14 posts tagged airport
I’ll always remember this breakfast. It was a great way to say goodbye to Singapore.
Hot Milo (a malty chocolate drink that also comes ice cold), two soft boiled eggs (fun to eat with those big spoons) and Kaya toast (Kaya is a sugary spread). About £1.50.
In which my epic journey comes to end and I run out of things to say, to the extent that I just start listing tv shows and films.
Just arrived at Hong Kong International Airport which is completely dead. There’s no staff & nothing’s open. I’ve never seen an airport like it. Mine is literally the first flight of the day so as a result, there’s about 20 of us here, all milling around with nowhere to go. All the desks are closed. Staff are now arriving.
Taxi journey was a breeze and came to $362.50. It took 40 minutes. Enjoyed the ride.
Right, boarding to commence shortly. My last flight, thank goodness. 12 hours and 50 minutes. Hopefully my row of four seats is still completely vacant by the time I get on board.
That’s 1140 Singapore time. Been up in the air for 3 hours.The flight has felt shorter than the other flights which is a good sign. Watched Griff Rhys Jones explore Hong Kong on my entertainment screen. I was interested in seeing what he thought. On the whole, he saw the same Hong Kong I did, though he found the people of HK to be ‘hospitable’. Personally, I didn’t experience any notable hospitality. He didn’t appear to experience any of the pace or rudeness either. Not that he mentioned anyway.
Also watched a film; How Did You Know starring the lovely Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. I give it two of a possible five MorelliStars. It passed the time and had some nice, well portrayed moments. Jack Nicholson was excellent given the script he was given.
Going well. Lots of bumps. While I can’t ignore the turbulance, I’m certainly coping with it a lot better. Just watched Undercover Boss USA which was excellent. Next, I’m going to give Due Date a try. If it doesn’t work out, I have another episode of Undercover Boss to watch. After that… hmmm. While there’s plenty on the system, there’s slim pickings when it comes to good stuff. By Qantas’ own rating system, most films have 2 out of 5 stars.
Almost half way. Pleased I’m coping so well and that time isn’t crawling like on my 12 hour flight from London to Singapore.
Landed. On the M1 on my way back home. Mum and dad kindly came to pick me up.
And that’s it. Thanks for reading. Now to start planning for my next trip!
In which I’m very much outnumbered by old people as I arrive in country number 3, New Zealand.
Sydney airport is nice, but enough already with the audible announcements! Every frigging minute there’s a “final call”. Every other airport in the world has dispensed with the audio announcements. It’s time to do the same Sydney. It’s annoying!
In other news, Gate 25 for QF55 is rammed full of old people. The number of people around my age is in single figures.
After an arduous and tedious customs procedure where I was asked multiple questions, I’m now in New Zealand. And wow, is my host pulling out the stops!!! I’m in Leigh in what is officially still the City of Auckland but really isn’t. We’re spending the night at Iain’s holiday home. His intention is to show me the Northland Region before heading back to Auckland at the weekend. He’s picked me up from the airport, he’s driven me around & he’s bought me an amazing dinner of enormous New Zealand Green-lipped Mussels. He’s already been an exceptional host. But with plans including going to see Stone Temple Pilots live in concert, a birthday party and live rugby, I really have won the travel lottery. It’s going to be an exciting week!
Outside, the wind is blowing in off of the Pacific Ocean, buffeting the single pane window frames. A strangely comforting sound.
Anyway, best get some sleep. A busy day awaits.
In which I arrive in Sydney, Australia and head into the city centre by train.
Made it to Sydney, Australia! I’m waiting on platform 1 of Sydney Airport International Station for the train to take me to Circular Quay station in the city centre. Not 100% sure on where my hostel is, but I trust myself enough to just go in, start walking and find it. Just been perusing the vending machine here on the platform. First observation about Australia; they like crisps just as much as the British.
Sydney City Council could probably invest in some new train rolling stock. What a heap! It’s like a fast moving street art gallery. Graffiti all over the seats and walls. A far cry from the immaculate train system in Singapore. Got to realise though that Singapore is an exception. What a shame!
Looking through a newspaper someone has left behind as I ride along, particularly at the tv listings. It’s about 40% British tv, 40% American and the rest is unfamiliar, presumably homegrown.
In which I enjoy a lovely breakfast at Changi Airport before boarding the mighty A380.
At Pasir Ris MRT station waiting for a connection to Changi Airport. I’m off again. Someone dared to cross the yellow line on the platform edge. They had a whistle blown at them. Seems they’re constructing a new platform barrier and they don’t want anyone near it until the train arrives.
Changi Airport is very nice. Just had Kaya toast, 2 soft boiled eggs and hot Milo for breakfast. A really great way to start what promises to be a rather boring day.
My god, the A380 is massive!!! It’s actually beautiful. Sucking on a sweet offered to me by a passport control officer. Imagine that! Where else in the world would that happen?
I’m on board. Really lovely inside. Very clean and spacious. Nicely furnished. Captain just said theres a delay of 45 minutes as they’re having to change the front wheel. The entire front wheel. Apparently, the pilot drove too far forward at the gate. Bodes well.
And we’re off. A slow, lumbering take-off. Really eerie. I watched the take-off on skycam, the forward-facing camera built into the tail of the plane. Bit bumpy so far, but an amazing widescreen entertainment system is keeping me distracted. All my top ten tv shows are on. Watching The Office USA right now, with Family Guy to follow, then 30 Rock. Meal is being dished out. Plane is half empty. Of the 10 seats on my row, 6 are free. People are napping across berths of 4 seats. I have my feet up on the seat to my right. The cabin would be really spacious anyway, but with such a low passenger tally, it’s cavernous.
Sydney! I’m coming.
In this second edition of my trip notes from Spain, I muse some more on the Spanish and Spain itself, I have a splashing time at the Water Park and we visit the smart and sophisticated city of Alicante. Sun block and hats at the ready! Let’s go!
0057 CET Spain is an odd place. Everyone stays up very late, even on a Sunday night. Right now, I’m ready to turn in, yet down on the street, people are having lively conversation, cars drive past with music blaring and the bar/restaurant is playing music which is audible up here. For all you can critise Britain and the British for, at least it’s built into almost the entire population that make unecessary noise past 2300 hours is not cool. Only drunks break this rule. Everyone else tiptoes about as if it’s ilegal. Here in Spain though, it’s perfectly acceptable to play music in a residential area at 1 in the morning or have a fireworks display at 4. Thankfully, the bins are being emptied as I write this so at least I won’t be woken up by that like I was at 3 last night. Still horribly sticky tonight. The crikets are playing their soothing music. Aqua park after a sleep. Goodnight.
1836 Man am I beat! And also, man, am I burnt! Spent the day at the local Water Park, Aquopolis, with slides, flumes, wave pool, etc. Good fun, but rather expensive. Bit cooler today, helped largely by a steady breeze. Everyone seemed to have fun, even Jill who conquered her fear of putting her head underwater by going on a couple of rides. Near the end of our time in the park, I had a nasty reaction to the chlorine in the water and couldn’t keep my eyes open. Right now, we’re all shattered. Oddly, just mentioning my eye problem here has brought the pain back slightly, suggesting it might be partly all in the mind. Later, Jack and I prepare dinner; a tomato, rice, chick peas, spinach and chicken concoction. Mmmm. 2316 Dinner was a success! Really tasty!
1046 On the bus to Alicante. Hopefully it’ll provide an opportunity to experience some real Espagna.
1204 Really enjoyable journey. Now to see some sights.
1759 Wow! Alicante is nice! I thought it was a typical seaside town, but it’s actually a smart and sophisticated city with attractive plazas and squares, interesting architecture and lots of of attractions. We wandered the streets, visited the Castillo de Santa Bárbara (a castle) on Mount Benacantil and generally chilled out as best we could in the heat. The castle is well worth a visit. It’s surprisingly large for a free attraction. You can walk up, or you can pay a couple of euros and take the lift. Glad we came! Very hot today. Some temperature displays were indicating it was 36 degrees, although I doubt their accuracy and think it was nearer 30. On the bus back now.
2050 Nothing better than cooling off in a pool after a days sightseeing in the sun. Now, where’s my dinner?
1015 Well, that’s it. That’s Spain done and dusted. What did I learn? Well, the Spanish don’t clear up after their dogs. Spanish streets smell of urine. It’s mostly paralysingly hot. Spain can be generally pretty ugly. The Spanish are a noisy lot who don’t seem to need much sleep. But above all, there’s nothing like good friends. I came to Spain thinking this trip would be dominated by me trying to decide whether I like Spain or not, but in actual fact, it was about spending time with the people I care about and having fun. And I did. While Spain might not be my ideal holiday destination, I learnt that that didn’t actually matter. So long as I was with friends, I could have been in Baghdad for all it mattered. Sometimes, it felt a bit like I was in Baghdad too. So, as I choke back the tears, I’m pootling along the coast road one last time, en route to the airport.
1050 I swear I just saw a flock of flamingos grazing on the salt lakes. They were so pink and flamingo-shaped, they had to be flamingos.
1316 Alicante Airport is one of the best airports I’ve been to. Really big and cool with plenty of space and plenty of shops and comfortable seats. Because it’s so big, it’s very easy to find a quiet spot to write trip notes. Flight starts boarding shortly.
1340 Just finished eating a massive Valencia orange. Oranges really aren’t a good fruit to eat in public unless you don’t mind people watching you dribbling juice over yourself and over the seats and floor. What a mess! It was a delicious orange though.
1621 GMT Back in Britain after a mostly smooth flight. A huge jolt on the approach resulted in a few screams and messy pants though. Noticably chilly and fresh here. I’ve had to put a jumper on for the first time in days. Earlier, I did a really nice sign-off, so now I’ll do a nasty one in the interest of balance; that was Spain, now bog off!
In part one of my trip notes from my first visit to Spain, I discover that some Spaniards like A-ha, that Spain is a bit like Iraq and that no one seems to need any sleep. Oh, and I also come last in a Go-Kart. Phoar, is it getting hot or is it just me?
0910 GMT “Sure, I’ll go to Spain with you guys. I wouldn’t go otherwise.” Will I live to regret saying this? I doubt it. It’s only for four nights and there’s plenty of fun things to do and interesting things to see. The only thing that may affect the outcome of this trip is other people. I’m going to the Costa Blanca region of Spain, a British holiday maker hotspot. Already in the terminal here at Luton Airport, I can see a group of women wearing pink cowboy hats who are almost certainly going to be on my flight. Unless of course, there’s a knees-up in Inverness or Krakow. Here’s hoping! Luckily, I’ve prepared for such an eventuality. I’ve loaded several films on my iPhone, so if there is any yeehahing and general Cowgirl behaviour on the flight, at least I can escape it by being on the run with Jason Bourne.
0910 The behatted ladies aren’t on my flight! They just stopped drinking for long enough to board their flight to Dublin.
1019 Still in the departure lounge. They appear to be playing birdsong over the public address system. Barely audible, but definately birdsong. Nice!
1410 CET In the plane, on the approach to Alicante. Just finished watching Yes Man staring Jim Carrey. Pretty good film. It did a good job of making me forget I was 39,000ft up. 30 degrees in Alicante. Great! I’ve got two buses to catch on arrival before I’m anywhere near where my friends are staying. On a side note, when it came to eating my lunch, I found my bag of crisps had inflated to popping point. I had to make a small hole with my teeth before opening in the usual way to avoid potato snack catastophe.
1430 Well, that was awful! Worst turbulance ever! The plane rocked, shook, swayed and dropped for all of the last 15 minutes of the flight. I adopted my unique safety position of clinging desperately to the tray table in front of me with sweaty palms.
1606 I’m on the last leg of the journey, the coach to Torrevieja. It’s absolutely packed, the back of my chair won’t stay still and it’s scorching hot. Still, could be worse. I could be in Fallujah. Actually, am I in Fallujah? It’s very desert like and run-down around these parts. Oh, Jesus! A checkpoint! No… Wait… It’s traffic lights. Going south now along a coast road with the med on my left with a single sailing boat on it. The sea really does nothing for me. There’s nothing interesting about it. I suppose the bit where the water meets the shore can keep me entertained for a bit, but otherwise, give me a mountain any day! Oohh wow! There’s a mountain!
1625 Coach driver is playing take on me by A-ha. Loudly! Good journey, running right along the coast of the med.
1943 Just got back from the pool. Very nice after a long journey and a long walk to the apartment (which will do just fine for four nights). First impressions of Spain; there’s no grass! Everything is sandy, brown or creamy brown or brownish. Like how I imagine Iraq to be.
0016 Still out and about. Had a good meal of stone baked pizza in a restaurant right on the coast. Good value too. While we were eating, two chaps sang and played guitars in typically Spanish fashion. After dinner, while the girls were looking through the night craft market, jack and I enjoyed an outdoor natural history photo exhibition. Some stinkers, but also some amazing shots. Well worth a look. Off to the dodgems and to find a bicycle hire shop (for tomorrow) before turning in. REALLY tired!
0756 Got back last night at 0200 after a long walk back to the apartment. It meant a slept for longer than I probably would have done (because of the mugginess). Still didn’t get much sleep though. The heat was opressive so I slept on the sofa in the lounge with the patio doors wide open. That provided a bit of air, but it also provided a night time soundtrack of people shouting and talking, cars going past, crickets (which are still going as I write this) and the bin lorry emptying the bins at 3 in the morning and a large fireworks display at 4. Still, didn’t bother me much. I slept between interruptions quite easily and the interruptions themselves were actually quite entertaining. Today, we’re going to try and hire some bikes and then cycle to a go-karting centre. Fun!
0826 Still sat on the balcony in the relatively cool air and peace. Here’s another Spain observation; I don’t know why anyone would want to come here. I haven’t seen anything that’s impressed me yet. Everythings ugly. Horribly designed buildings packed into as small a space as possible. Areas of waste land running along parts of the coast. Everything brown or cream. The sea is nothing more than an expanse of blue below another expanse of blue. What’s to see? The streets were absolutely packed last night. Sure, there was a fun fair and a night market and plenty of restaurants, but you get all that in other countries. Why come here? I really don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just not the best place in the world.
1519 At the go-karting track. Just did my 8 minutes in a 270cc kart. We reckon they go down the straights at 40-50mph. Good fun, although a didn’t feel like I was in full control of the thing. The bike shop was closed, so we walked here. It was literally miles and the heat made it a bit of a chore. Despite this, it was still pretty enjoyable. Off now for my second run around the track.
1827 Got a taxi back. None of us could bare walking all the way back. Go-karting the second time was better. I had a more responsive kart and more guts. Back at the apartment now. Just had another relaxing and cooling swim in the pool. Sorting something out to eat shortly before watching The Little Mermaid on VHS. Party time!
Carry on reading my notes from the Costa Blanca in part two of this series.
So, the tickets are booked, you’ve done whatever you need to do with the liquids in your hand luggage and you’ve made sure your passport hasn’t expired. You’re ready! You’re ready to fly for the first time. Oh, god! You’re going in an airplane! You’re going to be several thousand feet up in the air in a metal tube! What have you done? Fear not! Here are my top tips for first time flyers. These tips were originally posted on 28 October 2007 with my account of my first time in a plane. Once you’ve read these tips, you might find it useful to hear how I coped with my first time in the air.
I hope these tips help you with your first time in the air. If you have questions about flying or if you have further tips you think people might find useful, use the comment box below to get in touch.
This is part two of a two-part set of notes I wrote while on a short trip to Switzerland in March 2008. If you haven’t read part one yet, do so before you read part two.
06h38 White out! A massive snowfall overnight. Still coming down. They’re working furiously at the moment to clear the road. Little snow sweeper and massive plough doing noisy laps of the village. Bus went past as I was watching from my balcony with chains wrapped around its tyres. Snow blowers and chains on tires are new to me. I’ll be seeing St Bernards next.
10h54 Its zero according to the thermometer in Grindelwald. The world cup event has been cancelled. If you can believe it, there’s too much snow! The lifts aren’t even working. So, I’m going on a train trip. Little disappointed, but not massively. Grindelwald wasn’t as picturesque as the other villages. It’s good for skiers, but if you’re not a skier, there’s not much here for you.
12h13 In Kleine Scheidegg, 6762 ft above sea level. Crammed with skiers. Just bought some new gloves. Some of them were £60 a pair. Unbelievable! OMG! As I’m writing this, a St Bernard just wandered past. How cool is that!
18h34 Discovered the Wanderweg, a hiking trail and toboggan run between Kleine Scheidegg and Wengen. Beautiful scenery. The snow set in almost immediately, reducing visibility significantly. It calmed as I walked (stumbled upright) through woodland. But, I faced a different onslaught, this time from clumps of snow falling off of the trees. Lost the trail half way along so took the train the rest of the way. A great couple of hours. Just had my last meal, another Rösti. Delish!
12h29 Stunning hike from Grütschalp (4379 ft) to Mürren (5361 ft). The ankle deep snow sparkled in the sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The silence was broken only by birdsong. It was a fantastic end to my break in the mountains. Now on the Intercity to Bern, where I change for the Intercity to Geneva. I don’t want to leave, but I’m certain I’ll be back to experience a proper winter again.
12h32 Before leaving the hotel, I spoke to Jacqui on reception. She said the snow was unusual for this time of year. Guess I’ve been lucky again. Last time I was here, the weather was unusually dry and sunny. Just arrived at Interlaken West. Snow slowly disappearing at this lower level. Snow covered mountains still surround though. Spectacular against the totally clear blue sky.
13h07 Man! The chap sat opposite me honks of cigarettes. Do smokers not realise they stink? Or do they just not care? If they don’t care about slowly killing themselves, I suppose not. Just left Thun. Snow now completely gone. :(
13h12 Scrap that. Snows back. God, I’m obsessed.
13h40 You know I’m on a train when the number of updates increase. Now on train from Bern to Geneva. Bern was pretty chilly. I love these double-deckers. So comfortable. So quiet. Sipping Rivella and watching the countryside flow past.
14h10 The train announcements are in French first, then German, and all the passengers are suddenly speaking French. I must be in the canton of Fribourg, heading for Lausanne and then Geneva.
14h14 Suddenly, there’s masses of snow everywhere. Yay!
16h27 They do things differently at Geneva airport. Took a little while to get to grips with but managed to get through to the departure lounge which is where I am now. You had to self check-in where the luggage tags and boarding pass were printed. Then, having fixed the tag to your bag, you dropped the bag off at the drop-off point. Then, you walk half a mile to security and then to the gate. Went to Geneva centre on the way to the airport. Fountain was switched off due to high winds. After 20 minutes, I headed back to the train station. Roasting hot on this departure lounge.
17h22 Plane just arrived at the gate. Feeling a bit groggy. Felt like this the last time I came back from Switzerland. Here comes a cold. Luckily I have some tablets I bought from Wengen on my last visit.
18h26 Plane left Geneva 40 minutes late. Ah well. Airborne. For some reason, not enjoying it as much as before.
20h43gmt Back in Britain. I had to queue for 20 minutes at the UK border to have my passport waved through. Then I had to travel back home on a 25 year old train, from a station where none of the clocks were working. Back to earth with a bump
21h45 Just uploading the 300 odd photos to my mac. There’s some really nice ones. Its been a fantastic short trip, and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be going back.
