A week in Upper and Lower Egypt
Apr 16, 2015 | 9:13 pm
#1
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
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Posts: 13,485
A week in Upper and Lower Egypt
Preamble: So as what appears to become a vacation time eating trend, this trip has its beginnings in a mistake fare, specifically the Skyteam mishap late last year to many destinations in Africa. This trip was booked for a shade over $400/pp. I had originally booked this trip with my mom, but as with all best laid plans, about a week before the trip, Mom found out that she couldn’t go with me. We were both pretty bummed about the situation, but I already had the vacation time approved and really didn’t want to not take the trip, so I began making changes.
Instead of making the short trip from Cairo to Alexandria, I swapped in Luxor. [Preview: since I felt bad that we weren’t going to see each other, I decided to plan a trip for us to NYC for a long weekend over Mother’s Day next month!]
As for the hotels, I booked 3 nights at the Hilton Pyramids Resort in Cairo with points, two nights of hotels were made unnecessary due to taking the overnight sleeper train to/from Luxor, and in Luxor I stayed at the Sheraton on a pretty cheap prepaid rate.
This report also makes for a head to head comparison of Air France and KLM, two airlines I’d never flown before.
Sections
IAH, AF 639 to Paris, CDG - the French revenge, and AF 508 to Cairo
Cairo and Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort
Luxor, sleeper train, and Sheraton Luxor Resort
Cairo, airport adventures, KL 554 CAI-AMS, and KL 661 AMS-IAH
My prior TRs
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...n-mnl-hkt.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...mirates-y.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-week-nyc.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-combo-y.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...els-tiger.html
Instead of making the short trip from Cairo to Alexandria, I swapped in Luxor. [Preview: since I felt bad that we weren’t going to see each other, I decided to plan a trip for us to NYC for a long weekend over Mother’s Day next month!]
As for the hotels, I booked 3 nights at the Hilton Pyramids Resort in Cairo with points, two nights of hotels were made unnecessary due to taking the overnight sleeper train to/from Luxor, and in Luxor I stayed at the Sheraton on a pretty cheap prepaid rate.
This report also makes for a head to head comparison of Air France and KLM, two airlines I’d never flown before.
Sections
IAH, AF 639 to Paris, CDG - the French revenge, and AF 508 to Cairo
Cairo and Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort
Luxor, sleeper train, and Sheraton Luxor Resort
Cairo, airport adventures, KL 554 CAI-AMS, and KL 661 AMS-IAH
My prior TRs
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...n-mnl-hkt.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...mirates-y.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-week-nyc.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-combo-y.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...els-tiger.html
Last edited by krazykanuck; Apr 20, 2015 at 9:07 pm
Apr 16, 2015 | 9:15 pm
#2
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: UA Plat, DL Credit Card Holder, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,485
To the airport and KLM Crown Lounge
The AF flight to Paris leaves at 4:05 pm, so I opted to take a half day from work to make sure I’d have no issues getting there with time to spare. I took a Supershuttle from my house and was at IAH Terminal D about 45 minutes later, a bit after 1 pm. There was no line at the AF check in desk and then I got to wait for what felt like forever at TSA. They don’t have pre-check at T-D, and at this time of the day only had about 3 people working. They were so slow, there were passengers getting more bins when they ran out!
Finally getting upstairs, I went to the KLM Crown Lounge to get some lunch and do some last minute emails and phone calls to arrange things for the trip. The lunch was the best I’ve seen here of all my visits. They’ve done away with the “make your own sandwich” thing and now had premade sandwiches with better bread. I had pasta salad with pesto sauce, a turkey sandwich on pretzel bread, Italian wedding soup, washed down with a cold bottle of St. Arnold’s Amber. All delicious!
AF 639, IAH-CDG
Our plane (photo taken at CDG)
I could have, and considered, buying up to business class for only $694 (not bad considering the insanely low fare). I opted against it partly because it’s not a terribly long flight, but mainly because I had secured a bulkhead window seat on this 777, seat 23L. Row 23, along with a couple other rows in Y are 2-4-2, as opposed to 3-4-3, so it’s nice if you’re traveling alone. I also wound up with a really interesting guy in the next seat so we had a good chat throughout the flight.
Once airborne, menus were passed out for the flight and drinks offered. I had a Heineken to start. It’s also the only beer that AF and KLM serve, and my thought is seriously? I’d rather drink Coors Light, and even United managed to get with the times and serve 312. But I digress… oh yeah food.
Dinner, green curry with lentils
It wasn’t bad, I went with the green curry option, but it felt barely like curry. There was no spice, little flavor, just sauce. As for the pastrami and lentils, well I ate the meat and left the lentils.
After that I settled into the IFE system with some champagne/sparkling wine. I think AF is the only carrier that serves it complimentary in Y. Granted it’s not great quality, but it’s still way better than Heineken!
The IFE selection left a lot to be desired though. Not a lot of good options, I don’t even remember what I fell asleep to. It was the worse selection of in seat IFE I’ve had on any TATL/TPAC flights in recent memory, and that’s comparing against UA, US, and EK in the past year.
They came through the cabin with ice cream in the middle of the night, but it was already mostly melted. After waking up, I believe there was a breakfast. But I don’t remember what it was, nor do I have a picture of it. So obviously it was really tasty!
Overall I thought it was a pretty unremarkable flight. Crew was decent, but the food was mediocre at best. The hard product was mostly fine, but the IFE wasn’t sufficient for a TATL flight.
Transit at CDG
I had about 4-5 hours to kill before the flight to Cairo, so I had planned to head over to the AC MLL as it was the only lounge I had access to. It’s in Terminal 2A. We came into 2E. Now normal, logical humans might think this was no big deal. On the airport map, it’s no big deal. IT’S A BIG DEAL.
Whoever designed CDG loved long walks along carpeted halls that end in queues for something. Usually a security checkpoint to go to another terminal. Except when they won’t let you. At the security checkpoint to get to the bus to go to 2A, they fed me some BS about how Terminal 2A was “domestic only” and I couldn’t go there since I was connecting internationally. Despite the fact that BA, AC, AA, CX, and numerous other airlines that only serve intl destinations work out of 2A. Whatever... since security wouldn’t let me through, and I was too tired to put up much of a fight, I went to where my Cairo flight was leaving from: 2E-K gates. Because of course 2E-K, 2E-L, and 2E-M are effectively 3 separate terminals, just like 2A-2D, and 2F are.
2E-K has a restaurant, and a couple places to grab a prepackaged sandwich. If I learned nothing else from this, it that I never want to transit this airport again, unless there are no other options.
AF 508, CDG-CAI
After a few hours of pondering life and trying to not fall asleep and miss my flight, we boarded the plane. Then I fell asleep. As I woke up, I found out we were getting off the plane. Apparently dust storms in Cairo had delayed departure a couple hours, so they let us off the plane and gave us 8 EUR food vouchers to get some lunch. Thanks AF!
This cost 7 EUR
Once we finally got onboard and off the ground, I fell asleep again. You’re shocked, I know! I woke up for the meal, while it was mostly as unremarkable as my earlier AF meal. I also wasn’t too hungry thanks to my AF voucher quiche.
It wasn’t bad, but I could have done without the green goop on the far left side of the entree
Upon arrival at CAI, we parked at a bus gate. A short ride later, we got to the terminal where my driver was waiting, sign in hand. He told me where to go for my visa on arrival, while he held a place in line for immigration. Once I had my VOA, he swapped places with me and went to the checked bag belt. We were quickly on our way out of CAI for the roughly 1 hour drive to my hotel. The airport is on the far eastern side of Cairo, while my hotel was out past Giza, so essentially the complete other side of the city. While people (including me) think of Cairo as one big city, technically, the Nile is the border between Cairo and Giza.
The AF flight to Paris leaves at 4:05 pm, so I opted to take a half day from work to make sure I’d have no issues getting there with time to spare. I took a Supershuttle from my house and was at IAH Terminal D about 45 minutes later, a bit after 1 pm. There was no line at the AF check in desk and then I got to wait for what felt like forever at TSA. They don’t have pre-check at T-D, and at this time of the day only had about 3 people working. They were so slow, there were passengers getting more bins when they ran out!
Finally getting upstairs, I went to the KLM Crown Lounge to get some lunch and do some last minute emails and phone calls to arrange things for the trip. The lunch was the best I’ve seen here of all my visits. They’ve done away with the “make your own sandwich” thing and now had premade sandwiches with better bread. I had pasta salad with pesto sauce, a turkey sandwich on pretzel bread, Italian wedding soup, washed down with a cold bottle of St. Arnold’s Amber. All delicious!
AF 639, IAH-CDG
Our plane (photo taken at CDG)
I could have, and considered, buying up to business class for only $694 (not bad considering the insanely low fare). I opted against it partly because it’s not a terribly long flight, but mainly because I had secured a bulkhead window seat on this 777, seat 23L. Row 23, along with a couple other rows in Y are 2-4-2, as opposed to 3-4-3, so it’s nice if you’re traveling alone. I also wound up with a really interesting guy in the next seat so we had a good chat throughout the flight.
Once airborne, menus were passed out for the flight and drinks offered. I had a Heineken to start. It’s also the only beer that AF and KLM serve, and my thought is seriously? I’d rather drink Coors Light, and even United managed to get with the times and serve 312. But I digress… oh yeah food.
Dinner, green curry with lentils
It wasn’t bad, I went with the green curry option, but it felt barely like curry. There was no spice, little flavor, just sauce. As for the pastrami and lentils, well I ate the meat and left the lentils.
After that I settled into the IFE system with some champagne/sparkling wine. I think AF is the only carrier that serves it complimentary in Y. Granted it’s not great quality, but it’s still way better than Heineken!
The IFE selection left a lot to be desired though. Not a lot of good options, I don’t even remember what I fell asleep to. It was the worse selection of in seat IFE I’ve had on any TATL/TPAC flights in recent memory, and that’s comparing against UA, US, and EK in the past year.They came through the cabin with ice cream in the middle of the night, but it was already mostly melted. After waking up, I believe there was a breakfast. But I don’t remember what it was, nor do I have a picture of it. So obviously it was really tasty!
Overall I thought it was a pretty unremarkable flight. Crew was decent, but the food was mediocre at best. The hard product was mostly fine, but the IFE wasn’t sufficient for a TATL flight.
Transit at CDG
I had about 4-5 hours to kill before the flight to Cairo, so I had planned to head over to the AC MLL as it was the only lounge I had access to. It’s in Terminal 2A. We came into 2E. Now normal, logical humans might think this was no big deal. On the airport map, it’s no big deal. IT’S A BIG DEAL.
Whoever designed CDG loved long walks along carpeted halls that end in queues for something. Usually a security checkpoint to go to another terminal. Except when they won’t let you. At the security checkpoint to get to the bus to go to 2A, they fed me some BS about how Terminal 2A was “domestic only” and I couldn’t go there since I was connecting internationally. Despite the fact that BA, AC, AA, CX, and numerous other airlines that only serve intl destinations work out of 2A. Whatever... since security wouldn’t let me through, and I was too tired to put up much of a fight, I went to where my Cairo flight was leaving from: 2E-K gates. Because of course 2E-K, 2E-L, and 2E-M are effectively 3 separate terminals, just like 2A-2D, and 2F are.
2E-K has a restaurant, and a couple places to grab a prepackaged sandwich. If I learned nothing else from this, it that I never want to transit this airport again, unless there are no other options.
AF 508, CDG-CAI
After a few hours of pondering life and trying to not fall asleep and miss my flight, we boarded the plane. Then I fell asleep. As I woke up, I found out we were getting off the plane. Apparently dust storms in Cairo had delayed departure a couple hours, so they let us off the plane and gave us 8 EUR food vouchers to get some lunch. Thanks AF!
This cost 7 EUR
Once we finally got onboard and off the ground, I fell asleep again. You’re shocked, I know! I woke up for the meal, while it was mostly as unremarkable as my earlier AF meal. I also wasn’t too hungry thanks to my AF voucher quiche.
It wasn’t bad, but I could have done without the green goop on the far left side of the entree
Upon arrival at CAI, we parked at a bus gate. A short ride later, we got to the terminal where my driver was waiting, sign in hand. He told me where to go for my visa on arrival, while he held a place in line for immigration. Once I had my VOA, he swapped places with me and went to the checked bag belt. We were quickly on our way out of CAI for the roughly 1 hour drive to my hotel. The airport is on the far eastern side of Cairo, while my hotel was out past Giza, so essentially the complete other side of the city. While people (including me) think of Cairo as one big city, technically, the Nile is the border between Cairo and Giza.
Apr 17, 2015 | 2:02 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: DFW
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, Admirals Club, Global Entry
Posts: 1,156
This is literate, funny and entertaining. Please continue!
I've been to CDG many times, always as an 0&D passenger, but I still could've told you that you never, ever want to transfer there. For those long walks, I've found that you're best off grabbing one of the ubiquitous (and free) baggage carts and then zooming along as if you were the official "scooter" entry in the Indy 500 . . . .
I've been to CDG many times, always as an 0&D passenger, but I still could've told you that you never, ever want to transfer there. For those long walks, I've found that you're best off grabbing one of the ubiquitous (and free) baggage carts and then zooming along as if you were the official "scooter" entry in the Indy 500 . . . .
Apr 17, 2015 | 7:51 pm
#5
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: UA Plat, DL Credit Card Holder, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,485
Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort
We arrived at the hotel around 10 pm. A quick check in and I was escorted out to my room overlooking the pool and golf course. It was a decent size with a huge bathroom. Being as tired as I was, I just crawled into bed with no real plans for the following day, other than to see what kind of trouble I could get into. As mentioned, I booked this stay with points for an incredible 5,000 Hilton points per night. Considering rates were around $130-170/night depending on when I looked, I thought this was an excellent redemption, especially since as a Gold member I get free internet and breakfast.
View the next morning:
Cairo: Day 1, Wednesday
After a sufficient sleep, I went to breakfast. The Gold member breakfast is served in the Fairway restaurant off the main lobby and is a full buffet. By full I mean FULL. There is an omelette station, more types of pastries than I could name, Euro style cold cuts and cheese, Arabic mezze, as well as things that I normally wouldn’t consider breakfast food. Like mashed potatoes. The only downside was that the staff could sometimes be a little inattentive, such as they never proactively brought coffee or refills and I had to ask for each one.
Omelette, fresh bread with Nutella, guava juice, and coffee
Following breakfast, I took a taxi into downtown. The hotel partners with Avis to provide car service to guests, but there were usually a couple of normal taxis outside the gate that are less expensive. The plan was to go to Giza, and I checked out the zoo, then walked by Cairo Tower, and finished around the other side of the Nile. Then it was back to the hotel via a taxi driver that had no idea where my hotel was. We literally drove around in a circle for 30 minutes as he stopped and asked multiple people where to go… thankfully the fare was pre-agreed and not metered!
LUNCH!
Who left the gates to the big cat area open…
Egypt experience for the day: as soon as I stopped walking like a man on a mission, a dude started talking to me, walking with me, and soon enough we found our way to his art gallery where he introduced his big brother and his sister who “was getting married tomorrow”. They started showing me stuff and wrote my name in Arabic on a papyrus painting/picture without asking me. As I tried to leave they sprung the price on me, and then when I said no to that, they said make an offer because they were in a good mood for the daughter’s wedding. I really didn’t want it so I made a low offer with all the money I had on me and pulled out my wallet to show, which was about 40 LE, or ~$6. Ok, that’s not really how much money I had, that’d be stupid, but it looked that way since I compartmentalize my money on trips like this. I actually had about $120 on me but the $100 and $20 bills were in different pockets. They took the 40 LE, and I got a souvenir and got the F out of there.
My purchase:
Cairo: Day 2, Thursday
Today was the day I was doing a day tour to see the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, and Egyptian Museum. I’d booked the tour though a company called Egypt Last Minute. I started out with breakfast at the Fairway restaurant again, and my guide arrived at the hotel promptly at 8 am. We started out at the museum, and then worked our way back to the pyramids area.
The Egyptian Museum is adjacent to Tahrir Square, the center of the revolution. There was a noticeable police/military presence, with a couple of tanks/armored vehicles and dudes with automatic weapons outside the museum gates. I didn’t photograph this for obvious reasons…
After the museum, we drove back to the Pyramids area. First we walked around the Great Pyramid, then went and did a quick camel ride, and finished over by the Sphinx.
Here are some photos from the day:
Don’t worry… I got this! (broken down Cairo transit bus)
Cairo Tower
Egyptian Museum (unfortunately no cameras allowed inside)
Charred remnants of the revolution. According to my guide, these are government buildings within which Mubarek’s party officed and are adjacent to the museum
Typical view of apartments, taken from Ring Road on the drive back to Giza
Me, riding a camel. I’ve come to the conclusion that horses are easier.
Me again, doing the traditional tourist picture at the insistence of my guide.
Cairo: Day 3, Friday
Breakfast was at Fairway again. I was taking the overnight train to Luxor that departed at 8:15 pm and wasn’t too keen on running around the city before that, so I spent the beautiful day (mid 70s with a medium breeze) sitting by the pool. Late afternoon, I took a taxi to Ramses Station, the main railway station in downtown Cairo. I had foolishly not packed a sweater or jacket for the evenings, so I ordered both a Turkish and regular coffee in rapid succession at the restaurant inside the station. They also had the only wifi signal, so that also helped incentivize the purchase.
Ramses Station
The sleeper train to Luxor is a bit expensive for what it is – a mediocre sleep with so-so food. It’s $120 for a single, $100 for a double. To be fair dinner wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t very good either. Breakfast was crap, suitable for prison meals with minimum calorie requirements. I mean, how is a croissant, pound cake, a pastry, and a dinner roll breakfast? The train also stops and starts all night and likes to lurch around, so I woke up a bunch.
Bench – which turns into a semi-comfortable bed
Area to wash up, complete with a swinging cupboard door that WOULD NOT STAY CLOSED.
Dinner
Breakfast. Seriously, 4 starches and black coffee? The coffee was drinkable though...
Pro tip: Fly, and book early. Egypt Air is about $110 each way from Cairo to Luxor. The only reason I didn’t fly is because by the time I was going to book, the flights leaving Luxor late Sunday were all sold out and I’d have to leave around noon, which would have cut the day too short.
We arrived at the hotel around 10 pm. A quick check in and I was escorted out to my room overlooking the pool and golf course. It was a decent size with a huge bathroom. Being as tired as I was, I just crawled into bed with no real plans for the following day, other than to see what kind of trouble I could get into. As mentioned, I booked this stay with points for an incredible 5,000 Hilton points per night. Considering rates were around $130-170/night depending on when I looked, I thought this was an excellent redemption, especially since as a Gold member I get free internet and breakfast.
View the next morning:
Cairo: Day 1, Wednesday
After a sufficient sleep, I went to breakfast. The Gold member breakfast is served in the Fairway restaurant off the main lobby and is a full buffet. By full I mean FULL. There is an omelette station, more types of pastries than I could name, Euro style cold cuts and cheese, Arabic mezze, as well as things that I normally wouldn’t consider breakfast food. Like mashed potatoes. The only downside was that the staff could sometimes be a little inattentive, such as they never proactively brought coffee or refills and I had to ask for each one.
Omelette, fresh bread with Nutella, guava juice, and coffee
Following breakfast, I took a taxi into downtown. The hotel partners with Avis to provide car service to guests, but there were usually a couple of normal taxis outside the gate that are less expensive. The plan was to go to Giza, and I checked out the zoo, then walked by Cairo Tower, and finished around the other side of the Nile. Then it was back to the hotel via a taxi driver that had no idea where my hotel was. We literally drove around in a circle for 30 minutes as he stopped and asked multiple people where to go… thankfully the fare was pre-agreed and not metered!
LUNCH!
Who left the gates to the big cat area open…
Egypt experience for the day: as soon as I stopped walking like a man on a mission, a dude started talking to me, walking with me, and soon enough we found our way to his art gallery where he introduced his big brother and his sister who “was getting married tomorrow”. They started showing me stuff and wrote my name in Arabic on a papyrus painting/picture without asking me. As I tried to leave they sprung the price on me, and then when I said no to that, they said make an offer because they were in a good mood for the daughter’s wedding. I really didn’t want it so I made a low offer with all the money I had on me and pulled out my wallet to show, which was about 40 LE, or ~$6. Ok, that’s not really how much money I had, that’d be stupid, but it looked that way since I compartmentalize my money on trips like this. I actually had about $120 on me but the $100 and $20 bills were in different pockets. They took the 40 LE, and I got a souvenir and got the F out of there.
My purchase:
Cairo: Day 2, Thursday
Today was the day I was doing a day tour to see the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, and Egyptian Museum. I’d booked the tour though a company called Egypt Last Minute. I started out with breakfast at the Fairway restaurant again, and my guide arrived at the hotel promptly at 8 am. We started out at the museum, and then worked our way back to the pyramids area.
The Egyptian Museum is adjacent to Tahrir Square, the center of the revolution. There was a noticeable police/military presence, with a couple of tanks/armored vehicles and dudes with automatic weapons outside the museum gates. I didn’t photograph this for obvious reasons…
After the museum, we drove back to the Pyramids area. First we walked around the Great Pyramid, then went and did a quick camel ride, and finished over by the Sphinx.
Here are some photos from the day:
Don’t worry… I got this! (broken down Cairo transit bus)
Cairo Tower
Egyptian Museum (unfortunately no cameras allowed inside)
Charred remnants of the revolution. According to my guide, these are government buildings within which Mubarek’s party officed and are adjacent to the museum
Typical view of apartments, taken from Ring Road on the drive back to Giza
Me, riding a camel. I’ve come to the conclusion that horses are easier.
Me again, doing the traditional tourist picture at the insistence of my guide.
Cairo: Day 3, Friday
Breakfast was at Fairway again. I was taking the overnight train to Luxor that departed at 8:15 pm and wasn’t too keen on running around the city before that, so I spent the beautiful day (mid 70s with a medium breeze) sitting by the pool. Late afternoon, I took a taxi to Ramses Station, the main railway station in downtown Cairo. I had foolishly not packed a sweater or jacket for the evenings, so I ordered both a Turkish and regular coffee in rapid succession at the restaurant inside the station. They also had the only wifi signal, so that also helped incentivize the purchase.
Ramses Station
The sleeper train to Luxor is a bit expensive for what it is – a mediocre sleep with so-so food. It’s $120 for a single, $100 for a double. To be fair dinner wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t very good either. Breakfast was crap, suitable for prison meals with minimum calorie requirements. I mean, how is a croissant, pound cake, a pastry, and a dinner roll breakfast? The train also stops and starts all night and likes to lurch around, so I woke up a bunch.
Bench – which turns into a semi-comfortable bed
Area to wash up, complete with a swinging cupboard door that WOULD NOT STAY CLOSED.
Dinner
Breakfast. Seriously, 4 starches and black coffee? The coffee was drinkable though...
Pro tip: Fly, and book early. Egypt Air is about $110 each way from Cairo to Luxor. The only reason I didn’t fly is because by the time I was going to book, the flights leaving Luxor late Sunday were all sold out and I’d have to leave around noon, which would have cut the day too short.
Last edited by krazykanuck; Apr 17, 2015 at 8:02 pm
Apr 17, 2015 | 8:01 pm
#6
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: UA Plat, DL Credit Card Holder, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,485
This is literate, funny and entertaining. Please continue!
I've been to CDG many times, always as an 0&D passenger, but I still could've told you that you never, ever want to transfer there. For those long walks, I've found that you're best off grabbing one of the ubiquitous (and free) baggage carts and then zooming along as if you were the official "scooter" entry in the Indy 500 . . . .
I've been to CDG many times, always as an 0&D passenger, but I still could've told you that you never, ever want to transfer there. For those long walks, I've found that you're best off grabbing one of the ubiquitous (and free) baggage carts and then zooming along as if you were the official "scooter" entry in the Indy 500 . . . .
Apr 18, 2015 | 11:22 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
Isn't it fun to go on the train?
I left Egypt 59 years ago so it's fun to read your report.
I never went to Aswan / Luxor.
I was supposed to go to Vienna with my mother about 10 years ago. It was a big deal as it was an invitation organised by the Mayor's office / the city of Vienna.
One week before her jacket crowns fell out and we had to cancel.
We had non refundable tickets and did not buy insurance.
We lost about $600.
As to the meal it looks a lot better than what you get on US airlines.
I left Egypt 59 years ago so it's fun to read your report.
I never went to Aswan / Luxor.
I was supposed to go to Vienna with my mother about 10 years ago. It was a big deal as it was an invitation organised by the Mayor's office / the city of Vienna.
One week before her jacket crowns fell out and we had to cancel.
We had non refundable tickets and did not buy insurance.
We lost about $600.
As to the meal it looks a lot better than what you get on US airlines.
Apr 18, 2015 | 9:49 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Programs: No programs & No Points!!!
Posts: 14,390
I loved Egypt. Thanks for posting. Bringing back lots of memories.
I loved the cats of Egypt. Often hungry and very friendly. I had an Egyptian guide with us and would often tell him we had to find a shop to buy a particular cat some food. He told me that Allah would bless me for being kind to all living things. I still donate to Animal Care Egypt who do a wonderful job in Luxor.
It was a shame you can't take photos inside the Museum isn't it. When we were in the King Tut exhibit we were not allowed inside the room with the Mask as their was a visiting President from a South American country (I forget which one now). My guide went and spoke to the guards and the only word I could understand was American. We were let in with the important people. I asked our guide what he said. He said that he had said we were American (we are Australian) and we had finished our tour and this was the last stop and we didn't want to wait. He said American is a world power and we do not want to upset any Americans so they that's why they let us in straight away.
Looking forward to more of your post.
I loved the cats of Egypt. Often hungry and very friendly. I had an Egyptian guide with us and would often tell him we had to find a shop to buy a particular cat some food. He told me that Allah would bless me for being kind to all living things. I still donate to Animal Care Egypt who do a wonderful job in Luxor.
It was a shame you can't take photos inside the Museum isn't it. When we were in the King Tut exhibit we were not allowed inside the room with the Mask as their was a visiting President from a South American country (I forget which one now). My guide went and spoke to the guards and the only word I could understand was American. We were let in with the important people. I asked our guide what he said. He said that he had said we were American (we are Australian) and we had finished our tour and this was the last stop and we didn't want to wait. He said American is a world power and we do not want to upset any Americans so they that's why they let us in straight away.
Looking forward to more of your post.
Apr 19, 2015 | 4:56 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 220
I loved Egypt. Thanks for posting. Bringing back lots of memories.
I loved the cats of Egypt. Often hungry and very friendly. I had an Egyptian guide with us and would often tell him we had to find a shop to buy a particular cat some food. He told me that Allah would bless me for being kind to all living things. I still donate to Animal Care Egypt who do a wonderful job in Luxor.
It was a shame you can't take photos inside the Museum isn't it. When we were in the King Tut exhibit we were not allowed inside the room with the Mask as their was a visiting President from a South American country (I forget which one now). My guide went and spoke to the guards and the only word I could understand was American. We were let in with the important people. I asked our guide what he said. He said that he had said we were American (we are Australian) and we had finished our tour and this was the last stop and we didn't want to wait. He said American is a world power and we do not want to upset any Americans so they that's why they let us in straight away.
Looking forward to more of your post.
I loved the cats of Egypt. Often hungry and very friendly. I had an Egyptian guide with us and would often tell him we had to find a shop to buy a particular cat some food. He told me that Allah would bless me for being kind to all living things. I still donate to Animal Care Egypt who do a wonderful job in Luxor.
It was a shame you can't take photos inside the Museum isn't it. When we were in the King Tut exhibit we were not allowed inside the room with the Mask as their was a visiting President from a South American country (I forget which one now). My guide went and spoke to the guards and the only word I could understand was American. We were let in with the important people. I asked our guide what he said. He said that he had said we were American (we are Australian) and we had finished our tour and this was the last stop and we didn't want to wait. He said American is a world power and we do not want to upset any Americans so they that's why they let us in straight away.
Looking forward to more of your post.
Apr 19, 2015 | 10:34 am
#12
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: UA Plat, DL Credit Card Holder, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,485
For example, these are boats that used to run overnight cruises up and down the Nile. My guide said that back in 2010, there were a couple hundred operating and were usually fully booked. He said now, there might be only a couple dozen...
The Egyptian rate for the sleeper train is 600 LE for a single or 300 for a double, so $80 or $40. If you really wanted to save money the regular 1st class trains would have been $20. But that's just a seat and I wanted at least a chance of some sleep.
Hopefully I'll get the Luxor portion up tonight or tomorrow.
Apr 19, 2015 | 11:47 pm
#13
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: UA Plat, DL Credit Card Holder, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,485
Luxor!
Luxor: Day 1, Saturday
Alright, we have moved on to Upper Egypt!
Arriving at the train station, I sleepily wondered out and found a cab. He wanted 40 LE, and we settled on 30 LE, to the Sheraton. As we were about to leave, a tour sales guy jumped in the front passenger seat and tried to sell me on his bait and switch tour for the 5 minute drive to the hotel. His prices looked good, but didnt include the entrance fees to any of the places, which triples the price. Buyer beware
View of the fields from the train, on the approach to Luxor
Arriving at the Sheraton, met the normal metal detector and xray machine. Since the city and hotel were deserted, I got checked in without issue at 8 am. I was upgraded to a Nile view room (compared to the garden view room I booked). I paid about $70, including taxes and fees for the 1 night stay with buffet breakfast. Im liking SPGs recent enhancements, since I received free internet for booking online, though this concept was apparently new to the front desk staff. They charge 19 EUR for 24 hours of internet
The room wasnt large by any means, but was perfectly functional and had a good sized balcony. I took a nap for a couple hours since I didnt sleep well, besides nothing was open to do at 8 am in town anyway.
Mid afternoon, after some pool time, I went downtown and got ripped off by a taxi to the tune of 30 LE. I stopped by the old Winter Palace hotel, the former home of the king and now a luxury Sofitel Hotel. The gardens were beautiful, but it was at this point it struck me how empty and deserted Luxor was of tourists. There wasnt a single person in the lobby that wasnt an employee. When I and others left the hotel, there was at least a 5 to 1 ratio of taxis to customers vying for a single fare.
By the pool; one of these is not like the other
Pictures from the garden of the Winter Palace:
For dinner, I went to Sofra, a restaurant I found on Tripadvisor. It was also deserted, with only 2 other tables filled. I had the Basterma bil bid, or a fried egg with spicy beef, and the pigeon stuffed with rice with veggies. It was quite good, and came to a grand total of 64 LE, or about $8. As they say, it tastes like chicken
From there it was back to the hotel, where I enjoyed the 2 Local Stella beers that were in the minibar at a bargain 15 LE each. I found alcohol to only be found at the hotels. Some high end restaurants carry it, but my guide told me that serving booze causes a much higher licensing fee. Sofra didnt serve alcohol at all. The only beers I saw were local Stella, Sakara Gold, and Heineken. Not surprisingly, all three are brewed by the same company, an Egyptian division of Heineken called Al Ahram Beverages!
Sidebar: I think both local Stella and Sakara Gold are better than Heineken.
View of the local market on the way back to the hotel
Beautiful sunset seen through Luxor Temple
Luxor: Day 2, Sunday
I decided to do a day tour here though Egypt Last Minute again. I started out with my included breakfast, but it wasnt as good as the one at the Hilton. The selection was weaker, and heavier on the starches. The service was lacking as well, but the food was ok.
The tour took me to the Karlak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, as well as lunch and another temple. Here are some photos from the day:
According to my guide, this crane has been here for years and never moved a single block, due to government corruption and the like
Back in the day, there was a road from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple, and this road had sphinx's along it. This road has only recently been unearthed, and they are in the process of making it walkable from end to end.
The mixing of religions and cultures in ancient Egypt is just fascinating. My guide said that this temple had both Muslim and Christian places of worship built into it over the years; this being the Christian one.
A very untimely name for a boat...
I was back at the hotel by late afternoon and had time to kill until the 11 pm sleeper train back to Cairo, so I just interneted, sat by the pool, etc. I took a cab to the rail station (and managed to get the driver to agree to the 20 LE fare posted at the hotel door) and settled in for a surprisingly good nights sleep.
Sunset over the Nile from the Sheraton
Waiting at the Luxor station
The dinner was substantially the same as what I got on the way down, except they swapped the chocolate cake thing for some disgusting yellow jello thing. Breakfast was exactly the same.
Alright, we have moved on to Upper Egypt!
Arriving at the train station, I sleepily wondered out and found a cab. He wanted 40 LE, and we settled on 30 LE, to the Sheraton. As we were about to leave, a tour sales guy jumped in the front passenger seat and tried to sell me on his bait and switch tour for the 5 minute drive to the hotel. His prices looked good, but didnt include the entrance fees to any of the places, which triples the price. Buyer beware
View of the fields from the train, on the approach to Luxor
Arriving at the Sheraton, met the normal metal detector and xray machine. Since the city and hotel were deserted, I got checked in without issue at 8 am. I was upgraded to a Nile view room (compared to the garden view room I booked). I paid about $70, including taxes and fees for the 1 night stay with buffet breakfast. Im liking SPGs recent enhancements, since I received free internet for booking online, though this concept was apparently new to the front desk staff. They charge 19 EUR for 24 hours of internet
The room wasnt large by any means, but was perfectly functional and had a good sized balcony. I took a nap for a couple hours since I didnt sleep well, besides nothing was open to do at 8 am in town anyway.
Mid afternoon, after some pool time, I went downtown and got ripped off by a taxi to the tune of 30 LE. I stopped by the old Winter Palace hotel, the former home of the king and now a luxury Sofitel Hotel. The gardens were beautiful, but it was at this point it struck me how empty and deserted Luxor was of tourists. There wasnt a single person in the lobby that wasnt an employee. When I and others left the hotel, there was at least a 5 to 1 ratio of taxis to customers vying for a single fare.
By the pool; one of these is not like the other
Pictures from the garden of the Winter Palace:
For dinner, I went to Sofra, a restaurant I found on Tripadvisor. It was also deserted, with only 2 other tables filled. I had the Basterma bil bid, or a fried egg with spicy beef, and the pigeon stuffed with rice with veggies. It was quite good, and came to a grand total of 64 LE, or about $8. As they say, it tastes like chicken
From there it was back to the hotel, where I enjoyed the 2 Local Stella beers that were in the minibar at a bargain 15 LE each. I found alcohol to only be found at the hotels. Some high end restaurants carry it, but my guide told me that serving booze causes a much higher licensing fee. Sofra didnt serve alcohol at all. The only beers I saw were local Stella, Sakara Gold, and Heineken. Not surprisingly, all three are brewed by the same company, an Egyptian division of Heineken called Al Ahram Beverages!
Sidebar: I think both local Stella and Sakara Gold are better than Heineken.
View of the local market on the way back to the hotel
Beautiful sunset seen through Luxor Temple
Luxor: Day 2, Sunday
I decided to do a day tour here though Egypt Last Minute again. I started out with my included breakfast, but it wasnt as good as the one at the Hilton. The selection was weaker, and heavier on the starches. The service was lacking as well, but the food was ok.
The tour took me to the Karlak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, as well as lunch and another temple. Here are some photos from the day:
According to my guide, this crane has been here for years and never moved a single block, due to government corruption and the like
Back in the day, there was a road from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple, and this road had sphinx's along it. This road has only recently been unearthed, and they are in the process of making it walkable from end to end.
The mixing of religions and cultures in ancient Egypt is just fascinating. My guide said that this temple had both Muslim and Christian places of worship built into it over the years; this being the Christian one.
A very untimely name for a boat...
I was back at the hotel by late afternoon and had time to kill until the 11 pm sleeper train back to Cairo, so I just interneted, sat by the pool, etc. I took a cab to the rail station (and managed to get the driver to agree to the 20 LE fare posted at the hotel door) and settled in for a surprisingly good nights sleep.
Sunset over the Nile from the Sheraton
Waiting at the Luxor station
The dinner was substantially the same as what I got on the way down, except they swapped the chocolate cake thing for some disgusting yellow jello thing. Breakfast was exactly the same.
Apr 20, 2015 | 1:39 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,300
Looks like a relaxing 2 days in Luxor. And very few of those pesky tourists to spoil the experience too.
When I visited Hatshepsut’s Temple, I was really surprised there was no memorial of any sorts to the Luxor massacre when 58 tourists were slaughtered. Not even a simple bronze plaque in the carpark.
.When I visited Hatshepsut’s Temple, I was really surprised there was no memorial of any sorts to the Luxor massacre when 58 tourists were slaughtered. Not even a simple bronze plaque in the carpark.
Apr 20, 2015 | 9:06 pm
#15
Original Poster
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: UA Plat, DL Credit Card Holder, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,485
Last day in Cairo, and KLM CAI-AMS-IAH
Cairo: Day 4, Monday
I arrived back to Ramses Station around 9 am on Monday. I took advantage of the wifi for a bit and then caught a cab to the Ramses Hilton where I had intended to leave my suitcase for the day while I went around Cairo. One thing led to another and the concierge wound up helping me arrange a pretty good cab fare. For about double the cost of hotel to airport, I got a cab to take me wherever I wanted and wait for me for a few hours, and then to the airport. Together we hit the Citadel, Old Cairo, and tried to hit the Khan al Kalifi bazaar, but unfortunately it was closed as Monday was a holiday. Then we went to the airport.
View of the city with the Giza pyramids from the Citadel
A couple of churches and various places of worship in Old Cairo
Well this looks interesting, and right next to the sidewalk. Were sure not in the US anymore
Cairo airport adventures
At CAI, the taxi driver will likely try to get you to pay for his parking. Dont. Also, to get into the terminal youre supposed to show your passport and reservation. WellI didnt have a copy of my reservation/itinerary, for the first time in many international trips. The tip seeking woman who stole my bag for the 30 ft walk to the check in security said if I paid the security guys theyd let me through without my reservation. I refused and went to go sit, seeing as how even if I paid them, there were no KLM or AF check in agents working at that time of day. She huffed and puffed and walked away. She then found me a few hours later to tell me that the KLM desks would open at 10 pm. Spoiler: they didnt open at 10 pm.
I sat for quite a while, reading my Kindle and occasionally getting up for a walk and food. I got dinner at the ONE food place in Terminal 1. It was fairly satisfying and a pretty good deal at 33 LE, or about $4.
Trapped landside at CAI
After managing to finish an entire book on my Kindle, chat with an older guy from Washington DC who seemed to have been everywhere and anywhere in the past 30 years, and nearly falling asleep in a comfy chair on the 2nd floor of the landside terminal, it was time to move on. I was listening to music when a dude came up to me and just said KLM? Its around 11:30 pm right now. I play along, because, why not. He brings me up to the main check in security dude, who wants to see me passport and reservation. Convo goes like this
Dude: Wheres your reservation?
Me: Dont have it, hotel threw away the paper (lying, but it was better than admitting Im an idiot who forgot it)
Dude: *not happy* You dont have it on your phone?
Me: Theres no internet in this airport, otherwise I would. (FYI, there is no public wifi landside at Cairo airport)
Dude: *even more unhappy, grabs a 3 ft long sheet of paper and throws it at me* Find your name!
Me: Im thrown the flight manifest for my KLM flight to AMS. Thankfully it was in alphabetical order and my name was on it. I point this out to the dude, who seems annoyed that I am actually a passenger and winds up letting me through.
I now get to sit among the chosen ones, the few people who get to sit on the insanely uncomfortable metal benches on the post-security side of the wall, as opposed to the metal benches on the other side.
KLM opened the checkin desks around midnight, 3.5 hours before the flights scheduled departure. I was near the beginning of the line, and was relatively quickly though that and passport control.
I went up to the Priority Pass accessible lounge, actually named First Class Lounge. I looked around for a check in desk, but didnt find one. A review online mentioned mismatched furniture, so seeing that I just went in. I asked an employee if this was the First Class Lounge. He asked, which one? Not helpful, so I flashed my PP card and he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I guess that means Im OK to stay. An hour later, another guy comes by and asks which flight Im on. I say KLM to Amsterdam. He says, there is KLM lounge next door! Not wanting to explain the finer points of lounge access, I show my PP card and he walks away. Note that nobody ever swiped my card, so, its like I was never there
KL 554, CAI-AMS
Cairo has gate xray and metal detectors. Because the xray and metal detectors when you go from outside the building to the landside terminal, and from landside to check in arent enough and then you are put in a holding pen. We were released from the pen to the bus after about 30 minutes, and taken to the plane.
I think I spotted the white ghost Air Sinai plane, in the corner of the tarmac on the drive to our plane. Its a random Egypt Air plane with no markings that flies the CAI-TLV route, recently mentioned in this Trip Report: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...halys-klm.html
I slept for about half the flight, and the rest was trying to keep my personal space from the bearded fellow in the middle seat.
Breakfast was a choice between an omelette and waffles. I went with the former, as did bearded neighbor, so I couldnt get an eye on the waffles. Overall breakfast was pretty decent. Eggs with hashbrowns, fruit, bread, and yogurt. As far as the eggs go, they rank near the best of Y eggs. While not quite the same level of SQ, still above UA.
After eating I began to poke around on the IFE and realized it had a pretty good selection of movies and TV shows you wanted to watch, in line with what I had on US and UA. I watched Horrible Bosses 2 until we landed at Schipol. I was surprised by how green and idyllic everything looked while we were on final descent, given its still early spring.
I didnt have time to do much of anything besides walk from gate to gate. It was probably a 15-20 minute walk, and was greeted by US-ish style security at the gate: laptops out, get into the nude-o-scope, etc. At least they let you keep your shoes on.
The Queen of the Skies; City of Jakarta would be taking us to Houston
KL 661, AMS-IAH
Todays plane is one of KLMs combination cargo/pax 747s, so my seat at 42C was right near the back of the cabin. The combi 747s are missing are missing ~15 rows in Y compared to KLs other 747s.
The IFE system was the same as the prior flight, so I just picked up where I left off. I had a mom and her 2-3 year old next to me, but the little human was remarkably well behaved and quiet, so no big deal.
Probably an hour into the flight, lunch was served and I thought it was excellent for a Y meal. The main was chicken in a spicy peanut sauce served with rice. There was also cheese and crackers, a roll, a nice light salad, and a mousse with berries and raspberry sauce for dessert. I had the red wine with it, which wasnt awful, but you can sure taste the price point that these wines come from.
Back to my movies. I had a mini 007 marathon and watched Casino Royale followed by Quantum of Solace.
About 90 minutes prior to landing, they rolled out the pre-arrival snack: a mini cheese pizza, caprese salad with pesto (really tasty!), and tiramisu for dessert. Apologies for the crappy photo. I feel like I encounter the mini pizza a lot as a snack, as Ive seen it on EK and US or UA. The last few months of long haul Y flights are beginning to blend together
We were a few minutes delayed getting off the plane as they had to bring the Houston paramedics onboard to attend to a pax, but following that were quickly to the immigration hall.
I also got my first secondary immigration inspection! After swiping my passport, the CBP agent said, well thats odd Before I know it Im getting walked to the secondary room. I guess being a single 20 something guy, a non- US citizen living here, and just up and goes to the middle east for a week by himself throws up some caution flags. Overall I answered a few painless questions, and after realizing I was just as harmless and travel crazy as my flights made me out to be, I was back on my way again.
Thankfully my 5 mins of questions along with 40 minutes of waiting while watching the Weather Channel meant my bag was waiting for me downstairs. And thats it! Thanks for following along. Yall will likely get a break for a bit from me for a bit, since for the next couple months all I have are boring domestic flights for long weekend trips. As always, any questions/comments are welcome!
Next up:
May: Weekend trip to NYC (UA Y)
June: Long weekend to ATL (WN Y)
September: NYC and South Africa (UA & EY Y)
I arrived back to Ramses Station around 9 am on Monday. I took advantage of the wifi for a bit and then caught a cab to the Ramses Hilton where I had intended to leave my suitcase for the day while I went around Cairo. One thing led to another and the concierge wound up helping me arrange a pretty good cab fare. For about double the cost of hotel to airport, I got a cab to take me wherever I wanted and wait for me for a few hours, and then to the airport. Together we hit the Citadel, Old Cairo, and tried to hit the Khan al Kalifi bazaar, but unfortunately it was closed as Monday was a holiday. Then we went to the airport.
View of the city with the Giza pyramids from the Citadel
A couple of churches and various places of worship in Old Cairo
Well this looks interesting, and right next to the sidewalk. Were sure not in the US anymore
Cairo airport adventures
At CAI, the taxi driver will likely try to get you to pay for his parking. Dont. Also, to get into the terminal youre supposed to show your passport and reservation. WellI didnt have a copy of my reservation/itinerary, for the first time in many international trips. The tip seeking woman who stole my bag for the 30 ft walk to the check in security said if I paid the security guys theyd let me through without my reservation. I refused and went to go sit, seeing as how even if I paid them, there were no KLM or AF check in agents working at that time of day. She huffed and puffed and walked away. She then found me a few hours later to tell me that the KLM desks would open at 10 pm. Spoiler: they didnt open at 10 pm.
I sat for quite a while, reading my Kindle and occasionally getting up for a walk and food. I got dinner at the ONE food place in Terminal 1. It was fairly satisfying and a pretty good deal at 33 LE, or about $4.
Trapped landside at CAI
After managing to finish an entire book on my Kindle, chat with an older guy from Washington DC who seemed to have been everywhere and anywhere in the past 30 years, and nearly falling asleep in a comfy chair on the 2nd floor of the landside terminal, it was time to move on. I was listening to music when a dude came up to me and just said KLM? Its around 11:30 pm right now. I play along, because, why not. He brings me up to the main check in security dude, who wants to see me passport and reservation. Convo goes like this
Dude: Wheres your reservation?
Me: Dont have it, hotel threw away the paper (lying, but it was better than admitting Im an idiot who forgot it)
Dude: *not happy* You dont have it on your phone?
Me: Theres no internet in this airport, otherwise I would. (FYI, there is no public wifi landside at Cairo airport)
Dude: *even more unhappy, grabs a 3 ft long sheet of paper and throws it at me* Find your name!
Me: Im thrown the flight manifest for my KLM flight to AMS. Thankfully it was in alphabetical order and my name was on it. I point this out to the dude, who seems annoyed that I am actually a passenger and winds up letting me through.
I now get to sit among the chosen ones, the few people who get to sit on the insanely uncomfortable metal benches on the post-security side of the wall, as opposed to the metal benches on the other side.
KLM opened the checkin desks around midnight, 3.5 hours before the flights scheduled departure. I was near the beginning of the line, and was relatively quickly though that and passport control.
I went up to the Priority Pass accessible lounge, actually named First Class Lounge. I looked around for a check in desk, but didnt find one. A review online mentioned mismatched furniture, so seeing that I just went in. I asked an employee if this was the First Class Lounge. He asked, which one? Not helpful, so I flashed my PP card and he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I guess that means Im OK to stay. An hour later, another guy comes by and asks which flight Im on. I say KLM to Amsterdam. He says, there is KLM lounge next door! Not wanting to explain the finer points of lounge access, I show my PP card and he walks away. Note that nobody ever swiped my card, so, its like I was never there
KL 554, CAI-AMS
Cairo has gate xray and metal detectors. Because the xray and metal detectors when you go from outside the building to the landside terminal, and from landside to check in arent enough and then you are put in a holding pen. We were released from the pen to the bus after about 30 minutes, and taken to the plane.
I think I spotted the white ghost Air Sinai plane, in the corner of the tarmac on the drive to our plane. Its a random Egypt Air plane with no markings that flies the CAI-TLV route, recently mentioned in this Trip Report: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...halys-klm.html
I slept for about half the flight, and the rest was trying to keep my personal space from the bearded fellow in the middle seat.
Breakfast was a choice between an omelette and waffles. I went with the former, as did bearded neighbor, so I couldnt get an eye on the waffles. Overall breakfast was pretty decent. Eggs with hashbrowns, fruit, bread, and yogurt. As far as the eggs go, they rank near the best of Y eggs. While not quite the same level of SQ, still above UA.
After eating I began to poke around on the IFE and realized it had a pretty good selection of movies and TV shows you wanted to watch, in line with what I had on US and UA. I watched Horrible Bosses 2 until we landed at Schipol. I was surprised by how green and idyllic everything looked while we were on final descent, given its still early spring.
I didnt have time to do much of anything besides walk from gate to gate. It was probably a 15-20 minute walk, and was greeted by US-ish style security at the gate: laptops out, get into the nude-o-scope, etc. At least they let you keep your shoes on.
The Queen of the Skies; City of Jakarta would be taking us to Houston
KL 661, AMS-IAH
Todays plane is one of KLMs combination cargo/pax 747s, so my seat at 42C was right near the back of the cabin. The combi 747s are missing are missing ~15 rows in Y compared to KLs other 747s.
The IFE system was the same as the prior flight, so I just picked up where I left off. I had a mom and her 2-3 year old next to me, but the little human was remarkably well behaved and quiet, so no big deal.
Probably an hour into the flight, lunch was served and I thought it was excellent for a Y meal.
The main was chicken in a spicy peanut sauce served with rice. There was also cheese and crackers, a roll, a nice light salad, and a mousse with berries and raspberry sauce for dessert. I had the red wine with it, which wasnt awful, but you can sure taste the price point that these wines come from.Back to my movies. I had a mini 007 marathon and watched Casino Royale followed by Quantum of Solace.
About 90 minutes prior to landing, they rolled out the pre-arrival snack: a mini cheese pizza, caprese salad with pesto (really tasty!), and tiramisu for dessert. Apologies for the crappy photo. I feel like I encounter the mini pizza a lot as a snack, as Ive seen it on EK and US or UA. The last few months of long haul Y flights are beginning to blend together
We were a few minutes delayed getting off the plane as they had to bring the Houston paramedics onboard to attend to a pax, but following that were quickly to the immigration hall.
I also got my first secondary immigration inspection! After swiping my passport, the CBP agent said, well thats odd Before I know it Im getting walked to the secondary room. I guess being a single 20 something guy, a non- US citizen living here, and just up and goes to the middle east for a week by himself throws up some caution flags. Overall I answered a few painless questions, and after realizing I was just as harmless and travel crazy as my flights made me out to be, I was back on my way again.
Thankfully my 5 mins of questions along with 40 minutes of waiting while watching the Weather Channel meant my bag was waiting for me downstairs. And thats it! Thanks for following along. Yall will likely get a break for a bit from me for a bit, since for the next couple months all I have are boring domestic flights for long weekend trips. As always, any questions/comments are welcome!
Next up:
May: Weekend trip to NYC (UA Y)
June: Long weekend to ATL (WN Y)
September: NYC and South Africa (UA & EY Y)