Flight Log 2013

The Air Asia seat sale duly arrives and some bargains to be snapped up. Here is the fixed part of itinerary 2013 and as you have probably gathered by now, quite a lot of flying! Its just as-well then that I have a passion for life at 30,000 feet and above! So, counting down the days until January 8th when my 2013 travel adventure kicks-off. A second foray into South-east Asia with a little extension across to New Zealand.

 I hope once again you will be able to join me as I take in the cultures of Sri Lanka, meander around the highlands of Malaysia, cool off in New Zealand, explore western Borneo, join the surfers in Bali, catch up with friends in Cambodia and finally, Thailand. Yes, that land of smiles has be going back for more of their infectious culture!

January 8th 2013

London Heathrow QR002 2030 Dep - Doha - Kuala Lumpur QR622 Arr 2030 9th January 2013
Airbus A340, Airbus A330 Overnight TUNE HOTEL LCCT

January 10th 2013
Kuala Lumpur LCCT AK1267 1100 Dep - Colombo, Sri Lanka Arr 1200
Airbus A320

February 4th 2013
Colombo, Sri Lanka AK1268 Dep 1255 - Kuala Lumpur LCCT Arr 1910
Airbus A320

Penang - Cameron Highlands - Kuala Lumpur - Melaka

March 6th 2013
Kuala Lumpur LCCT - Singapore, Changi

March 7th 2013
Singapore, Changi EK405 Dep 0120 - Dubai - Melbourne - Auckland EK406 Arr 1345 March 8th 2013 Boeing 777-300, Airbus A380-800

Aukland - Wellington

April 19th 2013
Auckland EK413 Dep 1800 - Melbourne - Dubai - Colombo - Singapore, Changi EK348 Arr 2115 April 20th 2013 Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777-300

April 23rd 2013
Jahor Bahru AK5414 Dep 1230 - Kuching Arr 1355
Airbus A320

May 8th 2013
Kuching AK5209 Dep 1505 - Kuala Lumpur (LCCT) Arr 1645
Kuala Lumpur QZ8396 Dep 2025 - Denpasar, Bali Arr 2325

May 22nd 2013
Denpasar, Bali QZ8391 Dep 0600 - Kuala Lumpur Arr 0900
Kuala Lumpur AK1474 Dep 1500 - Phnom Penh Arr 1555

June 22nd 2013
Phnom Penh FD2777 Dep 1720 - Bangkok Arr 1830

July 1st 2013
Bangkok QR611 Dep 0240 - Doha - London Heathrow QR011 Arr 1315
Boeing 777-300, Boeing 777W




 

Welcome to London June 18th 2012

Over Eastern Europe, Central Europe and over the North Sea...

A short crossing over the Black Sea before getting a birds eye view Bulgaria and a patchwork of lush green fields. The view is becoming  increasingly hazy with the first sight of extensive cloud cover approaching Belgium, but London is getting ever closer, just another 2 hours.

From the top: Route map, Romanian agriculture, skirting the Austrian Alps, leaving Belgium at Ostende, would have been a view of the Olympic stadium, Twickenham Stadium, on British soil.

On British soil at last and familiar sights as the plane docks at the gate. This is one time when being British is useful - the immigration queue was non-existent and passport control took just a couple of minutes. The queues for non EEC passengers however was huge, about a couple of hours huge!

I'm not done travelling just yet.......

The View from 58A Homeward Bound June 18th 2012

Over Iraq and into Turkish airspace...

A dramatic change of scenery as the aircraft nears the Iraqi border with Turkey. Desert sands turn into hilly scrub-lands before flying over the snow capped mountains of southern Turkey. The first cloud appears since leaving Mumbai, some five hours ago now, and note the extensive forrest fire in the distance.

No Time for Snoozing Homeward Bound June 18th 2012

No time for snoozing since there is so much to see. Crossing the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Turkey and on into Eastern European airspace before skirting the Austrian Alps on a track that takes us all the way to the North Sea, joining the traffic pattern and approach to London's Heathrow Airport.

Land fall shortly after lunch and cruising over the UAE 34,000 feet there is an interesting change of sand colour from golden yellow to red. Passing over Dubai city and a good view of the Palm Island resort complex and the city's northern suburbs.

The View from 58A Mumbai to London June 18th 2012

Homeward Bound....

In 9 1/2 hours from now an adventure that began back in January will have come to an end. A journey that began in Thailand and finished in Thailand, with a layover in Mumbai to connect with the final flight to London.Some amazing sights throughout this 5 1/2 month Odyssey - a diverse range of cultures, people and of course some very nice food. A part of the world where people, on the whole show a warm and genuine interest. Some arrogance of course, but for the most part a friendly, hospitable part of the world where visitors play a vital part in developing economies. Not without problems as was seen in Penang with widespread pollution, or on Malay Borneo where illegal Filipino's try to capitalise on Western naivety. But the main thing is that I have survived! 5 1/2 weeks street pounding, jungle trekking, bush whacking and beach bumming have been concluded as I walk down the jetty towards the Jet Airways Boeing Triple Seven, my chariot of the sky for the long flight back to London. Seat 57F has turned into 58A, no matter since the plane is half full anyway - just 2 people to every row of 3 seats - nice, as much space a first class ticket buys! Being a day flight there should be plenty to see from 58A, so all that remains now is to sit back, relax and enjoy the views on this final leg of  'An Asian Oddyssey'.

Top: Cheerio, as the plane passes over Juhu, Mumbai.
Middle: Whats in here then?
Bottom: Looks bad, but actually it's the tastiest airline meal ever - tastier than the Emirates offerings anyway!





Airport Please....

Snaps as the taxi weaves a path through the slums towards the International airport....

It's All Over, But Not Quite, Mumbai 18th June 2012

Iconic Mumbai

Airport Please...
Taxi back to the airport is 500 rupees and that seems to be a non flexible arrangement, among the local taxi mafia. To really cut down on transport costs there is an option of taking a tuk tuk to the main CST train station, getting off at the nearest station to the airport and getting another tuk tuk to the international terminal. Normally I would be adventurous enough to try it, but not this time, not with hauling two heavy packs onto overcrowded trains!  Taxi then, booked (in loose terms)' for 9am by the guest house owner. Its his brothers taxi so he would like the money upfront - oh yes, another potential trap. " I will pay the driver", I said, in the politest terms I could possibly find. It's a game, they know it, they know I know it and so all is quite amicable after a hesitant few moments.

Just time for a wander round, a coffee and a quick snack to tide me over until the flight, oh and a photo copy of my passport, insisted on by the guesthouse owner. A warm sunny morning, few people around, quite a contrast from yesterday. Another look at the Gate and the Taj hotel bathed in morning sunlight. My intended snack stop, The 'Cafe Coffee Day' place is closed, but McDonald's is just along the street. Just a coffee here, and another scam. A medium coffee, but the cup is only half full. Should have made a fuss but for 60p I really couldn't be bothered. I'll forgo any food until inside the airport - might be a little expensive but at least fresh, in theory anyway.

To the airport please, but he knows that already but no harm in making him aware of my expectations, and the price. Grim sights as the cab weaves around side streets to avoid the expressway queues. Past the Bombay courthouse, some impressive mosques and churches, banks and on into the slums. Garbage, trash, traffic and people everywhere, and it's getting hot! Some rather smart hotels situated on the edge of a slum. Guests pay upwards of 100 $ per night, the price of being close to the airport I guess. Weaving through construction, a good look at the new air traffic control tower, opening 3 months behind schedule according to an article in the local press yesterday. Just over an hour to get here, the Mumbai airport international terminal.

It's always a breeze to get from check-in through to the aircraft boarding gate, primarily because there are very few flights here daytime. Security and passport checks are frequent with armed guards standing watch, but once in the departure lounge there is a sense of relief, not that I have anything hide of course! About 2 hours to kill now, and that's pretty easy here. Tv,s around, Internet stations dotted here and there,  and the comings and goings of India's domestic traffic passes the time. It's a nice airport, I like it!

 Well, that's pretty much it. In 9 hours from now I shall be back in England, and some nice summer weather hopefully!

Next...The View from 57F