Bhutan at Last
Nov 25, 2007 | 7:56 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: WA
Programs: AS , AA, Hilton, Hyatt, Kimpton, Hertz
Posts: 310
Bhutan at Last
Hopefully will post photos in the next day or 2.
In 1990 my wife and I took a 5 week climbing and trekking trip to Nepal and Tibet. My wife loved the experience in Tibet and decided that a trip to Bhutan would be a great follow-up. After years of doing other things we decided we should go now before the changes in the country began in 2008 (new King and a democratically elected government). We used the 1st half of an YVR-LHR-PEK AS F award ticket this spring for a RTW trip through Asia and decided to route the return from HKG-LHR-YVR to accommodate our trip to Bhutan. We started our trip from YVR on the 3rd of November returning on the 19th.
YVR SEA ; AS690 F
Caught the early morning direct flight to SFO at 7:25, but spent the previous night at YVR in the Fairmount. An excellent airport hotel making it easy to catch the early AM departure as our home is in BLI. AS F is typical domestic US F class, but AS is our home airline and 1D and F have become our familiar spots on many US trips. For my money the flight crews on AS are consistently the best of the domestics.
SFO HKG-SIN; SQ 1 C
We spent one night in SFO on a great sunny warm late fall weekend. It was great to get away from rainy Washington and a relaxing start to our relatively quick RTW journey. SFO is one of our favorite cities and we quickly fall into the routine.eating. 1st day lunch was Dim Sum at Yang Sing and dinner at the Salt House (new for us and worth a return trip). Spent the next day walking the City and then took advantage of a Kimpton Hotel half day rate for a 9PM checkout for our 12:05 AM flight.
We spent about 90 minutes in the SQ lounge prior to an on-time departure. That was plenty of time in this rather average international lounge.
We spent the next 14 hours in 11A and C on the upper deck of the Megatop (too bad they are dropping the name) enjoying Krisworld and SQ service. Although we have not yet flown SQ F and I am sure that it is marvelous, it is hard to think about paying the difference in fare when C class is so nice on SQ. Certainly as good as or damn close to F on almost any other airline. BTC for the Korean ribs and Guinea fowl and would certainly recommend that the ribs for anyone that is interested.
Stopover in HKG went without incident although it is somewhat a pain to have to move from arrivals to departures on a stopover on a continuing flight. Once again the SQ lounge was adequate but not spectacular lounges are clearly not a SQ specialty.
Arrival in SIN after the 4 hour HKG-SIN flight was painless as usual. Travel would be so much less stressful if all airports where like Changi. We spent perhaps 20 minutes between the time we de-planed and settled into our car to the MO
I spent more time agonizing about where to stay in SIN than just about any other detail of the trip. There is no shortage of opinion on this in FT that is for sure. The final choice of the MO was certainly a safe one. For the price ($300 US, Harbor Club room) including airport limo it was just fine and we really enjoyed the view of the harbor day and night. We spent two nights in SIN and found it very easy to fill the time walking the city. This trip included a concert in the Esplanade by a visiting symphony. It was interesting to see the Singapore social scene in action.
SIN-BKK; SQ 972 C
Again Changi efficiency was on display for this departure. No hassles in check-in resulted in a bit too much time in the busy SQ C lounge, but if this is the worst life has to offer we will make it. An uneventful flight again in 11Aand C, but this time regional c class in a 777-200. A short flight made the old C class seats a nonissue and the BTC lobster thermador made for a pretty good late breakfast.
Arrival in BKK Wow what a difference from SIN. While new airport is interesting architecturally operationally it is a mess. But I guess citizens of the country that brings the world immigration at LAX should not complain.
The decision to spent the two nights in BKK at the Peninsula was not hard to make and for us it lived up to its reputation as an island of calm in bustling BKK. Unfortunately it was so comfortable that we did not get past the outdoor Thai restaurant on site for dinner either night.
BKK-PBH; KB125 C
One way to beat the chaos at BKK is to leave early. At least that was what I tried to tell myself was good about a 5:50AM departure. Most travel to Bhutan is through a tour operator and although this is not our usual style of travel it was a great excuse to book an all-inclusive 7 night package with Amankora. Their service begins at BKK and we just sat and relaxed while their agent got us checked-in for our 5 hour flight. It appears the Druk Air has a lounge agreement with Skyteam in BKK so our remaining time prior to departure was spent in a nearly empty Air France lounge. 5AM is not too early for champagne is it?
Having flown airlines like Aero Boliviano in the 1980s I would have to say I was impressed by Druk. Business class passengers are taken by van to the remote stand to board the almost new A319. The plane was very clean with better than average C class seating (in comparison to US domestic). A breakfast was served prior to a brief ground stop in Calcutta and a snack on the continuation to PBH. Unfortunately you do not get to leave the plane in Calcutta so I guess it cannot go on the list of places visited.
The approach into PBH is where this trip begins to differ from your average vacation travels. As we were weaving through the sub-Himalayan valleys I found myself saying we are not really going around that hill are we? Sure enough a left hand bank and we slot right between two hills outside of town. I have done a similar approach through one-shot gap heading to Denali base camp, but that was in a ski equipped Cessna 172 not an A319.
About week later we watched the same approach while hiking to the Tigers Nest Monastery. Pretty cool watching the plane disappear below you heading down the valley.
There are 2 daily flights into PBH and the terminal reflects that fact. I would say typical third world except it is way too clean for that description. Immigration does fit the third world description though with lots of shuffling papers a few frowns and finally lots of stamps. In this electronic world it takes a few trips like this if we are ever going to fill-up the pages of our new passports!
BHUTAN AND AMANKORA
Both were outstanding. For those who like to get off the normal tourist track it is not too late for Bhutan. Yes the capital of Thimbu actually is getting a traffic problem, but there still is only one main street and no traffic lights. And out there, is never far away. A hike of a few miles will put you in world that sees very few visitors. Yes there are the typical tourist routes in Bhutan, the difference is you may not see any, or very few other tourists. This spring on a visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing we were with maybe 10 or 20,000 of our closest friends. In Bhutan, at one of the most famous Dzongs we saw maybe 5 other Westerners during our hour visit.
The people of Bhutan are very friendly, open and in almost every case seemingly happy to see visitors. Our guide for the week, Pema was extremely knowledgeable and obviously proud of his country. A devout Buddhist he was able to give us an insight to this religion over the week that would be hard to get in any other way.
There are many things to say but the easiest is to say that if you have the chance go!!
Yes, we have made the classic mistake, our 1st stay at an Aman resort. We stayed at 3 of the 5 Bhutan lodges; Thimpu, Punaka and Paro in that order. While the suites in each are very similar each resort is unique in its setting. Of the 3, Punaka was our favorite. It has only 8 suites and is located in a former summer home of one of the queen mothers. Access is over a suspended foot bridge and a .5 kilometer ride in small gas cart to the lodge in the middle of rice paddies. As this was harvest time the setting could not have been more pastoral. Although I have read in FT that the food at these lodges is not up to Aman standards, I would have to say get real! The logistics preparing the foods that they do are quite astounding and after a days hiking we found them very satisfying. The only real concern that we had was weight gain.
PBH-BKK; KB123 C
It was hard to say good bye to our new friends as Pema and Sangay dropped us off for our departure. Although ours was the only flight out for hours it did take about an hour to check in and clear immigration for departure.
The lounge at Paro was quite interesting, worn furniture, stark white lighting, a refrigerator with a few bottled drinks and thermos for hot drinks. The most amusing thing was while watching Bhutan state TV and a feature on a visit by a Bank of Japan official, I looked to the left of the TV and the guy was sitting on the couch not realizing his face was on TV at the same time. Oh well, not much more to do at this lounge, it did not take much to entertain us.
The flight out was just about a repeat on the flight in with the exception of an outstanding close-up view of Kanchenjunga the worlds 3rd highest mountain as well as a distant view of Mt Everest and Makalu.
Arrival in BKK was what I am coming to understand as standard a bit of a mess. We had a limo pickup from the Peninsula and I admit that most of our time there (a one night stay) was spent at the excellent pool. We did eat at the onsite Cantonese restaurant and found it less than impressive.
BKK-HKG; TG606 F
F class departures on TG from BKK are the other way to beat the system. And it is even better than the 5:50 AM departures. Porter curbside service and an escort all the way to the Royal First lounge are all part of the deal. I would have to say that the Thai 1st lounge is now our favorite. At that time it was quiet, and we waited in a semi-private room with a flat screen TV and waiter service that actually worked! I should say that I waited as my wife took advantage of the free massage services at the adjacent spa before our flight. 20 minutes prior to departure we again were escorted, this time to the plane and our seats at the front bulkhead. The seats were the old style 744 1st, but more than adequate for the short 2 hour flight. And since the Dom was being poured soon after departure we had no complaints with the exception of some rather dubious salmon that was my wifes dinner.
Thai 1st also includes a shuttle from the gate to transfer/immigration in HKG, not a trivial trek from our arrival gate.
BKK-LHR: BA 28 F
Using our FT gained knowledge we heading straight to the CX Wing Lounge for our 4 plus hour layover. As it had already been a full day I was anxious to try to score some relaxation time in a cabana. A soak in the tub is a very relaxing way to spend a few hours while waiting for our 1AM flight. For comparisons sake we headed to the BA/QF lounge. Next year when we return we will not bother with the comparison. CX wins by a mile.
We had 1A and K for both of our flights on this day on BA. For me these are the best seats in commercial air travel, perhaps not in quality (BA vs. others), but in location. I still get a kick knowing that the cockpit is behind us and dinner up front using the buddy seat is really a cozy affair. Unfortunately at 2 AM not only was it cozy it was drossy. Champagne, wine, dinner and 7 hours of sleep and I barely had time to watch one movie on this 12 hour flight.
LHR at 6AM and we had an 11 hour layover. Having taken the YVR flight many times in the past we went on auto pilot: arrival in T-1 and transfer to T-4 so that we could stash our bags in the Concorde lounge before heading into town. The only problem when was they informed us at the T-4 lounge that this flight now leaves from T-1. And I did know that!! Oh well, we did have time to kill as it was early. I used to think that the BA 1st lounges where quite nice, but after the TG BKK lounge and the CX Wing, the T-1 1st lounge looked down-right shabby, and at 7AM it is an absolute zoo!
After a shower and coffee (no champagne I was running down) we headed to town on the HEX on a very cold rainy morning. After wandering around in a still quiet Regents St we headed to Harrods to see how they were decked out for the Christmas season. When we emerged we hit a clearing in the storm and had a beautiful stroll through Hyde Park and Mayfair before heading back to the airport and again busting at the seams T-1 1st lounge.
LHR-YVR; BA 85 F
I am a lover of air travel and like to consider the flights as one of the best parts of any trip, but this time I think I outdid myself. The days final flight (started BKK) was a blur. Champagne again (it is our duty) and dinner and the 96 Pomerol (the FA on our earlier BA flight told us we must try it when it was on) and I was out again.
Arrival and immigration was a pleasant surprise as it was a ghost town. We arrived at immigration with no line and were soon back upstairs at the Fairmount Hotel for 12.5 hours of sleep on our last night out.
All in all a great trip one of the best. We are already planning a return to Bhutan,this time for an extended trek and more exploration in the spring of 2009. And thanks to AS and BA we already have half the trip booked already on another BA F award beginning next July with an SEA LHR HKG. This stuff is addicting!!
In 1990 my wife and I took a 5 week climbing and trekking trip to Nepal and Tibet. My wife loved the experience in Tibet and decided that a trip to Bhutan would be a great follow-up. After years of doing other things we decided we should go now before the changes in the country began in 2008 (new King and a democratically elected government). We used the 1st half of an YVR-LHR-PEK AS F award ticket this spring for a RTW trip through Asia and decided to route the return from HKG-LHR-YVR to accommodate our trip to Bhutan. We started our trip from YVR on the 3rd of November returning on the 19th.
YVR SEA ; AS690 F
Caught the early morning direct flight to SFO at 7:25, but spent the previous night at YVR in the Fairmount. An excellent airport hotel making it easy to catch the early AM departure as our home is in BLI. AS F is typical domestic US F class, but AS is our home airline and 1D and F have become our familiar spots on many US trips. For my money the flight crews on AS are consistently the best of the domestics.
SFO HKG-SIN; SQ 1 C
We spent one night in SFO on a great sunny warm late fall weekend. It was great to get away from rainy Washington and a relaxing start to our relatively quick RTW journey. SFO is one of our favorite cities and we quickly fall into the routine.eating. 1st day lunch was Dim Sum at Yang Sing and dinner at the Salt House (new for us and worth a return trip). Spent the next day walking the City and then took advantage of a Kimpton Hotel half day rate for a 9PM checkout for our 12:05 AM flight.
We spent about 90 minutes in the SQ lounge prior to an on-time departure. That was plenty of time in this rather average international lounge.
We spent the next 14 hours in 11A and C on the upper deck of the Megatop (too bad they are dropping the name) enjoying Krisworld and SQ service. Although we have not yet flown SQ F and I am sure that it is marvelous, it is hard to think about paying the difference in fare when C class is so nice on SQ. Certainly as good as or damn close to F on almost any other airline. BTC for the Korean ribs and Guinea fowl and would certainly recommend that the ribs for anyone that is interested.
Stopover in HKG went without incident although it is somewhat a pain to have to move from arrivals to departures on a stopover on a continuing flight. Once again the SQ lounge was adequate but not spectacular lounges are clearly not a SQ specialty.
Arrival in SIN after the 4 hour HKG-SIN flight was painless as usual. Travel would be so much less stressful if all airports where like Changi. We spent perhaps 20 minutes between the time we de-planed and settled into our car to the MO
I spent more time agonizing about where to stay in SIN than just about any other detail of the trip. There is no shortage of opinion on this in FT that is for sure. The final choice of the MO was certainly a safe one. For the price ($300 US, Harbor Club room) including airport limo it was just fine and we really enjoyed the view of the harbor day and night. We spent two nights in SIN and found it very easy to fill the time walking the city. This trip included a concert in the Esplanade by a visiting symphony. It was interesting to see the Singapore social scene in action.
SIN-BKK; SQ 972 C
Again Changi efficiency was on display for this departure. No hassles in check-in resulted in a bit too much time in the busy SQ C lounge, but if this is the worst life has to offer we will make it. An uneventful flight again in 11Aand C, but this time regional c class in a 777-200. A short flight made the old C class seats a nonissue and the BTC lobster thermador made for a pretty good late breakfast.
Arrival in BKK Wow what a difference from SIN. While new airport is interesting architecturally operationally it is a mess. But I guess citizens of the country that brings the world immigration at LAX should not complain.
The decision to spent the two nights in BKK at the Peninsula was not hard to make and for us it lived up to its reputation as an island of calm in bustling BKK. Unfortunately it was so comfortable that we did not get past the outdoor Thai restaurant on site for dinner either night.
BKK-PBH; KB125 C
One way to beat the chaos at BKK is to leave early. At least that was what I tried to tell myself was good about a 5:50AM departure. Most travel to Bhutan is through a tour operator and although this is not our usual style of travel it was a great excuse to book an all-inclusive 7 night package with Amankora. Their service begins at BKK and we just sat and relaxed while their agent got us checked-in for our 5 hour flight. It appears the Druk Air has a lounge agreement with Skyteam in BKK so our remaining time prior to departure was spent in a nearly empty Air France lounge. 5AM is not too early for champagne is it?
Having flown airlines like Aero Boliviano in the 1980s I would have to say I was impressed by Druk. Business class passengers are taken by van to the remote stand to board the almost new A319. The plane was very clean with better than average C class seating (in comparison to US domestic). A breakfast was served prior to a brief ground stop in Calcutta and a snack on the continuation to PBH. Unfortunately you do not get to leave the plane in Calcutta so I guess it cannot go on the list of places visited.
The approach into PBH is where this trip begins to differ from your average vacation travels. As we were weaving through the sub-Himalayan valleys I found myself saying we are not really going around that hill are we? Sure enough a left hand bank and we slot right between two hills outside of town. I have done a similar approach through one-shot gap heading to Denali base camp, but that was in a ski equipped Cessna 172 not an A319.
About week later we watched the same approach while hiking to the Tigers Nest Monastery. Pretty cool watching the plane disappear below you heading down the valley.
There are 2 daily flights into PBH and the terminal reflects that fact. I would say typical third world except it is way too clean for that description. Immigration does fit the third world description though with lots of shuffling papers a few frowns and finally lots of stamps. In this electronic world it takes a few trips like this if we are ever going to fill-up the pages of our new passports!
BHUTAN AND AMANKORA
Both were outstanding. For those who like to get off the normal tourist track it is not too late for Bhutan. Yes the capital of Thimbu actually is getting a traffic problem, but there still is only one main street and no traffic lights. And out there, is never far away. A hike of a few miles will put you in world that sees very few visitors. Yes there are the typical tourist routes in Bhutan, the difference is you may not see any, or very few other tourists. This spring on a visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing we were with maybe 10 or 20,000 of our closest friends. In Bhutan, at one of the most famous Dzongs we saw maybe 5 other Westerners during our hour visit.
The people of Bhutan are very friendly, open and in almost every case seemingly happy to see visitors. Our guide for the week, Pema was extremely knowledgeable and obviously proud of his country. A devout Buddhist he was able to give us an insight to this religion over the week that would be hard to get in any other way.
There are many things to say but the easiest is to say that if you have the chance go!!
Yes, we have made the classic mistake, our 1st stay at an Aman resort. We stayed at 3 of the 5 Bhutan lodges; Thimpu, Punaka and Paro in that order. While the suites in each are very similar each resort is unique in its setting. Of the 3, Punaka was our favorite. It has only 8 suites and is located in a former summer home of one of the queen mothers. Access is over a suspended foot bridge and a .5 kilometer ride in small gas cart to the lodge in the middle of rice paddies. As this was harvest time the setting could not have been more pastoral. Although I have read in FT that the food at these lodges is not up to Aman standards, I would have to say get real! The logistics preparing the foods that they do are quite astounding and after a days hiking we found them very satisfying. The only real concern that we had was weight gain.
PBH-BKK; KB123 C
It was hard to say good bye to our new friends as Pema and Sangay dropped us off for our departure. Although ours was the only flight out for hours it did take about an hour to check in and clear immigration for departure.
The lounge at Paro was quite interesting, worn furniture, stark white lighting, a refrigerator with a few bottled drinks and thermos for hot drinks. The most amusing thing was while watching Bhutan state TV and a feature on a visit by a Bank of Japan official, I looked to the left of the TV and the guy was sitting on the couch not realizing his face was on TV at the same time. Oh well, not much more to do at this lounge, it did not take much to entertain us.
The flight out was just about a repeat on the flight in with the exception of an outstanding close-up view of Kanchenjunga the worlds 3rd highest mountain as well as a distant view of Mt Everest and Makalu.
Arrival in BKK was what I am coming to understand as standard a bit of a mess. We had a limo pickup from the Peninsula and I admit that most of our time there (a one night stay) was spent at the excellent pool. We did eat at the onsite Cantonese restaurant and found it less than impressive.
BKK-HKG; TG606 F
F class departures on TG from BKK are the other way to beat the system. And it is even better than the 5:50 AM departures. Porter curbside service and an escort all the way to the Royal First lounge are all part of the deal. I would have to say that the Thai 1st lounge is now our favorite. At that time it was quiet, and we waited in a semi-private room with a flat screen TV and waiter service that actually worked! I should say that I waited as my wife took advantage of the free massage services at the adjacent spa before our flight. 20 minutes prior to departure we again were escorted, this time to the plane and our seats at the front bulkhead. The seats were the old style 744 1st, but more than adequate for the short 2 hour flight. And since the Dom was being poured soon after departure we had no complaints with the exception of some rather dubious salmon that was my wifes dinner.
Thai 1st also includes a shuttle from the gate to transfer/immigration in HKG, not a trivial trek from our arrival gate.
BKK-LHR: BA 28 F
Using our FT gained knowledge we heading straight to the CX Wing Lounge for our 4 plus hour layover. As it had already been a full day I was anxious to try to score some relaxation time in a cabana. A soak in the tub is a very relaxing way to spend a few hours while waiting for our 1AM flight. For comparisons sake we headed to the BA/QF lounge. Next year when we return we will not bother with the comparison. CX wins by a mile.
We had 1A and K for both of our flights on this day on BA. For me these are the best seats in commercial air travel, perhaps not in quality (BA vs. others), but in location. I still get a kick knowing that the cockpit is behind us and dinner up front using the buddy seat is really a cozy affair. Unfortunately at 2 AM not only was it cozy it was drossy. Champagne, wine, dinner and 7 hours of sleep and I barely had time to watch one movie on this 12 hour flight.
LHR at 6AM and we had an 11 hour layover. Having taken the YVR flight many times in the past we went on auto pilot: arrival in T-1 and transfer to T-4 so that we could stash our bags in the Concorde lounge before heading into town. The only problem when was they informed us at the T-4 lounge that this flight now leaves from T-1. And I did know that!! Oh well, we did have time to kill as it was early. I used to think that the BA 1st lounges where quite nice, but after the TG BKK lounge and the CX Wing, the T-1 1st lounge looked down-right shabby, and at 7AM it is an absolute zoo!
After a shower and coffee (no champagne I was running down) we headed to town on the HEX on a very cold rainy morning. After wandering around in a still quiet Regents St we headed to Harrods to see how they were decked out for the Christmas season. When we emerged we hit a clearing in the storm and had a beautiful stroll through Hyde Park and Mayfair before heading back to the airport and again busting at the seams T-1 1st lounge.
LHR-YVR; BA 85 F
I am a lover of air travel and like to consider the flights as one of the best parts of any trip, but this time I think I outdid myself. The days final flight (started BKK) was a blur. Champagne again (it is our duty) and dinner and the 96 Pomerol (the FA on our earlier BA flight told us we must try it when it was on) and I was out again.
Arrival and immigration was a pleasant surprise as it was a ghost town. We arrived at immigration with no line and were soon back upstairs at the Fairmount Hotel for 12.5 hours of sleep on our last night out.
All in all a great trip one of the best. We are already planning a return to Bhutan,this time for an extended trek and more exploration in the spring of 2009. And thanks to AS and BA we already have half the trip booked already on another BA F award beginning next July with an SEA LHR HKG. This stuff is addicting!!
Nov 26, 2007 | 4:24 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: WA
Programs: AS , AA, Hilton, Hyatt, Kimpton, Hertz
Posts: 310
Visas were handled by Aman for our trip. It is pretty funny, all that you get is a zeroxed copy of the list of visas issues for your day of entry. You give that to the immigrations agent. I thought maybe it was for our records only, but the agent insisted on seeing my copy of the list.
Nov 27, 2007 | 9:56 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: BOS, LHR, BLR
Posts: 694
Great report.
FYI...I went to Bhutan in 2005, before Aman opened up. I acutally got a tour of the newly built, but empty hotel outside Paro.
If you want to do it much cheaper, I can recommend a tour operator who's great and charges the standard rate of $200/person per day.
PM me for details.
FYI...I went to Bhutan in 2005, before Aman opened up. I acutally got a tour of the newly built, but empty hotel outside Paro.
If you want to do it much cheaper, I can recommend a tour operator who's great and charges the standard rate of $200/person per day.
PM me for details.
Nov 27, 2007 | 9:59 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: BOS, LHR, BLR
Posts: 694
When I booked my trip, I organized an itinerary with a tour operator. Once the itinerary was finalized, I wired payment for the tour and the Druk Air tickets to the Citibank account of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Visas were waiting for me upon arrival in Paro. Visas are kind of an afterthought since you have to buy your ticket from the government who will only issue the ticket once you're cleared for a visa.
One more note about Druk. I flew Bangkok Airlines, BKK-REP in June aboard a borrowed Druk plane. It was was nicer than the Bangkok Airlines flight back to BKK. Also, you can often book DEL-KTM on the Druk flight that continues on to Paro. This avoids IC and can save money.
Visas were waiting for me upon arrival in Paro. Visas are kind of an afterthought since you have to buy your ticket from the government who will only issue the ticket once you're cleared for a visa.
One more note about Druk. I flew Bangkok Airlines, BKK-REP in June aboard a borrowed Druk plane. It was was nicer than the Bangkok Airlines flight back to BKK. Also, you can often book DEL-KTM on the Druk flight that continues on to Paro. This avoids IC and can save money.
Dec 12, 2007 | 10:34 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Warks.England
Programs: Thai Silver,Skywards Silver,Gulf Silver, Interconti Prority Platinum, FR Priority Q!
Posts: 695
Great read - we too have booked a 10 day trip to Nepal/Bhutan for October 2008 - flying Emirates BHX/DBX/CCU and then into Nepal and on to Bhutan (no doubt Druk Air).
No F flights (only J on these legs with Emirates) but in the meantime looking forward to our Thai LHR/BKK in F (1A and 1K) for the New Year and sampling the new seats/airport/ground handling/lounge etc that Thai do so well.
Good travelling.
No F flights (only J on these legs with Emirates) but in the meantime looking forward to our Thai LHR/BKK in F (1A and 1K) for the New Year and sampling the new seats/airport/ground handling/lounge etc that Thai do so well.
Good travelling.