ironmanjt

Please don't post the EK pictures in the next five days....I don't need the temptation....

Madone59

Thanks offerendum! I have not stayed into too many Courtyards but in my option it's closer to a Renaissance than anything else.

Also, it's not just you. I had no idea why the noddle bar didn't hand out plastic numbers and have wait staff. The lounge isn't that big.

It's funny - "MADNESS" is exactly how I feel when I click on your flight memory ironmanjt . I am very lucky I was able to move my bosses schedule to accommodate my trip. I didn't check my work E-mail once! Can't wait for your TR too by the way.

As do I chongl. As do I! Hope you're enjoying.


SANdEhGo I am not sure my presence or T-shirt gives Dim Sum shops the marketing credibility they are looking for. I'm only one degree better than Guy Fieri showing up

Those are words to live byJohnRain, thank you. I am glad you are enjoying the TR and photos. Thank you for following along...I have a feeling after you read Dubai I'll be hearing from you

Thanks Explorer789^

Thank you pbartp. I'm happy to provide you something to read while you are snowed in.

Thanks ExpatSomchai ^

diningdecadence, my pleasure! Glad you are enjoying ^

Tomorrow is your day Flame3601!!! . The return legs will be split over two posts but tomorrow you get the first Emirates flight (sorry ironmanjt). Thanks for following along, and for checking in hourly LOL

krazykanuck

I feel the exact same way about Dubai. There's enough stuff to do for a day or two, but then I feel like I'd get bored.

I'm very envious you got to play that course with the golf benefit. I really wanted to play it when I was in Dubai in November, but the way my flight times worked, I'd had to have played in the afternoon heat which I wasn't keen on. If you don't mind me asking, what do they charge for a set of rental clubs? On the off chance I wind up back there before the golf benefit ends

ironmanjt

Grr! I'm sitting in The Private Room now and off to Sydney....the QR A380 to DOH. I will resist taking a sidetrip from there to South Africa....I will resist...I will resist...

Madone59

The expansive first and business class check in area


It's hard not to nitpick Emirates but I will resist....after I say this one thing. Emirates ground experience isn't as much first class as it is what it thinks you think first class is. On the ground Emirates is just lacking. It seems like the only thing they haven't scaled properly. Why isn't the airline that is promoting on-board showers, electric closing doors and top shelf first class bars able to compete on the ground? They are - but they chose to invest in other parts of the experience. Also, there is very little O/D traffic from DXB. Most of Emirates first class travelers will never see this foyer; they will merely transit through the airport as part of it's endless flow of passengers.



The very long walk to passport control and security.


This is not exactly the place to 'make friends' but some how the passport scanner being "broken" in my lane led to me in an office getting grilled. Funny, the scanner worked on the passenger before me and the one after me...what a shame it was "broken" for me. So officer friendly escorted me into his office flipped through my passport a few times, asked me what I was doing in Dubai to which I replied "Transiting...(?)" and without another word he hands me my passport but continues clicking on his computer. Call me a dummy but where I am from you don't go until they say you can go, especially when you have been invited to visit a little room, so I sat...and sat...and sat until he looked up at me a few minutes later and flicked his hand at me "Go!" Oh. OK. We're done here? Awesome. Great. You have a lovely thawb. OK. Bye.

Through security, up the escalators and into the terminal


Now that is what I'm looking for!



Do you hear it? I hear it. It's a chorus of angels...



Some lite shopping



Don't you hate when you are rushing to the airport and forget you needed a $32,000 bottle of scotch?! Me too!! I hate when that happens; thank god for Emirates!



Where is the food?




Finally I found the dining room






Not a bad view


More waffles! Singapore Airlines TPR definitely win's the waffle competition but Emirates syrup, fruit and whipped cream blew SQ's waffle accouterments out of the water.


A few minutes before boarding I headed over to the lounge access gate A14.


Because it was a 777 I headed down to 1



My ride awaits


More blended business class and first class boading . Based on the looks I got on the ICN-SIN segment I can't imagine how much side eye I've got coming in my gilded suite.


Home










Pajamas!


Awesome slippers


Very light load today - only 3/8 so my bag got its own suite


Emitates very very impressive menu. Their new dine on demand service allows you to eat what you want, when you want and how you want. You can substitute sides, add to or subtract from and create any combination you'd like!












Julio, our lead flight attendant, introduced himself to me showed me around the menu and let me know he would be back right after take off to take my order. More on Julio and the fantastic flight crew later. Before we took off I ducked into the bathroom and put on my pajamas.

Hakuna Matata


Waiting in traffic...guys my time in Cape Town is limited. Please move.



A380 landing...


...nope. Go around!



Bye bye dubai. I'll be back tomorrow night.


Shortly after takeoff I got a refile on my champagne and lunch was served





The lentil soup was ridiculously good


The braised chicken with steamed rice instead of mashed potatoes. Very good.


Some wine with lunch, and here is your emirates pro tip. Order the third red on the list. I discussed the recent Bloomberg article about Emirates's impressive wine with my flight crew and they said on long haul and ultra long haul flights there is always one special bottle that is route dependent which is listed third.


Full of food I skipped for a second glass of wine but when Julio found out that I really skipped desert because I was craving straight chocolate and not anything fancy he appeared with a toblerone bar for me!! Red wine, Swiss chocolate and this view. Pinch me!

I bless the clouds down in Africa!



The stars were out - time to nap


After a few hours of sleep, and a movie the flight was gone and it was time to land in Cape Town. Julio came by to see if there was anything else I needed and asked what I was doing in South Africa. "Well..." After explaining to him that this was flight 11 of 14 on my fantastic voyage he started giving me all the tips on where to go, what to see, and what to do. So excited about my trip he invited me to go hiking with him tomorrow morning before sunset so we exchanged WhatsApp numbers and made a plan to meet at 5:00am at Lions Head!

Heading into Cape Town





Off the plane and heading to passport control. After my run in with office friendly in Dubai I obeyed the no photos beyond this point signage and followed the flow. When it was my turn to get stamped I got the nicest agent anyone could ask for:

"What is the purpose of your visit to South Africa"
Me: "Vacation"
"How long will you be staying"
Me: "Ummmm tonight. Yes just tonight. I leave tomorrow"
"Boy?! What? Where did you come from"
Me: "(Exhale) Dubai, Frankfurt, Paris, Toyko, Hong Kong, Singapore, Soul, Los Angeles....I am flying around the world in 9 days this is my last stop."
"Are you kidding me? That is amazing. I am working tomorrow, make sure you come say good bye! (STAMP) Enjoy Cape Town!!"

I walked away while she will still pointing at me yelling over to another officer and laughing. Welcome to South Africa.

Up Next: 19 Hours in Cape Town

injian

OMG, this looks like something out of Dante's Inferno .. the seven levels of hell ...

chongl

Looks like those are the new Emirates PJs that self-moisturize? Are they as comfy as the old ones?

Madone59

I will expand on this more later on but they are awesome! After all of that travel my skin was very dry and these new PJ's worked.

DanielW

Hopefully you got a balanced dose of both new and old Dubai and on your short transit in DXB, Madone59. You'll have to add some dune bashing in a 4WD and a ride on a camel to your next trip too now!

The EK F to CPT looks like a divine and memorable experience, jealous that you get to experience it not once but twice too.

stevie

Looking forward to the CPT portion of the TR - my favourite place on earth.

Great TR so far!

CappuccinoAddict

Wow, looks like EK has new slippers and new Champagne flutes! I like the new Champagne flutes because it looks like they are wider, so better for nosing the wine!

Also, the "route-dependent" wine doesn't mean it is higher quality, just that it's local. So the wine you had was a South African Cab since you were flying to CPT.

I hope you tried the Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru!

Madone59

Julio urged me not to take a taxi and to use Uber, assuring me it was a much safer and cheaper option. Unfortunately after all of my jet setting my phone was in a bit of a mood and it took a couple restarts to get connected in yet another country. Hoping to avoid looking like a tourist I took a seat in the food court and had a sit like I was waiting for someone else while my phone got it's bearings. Eventually I was up and running, and my Uber was on the way.

Are you kidding me with this sunset? No special view here this photo was taken about 10 steps outside of the airport while walking to the passanger pickup area.






I had booked a night at Protea Hotel Fire and Ice! using a Marriott cat 1-5 certificate - this is one funky hotel. Regrettably I took very few photos of the property because I was either rushing in, sleeping or rushing out I really never had a second to catch my breath. I didn't see the pool, I didn't see the famous smoking lounge, or the funny bathrooms...I even had to borrow the room photo below because I forgot to take my own. After a little confusion with the Marriott cert and who owed what to whom I checked into my room, got a change of clothes and head out for dinner.

My room was slightly smaller with a window where the sliding door is but you get the concept.
[SIZE="1"]Photo from http://www.culturalxplorer.com[/SIZE]


I opted for the hotel paid shuttle instead of Uber this time because the driver offered to help me find a local bank so that I could change dollars into rand before taking me to dinner. By time we got down near the waterfront all of the banks we're closed and my only currency exchange option was Western Union. No thank's, I'll pass - I'd rather run backwards through a corn field before I accept your $35 dollars worth of rand for my $50 dollar bill! Lucky for me I just needed dinner and a uber back to the hotel, both of which I could put on a credit card so there was no need for rand tonight.

The Cape Wheel


After a little stroll around the waterfront shops, which were mostly closed down as it was after 9pm, I settled on Harbour House for dinner. This was the biggest meal I had eaten alone this whole trip and it really got me thinking. I was with friends for dinner in Hong kong, and for lunch in both Japan and Dubai. Every other meal I had eaten was well supervised by flight attendants on a plane ........you know what would pair really well with this loneliness? A nice South African white

Yup, that will do just fine.


The meal was stellar and because I was a table for one I was able to get a fantastic water view. I can not recommend this restaurant highly enough. Look at the size of that prawn!


By time I got back to the hotel it was nearing midnight so I texted Julio to reconfirm that we would meet at the base of Lions Head tomorrow at 5am. Then I texted him I was going to bed and hoped he got my message....turns out Julio was out getting trucked. My alarm went off at 4:30 and I had a message from Julio

"Hey, just got up. We still doing this?"
Me: "Yes, getting Uber now. See you there."
"OK, great."

Clearly I had yet to learn the Julio had been out all night. I pinged an uber, grabbed a bottle of water in the lobby and headed for lion's head.

Cape Town lights. The view from the base

After ten or so minutes waiting for Julio not to show up I finally decided to start walking and stick close to a group that had just set off - they had flashlights and were speaking English which was a plus because in case...I don't know....lions I'd know what they were saying. I have been sitting here, hands on keys, trying to come up with an analogy, pop-culture reference or other means of communicating how brilliantly stupid the decision to take this hike was and I am stumped. FIRST, and yes I am raising my voice, PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA. A hike is not a hike if you have to use you freaking hands!! That is a climb. SECOND......holy crap I am out of shape and at 140lbs I never thought I'd feel like I was 15 pounds of weak in a 10 pound bag. Finishing this "hike" was as satisfying as beginning it was stupid.........and it was REALLY satisfying to finish.

Following strangers...so far I am just walking on rocks - not so bad.





Looks narrow up there


Half way up


Looking back - that was dumb!


Sunrise!




The top of the top


You can always depend on the kindness of strangers. A group of locals who make this climb weekly offered to guide me back down. Along the way it turned out we all had a bit to talk about so they invited me to join me for their traditional post-hike breakfast. Absolutely! Also guess who we ran into on the way down? That is right. Julio! No hard feelings, he slept in another hour after messaging me but still wanted to make the climb. It was great to cross paths with him again, and I really do appreciate his suggesting Lion's Head!


Back at the bottom. Had I seen the chains and ladders on the sign I am not sure I would have gone up in the first place. At least if I knew I would have left my wedding band in the hotel room - now it looks like I sent it through a chipper.


We headed into town for breakfast and an hour of really interesting conversation about American politics. I had spent all week happily cut off from the news only hearing or reading what was on the TV or the news rack in airports but our new president was the topic de jure. I am not going to expand on our conversations because this isn't the place for that but I will say hearing the opinions of people who had lived under such different governments was fascinating. It gave me great perspective for the American impact on the world.

Euro Haus


French toast, bacon and all you can eat [German] bread - hit the spot.


After breakfast the gang suggested I see Greenmarket Square and walk up long street back to my hotel - they were even kind enough to give me another ride!







I got out of Greenmarket Square a few rand lighter but considered my self lucky that most of the vendors were still setting up for the day and had no interest in hawking me. It would not be a great stretch of my imagination to envision this becoming more aggressive than the souks based of the two or three people that did talk to me. If you are going to Cape Town and are looking for trinket jewelry like I was just walk up Long Street. There are plenty of stores dedicated to selling the same things and it's a much lower pressure experience.

The walk up Long Street was great with some wonderful architecture to look at



A Hermes Birkin knock off covered in fur...does that make it a Firkin?










Be still my heart. That is only $3.48 US!


"Urban Chic" I'll pass.











Awwwww Yeaaaa sexy food.....


....and not so sexy food.


There is so many things wrong with this sign.


Love the 88mph BTTF sticker!


Back at the hotel




I could not imagine being in this elevator after too many drinks



I showered and packed very quickly because I was about to turn into a pumpkin and be in a cab headed for the airport but I had two more things to do and lucky for me they were next to each other.

First: The Casspir project by Ralph Ziman - it took 50,000,000 individual beads to cover this vehicle . Absolutly breathtaking to see in person.







Second: Gardens Shul - one of the oldest synagogues in the southern hemisphere established 1841











After running through two things that should have taken half a day I was spent. I had been up for almost eight hours already, and my feet hated me again. I was simply out of brain...I had successfully maximized my time in Cape Town. I snagged an uber back to the hotel from the shul and asked the driver to wait while I grabbed my bag, then take me to the airport. I still can't fully digest everything I packed into this layover. Where I left Tokyo with a sense of how little I knew and how much there was to see I didn't have that luxury this time - I still felt dumb. It wasn't like I felt that I barley scratched the surface of Cape Town, I felt that I wasn't even able to have touched it. What an amazing and beautiful place. I need to come back here.

Heading to the Airport. My uber driver was a 22yo Zimbabwean who had a LOT of questions about the United States. Again a very interesting and enlightening conversation.





Here I go back in transit. Emirates check in was empty but I was disappointed that there was no fast track or premium cabin security line as there was a bit of a wait this afternoon.




Is that a zebra pelt? Yes it is.



A little plane spotting




Up Next: CPT-DXB including the CPT Emirates lounge and the wee hours of the morning in DXB.

Anegada

Your experience in Cape Town is one of my most favorite parts of solo travel (perhaps even travel in general) — maxing out a short layover, running into random folks along the way, and leaving the city feeling fulfilled.

God knows I love premium cabin flying, but I love that sense of adventure even more.

ironmanjt

Wow - you really maxed out your time in the Mother City! Nicely done!

I'm curious why often so many experienced travelers still exchange cash when it's so easy to just make an ATM withdrawl - and you get a much better rate. What's your thinking on this?

Looking very forward to seeing how this wraps up!

jayoxd

great TR and pictures.

my question is how do you have cell service? international plan or buying sim cards?