no attention to detail - as they are part of the sausage factory that is Invacare, they work out of mortuary warehouses, and the person who makes the family arrangments does not attend the funeral so little things slip thru the system. Personally I find it very disrespectful to walk into a chapel, with the coffin already in place - when the family want to carry in, all of a sudden the curtains are closed - and then opened again - no coffin. Or that time in the service when family places flowers on the coffin - and the basket of flowers are still sitting outside in their car - rather than being placed near the front of the chapel. We actually call them the White .....'s or the Cold Ladies - as they have no empathy. They advertise with a womans touch - but it is just an advertising gimic

ironmanjt

I honestly never expected to learn so much about the Australian funeral industry with this post

wrp96

You never know what interesting things you'll learn on FT.

ironmanjt

The third full day in Sydney dawned with absolutely perfect weather - almost 20C - warm enough for another coastal hike in nothing but a t-shirt and shorts. Considering the average Sydney weather this time of year, I was getting super lucky! Caught the bus out to Coogee to start the Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk. The view was pretty spectacular right from the start:



The great thing about winter is, the beaches are empty and it's a much more peaceful walk - especially on a weekday. Not saying that's necessarily an advantage, but that combined with the cooler weather compared to summer did make it a much quicker hike.



Warning! Birds swooping! Australia! Fear Everything!



One of my favourite coves on the walk:



Ocean, hills, rocks, it was a gorgeous day to be out just walking and enjoying some nature.



Selfie along the coast.



The waves had really kicked up, and there were quite a few surfers out as well despite the super cool water.



Waverley Cemetery, right on the coast. Thousands of graves...



Tombstone, vegetation, and the Pacific Ocean:



Rounding Bronte Beach:



Bright blue water, smooth sand, perfect weather...



Last stop before Bondi is Tamarama Beach, and decided to stop for a coffee and cookie after a couple hours of walking and just enjoy the perfect day.



Coming around Mackenzies Point...



The waves were really going at this point, and the view was spectacular.



One last shot looking south to where the walk had begun. Crashing waves under the rocks:



The Bondi Icebergs Pool, right up against the ocean...



Stopped for lunch at Bondi Trattoria, after having such an amazing meal there a few months ago. They had changed chefs in the meantime and the meal was still amazing, but wasn't quite the same as previously. The Angel hair with barely touched tuna, zucchini, rocket, chilli, lemon, and capers was still fantastic, however.



So what else did I do with my last two days? Not a whole lot other than relaxing and walking around. One evening, took the train out to Sydenham to go to Batch Brewing Company, which was fantastic. This might be one of the best tasting flights I've ever had:



Other than that, not a whole lot. Also went for tastings at Wayward Brewing Company another night, which was equally awesome. One of the best things about both Batch and Wayward was getting to see a part of the city that it looked like few tourists ever make it to. They both felt like they were in much more industrial neighbourhoods, and it was nice to see places off the tourist trail.

With that said, four days in Sydney came to a close way, way too quickly, and it was time to start the long trek home...with several fun stops in between, of course!

adampenrith

Mackenzies Points was a well known beat in the years gone past - and the scene of many murders. Cruising men were known to be thrown off the cliffs by homophobic gangs, and the culture of the Police in those days was to declare it a suicide.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6001964/
Might be an interesting show to watch - not 100% accurate but pretty good

ironmanjt

I was feeling a bit lazy in the morning, so I decided to spend the extra $20 or so to save 30 minutes or so and call an Uber to the airport. Last time I tried this, there was a super long backup for cars to get into the airport so it actually took longer, but this time it went absolutely perfectly.

Unfortunately, Singapore's check-in was at the very last desk in the hall, which meant quite a walk inside the airport once I'd been dropped off. However, once I got there, I was rewarded with my very own lane:



The check-in agent confirmed that yes, I was the only one in Suites today, and I would have the entire cabin to myself. Score! After a quick duty free shop it was through security and immigration which was pretty quick, and then a rather long walk to the satellite gates where many of the Star Alliance airlines have their gates.

Once in the Singapore First lounge, strangely, there were about 10 other people hanging around, in addition to 4-5 lounge staff who were all sitting around and having a chat. Rather strange, especially since I knew I was the only one in suites today. The others, I assume, were top level Singapore elites, but the whole environment was a bit strange. Anyways, made a quite pit stop before getting food....I'm surprised anyone in a first class lounge needs to be told this is recycled water and they shouldn't drink:



Agent presented me with a menu of what was on offer in addition to the buffet...naturally, I went with some eggs benedict:



The buffet did look rather tasty, however. Even with ten or so people in the lounge you had to wonder how long it had been sitting around for though...



Most important part of the buffet. I tried to pour myself a glass of champagne, but the lounge staff was mortified and insisted on bringing it to me.



The "living room" area of the lounge:



My eggs benedict were super tasty, although my Veuve came cut with orange juice. I suppose it was only 10am so I can forgive this, but I did ask for "champagne."



I love the little seating cubes that Singapore has in their first lounges. They're the perfect combination of private, space, functional, etc.



I think I tried two or three different times to go down to the gate to board starting about 45 minutes before the flight, only to be told by the lounge attendant that it wasn't time yet. Of course, with about 15 minutes left until departure I tried again, at which point she simply told me "yes, you can board now." Hmmm.....

Singapore Airlines flight 232
Sydney, Australia (SYD) to Singapore (SIN)
Depart 11:00, Arrive 17:20, Flight Time: 8:20
Airbus A380-800, Registration 9V-SKD, Manufactured 2008, Seat 3F
Miles Flown Year-to-Date: 93,106
Lifetime Miles Flown: 2,470,083

Once aboard, however, the crew instantly greeted me by name (easy since I was the only passenger in Suites) and was the perfect blend of helpful and hands off. Normally, I struggle with crews that are cold and lazy or the other extreme: too deferential and won't let me have a bit of space. From the very first moment this crew read me perfectly. Nice note in my suite letting me know it was ready for me:



Glass of champagne? Don't mind if I do!



Overhead view of the 12 suites Suites cabin:



My suite, taken from the door:



Seated, looking across to the other site of the plane with all the doors/windows opened:



Bit of an angled shot into the suite directly across the aisle from me:



Have champagne, am happy, ready for takeoff:



After takeoff, candied nuts and more champagne. Personally wasn't a big fan of the candied nuts.



Next up was the caviar course, which was fantastic. Debated asking for another helping, however, knowing all the food that was coming I was glad I passed. It was served with some of the butteriest and most garlicky bread I've ever had on a plane. Winning!



White onion and thyme soup with prosciutto ham...was way more flavourful than expected!



Very tasty salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and walnuts:



...and the book the cook main course, the Boston Lobster Thermidor. The most interesting part to me was that Singapore offers two different lobster thermidor dishes, but depending where it's catered from it seems potlatch which you will eventually get. It was slightly overcooked, but given it was being served on a plane it was pretty tasty!



Warm rosemary apricot tart with vanilla ice cream...amazing.



If you've read my blog for long, you know I can't turn down cheese. I could make a whole meal of it...which gives me an idea for a future flight. However, I was pretty stuffed by this point. The crew, however, would not be deterred, and insisted on making me a cheese plate with a little bit of everything. I have to say, Singapore is the only airline that can rival Lufthansa in my books on the cheese course.



We're finished, right? So I asked for a Johnny Walker Blue, one ice cube, so I could watch some tv. I was offered pralines. I declined. "Are you sure we can't just bring you one?" Ok, one. This is what came:



They tried to give me more food before landing, but I just couldn't. I was still stuffed. Plus, the whole point of arriving Singapore late afternoon was to enjoy the magic that is Singapore's street food scene! I did, however, have one more Johnny Walker for the road. This flight was absolutely amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My last A380 flight in February I felt a little cheated because I slept 90% of it, but this time I definitely maxed out the experience!

First thing I wanted upon landing was a washroom, and look...first one I found had a perfect view - from the urinal - of the plane I had just arrived on:



My phone rang at this very second, and reminded me: "Welcome to SIN!" Uhhh.....



Decided rather than melt in the humidity I would try Uber once more, which was super easy, and soon I was checking in at the Westin. After a shower and a bit of rest, headed up to the executive lounge, which had a rather impressive happy hour buffet and drinks service, despite the lounge being absolutely empty.

Impressive, except this scary jell-o concoction:



After recovering a bit, I headed out to one of the best things about this hotel. It is right around the corner from the Lau Pa Sat market, which has a street next to it that is known as "Satay Street" at night. So, it was time for dinner: delicious chicken satay.



See the right side of the pic? That is more than a dozen stalls with grills all making satay. Plenty to choose from, and all delicious. But the heat, smells, and humidity are overwhelming!



I was pretty exhausted at this point, so headed back to the room to get some sleep. Only one problem. When I opened the door, I couldn't see anything. This was perhaps the most strangely designed room I'd been in anywhere in the world. No light switches near the door. When I finally did find one, I took pics to show why it's so confusing.

View from the door. Imagine this long corridor in the dark:



Then, when you find your way to the end and turn left, you have THIS long corridor...also pitch black. See where my suitcase is? Once you pass that, there is finally a light switch on the left. Incredibly odd design!



That said, after dozens of times in Singapore, this was only the second time a hotel has really impressed me. I seem to stay somewhere different every trip, and never am super happy with my stay. They've all been "fine" and never really "bad" but also never impressive. The Westin, however, despite the light switch, I really liked. The other one I've really liked is the Mandarin Oriental, but for price reasons, that's just not a regular option.

The view, however, from the approximately 30th floor "lobby" of the Westin is great:



After an all too short overnight in Singapore, it was time to head back to Changi Airport to enjoy the world's best airport and also the Private Room Singapore First Lounge! Called another Uber, and I was on my way...

JohnRain

Another very enjoyable report Jason. ^
Great itinerary and interesting mix of airlines...

If you bring the JW Blue when we meet I'll bring sour cream & onion Pringles, promise!

offerendum

BUT if it would be fresh water......

ironmanjt

Slept in a little bit, and then did some walking around Singapore in the morning. Frankly, in the heat and humidity, it really wasn't that pleasant for walking around, so I headed to the mall at Bugis Junction to at least get a bit of air conditioned exercise in (and I won't lie...I also wanted Starbucks so I killed two birds with one stone.) It was mid-day heat at this point, the time of day when no sane person from northern climes would be caught dead outdoors in Singapore, so I checked out of the Westin and made a hasty retreat to Changi Airport.

Now, let's be honest. Since I was flying in first I not only had the awesomeness that is Changi at my disposal, but the Private Room in the Singapore Airlines lounge as well. In my previous attempt six months earlier at enjoying Singapore A380 suites the one thing I did right was enjoy the Private Room. But, frankly, after a while a lounge is a lounge and it's pretty easy to get bored in there. So, I didn't want to get to the airport TOO early.

Caught an Uber to Changi, piece of cake, and in case you're unaware many passports can now leave Changi via automated gates so there's not even a need to queue for passport control. Biggest downside is that you also don't get stamped out of Singapore...if that matters.

It was early afternoon at this point, and I was getting pretty hungry, so I decided to stop by the Private Room first for a bit of lunch. Today's menu, notably absent was the lobster which they were serving in February..







I figured I would go with the satay as a starter, which was absolutely delicious, with a glass of champagne. Singapore has really upped the champagne game since my previous visit, however, and they were now pouring 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Millésieme Cuvée Rare. I know I've said it before here, but people have long associated Dom Perignon with luxury airline champagne, and Krug is also on that list. In the club scene (at least in the US) Cristal would also be a "bling" label...so it's always nice to see a really high end champagne that's different on offer.



I was a little hungry still after the satay, so asked the attendant what was small, and was recommended the dim sum. Perfect amount of food along with the satay, and a rather generous top up of the champagne.



Unfortunately, they only had vanilla ice cream today, but that was just fine with some chocolate flakes and almonds as a dessert!



Completely full on lunch, and with nearly four hours remaining until my flight, I decided to do a lap of the airport. The entire airport. Changi is shaped in a giant U shape with terminal one being the "bottom" of the U that connects terminal three (where the private room is) with terminal two.

Fight thing I saw when I left the lounge was my plane, already parked next to the lounge, waiting to take me to Delhi in a few hours. Coincidentally, it was the same A380 that had delivered me from Sydney the previous day!



So, I walked all the way to the other end of terminal three, the entire length of terminal one, and then to terminal two where I decided I was getting sleepy...and wanted to enjoy the flight ahead...so I stopped for some Starbucks. The people watching in T2 was fascinating, given many budget airlines leave from this terminal.

Walking past this gate, it wasn't difficult to figure out where this flight was headed. Given the attire of the passengers, many already in their Ihram dress, headed to Jeddah and on to Mecca.



Caught the monorail back to T2, and had a little more time to enjoy the private room. The decor definitely reminds me of a living room...if you live in a really expansive and non-fashionable place with lots of dark wood and marble:



Enjoyed a shower (nothing luxurious at all about the shower facilities in the Private Room), a couple of glasses of champagne, and it was time to finally head down to the gate to enjoy my flight to Delhi.

Singapore Airlines flight 406
Singapore (SIN) to Delhi, India (DEL)
Depart 17:10, Arrive 20:10, Flight Time: 5:30<
Airbus A380-800, Registration 9V-SKD, Manufactured 2008, Seat 1F
Lifetime Miles Flown: 2,472,662

Compared to the previous day when I had the entire cabin to myself, today I had two other people joining me. It seriously felt so crowded that I want my miles back! Just kidding...but I did move up to suite 1F so it seemed like nobody else was in the cabin, given they were both back in row three. Pic of another A380 as we taxied out:



KLM 777 with a great livery:



Boats in the harbour shortly after takeoff:



One note on the crew. Maybe it was the length of the segment, or maybe Delhi is a less desirable route than Sydney (maybe they do an immediate turnaround?) but there was something slightly less polished - and more fun - about this crew. When I say less-polished I mean it in a good way. People often accuse Singapore crews of being "robotic" and while I have never really found that, this crew was very lighthearted in a way you very rarely see with crews of Asian airlines. There was just enough informality that I really enjoyed this crew.

That said, let's start with another glass of champagne. Yes, there were also a couple of glasses before takeoff, but I didn't manage to grab snaps of those:



This was followed by more satay right after takeoff. I definitely got my fill of satay in these 24 hours!



After the satay, the crew suggested they could begin the dinner service in a little over an hour. I'm sure they would have been happy to do it whenever I wanted, but truthfully I was still a little full from the lounge, so that sounded like a great idea. I enjoyed catching up on some tv on the iPad, and soon enough some nuts came around. The champagne was flowing the entire time.



For a starter, "seared tuna on niçoise salad with quail egg" - this was absolutely delicious. Note the water glass, we had quite a bit of turbulence.



Indian style creamy carrot soup with coriander. Spicy, and delicious!



...and I quote: "Green coral lettuce, frisee, spinach, cherry tomato and red radish" - for such a fancy name, it was a pretty meh and blah salad overall.



The Boston Lobster Thermidor. Frankly, the one out of Sydney was better. It was definitely delicious, and that big ripe tomato was amazing, and there was more lobster than out of Sydney, but it was just kind of bland and overcooked from a flavour point of view. That said, it was still in-flight lobster so you have to like it!



Who can say no to a cheeseboard like this?! This is pretty much my idea of Heaven. Lufthansa has some serious competition in the onboard cheese department!



Why yes, I'll have a nicely plated small amount of each. Should have asked for extra of the Stilton - it was delicious!



In fairness, I wasn't overly excited by the dessert, which was listed as "chendol with coconut ice cream" but I think at the end of the meal it was definitely the best part. Absolutely delicious, and paired very nicely with a glass of Johnny Walker.



After dinner pralines with my friend Johnny. By the time the meal was over, we were barely an hour away from landing in Delhi.



With that, all too soon, my two fantastic Singapore A380 suites experiences were over. It was a great experience, a fantastic way to travel, and I would love to do it again if the opportunity presents itself. However, I can finally check "flying it just for the fun of it" off my list, and get back to other products I'm still curious to try, as well as just flying the most comfortable product on the routes I do need to fly.

Now, time to engage in the delightful chaos that is India...

wtcmor

Loved your review of Qantas, we whinge here about food on QF but comparatively it is without peer on 5 hour domestic flights.

Also were you restricted to the breakfast in the F lounge in Sydney or could you order off the all day menu.

BTW Thai F passengers were most likely in the lounge with you at that time too

offerendum

Now I´m hungry, thanks

ironmanjt

Fortunately, there was no line at all at immigration tonight, and I was through in just a few minutes. I had pre-arranged a driver with my hotel (always a great idea in Delhi given the general chaos that is the arrivals area) and soon we were on the way to the car. Hit the 1000 degrees and 1000 percent humidity outside and wilted as usual, as we fought our way through the crowds to the parked car:



Took about 15-20 minutes to get to the hotel, and went with my usual choice the ITC Maurya. I've stayed here probably a dozen times, and it's always a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, upon entering the lobby the entire thing was under construction. This in itself wouldn't be a problem, but the new check-in area was apparently two tables by the elevators where a couple of agents were struggling with a queue of over twenty people.

I asked the bellman nicely if they could do priority checkin for Platinum members, and was met with a negative, as they tended to more than a dozen members of an Air France crew all checking out and having to settle the cash advances the hotel had given them. I get why airline contracts are helpful to hotels, but given their significantly discounted rates, and knowing there was construction, you would think there was something they could have done for a platinum guest so I didn't have to wait over 20 minutes to check in. Very bad first impression.

Once I was checked in, it was a huge rush, here's your key, ok thanks bye, someone will show you to your room. Ugh. Got to the room, and it was super hot and stuffy. Turned on the air conditioning, and even after running for five minutes it sounded like a jet engine. While waiting to see if it would cool/quiet down, I decided to at least get a shower.

Apparently, this shower was made for much smaller people....



The maintenance condition of this room was appalling.



Called to the front desk to ask for a new room, and they told me "wait a bit longer, it takes time." Um, it sounds like a jet engine no matter how cold it gets. I want a new room." "We will see what we can do." Decided not to wait, went to the front "desk," to the front of the line and asked for the manager. Shockingly, there was no manager available, but a lady directing traffic in the lobby (not sure her actual job, seemed like a concierge or something) took note of the problem, asked me to have a seat while she sorted it.

In fairness, 10 minutes later I had a room that was much better, but combined with the long checkin and changing rooms I'd lost an hour of sleep. Not a huge deal, but considering I was already going to get around six hours best case, I was pretty upset to have lost an hour.

I feel bad leaving such a negative review of this property, because on all previous stays it really was rather lovely and I enjoyed the stay overall. However, this time, they really dropped the ball.

Anyways, I slept reasonably well, and the next morning, of course, my pre-arranged transfer to the airport wasn't ready and it took nearly 30 minutes even after I confirmed it the night before AND with a call right when I woke up. Overall, a super disappointing experience.

Got to the airport, nobody in line at the Uzbekistan Airways checkin area, and the agents seemed genuinely annoyed that I cared what seat they put me in. They were even more annoyed when I cared what seat I was on on my connecting flight. Oh well, given both flights were full I was very glad I persisted and got the seats I wanted, since there seemed to be no way to assign them in advance, despite numerous calls and emails to all their global offices.

Since I was cutting it close, I opted to skip the lounge today (nothing to write home about in Delhi) and grab some Starbucks to wake me up. Best part of Delhi Airport is the Starbucks in the gate area...complete with heavily armed guard. Hands off my coffee!



Sitting in the gate area, just 20 minutes prior to departure, there were only like 15 people in the entire gate area. Worried I had missed the flight, I asked the gate agent, and she informed me there were only 22 people from Delhi, but the plane would be full from Amritsar. Wow.

Boarding was 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure, but no problem when there's only 22 people to board!

Uzbekistan Airways flight 422
Delhi, India (DEL) to Amritsar, India (ATQ)
Depart 8:50, Arrive 10:00, Flight Time: 1:10
Boeing 767-300, Registration UK67006, Manufactured 2013, Seat 1C
Miles Flown Year-to-Date: 95,942
Lifetime Miles Flown: 2,472,919

First row centre bulkhead. Flight attendant saw me take this pic, and very sternly wagged her finger at me. Apparently, Uzbekistan Airways still has an incredibly strict no photos policy. How very....quaint.



Didn't stop me from snapping a few ones on the down low. Plane was in a 2-1-2 config.



As soon as we were 10 minutes in the air, "snack" and water or juice was offered. Normally I would have steered way clear of the cheese sandwich, but couldn't really resist it with ketchup?!



About 30 minutes prior to landing, the pilot asked the flight attendants to be seated, because we were like to encounter some turbulence. What followed was without a doubt the worst turbulence I've ever experienced in flight - especially in a widebody - we were thrown from side to side, several sharp drops in altitude, audible screams from the few people on board, and I was honestly making headlines in my head "22 whole passengers killed on 767 jumbo jet in monsoon."

But, just like that, we were maybe 2-3 minutes from landing, and it was all smooth again. Literally terrifying. As soon as we landed, it was a bit more clear. There was a torrential downpour in Amritsar, and the monsoon was clearly in full effect.

Boarding was via stairs, and I have to admit, it was kind of entertaining watching 200+ completely soaked people stagger aboard. Well over 90% of the passengers were Sikhs, and I've heard Uzbekistan Airways does quite a business connecting this flight to their flight to Manchester. If today's load was any indicator, they do quite well. Seemed to be a lot of families with small children who had gone home to visit relatives, now returning after the end of summer break.

Even with the monsoon and full plane, we were boarded on time, and ready to go. I admit I was terrified how bad the turbulence would be on climb out.

Uzbekistan Airways flight 422
Amritsar, India (ATQ) to Tashkent, Uzbekistan (TAS)
Depart 10:55, Arrive 13:00, Flight Time: 2:35
Boeing 767-300, Registration UK67006, Manufactured 2013, Seat 1C
Miles Flown Year-to-Date: 96,669
Lifetime Miles Flown: 2,473,646

Fortunately, the turbulence, while still pretty heavy, was nowhere near as bad, and well within "ugh" limits, and we were clear of it less than 10 minutes after takeoff. That means it's time to eat!



Dish of peanuts, "meat", some veg, bread (on a plate), and some sort of potato or cabbage salad in heavy mayo. Wasn't really the best meal, but I wasn't all that hungry anyways, so picked at the parts that were interesting and that was plenty. It was a relatively short flight, so not a huge deal. Kudos to them for at least offering a hot meal on such a short flight.

After deplaning, there was an agent yelling "connections" and then repeating in Russian. She asked me (in Russian) connection? Yes? Where to? I asked her why she asked in Russian and not English, and she said "because you don't look Indian." Hah, I guess that's something?

Apparently, I was the only person connecting in business class today, which seemed kind of odd. I'm not sure where all the Sikhs were going in that case, unless the plane continued straight on to Birmingham and they just went through security and then right back on. Which is entirely possible.

That meant, even with security and the time before boarding the next flight, I would have over five hours to kill in the Uzbekistan Airways lounge. At this point, my cell phone still hadn't gotten data service, and I was worried it was going to be a very, very long five hours. This was confirmed when I found out that the wifi in the lounge was down.

There were a few power outlets around the lounge so that was good at least, and it was rather spacious and a reasonably cool temperature...especially since I found an AC unit near the wall to sit by.



Quite spacious:



Snacks. I wasn't thrilled at first, but the small meat-stuffed pastries were kind of addicting, especially after popping them in the microwave for a bit. Yes, there was a microwave in the lounge.



Chatted with the agents a little bit, who were the same ones who had been handling transit earlier. After chatting a bit, it was clear the other reason they spoke Russian with me - they were far more comfortable in it than they were in English. She tried English once to ask about my tattoos, but got flustered quite quickly and switched back to Russian - after which point we had several nice small chats over the next five hours.

The lounge remained empty the entire time, except this fashionista who came in about an hour before I left, wearing a dress from the 2017 Trump/Putin Prison Collection. She was also fond of the little meat pies.



With about an hour to go, I decided to ask what I might have to drink instead of Fanta. Oh, there's wine...white or red? Both were from the "Georgian Patio" winery, and had the high endorsement of "wine for restaurants." Hmmm, yup, tasted about as good as you'd expect. I had a second glass to make sure, however. Science.



Boarding was pretty much on time, and our plane was at a remote stand. The minute I took my phone out of my pocket to try and get a picture of it, I was met with a chorus of NYET! from the several armed police "guarding" the plane. Ugh, ok. I have to say the 787 looked supremely sexy in the green, yellow, and blue of Uzbekistan Airways at sunset, however. You'll have to take my word for it.

Uzbekistan Airways flight 601
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (TAS) to Moscow, Domodedevo, Russia (DME)
Depart 19:00, Arrive 21:15, Flight Time: 4:15
Boeing 787-8, Registration UK78701, Manufactured 2016, Seat 1C
Miles Flown Year-to-Date: 98,391
Lifetime Miles Flown: 2,475,368

I did, during pre departure beverages, manage to snap a shot of the seats on the 787. Not bad. Not sure I would want these all the way to New York from Tashkent, but they were pretty comfortable, and the nice divider in the middle prevented them from being footsie seats.



Sneak peak across the aisle:



...and the other side.



Laminated menus!



Wow, now that's what I call a meal. Just kidding...this is just the appetizers. Seriously! The red wine on board was marginally better. We had multiple kinds of bread on a plate. Upgrade from peanuts to cashews this flight. A nice little cucumber/tomato/cheese salad. Cheese plate. Meat plate. Fish plate. Whew.



I went with the beet stroganoff for a main, which was pretty tasty....I mean, it wasn't gourmet cuisine, but overall I liked the regional flair to the meal, and nobody is going to go hungry on this flight. I fear how much they must serve all the way to New York!



I was pretty full, but kept the plates that could reasonably be considered desert to munch on with a bit more wine while I watched some movies:



Overall, I have to say Uzbekistan Airways exceeded my expectations. I had set them really low, but they exceeded them by leaps and bounds. I mean, the next cheapest option was $700 more...AND a redeye, but it was nonstop and avoided the six hours in Tashkent.

I chose Uzbekistan to save money, to save sleep, and for the novelty factor, and they definitely hit a home run with these flights. They have a way to go to be a serious international competitor, but for the price they were a fantastic option and I definitely wouldn't hesitate to fly them again.

Now, it's time to take a break for a few days from flying, and take some trains!

Fredrik74

Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan Airways intrigues me. I have been to the country and tried the airline but there's still some mystery about them.

The only reasonable benchmark for their wines is to compare them to what you get from UA. Better or worse?

Very interesting itinerary but that's to be expected from your reports. Looking forward to the rest.