Route:
LAX (Los Angeles) to LAS (Las Vegas, Nevada)
LAS (Las Vegas, Nevada) to JFK (New York City)
JFK (New York City) to FRA (Frankfurt, Germany)
FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) to IST (Istanbul, Turkey)
IST (Istanbul, Turkey) to CAI (Cairo, Egypt)
CAI (Cairo, Egypt) to RUH (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
RUH (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) to IST (Istanbul, Turkey)
IST (Istanbul, Turkey) to OTP (Bucharest, Romania)
OTP (Bucharest, Romania) to WAW (Warsaw, Poland)
WAW (Warsaw, Poland) to AMS (Amsterdamn, Netherlands)
AMS (Amsterdamn, Netherlands) to IAD (Washington, D.C.)
IAD (Washington, D.C.) to LAX (Los Angeles)
Airlines flown:
UA (United Airlines)
US (US Airways)
SQ (Singapore Airlines)
TK (Turkish Airlines)
MS (EgyptAir)
LO (LOT Polish Airlines)
I had no trouble reserving my award flights in Business or First class (only 105k to the Middle East in C) and the very helpful KVS Tool did most of the creative routing. Only two segments of the trip were in Economy (LAX-LAS in Ted and JFK-FRA in SQ). SQ was confirmed in Business class, but I had the wrong date for SQ. Ugh, I should have paid closer attention.
Before the trip, I had mixed feelings mainly due to the crazy itinerary. Will I get out of this alive, will I really enjoy it, will I miss flights due to delays, will the Saudi visa pose problems, would I be able to carry my 10 days worth of clothing strictly as carry-ons during the entire trip? I am pleased to report the trip went by without a hitch!
Sunday, the 17th of August, was the beginning of my trip. I went on US Airways No. 50 from LAS to JFK. The seats were worn out and the food, although of small portions, was tasty and well-cooked - a chicken sandwich. In JFK, I went straight to the SQ counter expecting to get on the next flight, Singapore Airlines No. 25 to FRA in Business Class.
"No, your flight is on the 18th, not the 17th." I checked "My Itineraries" on the cellphone and discovered it was indeed on the 18th. They directed me to the ticketing counter and the agent tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and said there was no problem moving me to the 17th. I thanked her profusely and waltzed back to the check-in agent.
The SQ check-in agent threw a fit and said it should not have happened. I was directed back to the ticketing agent. They nearly had me spend the night in JFK but I made it clear I was willing to move to Y if needed. Sure enough, I wound up in Economy class, but my insomnia kicked in just in time so I was unable to sleep. Thankfully, SQ had lots of Nintendo games to keep me entertained.
Monday, the 18th, I arrived in FRA feeling satisfied with the trip on Singapore Airlines No. 25 in Economy. I rented a cheap car for €29.99 thru Sixti and I got to the wrong Sixt counter. They told me it was Terminal 2, not Terminal 1. It took me nearly 40 minutes to find the hidden Sixt counter. An ugly Nissan Note waiting for me, but it was surprisingly roomy and both rear seats had their own picnic tables. All four windows were electric. Not bad for a "Compact" car - I've rented "Premium" C220 with two front electric windows and two rear manual windows.
I used Priceline to get the four-star Mövenpick Hotel in FRA for $66 a night, not too bad considering others have paid €220 ($280). It had free parking in front, and free internet. The freebies (Swiss hospitality or so they say) made it my favorite hotel in all of FRA. If you want it to be near tourist attractions, this hotel will disappoint you.
Next day, Tuesday, the 19th, was the trip to IST and I was getting anxious. It was also my first time on Turkish Airlines and the seats on Flight No. 1596 were much like Lufthansa's domestic "First Class" seats - identical to Economy, but with the middle sections blocked. The "breast of chicken in slices" and "beef slices on fresh garden salad" as appetizers were tasty, and I had the "roast beef in pepper sauce" as the main dinner. Very clean too, just as if it was Lufthansa!
I looked out the window before landing in IST - it's a huge city, at least a few million people. The airport had long lines of tourists and I had to spend $25 to get a visa. The Budget car rental counter was easy to find and I picked up a comfortable Ford Focus in good shape for $72 a day. The hotel, Eresin Taxim Premier, was an hour's drive. Arriving late, the hotel was out of rooms so they upgraded me to a corner suite. Parking was TL15 for the night, but gasoline was EXPENSIVE. TL2.25 or $1.80 a litre!
The following morning, Wednesday, 20th, I drove by the Blue Mosque and through the "Grand Bazaar." I spent three hours driving through the narrow winding roads with more than half spent driving backwards after discovering the street I entered was blocked way down there. Exhausted, I got back to the IST airport for my MS738 flight to CAI.
The MS738 IST-CAI C seats were wider and more comfortable than TK's FRA-IST C seats. It wasn't dirty, contrary to many other reviews I read, and I had a great time. Maybe I got lucky. Appetiser was smoked salmon with mozzarella cheese in Italian dressing accompanied by mushroom and olive salad. The hot entrée was either grilled beef fillet, fish fillet or chicken breast in mushroom sauce. I had the chicken, very good! The dessert, cheesecake with blueberry and kiwi, was absolutely delicious.
I got in CAI on Wednesday, the 20th, and encountered long lines of confused Americans, easily excitable Algerians, photo-happy Japanese, chubby Saudis, and hung-over British tourists. Visa was $15. To get a car, I had to go upstairs to Europcar, and then one of the agents there walked me to the parking lot across the street. I had been upgraded from "Economy manual" to "Intermediate automatic" Renault Megane - and it was the most beat-up car I've ever rented although it had only 30,000 kilometres on it. It took them 20 minutes to note all of the damage on the car before giving it to me.
People tell me not to drive in Egypt, but I always drive there to avoid getting scammed by the cabbies driving rickety 30-year-old Peugeot 504s of unspeakable filth. The rental car was only $52 a day, much cheaper than a one-way taxi ride from the airport to Giza.
By the time I got to Giza to see the pyramids, it was nighttime and, to my chagrin, the gates were closed. I did get a glimpse of one of the pyramids when the light was shining on it, but was unable to get close to it. Oh, and they're crazy drivers. They got lanes, but don't follow it because they try to cram as many cars as possible. There's also the non-stop honking, lights flashing, people screaming in Arabic. It's crazy and I wouldn't advise amateurs to drive in Cairo - pay more for the taxi instead.
I drove all the way back to Cairo and spent the night at the Dukki or Dokki Concorde Hotel which was very close to the Sheraton. Nothing much to write home about, but it was only $50 a night with a nice blast from the air conditioner - that was all I wanted! A little hungry, I walked over to the nearby makeshift liquor store set up in the first floor of an apartment building. It was very tiny, but I did get a Coke and Twinkies. Surprisingly, the Coke was ice-cold!
The MS651 the next day (Thursday, August 21st) from CAI to RUH went by without a hitch. Although it was an EgyptAir (MS) flight, the plane was Air Italy staffed by Italians fluent in English. I repeatedly enquired, "Is this the right flight?" I have never seen anything like that, but it was pretty comfortable and seats were wide, similar to EgyptAir 737's, and everything inside the plane (linen, silverware, etc.) were marked "EgyptAir."
The customs card had a very visible and red, "DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS." Yes, this is Saudi Arabia, alright. Once off the plane and in the airport, some people were quick to puff away even with the "No Smoking" signs nearby. The lines weren't that bad and the airport wasn't busy. I figured if it's hard to get a visa for Saudi Arabia, why would anyone come to RUH? A tall South African stood in front of me. He went through without a problem and then it was my turn. No questions, he waved me through after stamping my passport. My dear siddiki was already behind the glass waiting for me with a big smile. A Saudi friend is a friend for life.
Although I reserved a premium car from Hertz, they could only give me a medium-sized Mazda 6. A small snag since I wanted to go back to the 70's driving a big Chevrolet Caprice with 5.7 litre motor and cheap gas (they do have Caprice in RUH, but they're made in Australia based on the Holden Statesman, not the U.S.). Gas was only 45 cents a gallon. I don't know if that was intentional, but we all know it's 3.75 litres for a gallon. Is it also a coincidence the Saudi Riyals are 3.75 for 1 American Dollar? Seeing it was 0.45 Riyals a litre, it is precisely 0.45 cents a gallon. Coincidence? I think not, my friend.
The next three days, I stayed in Sheraton in Riyadh. No upgrade was given even if I was using an SPG Plat, but they did leave a bowl of fresh fruits which I didn't bother to touch. I wanted real food and we visited a lot of restaurants. There were far more American restaurants in Saudi Arabia than Europe. There were even Hardee's (Carl's Jr.), Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Taco Bell (my Saudi friend said there was one in Jiddah), and a few more that wouldn't be in Europe. However, I went for Herfy's - a very popular Saudi burger chain.
The annoying part was that everybody had to close down for prayer five times a day, thirty minutes each. That applies to all fast food restaurants, supermarkets, shopping centres, Indian restaurants run by non-Muslim Indians, Thai restaurants owned by Buddhists - doesn't matter - everybody closes down five times a day. The good part was that a lot of places were open until 3 or 4 in the morning. Coffee shops are very popular, but I didn't see too many hookah places. In fact, I only saw one during my entire trip in RUH and that was because my Saudi friend pointed at it. Maybe I wasn't looking too hard. And I didn't even see one camel. I was hoping I'd see one and spit on one. Or was it the llamas that spit?
I met my Saudi friend in Berlin a couple years ago and there's a funny story behind it. I suggested to my group of friends and another group we had just met that we check out Poland. I then realized I didn't really want to go because I was having so much fun in Berlin. In the other group was a Saudi carrying a Saudi passport and I knew there was no way he would be allowed in Poland without the Polish visa (it was a few months before Poland joined the Schengen Pact which eliminated border controls). I welcomed him to my car and, sure enough, the Polish border police would not let him in so I let my friends continue onwards to Poland while the Saudi and I drove back to Berlin. Did I make him feel guilty? Absolutely. Do I have any shame? None whatsoever. What did I benefit from this? I didn't have to go to Poland and I got an authentic Saudi tour guide for free! No, no, actually, he's a very good friend! I just didn't know how different it was in Saudi Arabia and he did a great job opening my eyes.
The airport was absolutely crazy at 2 in the morning on Sunday, the 24th. I walked through the metal detector and a guy yammering on his cellphone barged right through at the same time screaming in Arabic. It set off the alarm, and the police man looked at me then at him. What did he do? Nothing. At the check-in counter, I had to check in my bag because I bought three bags of costume for Halloween while in Riyadh. I think they call it "Thobe" but I'm still calling mine costume. There weren't too many restaurants in the airport and we ate in Kudu - Saudi Arabia's answer to Subway. Other airports show "Seiko" or even "Timex" on their clocks... Riyadh Airport had "Movado" on theirs. Gold plated too.
The flight was on TK1245, then onwards to OTP (Bucharest, Romania) on TK1443. I had five hours in Bucharest and planned on renting a car, but decided it would be too short and I didn't think Bucharest had much to offer. Unlike my trip to RUH which necessitated checking in, getting tickets after each single segment, the nice folks in LOT's OTP check-in desk were able to get me all the way to Los Angeles without having to repeatedly check in. Looking at the tickets to LAX, I also noticed 2B from IAD to LAX. First Class, not Business Class. Somebody messed up, but if I had to ride in SQ's Economy Class, I felt the trade-off was fair.
OTP airport was not too bad and the lounge was comfortable with lots of booze. I had just come in from Saudi Arabia so I was quick to make screwdrivers and be the naughty infidel. The plasma televisions were showing a French-Canadian version of Candid Camera, I forgot the name of the show, but it was really funny. Some of the stuff they did would have gotten them sued if they dared pull that in good ol' America.
One side of the lounge was smoking, and the other was non-smoking, but both sides were identical in size and amenities. There were computers with internet. The first two I used weren't working right, but we all know the third time's a charm. It was the total opposite with my screwdrivers. The first two were good, but the third one had way too much vodka in it. I think that's what happens if I was the one making it.
A tad bit buzzed, I got ready for my LO642 flight from OTP to WAW. A tad bit worn out in the First Class section. The fixed menu offered collars of roast pork loin with butter-horseradish filling and smoked king salmon, Prince Polo candy bar, choice of fresh bread, farm butter, and camembert cheese. The food wasn't too bad, but it was smallish if you ask me.
The car in WAW was pretty expensive - $75 for an economy Toyota Yaris from Europcar. The hotel offered a shuttle, but it was almost $50 roundtrip! It was also the first car in years I've rented that came with manual windows. Yep, you heard that right. Manual windows. Also, the door locks were manual. Nothing exciting to mention about Warsaw - the room was comfortable, I did not eat at all, and flew out the next day to Amsterdam then onwards to Washington, D.C.
WAW-AMS-IAD - I slept all the way. I was unbelievably jet lagged and I had consumed too much coffee in Saudi Arabia so my sleeping pattern was way off. And, yes, in IAD, they didn't change my 2E to another seat!
