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Menu FRA-JNB
SUPPER Hors d'oeuvre from the appetizer cart Caviar with the traditional garnishes Sauteed jumbo shrimp and gruyere cabbage salad Tuna pastrami with grapes and almonds Apples and celeraic in mild dijon vinaigrette with chestnuts Air-dried roast beef filled with marinated cucumbers and citrus salsa Breast of corn-fed chicken served with watercress mustard sauce and broccoli with almonds Bread, rolls, toast and butter Entrees Tenderloin of beef with mushroom crust, light caramel soy sauce, beets and polenta Pan-seared sturgeon flavoured with coriander, grapefruit essence and Belgian endive Ricotta ravioli in marjoram butter with Swiss chard Cheese and dessert International cheese - Langres le Champenois, Bleu de Gex, Fougeru, Livarot and Allgau cheese served with grapes, red radishes and cherry tomatoes Mocha walnut dome with coffee ice cream and amaretto gelee Raspberry sorbet and buttermilk panna cotta Specialty dessert wines DRINKS Champagne Champagne Piper Heidsieck Special 2000 Glen Carlou Grand Classique, South Africa 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reservado, Chile White Wine 2004 Iphofer Kronsberg Silvaner, Spatlese trocken, Germany 2003 Carneros Chardonnay, California 2004 Benefizium Porer, Pinot Grigo, Italy Red Wine 2000 Chateau Camensac, Cru Classe, France 1999 Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon, Toskana IGT, Italy Dessert Wine 2002 Prestige Burgenland, Trockenbeerenauslese, Austria Spirits Schladerer Zibartle Aperitif Campari Sherry La Guita Lufthansa Cocktail Spirits Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Old No 7 Johnnie Walker Blue Label Glenfiddich Single Mart, special reserve 12 years old Platinum 44 vodka Bombay Sapphire distilled London dry gin Cognac Lheraud cuvee 30 Calvados Pays d'Auge AC, Daron Fernet Branca Schladerer Williams Birne Etter Zuger Kirsch, Jahrgang 1994, 42% vol Liqueur and Port Baileys Irish Cream Niepoort Portwein LBV 2000 Mineral Water Sparkling natural mineral water Natural mineral water Fruit Juices Apple juice Tomato juice Orange juice Soft Drinks Coca-cola Coca-cola light Sprite Kinley tonic water Kinley bitter lemon Kinley ginger ale German Beers Warsteiner Pils Clausthaler, non-alcoholic HOT BEVERAGES Coffee Mild arabica coffee from the highlands Espresso Espresso Decaf espresso Cappuccino Eilles Teespezialitaten Assam special broken Earl Grey premium blatt Gruntee Asia superior blatt Krautergarten Vita orange Yogi Tee rotbusch bio BREAKFAST Buffet Freshly squeezed orange juice Fresh fruit - kiwi, grapefruit, strawberry, mango and grapes Yoghurt with fruit - cereal, yoghurt and fresh milk Bread, rolls, toast, croissants, danish pastries, butter, preserves, honey and nutella Cold Specialties Smoked salmon and salmon strudel Parma ham Smoked breast of turkey German salami Cream cheese with chives, yoghurt cheese and allgau cheese Entree Scrambled eggs freshly prepared upon your request with your choice of bacon or chives |
JOHANNESBURG
We had a slow approach and then slow taxi - a very busy arrival time in the morning. Of course this also meant long queues at immigration, but not as long as the South African/African queue. After changing some money (terrible commission rates at JNB airport) then a ride to the hotel. I was staying at Hilton Sandton. When I went to book the rates were dreadful (I thought) for what I expected would be a quiet period (since it is primarily a hotel for businesspeople). There was also no award availability showing so I gave HHonors Diamond desk a call. Leave it with us they said, quietly confident they could arrange something. Imagine my surprise when they came back with a point stretcher to boot. ^ to the diamond desk people. (This is one of the hotels going up category soon, probably reflecting their high room rates, so a great deal.) Even though I arrived around 10am there was no problem checking in early at the exec lounge, even inviting me to have breakfast on them (which I declined after the previous night's excesses). The room was nice with a good view of the sprawling suburbs across the high veldt and J'burg city centre in the distance. The exec lounge was very good with nice breakfast spreads, also afternoon tea and then canapes in the evening, and all afternoon free drinks. I also got fruit, water and a bottle of a modest local red wine. While in J'burg, I explored Sandton on foot. Most of the corporate offices had their own security and barbed wire but it didnt feel at all unsafe to me. Due to limited time, I also took a half day tour visiting Soweto and the apartheid museum - definitely recommend both, very sobering. |
Summary to date
Map 12 flights 30,994 flown miles 4 continents - Australia, North America, Europe, Africa 6 countries - Tonga, NZ, Australia, USA, Germany, South Africa 5 aircraft types - 767, 777, 757, A319, 747 |
EASTWARD
All to soon it was back to the airport. It seems South Africa has some ridiculous restrictions on changing Rand to other currencies - ridiculous because there is nothing stopping you changing once you are in another country. Check in took a while thanks to another fistful of boarding passes for my next bit. Immigration was quick and then off to the Virgin Atlantic club house. This is quite a nice lounge. Not as good as JFK clubhouse (or FRA first class terminal of course!) mind, but better than most lounges. Decent food and drink, internet, tv, styley. One of the loos was out of order though so don't leave it too late to go before boarding. Then a trek to the other end of the terminal to the bus gate. By now it has started raining so a dash to the bus, and again at the other end to the covered stairs up to the Singapore Airline 747 aircraft. The FAs hand out towels to dry off ^ The flight is almost totally full with just a couple of empty seats (no shows?). As expected with the high altitude, the take off roll is impressively long. I catch a few movies and a little bit of sleep. |
Menu JNB-SIN
LUNCH A Savoury Note Terrine of chicken with potato salad The Main Event Pan roasted sirloin of beef in watercress sauce, sauteed mushrooms, baby carrot and potatoes Salmon fillet with black bean sauce, seasonal vegetables and fried rice Indian style chicken tikka with braised lentil and eggplant, saffron rice The Cheese Board Gourmet cheese with garnishes A Sweet Note A selection of fresh fruit Freshly prepared gourmet ice cream A Connoisseur's Choice Gourmet coffee Selection of tea Pralines SNACK Fancy a snack? Simply take your pick from our range of delectable snacks and make your selection known to our cabin crew. Noodles Vegetarian and non-vegetarian instant noodles Sandwiches Focaccia bread with pastrami cheese & mustard Carrot and herb focaccia with cream cheese, basil pesto and grilled brinkal Snacks Roasted mixed nuts Kjeldsens cookies Chocolate bar one & tex Potato chips Bananas BREAKFAST A Fresh Start A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange Fresh fruit A Healthy Note Choice of cereals or yoghurt The Main Event Fried noodles with chicken, black mushroom and vegetables Griddled hotcake with blueberry compote, egg frittata, tomato and beef sausage Omelette with cheese sauce, grilled bacon, tomato, sauteed spinach and potatoes From The Bakery Assorted breakfast rolls Butter - fruit preserve A Connoisseur's Choice Gourmet coffee Selection of tea Your Breakfast Choice This convenient breakfast option lets you enjoy all the sleep you want, uninterrupted. Please inform our crew of your choice before lights out - if they do not receive your selection, you will be awakened in time for the complete breakfast. The complete breakfast - take your pick of the main event from our scrumptious selections. Served earliest 2.5 hours prior to arrival. Continental breakfast - delight in this simple yet wholesome meal. Served earliest 1.5 hours prior to arrival. BEVERAGES Special Cocktail Citrus Royale Cocktails Singapore Sling Silver Kris Sling Gin Fizz Cloud Nine Screwdriver Bloody Mary Daiquiri Red or White Wine Cooler Aperitifs Campari Dry Vermouth Non-alcoholic Cocktails Tropical Sparkle Orange Cooler Golden Spice Fruit Spritzer Sunrise Surprise Spirits Cognac XO Otard Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker Black Label Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Gordon's Dry Gin Smirnoff Red Label Vodka Bacardi Carta Blanca Liqueurs Cointreau Tia Maria Baileys Original Irish Cream Beer International selection Stout Guinness Stout Champagne Piper Heidsieck 1999 White Wines Footprint chardonnay 2004 Montagny 1er Cru 2002 Red Wines Bianco 2002 cabernet sauvignon Chateau Cissac 1998 Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc Port Taylor 2000 Late Bottled Vintage Port Tea Selection Pure Ceylon Tea Earl Grey Darjeeling Camomile Decaffeinated Tea Japanese Green Tea Rooibos Tea Chinese Tea Selection Oolong Gourmet Coffees Brazil Santos Bourbon Colombian Supremo Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees Brewed Coffee Cafe Royal Espresso Cappuccino Decaffeinated Coffee Mocha Other Beverages Chocolate Milo Mineral Water Carbonated Mineral Water Non-carbonated Mineral Water Fruit Juices Apple Orange Pineapple Tomato Cranberry Soft Drinks A range of regular or low-calorie drinks is available Iced Drinks Iced Tea Iced Coffee Iced Mocha Iced Chocolate Iced Milo |
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
[b] The meal was breakfast with choice of fruit and cornflakes, or mushroom fritatta. There was also a cookie offered before landing.
Sounds like you are enjoying your usual jet setting life. Great Reports. ^ |
I wouldn't call one (small) cookie a snack.
Anyway, hope to get a bit more up to date soon. Lack of time and lack of internet access hampering my recent updates. |
Arriving back in Singapore we land the long way around (on 20R) with long taxi. A short visit in the lounge before my customary PPS run to Jakarta and back. This time I'm on the A345 (so I don't need to worry about late flight/possible misconnect and also to get a few extra inches pitch). This is the quickest round-trip to get PPS sectors - shorter flights such as SIN-KUL not earning any PPS sectors (much to the chagrin of some FTers) and with a decent frequency it is a piece of cake within any modest transfer time. The round trip takes about 4 1/2 hours, and you get the same crew each way (assuming SIN-CGK-SIN and not CGK-SIN-CGK). You need some cash (Indonesian, US, euro, singapore all accepted) to pay the departure tax at the gate. The ground staff are well used to crazies doing the turnaround, although immigration/security agents are a bit hit and miss.
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Menu SIN-CGK
BREAKFAST To Start With A choice of apple, tomato, freshly squeezed orange juice or soya bean milk Fruit Fresh fruit Wholesome beginnings Beehoon goreng with mutton satay Griddled of hotcake served with ricotta cheese, maple syrup, veal sausages and roasted tomato Omelette with mushrooms and fine herbs, chicken sausage, tomato and potatoes From the Bakery Assorted breakfast rolls Butter - fruit preserve Hot Beverages Coffee - tea |
Menu CGK-SIN
LIGHT MEAL Main Courses Braised oriental lamb shank in soya sauce-star anise, seasonal vegetables and steamed rice Ikan gulai padang Tournedos of beef with mustard sauce, ratatouille and roasted potatoes Dessert Fruit an yoghurt terrine with raspberry sauce Hot Beverages Coffee - tea |
On mileage based tickets you have to pay for every mile you fly!
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
RTW PLANNING
The planning for this trip started a year ago. As usual, I wanted to visit some new places and get a lot of bang for my buck. I expected I'd comfortably requalify my main FFPs and so slightly less focus on maximising that aspect compared with last easter's RTW. I decided on a CRWSTAR3 (39,000 mile *A round the world) since this allowed me to visit some further afield places. However, unlike previous round the world trips, I didnt have enough mileage to do lots of short hops for minimum mileage earning purposes. Your itinery covers almost 43K miles; in addition to a CRWSTAR3 you had to buy (using soft or hard money) additional tickets. For the short period of time you have to visit some new places, you should consider to fly the most direct route. Let me come up with some examples:
Even if you stick to TBU as starting/finishing point, you can do tbu-lax (NZ 26 via APW on 3) -sea-anc-sea-cph-fra-jnb-sin-cgk-sin-per-akl-tbu for a CRWSTAR2 and have some 1.700 miles left to burn for other unnecessary segments to earn (status) miles. IMO if you streamline your routing on paid tickets, you get a much better value out of your bucks! Hope that helps for your future plannings. |
Nice ideas but in my case I wanted/needed to maximise SQ and NZ flights.
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With all due respect to ventimiglia, I think if there is one FT-er who we could all safely assume to have considered, reconsidered (and then some) ALL possible flight/cost/mileage earning options, and not needing too much help with future plannings, it would be Kiwi Flyer. :-)
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Originally Posted by Fliar
With all due respect to ventimiglia, I think if there is one FT-er who we could all safely assume to have considered, reconsidered (and then some) ALL possible flight/cost/mileage earning options, and not needing too much help with future plannings, it would be Kiwi Flyer. :-)
look at Kiwi Flyer's reply: Nice ideas but in my case I wanted/needed to maximise SQ and NZ flights. IMO given the short period of travel time the itinery in question makes the trip very costly and time consuming and it's not the way I prefer to travel. But not everybody likes beef. |
Originally Posted by Ventimiglia
I didn't know that Kiwi Flyer's decissions are mainly program driven. This is a complete different story than tourists usually plan their holidays: They like to spend most of the time at their destinations and not at airports, lounges and on board a plane.
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Originally Posted by Ventimiglia
[*] Your unnecessary trip SIN-CGK-SIN are 1.100 miles. It costs you time and around USD 220. You should reconsider if this is worth for the sole purpose to earn (status) miles/sectors.
I love it, someone telling an SQ FT'er (Kiwi Flyer of all people)that his CGK turnarounds are 'unnecessary'. :D Make sure you remember all the advice above before you make another booking !!. :D |
Originally Posted by MAN Flyer
I love it, someone telling an SQ FT'er (Kiwi Flyer of all people)that his CGK turnarounds are 'unnecessary'. :D
I didn't say that SIN-CGK-SIN turnarounds are unnecessary, I called these segments and AKL-TBU-AKL turnaround unnecessary trips. I am under the impression that the reason to board a plan is to fulfill travel needs. If I don't have travel needs than I don't travel. If someone likes to gain/maintain elite status adding unnecessery trips into his schedule, its his time and money, but it's not the way I am travelling. |
Originally Posted by Ventimiglia
Hi MAN Flyer,
I didn't say that SIN-CGK-SIN turnarounds are unnecessary, I called these segments and AKL-TBU-AKL turnaround unnecessary trips. I am under the impression that the reason to board a plan is to fulfill travel needs. If I don't have travel needs than I don't travel. If someone likes to gain/maintain elite status adding unnecessery trips into his schedule, its his time and money, but it's not the way I am travelling. Getting there is half the fun... :) Looking forward to the continuation Kiwi Flyer. |
Sometime during the turnaround the active runways at SIN changed so we took off from SIN to the north on 02L and landed to the south on 20R - ie the long way around for CGK both ways, with long taxis both times. It's little things like this that mean I like to have at least 5 hours, preferably 6 if nesting SIN-CGK-SIN within xxx-SIN-yyy.
Back in Singapore I have a little bit of time until my next flight. Shower and freshen up, and relax over some Dom. I knew of at least 3 FTers arriving at SIN (on 3 different flights) about the same time my flight boards, so I kept an eye out for arrival times to see if any were early. I'm in luck, 2 of the flights (CX Cathay Pacific from HKG and AY Finnair from BKK) look to be arriving early. So I head over to terminal 1, using airside walkway (continuing along pier E20-28 to D part of terminal 1) as I dont bother with airtrain - the small amount of exercise is good. I soon find the arrival gates. Sure enough in taxis the CX flight, but somehow I miss RamBuster in the crowd :( Oh well, now to look for the AY flight - grrr it has been delayed and now I'll be cutting it fine to board my own flight from the end of pier E (a good 10-15 minute walk away), especially as SQ is now strictly enforcing gate closing. So I reluctantly head to my gate without meeting JohnK. It looks like the SQ 777-300 flight to Delhi tonight is totally full. This time I'm lucky and we get one of the 777-300 aircraft fitted with Wisemen 3000 avod as opposed to the older non-avod Wisemen 2000. Shortly after take off we have an impressive lightning storm on both sides of the aircraft with the cabin lit up like a disco strobe light - main lights stay off and the seatbelt sign stays on for much longer than usual following take off as a result. Once clear of the storm, dinner is served. After dinner I watch some more movies but try not to sleep too much given our arrival time. Nonetheless the last more than 24 hours of travelling catch up and I do snooze a bit. The flight across the Bay of Bengal passes quickly and we seem to be headed for an early arrival, until just short of Delhi we get an announcement of an ATC delay and will be a further 10 minutes. So we start flying in circles, then get further announcements each 10 minutes - it will just be 10 minutes more, blah, blah. Our flight path showing on the screen is interesting, kinda what you'd imagine might be required to make crop circles, concentric circles itself in a circular pattern. Eventually, about 90 minutes later, we are cleared to land; and so we end up landing quite late. |
Menu SIN-DEL
DINNER To Nibble On Satay A Savoury Note Marinated prawns with sliced lotus root and sesame seeds The Main Event Murg Aguada - braised chicken Goan style with spicy potatoes, mixed vegetables and black pepper pilaw Steamed seabass in black bean sauce with seasonal vegetables and fried rice Braised lamb in red wine cardamon sauce with roasted vegetables and potatoes Paneer ka khagina - grated cottage cheese in coconut, spicy red kidney beans with mushroom and saffron rice The Cheese Board Gourmet cheese with garnishes. A Sweet Note A selection of fresh fruit. Ben & Jerry ice cream - choice of chocolate chip cookie dough or berry nice A Connoisseur's Choice Gourmet coffee Selection of tea Pralines BEVERAGES Special Cocktail Citrus Royale Cocktails Singapore Sling Silver Kris Sling Gin Fizz Cloud Nine Screwdriver Bloody Mary Daiquiri Red or White Wine Cooler Aperitifs Campari Dry Vermouth Non-alcoholic Cocktails Tropical Sparkle Orange Cooler Golden Spice Fruit Spritzer Sunrise Surprise Spirits Cognac XO Otard Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker Black Label Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Gordon's Dry Gin Smirnoff Red Label Vodka Bacardi Carta Blanca Liqueurs Cointreau Tia Maria Baileys Original Irish Cream Beer International selection Stout Guinness Stout Champagne Piper Heidsieck 1999 White Wines Kloster Eberbach Riesling Kabinett 2003 Rheingau Montagny 1er Cru 2002 Red Wines Chateau Cissac 1998 Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc Serrata Belguardo 2003 igt Maremma Toscanna Pommard 1999 Bouchard Pere Et Fils Port Taylor 2000 Late Bottled Vintage Port Tea Selection Pure Ceylon Tea Earl Grey Darjeeling Camomile Decaffeinated Tea Japanese Green Tea Chinese Tea Selection Oolong Gourmet Coffees Brazil Santos Bourbon Colombian Supremo Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees Brewed Coffee Cafe Royal Espresso Cappuccino Decaffeinated Coffee Mocha Other Beverages Chocolate Milo Mineral Water Carbonated Mineral Water Non-carbonated Mineral Water Fruit Juices Apple Orange Pineapple Tomato Cranberry Soft Drinks A range of regular or low-calorie drinks is available Iced Drinks Iced Tea Iced Coffee Iced Mocha Iced Chocolate Iced Milo |
With apparently such heavy traffic, I had expected major queues but was surprised the queues filled only half the immigration hall. They were processing very efficiently as I was through in under 5 minutes and at my pre-arranged ride to Trident Hilton Gurgaon where I'd be staying care of several free night certificates earned during promos this and last year.
The ride from airport to hotel was short but slow and chaotic. It seemed most of the many trucks on the road either didnt have mirrors, or rather the drivers don't use them, as every single vehicle would toot on the horn when coming alongside each truck. Given how many trucks there were, it as a cacophony of sound, even with the car windows up. I must have been more tired than I thought as check in was a blur and pretty much collapsed to sleep. When I wake up much refreshed the next morning I check out the room. It is the same as the Diamond Desk had ordered for me - a modest waterview room (ie low-midrange). The hotel is laid out in a big square donut shape with 2 large infinity pools in the middle and a sunken swimming pool in between (and a separate bit housing reception and the restaurants, business centre, etc. The room is nice enough with large firm bed, more pillows than you could throw a stick at and an invitation to request more or different kinds if desired, a couch, desk, large tv, and the most important of all - airconditioning. There is complimentary bottled water and some apples, which get replaced daily. The hotel is certainly a stark contrast to the heat, noise, dust and smells that are Delhi. While here we visit both old and new Delhi seeing the usual sights. Make a day trip to Agra & Taj Mahal, but decide on a tour rather than relying on the express train (a long day but much better than the slow train/bus). We had a couple of days of severe dust storm with temperatures above 100F (39C), which made things unpleasant. After an hour walking in that around Gurgaon it was time to head back to the hotel through the murk (visibility down to 200m) before I choke on the dust. Back at the hotel the generator had frequent (several times and hour) brief interruptions - so if you are working on laptop you may want a surge protector. One hot day the air conditioning also failed :( |
GROUNDHOG NIGHT - NORTHEAST
Its yet another night time flight. Some trips seem to have lots of day flights, or a good mixture, while others like this one have lots of overnight flights. Anyway, its time to check out and head back to Indira Gandhi International airport at Delhi for the flight out. Check out takes 5 minutes or so, and the ride to the airport is much quicker than the ride out - traffic being much lighter and I think the one-way part of the route is slightly shorter this way. So I arrive earlier than I expected but check-in is well underway with large queues everywhere. Thanks to my status I can use the deserted first class check in and so get processed quickly. They are unable to enter my FFP number correctly - grrrr. After several minutes half-hearted trying by the check-in agent, and a queue forming behind me I give up which is probably just what the agent wanted :rolleyes: When the SQ double dip (earn PPS status with them while miles with other program) works well it is great, but times like this happen all too often and are a constant source of frustration. One more thing to add to my growing list of FFP-related matters to chase up when I finish the trip. Immigration and customs had no queue so I was airside in seconds, and now wondering what I was going to do to fill in the couple hours until departure (yup I'd arrived really early thanks to all the dire warnings about how chaotic the airport is and how much time you need). Ahhh that's right I have a lounge invitation card. It lists 3 lounges, which I wasn't prepared for. Hmmm one is landside so I guess that is out now. Another is upstairs (no lift that I can see). Let's check out the third the Oberoi Clipper lounge. Through the windows it looks much better than the terminal at large and only half full - so that will do. I have no idea if its the best, worst or middle choice of the three, but it was more than I'd expected and perfectly adequate. Had a small range of hot (spicy vegetarian thing I can't remember the name of and lamb meatballs) and cold food (sandwiches, ice cream, fruit), bar, tea, coffee, juice, water, etc. A couple of newspapers and magazines and a tv. We are called from the lounge very early and once I turn the corner toward the gate I see why. There is a long queue for security, which quickly gets much longer disappearing around the corner behind me. I remember reading about the need to get the carry-on tag stamped and remind the officer who stamped one and forgot my second. Just as well as when we later board I see pax turned away for not having the stamp. Everyone gets a rather vigorous pat down reminiscent of those at Frankfurt. Strangely enough the woman agent seemed to get mainly male passengers, and the man agent a disproportionate number of female passengers! :o The gate lounge is crowded, standing room only, with several flights leaving from the 2 gates 10 & 11 in the next couple of hours. I notice on the monitors that even flights in several hours time have "security" next to them. I'm not sure if it's the same overcrowded gate lounge for gates 1-9 but I'd be hesitant to get to the gate too early - noisy, no amenities, and unless you want to sit on the floor only standing around waiting. One shmuck waving his red (first class) boarding pass around decided the roped off area by the door out of the gate lounge wasnt meant for him and stood right by the door so he could be first out. He had to sheepishly retreat some 10 minutes later when he was told off. Boarding was slightly late but amazingly efficient given the chaos of the airport. The layout is a bit odd, between the gate lounge and the airbridge you cross the corridor that arriving passengers use from the other gate (11). I guess they have to time boarding to fit in with arriving flights at gate 11. We had a minor further delay for a couple of passengers who got stuck in the security queue. While seated on board I see that a couple of passengers got lucky with a very rare op-up, one from economy to business, and one from business to first. It seems they weren't given their new boarding passes at the gate for some reason. Tonight's 777-300 flight back to Singapore has only Wisemen 2000, but given the lateness of the departing hour and such a short flight, most pax including me will be sleeping most of the way. We arrive back to an unusual sight I haven't seen before in Singapore - low level mist! It isnt thick enough to delay landing, but we have almost the longest taxi possible - the full length of terminals 1 and 3, around the southern cross and back up to terminal 2. I have had longer taxis however, as our gate is F59 which is the second gate approached in this direction. But this means a long walk to the lounge to pick up my next boarding passes before heading straight back to the gate for my next flight - yup back at F50-60 pier. |
Menu DEL-SIN
SUPPER A Savoury Note Amritsari maachi - fish Amritsari style with tamarind and plum chutney The Main Event Lai maans - lamb cooked in aromatic spices and red chilli paste, spinach and mushroom, saffron pilaf Pan fried fish with mushroom and red pepper sauce, seasonal vegetables and potato Panfried prawns in garlic herb tomato sauce with vegetables and potatoes Paneer hara dhania - cottage cheese with onion and yoghurt, okra with raw banana, cauliflower and pinenut pillaw The Cheese Board Gourmet cheese with garnishes. A Sweet Note Jasmine tea creme brulee with lychee A Connoisseur's Choice Gourmet coffee Selection of tea BEVERAGES Special Cocktail Citrus Royale Cocktails Singapore Sling Silver Kris Sling Gin Fizz Cloud Nine Screwdriver Bloody Mary Daiquiri Red or White Wine Cooler Aperitifs Campari Dry Vermouth Non-alcoholic Cocktails Tropical Sparkle Orange Cooler Golden Spice Fruit Spritzer Sunrise Surprise Spirits Cognac XO Otard Chivas Regal Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker Black Label Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Gordon's Dry Gin Smirnoff Red Label Vodka Bacardi Carta Blanca Liqueurs Cointreau Tia Maria Baileys Original Irish Cream Beer International selection Stout Guinness Stout Champagne Piper Heidsieck 1999 White Wines Kloster Eberbach Riesling Kabinett 2003 Rheingau Montagny 1er Cru 2002 Red Wines Chateau Cissac 1998 Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc Serrata Belguardo 2003 igt Maremma Toscanna Pommard 1999 Bouchard Pere Et Fils Port Taylor 2000 Late Bottled Vintage Port Tea Selection Pure Ceylon Tea Earl Grey Darjeeling Camomile Decaffeinated Tea Japanese Green Tea Chinese Tea Selection Oolong Gourmet Coffees Brazil Santos Bourbon Colombian Supremo Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees Brewed Coffee Cafe Royal Espresso Cappuccino Decaffeinated Coffee Mocha Other Beverages Chocolate Milo Mineral Water Carbonated Mineral Water Non-carbonated Mineral Water Fruit Juices Apple Orange Pineapple Tomato Soft Drinks A range of regular or low-calorie drinks is available Iced Drinks Iced Tea Iced Coffee Iced Mocha Iced Chocolate Iced Milo |
I'm sitting here in the Alaska Airlines LAX Boardroom while out the window an Air New Zealand 747-400 has just taxied by. After reading your report, I'm almost ready to run over to Terminal 2 and buy a Business Class seat down to Auckland. Once again, a superb report covering a spectacular journey. My little First Class jaunts to Australia are boring by comparison! As always, I'll be looking forward to your future adventures.
As for Denali, had you visited (I'm assunimg you were in Alaska in the past month) you would have found only the Murie Science and Learning Center to be open. Insofar as finding a place to stay or something to eat, that would be 12 miles up the road in Healy. Most of the Denali Park community won't return to life until mid May. |
Yes it was just a couple of weeks ago. So I know when to plan a return visit, when is the park open?
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The park road is now open to Mile 31, but shuttle bus service won't start until May 20th. Read all about it HERE.
Most hotels and restaurants open around May 20th as well. Everything is pretty much closed up for the winter by September 20th. Here's some pictures to tide everyone over until then: CLICK |
Thanks. I really do need to schedule a summer trip to US incl Alaska. Most of my trips to/through US seem to be autumn and spring.
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@ infinityplusone: It’s hard to believe the trip described here is a way the majority of members of this BB goes when it comes to travel.
With another side trip to SIN-DEL-SIN the routing eats up almost 48K miles. This is about 9K miles (approximately the amount miles spending for AKL-TBU-AKL-PER-AKL) above the maximum mileage of 39K permitted for a CRWSTAR3. Such a ticket involves a cash-out of USD 6.000! Going from AKL to ANC via SFO and SEA involves more than 8.5K miles and this is what happened in ANC:
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
… Not having any checked bags, it isn't long before I'm rushing off to the Hilton Anchorage to check in. …
I do quite a bit of walking, albeit gingerly in places as not used to walking on ice (daytime snowmelt freezing overnight). Around the coast to Earthquake Park, along some "valleys" such as Chester Creek, etc. The scenery is stunning. With slightly dodgy weather forecast, and a limited schedule, I decide to abandon my thoughts of a day trip to Denali (sorry Seat 2A) - I don't want to get stranded! At least that is one reason for a repeat visit.
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
While in J'burg, I explored Sandton on foot. Most of the corporate offices had their own security and barbed wire but it didnt feel at all unsafe to me. Due to limited time, I also took a half day tour visiting Soweto and the apartheid museum - definitely recommend both, very sobering.
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Originally Posted by Ventimiglia
It’s hard to believe the trip described here is a way the majority of members of this BB goes when it comes to travel.
By the way I have still got a couple more days of travel (and several more flights) to write up, so its far from over yet. Perhaps some more explanation is in order. I don't get anywhere near enough time to do all the leisure travel I'd like - in part because NZ is so far away from anywhere it takes a full one to two days to get to/from many places. So I pack a lot in when I can. It is not uncommon for me to spend from dawn to dusk and beyond pounding the pavements, seeing the sights. Or day trips that take 12-16 hours. It is also not uncommon for me to fit in a weekend what others would spend 1-2 weeks on, flying out Friday after work and returning just in time for work on Monday. I don't put every last detail of what I do on the ground in my reports, preferring to focus more on the flights. In the meantime, if you want to see other crazy itineraries, here are some links to previous trip reports of mine. AKL-YYZ with NZ/AC in F & C - okay not so crazy this one Europe to Iceland & return on Icelandair (FI) - or this one Some FTers DO the Inaugural Worlds Longest Flight SIN-EWR vv 28 June 2004 - definitely nuts 7 Crazy Days Champagne and Figure Eights on Ice a Lit.tle sPRinG.Ly JoUrney (BUDding KiwiS Can zig-ZAG around Europe) Big DO DOs - or A Kiwi Flyer's Month of Madness Another Manic Month for Kiwi Mini Tour of NZ Across the Globe in 5 Continents - this report included for completeness |
Originally Posted by Ventimiglia
But as I said above: Not everyone likes beef, but I it’s a popular dish!
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GROUNDHOG DAY - NORTHEAST
Another day another SIN-CGK-SIN turnaround. This time I'm on the 777-300. The flight is so short I don't bother with the IFE so can't say if it was avod or non-avod. The flight over was uneventful, with just a few bumps, apart from take off (yup to the north again) and on final approach Jakarta had a change of runway so we veered right and headed across the Sundra Strait to the tip of Sumatra before coming back to land from the inland direction. This means a late arrival and a longer than usual taxi. Unlike the A345 turnaround which has long enough on the ground to make up any lost time, the 777 turnaround is just over the bare minimum and so we also depart slightly late. Still, being not the first or last flights of the day they are lightly loaded and boarding is quick. In fact by the time the boarding call was made in the lounge they had already started boarding and completed not long after we made it onboard. No surprise to me, but once again SIN runway has changed and land from the north followed by long taxi the long way around to gate E28. Sheesh! Why has SQ annoyed SIN ATC so much? |
NORTHEAST continued
I have a couple of hours before the next flight so I freshen up with a good shower, imbibe some dom and catch up on email and a bit more of this trip report. The time passes quickly. I am flying up to Tokyo (NRT) and back on SQ via Bangkok (BKK) - on separate flights SIN-BKK and BKK-NRT vv of course to maximise mile and PPS earning and simultaneously minimise fare (win-win). The downside is no skysuites except on the sole daily 747 flight between SIN-BKK. However even the "old" F seats are mighty comfy and the SQ service on the 777-200 is just as good as on the 747-400. For the first time this trip we leave SIN from a close gate and take off in the direction we're headed. The flight to Bangkok is short and sweet at about 2 hours, but unlike Jakarta is just long enough to watch a movie and the meal is also a fuller meal service. The cabin is quite empty so we have plenty of room to stretch out. We arrive on schedule to Bangkok where we see a plethora of european and asian airlines lined up at the gates - LH, BA, LX, AY, AF, SK, CX, TG (duh!), BR, NH, JL, plus a lot of local and LCCs etc etc. SQ seems to switch between piers 4 & 5, and this flight had pier 5 so a short taxi past the golf course and domestic terminal to our gate. It is a short walk to the transit escalator, up to departures level and back towards pier 5 to the nice TG F lounge. IMHO this lounge is the best of the many on offer at BKK, and for business class the 2-story TG lounge by pier 3 is the best but perhaps also the QF Qantas Club. There are many other lounges at BKK, it still amazes me how many there are in *A alone - UA, LH, SQ, TG (many), SK. I catch up on more email and FT and then notice it is already past boarding time. Usually the lounge attendants inform the F pax individually about boarding but not this time (or perhaps they were just a bit slow?). When I got the boarding passes, and indeed on arriving into BKK, no gate had yet been assigned for the onward flight. So I turned left out of the lounge towards the main part of the terminal to check the departure screens for piers 4 & 5. Okay it is pier 4. A short queue at security. Several of the pax in front of me appeared to be travelling on a LCC based on the various fast food being carried, including soft drink that was in danger of being spilled over themselves or worse yet the screeners as they struggled to hold the food & drink while positioning carry-ons on the machine, emptying pockets etc. Once through and at the gate, I notice boarding is well underway. A short pause while they confirm on the computer I am indeed a transit passenger, and I board to my seat. The flight is moderately full, mostly through passengers from Singapore as the flight indeed is SIN-BKK-NRT. This presumably explains the use of lesser aircraft than the non-stops which are 747-400. |
@ KiwiFlyer,
thanks for providing some links! I had a quick look at your CRWSTAR2 (+ turnaround trip ZRH-MAN-ZRH in Raffles on an extra paid ticket) you did a year ago: It looks you had pretty much the same intentions like now: You are maxing out to 24 segments, include destinations where you don’t leave the airport and are prepared to fly huge detours in order to gain perks in some of your preferred FFPs. Without going into details, skipping FRA-SIN-CGK-SIN and continuing FRA-PEK-SIN-AKL you would ended up on a CRWSTAR1 (5K miles less) and still have some extra miles left to burn. It looks like you are prepared to pay a high price and spend some additional time on airports and planes in order to gain elite status in your preferred FFPs on a fast track. Hopefully you get back at least what you had in mind as you started. All the best on the continuation of your journey! |
We get given the amenities - slippers (only used by SQ on the Japan routes AFAIK) and socks, amenity kit (more on this in a minute), and pajamas. The amenity kit has changed since I last flew SQ F longhaul (or mediumhaul overnight). It is no longer a square bag but not rounded like a pencil case. The contents have also changed. The cologne is no longer Bulgari blue but a different scent, smaller and round shaped. Sorry I dont have it on me right now to give the name - I'll post it later. The cooling eye mask is also gone - I dont recall ever seeing someone use this so I'm not surprised. What I am surprised about, though, is the large comfy fabric eye mask is also gone, or perhaps they forgot to hand it out/ran out?
Being yet another shortish late overnight flight I wasnt too much interested in food or movies, but moreso on some sleep. However I did stay up more than I intended - oh well plenty more flights to catch up on sleep later. We had an impressively strong tail wind, with a flight time just a shade under 5 hours! We approached a cloudy and wet Tokyo. On approach there was a thick blanket of cloud and there just ahead and below us was the tailfin of another aircraft slicing through the cloudtop into the clear air above. It reminded me of a dolphin fin breaking the surface of the sea, the undulations in the cloud top making the tailfin reappear and disappear and showing varying proportions of it, analogous to the dolphin's motion in the sea or perhaps a gentle seaswell. We landed in the misty rain and had the longest possible taxi at NRT - some 30 minutes back down the far runway's taxiway, past all of terminal 2, then around the cross, past all of terminal 1 and to the end gate (gate 11) of terminal 1. Phew - lucky I had a good book to read! With the strong tailwind we had arrived ahead of the nonstop SQ flight from SIN, when usually that flight arrives much earlier. |
Summary to date
Map 21 flights 47,497 flown miles 5 continents - Australia, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia 11 countries - Tonga, NZ, Australia, USA, Germany, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Japan 6 aircraft types - 767, 777 (various models and configurations), 757, A319, 747, A345 |
Meal SIN-CGK
LIGHT MEAL Main Courses Fried chilli prawns Singapore style, seasonal Chinese leafy greens, carrots with young corn and steamed rice Nasi padang - Indonesian style steamed rice with beef rendang, grilled spiced chicken, steamed fish souffle and mixed vegetables Bakced chicken with shiitake stuffing in pesto dressing, roasted vegetables and new potatoes Dessert Apple pie with raisins and cinnamon From the Bakery Oven fresh rolls with a choice of extra virginb olive oil or butter Garlic bread Hot Beverages Freshly brewed coffee Selection of tea |
Originally Posted by Ventimiglia
You are maxing out to 24 segments, include destinations where you don’t leave the airport and are prepared to fly huge detours in order to gain perks in some of your preferred FFPs.
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Meal CGK-SIN
LUNCH Main Courses Lamb biryani - lamb curry with Indian style saffron flavoured biryani rice and vegetable pickles Stir fried beef with onions in preserved black bean sauce, selected vegetables and steamed rice Pan roasted seabass served with lobster sauce, cream of spinach and buttered potato Fresh Fruit A selection of fresh fruit Dessert Pineapple and raisin crumble From the Bakery Oven fresh rolls with a choice of extra virginb olive oil or butter Garlic bread Hot Beverages Freshly brewed coffee Selection of tea |
Menu SIN-BKK
DINNER Appetisers Smoked salmon fillet served with sliced onion, capers, baby lettuces and mustard dill dressing Main Courses Stuffed sole fillet with chanterelle mushrooms, sauteed pea shoots, asparagus and fingerling potatoes Pan fried chicken breast served with creamy garlic sauce, braised Savoy cabbage with bacon and anise seeds, gourmet potato Wok fried beef in black bean sauce served with braised beancurd and vegetables, steamed rice Fresh Fruit A selection of fresh fruit From the Bakery Oven fresh rolls with a choice of extra virgin olive oil or butter Garlic bread Hot Beverages Freshly brewed coffee Espresso or cappuccino Selection of tea BEVERAGES Special Cocktail Citrus Royale Cocktails Singapore Sling Silver Kris Sling Gin Fizz Cloud Nine Screwdriver Bloody Mary Daiquiri Red or White Wine Cooler Aperitifs Campari Dry Vermouth Non-alcoholic Cocktails Tropical Sparkle Orange Cooler Golden Spice Fruit Spritzer Sunrise Surprise Spirits Bombay Sapphire Gin Cognac XO - Hennessy Chivas Royal Salute Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker Black Label Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Macallan 12 years old Single Malt Whisky Smirnoff Red Label Vodka Bacardi Carta Blanca Liqueurs Cointreau Tia Maria Baileys Original Irish Cream Beer International selection Champagne Dom Perignon 1998 Krug Grande Cuvee White Wines Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2004 Dr Loosen Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spatlese 2004 Josef Leitz Chablis Premier Cru Les Beauroys 2000 Domaine Laroche Red Wines Chateau Cos D'Estournel 1998 Saint-Estephe Morey-Saint-Denis 1999 Joseph Drouhin Port Dow's 20 Year Old Tawny Port Tea Selection Pure Ceylon Tea Earl Grey Darjeeling Camomile Decaffeinated Tea Mint Tea Fruit Tea Japanese Green Tea Chinese Tea Selection Jasmine Gourmet Coffees Brazil Santos Bourbon Colombian Supremo Jamaican Blue Mountain Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees Brewed Coffee Cafe Royal Espresso Cappuccino Cafe Latte Cafe au Lait Decaffeinated Coffee Mocha Other Beverages Chocolate Ovaltine Milo Mineral Water Carbonated Mineral Water Non-carbonated Mineral Water Fruit Juices Apple Orange Pineapple Tomato Soft Drinks A range of regular or low-calorie drinks is available Iced Drinks Iced Fruit Tea Iced Mint Tea Iced Coffee Iced Mocha Iced Chocolate Iced Ovaltine Iced Milo |
Menu BKK-NRT
SUPPER Appetisers Sliced smoked duck, marinated artichoke, heart of romaine lettuce, caesar dressing Soup Cantonese style lotus root soup with peanuts and pork Main Courses Braised beef cheek in red wine, buttered asparagus-fava, saffron new potatoes Udon noodles in rich chicken stock garnished with sliced slow poached chicken and shimeji mushroom Gindara teriyaki Cheese Selection of cheese with garnishes Fresh Fruit A selection of fresh fruit Dessert Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream with citrus salad From the Bakery Oven fresh rolls with a choice of extra virgin olive oil or butter Garlic bread Hot Beverages Freshly brewed coffee Espresso or cappuccino Selection of tea BEVERAGES Special Cocktail Citrus Royale Cocktails Singapore Sling Silver Kris Sling Gin Fizz Cloud Nine Screwdriver Bloody Mary Daiquiri Red or White Wine Cooler Aperitifs Campari Dry Vermouth Non-alcoholic Cocktails Tropical Sparkle Orange Cooler Golden Spice Fruit Spritzer Sunrise Surprise Spirits Bombay Sapphire Gin Cognac XO - Hennessy Chivas Royal Salute Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker Black Label Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey Macallan 12 years old Single Malt Whisky Smirnoff Red Label Vodka Bacardi Carta Blanca Premium Ginjo Sake Tamanohikari Liqueurs Cointreau Tia Maria Baileys Original Irish Cream Beer International selection Champagne Dom Perignon 1998 Krug Grande Cuvee White Wines Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2004 Dr Loosen Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spatlese 2004 Josef Leitz Chablis Premier Cru Les Beauroys 2000 Domaine Laroche Red Wines Chateau Cos D'Estournel 1998 Saint-Estephe Morey-Saint-Denis 1999 Joseph Drouhin Port Dow's 20 Year Old Tawny Port Tea Selection Pure Ceylon Tea Earl Grey Darjeeling Camomile Decaffeinated Tea Mint Tea Fruit Tea Japanese Green Tea Chinese Tea Selection Jasmine Gourmet Coffees Brazil Santos Bourbon Colombian Supremo Jamaican Blue Mountain Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees Brewed Coffee Cafe Royal Espresso Cappuccino Cafe Latte Cafe au Lait Decaffeinated Coffee Mocha Other Beverages Chocolate Ovaltine Milo Mineral Water Carbonated Mineral Water Non-carbonated Mineral Water Fruit Juices Apple Orange Pineapple Tomato Soft Drinks A range of regular or low-calorie drinks is available Iced Drinks Iced Fruit Tea Iced Mint Tea Iced Coffee Iced Mocha Iced Chocolate Iced Ovaltine Iced Milo |
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