Oh Babushka - trips within a trip - Thailand, UAE, Oman, Spain, Portugal, UAE again, Sri Lanka and Singapore

[Seat0B]

Today I'm starting the write up of the mega-trip we took around a visit to see Seat Son in Abu Dhabi. We travelled from Nov 2024 to Jan 2025 and had a fantastic time.

The flights were booked during one of QF's DSC offers. Now that we are both all but retired and have more time than before, we deliberately added short stop overs in both Bangkok and Singapore to improve the SC earn. This trip alone generated almost enough SC to retain WP, despite the need to use QF Code shares on EK metal to get to our real destination of the UAE and Seat Son.

Here are our flights:

19 Nov 2024 CBR-SYD - on separate Y classic award ticket on Dash-8 ( DSC from Points Club)
20 Nov 2024 SYD-BKK J revenue ticket on QF 295 Finnair for Qantas on A330
23 Nov 2024 BKK-DXB J revenue on QF 8373 on EK A380 (no DSC)
5 Dec 2024 DXB-MAD J revenue on QF 8143 on EKB777 (no DSC)
20 Dec 2024 MAD-DXB J revenue on QF8142 on EK A380 (no DSC)
26 Dec 2024 DXB -CMB separate Y revenue thicket (why, why, why) on UL226 on A330 (no DSC)
2 Jan 2025 CMB-DXB Y revenue y on UL 225 (no DSC) on A330 (no DSC)
4 Jan 2025 DXB-SIN J revenue on QF 8354 on EK A380 (DSC)
6 Jan 2025 SIN-SYD J revenue on QF292 Finnair for Qantas on A330 (DSC)
7 Jan 2025 SYD-CBR on separate Y classic award on Dash-8 (DSC from points club)

As on previous trips, it remains a quirk of the fares that a trip CBR-DXB return costs $11,000 - and the trip as flow cost $11,500 (+Sri Lanka add on), so it's really a no brainer for us to extend the journey with Asian stop overs in each direction and a side trip to Europe. And further as on previous trips, adding the Canberra leg to this trip always seems to totally blow up the multi-city tool, so we just add the connecting legs on a separate classic award trip and take the risk of delays etc. On this trip it wasn't any real risk as we had to go up to SYD the night before because of the early departure time of QF295, and we allowed a couple of hours clear on the final return home leg in case of delays, although it has never really been an issue as a WP. And as usual, it wasn't any problem for us on this trip. Plus, you get the sublime to ridiculous experience of starting and finishing in a Dash-8!

So, apologies in advance for how long this is going to take, because I do know that I'm a slow TR writer, but please feel free to join me as I relive our fabulous trip.

 

[Seat0B]

Tuesday 19 Nov 2024 - Getting Away

For this trip, we only received 4 changes to our itinerary from QF. That's annoying, but not the most changes we have received.

It was an epic saga getting away this time because we had been doing a lot of work on our house. We had always harboured vague intentions of retiring somewhere other than Canberra, but in early 2024, we realised that life had conspired to keep us here. For a start, there is our darling Seat Granddaughter (both of her parents are public servants and will never leave here) and then there was the surprise leukaemia diagnosis in 2023 that makes me want to stay in a city with good medical services and a doctor I trust after a very delayed diagnosis rather than move away. So we decided to do some glow up on our house, which is 20 years old. We bought some new appliances because the old ones were past it (a new dishwasher, a new oven, a new microwave oven, a new washing machine) and some upgraded furniture now we don;t have hordes of teenagers hanging around spilling things. And best/worst of all, we got new carpet. Let me tell you, I will never again get carpet in a house where I am still living. It was a naive decision in retrospect to get it done just a couple of weeks before we left, and had I known how bad it would be, I would probably never have bought new carpet. It was a totally shambolic experience, with us rushing to move out all the furniture to the corridors or next room, catching our breath while the speedy team of 4 carpet layers put down the new carper, then vacuuming it, putting the furniture back and doing the same again in the next room. It took 2 days from 8-4, plus several long days both before and after taking things out of the furniture (eg books, clothes, shoes) so it was light enough to move it. We have a 2 storey house, and on one of the days I did 28,000 steps and 24 flights of stairs without even leaving the house. So it's not any exaggeration to say I was exhausted by the time we left. But the new carpet is lovely. Anyway, I digress!

We booked ourselves an Uber XL and a friendly Nepali driver got us and all our bags there in style. I didn't take a photo this time, but the luggage situation was as it always is when we go to visit Seat Son - we had a LOT of luggage:

• Mr Seat 0A -20.4kg
• Me - 21 kg
• Seat Son's stuff - 2 suitcases combined weight 50.6 kg ( red wine, vegemite, shapes, nutrigrain, tim tams, eucalyptus oil, favourite lemon myrtle soap etc). And both of our bags included Christmas gifts for Seat Son, his GF, and her family who will host us for Christmas.

A mere 92 kg this time, compared to last trip where we achieved 115.6kg . Plus we each have a medium sized day pack and I have a cabin sized roller bag (filled to the brim with all my medications). OMG, I do not know how people travel hand luggage only. Thai railway from the airport to the hotel tomorrow on arrival in Bangkok will be very interesting!

I always relax when I get to the lounge, and this time was no different. Enjoyed a coffee and a muffin and then a basic and uneventful flight on a packed Dash-8 CBR-SYD.



I participated in a "too good to be true" promotion with Accor last year to get 30 nights credited for a 3 night stay, and by this method, made Platinum with Accor, so we appreciated all the extra bonuses of that status in our swanky hotel, Pullman Sydney Airport. We checked in at 2pm and amused ourselves with the hotel facilities.

I took a long bubble bath, once I worked out how to get the bubbles into the bath - answer, used the water glass to collect some liquid soap, and then pored it into the bath . Then sat in a big wing back chair with my (newly washed and very clean) feet on the bulkhead with a cuppa and a new book - winning. Dinner was hotel canapes and drinks. Watched the Barbie Movie for a second time. OMG it is so cutting and funny in a "funny because it's true" kind of way. Early night tonight as we have an early (for me) start tomorrow.





Mr Seat 0A appreciated the attempt to add aviation colour to the hallway - but said it was giving him a conniption every time he saw L34 on the carpet instead of 34L


Sadly, we did not get to use the Platinum perk complimentary breakfast buffet vouchers, but I was quite sure that breakfast in the QF F lounge would make up for that. However, based on our experience, I reckon the hotel breakfast may well have been a better option. But more of that tomorrow.

 

[ellen10]

Great start to your trip report.
I will look forward to following along.

 

[Flyfrequently]

On board with you @Seat0B
Love the feet on bulkhead !

 

[Seat0B]

On board with you @Seat0B
Love the feet on bulkhead !

I know right! I felt very wicked.

 

[MARTINE]

Tuesday 19 Nov 2024 - Getting Away

For this trip, we only received 4 changes to our itinerary from QF. That's annoying, but not the most changes we have received.

It was an epic saga getting away this time because we had been doing a lot of work on our house. We had always harboured vague intentions of retiring somewhere other than Canberra, but in early 2024, we realised that life had conspired to keep us here. For a start, there is our darling Seat Granddaughter (both of her parents are public servants and will never leave here) and then there was the surprise leukaemia diagnosis in 2023 that makes me want to stay in a city with good medical services and a doctor I trust after a very delayed diagnosis rather than move away. So we decided to do some glow up on our house, which is 20 years old. We bought some new appliances because the old ones were past it (a new dishwasher, a new oven, a new microwave oven, a new washing machine) and some upgraded furniture now we don;t have hordes of teenagers hanging around spilling things. And best/worst of all, we got new carpet. Let me tell you, I will never again get carpet in a house where I am still living. It was a naive decision in retrospect to get it done just a couple of weeks before we left, and had I known how bad it would be, I would probably never have bought new carpet. It was a totally shambolic experience, with us rushing to move out all the furniture to the corridors or next room, catching our breath while the speedy team of 4 carpet layers put down the new carper, then vacuuming it, putting the furniture back and doing the same again in the next room. It took 2 days from 8-4, plus several long days both before and after taking things out of the furniture (eg books, clothes, shoes) so it was light enough to move it. We have a 2 storey house, and on one of the days I did 28,000 steps and 24 flights of stairs without even leaving the house. So it's not any exaggeration to say I was exhausted by the time we left. But the new carpet is lovely. Anyway, I digress!

We booked ourselves an Uber XL and a friendly Nepali driver got us and all our bags there in style. I didn't take a photo this time, but the luggage situation was as it always is when we go to visit Seat Son - we had a LOT of luggage:

• Mr Seat 0A -20.4kg
• Me - 21 kg
• Seat Son's stuff - 2 suitcases combined weight 50.6 kg ( red wine, vegemite, shapes, nutrigrain, tim tams, eucalyptus oil, favourite lemon myrtle soap etc). And both of our bags included Christmas gifts for Seat Son, his GF, and her family who will host us for Christmas.

A mere 92 kg this time, compared to last trip where we achieved 115.6kg . Plus we each have a medium sized day pack and I have a cabin sized roller bag (filled to the brim with all my medications). OMG, I do not know how people travel hand luggage only. Thai railway from the airport to the hotel tomorrow on arrival in Bangkok will be very interesting!

I always relax when I get to the lounge, and this time was no different. Enjoyed a coffee and a muffin and then a basic and uneventful flight on a packed Dash-8 CBR-SYD.

View attachment 441118View attachment 441119

I participated in a "too good to be true" promotion with Accor last year to get 30 nights credited for a 3 night stay, and by this method, made Platinum with Accor, so we appreciated all the extra bonuses of that status in our swanky hotel, Pullman Sydney Airport. We checked in at 2pm and amused ourselves with the hotel facilities.

I took a long bubble bath, once I worked out how to get the bubbles into the bath - answer, used the water glass to collect some liquid soap, and then pored it into the bath . Then sat in a big wing back chair with my (newly washed and very clean) feet on the bulkhead with a cuppa and a new book - winning. Dinner was hotel canapes and drinks. Watched the Barbie Movie for a second time. OMG it is so cutting and funny in a "funny because it's true" kind of way. Early night tonight as we have an early (for me) start tomorrow.



View attachment 441133View attachment 441135View attachment 441131

Mr Seat 0A appreciated the attempt to add aviation colour to the hallway - but said it was giving him a conniption every time he saw L34 on the carpet instead of 34L

View attachment 441132
Sadly, we did not get to use the Platinum perk complimentary breakfast buffet vouchers, but I was quite sure that breakfast in the QF F lounge would make up for that. However, based on our experience, I reckon the hotel breakfast may well have been a better option. But more of that tomorrow.

View attachment 441134

Really enjoying this CLEO! You have communicated that utterly delicious feeling when you are passed security and preflight in the lounges tired but wired for the adventures ahead.
Looking forward to the next installment

 

[Seat0B]

Wednesday 20 Nov 2024 - The Journey Begins With Breakfast in the First Lounge

Up at 0615 and in our next Uber XL by a few minutes to 0700. Traffic was surprisingly busy for that time of the morning, although what would I know because we haven't really done this before as we don't usually take day flights so we usually fly up the same day and don't have to check in at SYD. Anyway, we had to wait quite a while to get into a drop off spot at the INT terminal, where cars were disgorging people in three lanes at once, but we were inside and ready to check in by 0730. This was another moment where I really enjoyed the perks of WP status by being able to check in at the First counter because even the business lines were long - and the economy line was extremely long.

Immigration and security were extremely fast today, and we were in the First Lounge with a window seat and breakfast ordered by 0800. On the way in, I lucked into a spa appointment for later in the morning after breakfast. Just the one appointment, and Mr Seat 0A let me have it without a fuss, bless him.

We both ordered the Qantas signature breakfast of eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, hash brown and tomato, an apple and ginger juice, and a flat white.



It was OK, but nothing more. Presentation left a lot to be desired. They clearly need to do something about either their bread or the cutlery, because this toast was totally impossible to cut - a recurring problem I have experienced several flights in a row with onboard breakfasts. The poached eggs were firm poached, despite me asking for soft poached. This is the first time I have had breakfast in the F Lounge, because we usually take afternoon or evening flights, and honestly it was underwhelming - more like a pretty average cafe standard and nowhere near as nice as the evening meals we have enjoyed in the lounge on other trips. I suspect that the breakfast at the Pullman would have been better.

Still, it's a first world problem and we enjoyed the view from the window as we ate, including seeing our Finnair for Qantas aircraft at the gate.

And I really enjoyed my spa appointment for a 20 min hot stone massage. Came out feeling very zen and really looking forward to the flight.

 

[Seat0B]

Wednesday 20 Nov 2024 - On Board Flight QF295 SYD-BKK

Today's flight is on one of the wet lease Finnair A330s and I am interested to try the "new" Skylounge seats. We are in Seats 3D, 3H in the middle.

All boarded smoothly and I love the Finnair fit out. It's all very mimimalist and understated (in a good way), and very new and fresh - nothing ratty, dirty, torn, scuffed or otherwise used as it so often is these days on Qantas. I was a bit on the fence about the Skylounge seats, but now I've tried it, I am a fan. Plenty of space for lounging in various positions, and comfortable for sleeping.


Nice wireless charging point

Various lounging positions on the seat.


Plenty of room to sleep stretched out, and I really like the extra seat belt for lying down - very comfortable.

The flight was 10 hrs and it passed most pleasantly. Here's the menu.

We started with bubbles as a pre-departure beverage, then had a drink and snack service, followed by the meal served shortly after take off. I chose chicken and prawn dumplings and a red curry of snapper for main. Dumplings were great, and the fish was pretty good - maybe a tiny bit ovedone, but that's being picky. Mr Seat 0A had beef medallion, which he said was nice (no photo). Overall, a good meal.





As I mentioned, we don't usually do day flights, so it was a novelty to be on board and not be looking to go to sleep! So I binge-watched three movies. Fly Me to The Moon with Scarlett Johansen, which I enjoyed, The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling, which was just OK and Twister with a bunch of actors I'd never heard of, which was pretty cough, but passed the time. Took a nap for about 90 minutes to test out the seat, and read my book. Just before landing, we had a snack size meal of Thai prawns and green snake beans that was absolutely delicious - so nice I forgot to take a photo!

Arrival was quite straightforward, through immigration quickly, luggage also reasonably fast and no major hold ups going through customs with my codeine linctus. Some of you are aware that I take a small daily dose of this to manage an intractable chronic cough that I have endured for 17 years. I had declared it and applied for a permit before leaving home, and had that all ready to present. Got a very cursory look at the permit, did not want to see the medicine, and then thanked me for getting a permit - wow!

Next step is to tackle the Thai train system and get to our hotel.

 

[RooFlyer]

Wednesday 20 Nov 2024 - On Board Flight QF295 SYD-BKK

Today's flight is on one of the wet lease Finnair A330s and I am interested to try the "new" Skylounge seats. We are in Seats 3D, 3H in the middle.

All boarded smoothly and I love the Finnair fit out.

In that case, you'd love the Finnair flight to Europe (ie operated by AY) even more. The 'mattress' or topper is designed for the seat (QF use their own) and fits better and the crew and food & bev so much better than the wet-lease flights.

 

[Seat0B]

In that case, you'd love the Finnair flight to Europe (ie operated by AY) even more. The 'mattress' or topper is designed for the seat (QF use their own) and fits better and the crew and food & bev so much better than the wet-lease flights.

That’s a really useful comparison for me. I preferred Finnair for Qantas to actual Qantas so will seriously consider mainline Finnair for future flights.

 

[Seat0B]

Wednesday 20 Nov 2024 - We Arrive in Bangkok

We followed the signs to the train station - easy! Then we joined a very long line to buy our tickets for THB45 (about $2) each, and made our way with all our bags onto the train. We lucked into seats for the 45 min ride to Phaya Thai station, where we changed to the BTS Metro system at a cost of THB17 ea (about 80 cents) for a ride of 1 stop to Ratchathewi, and then a 130m walk to the hotel.

Why did we take the train, with bags, in a strange city, at night you may well ask? Local advice from a friend who has married a Thai national was that taxi from the airport could easily take 2-3 hrs because of traffic, and that this would become expensive and boring. We looked at booking car transfers for a fixed price, but these also suffered the traffic issue and the prices were high at around $100 per transfer. So be decided to brave the train. And it worked just fine. There were maps of the system with English names of stations, we used google maps to identify the best route, the ticket machines had a button for English Language, and we just smiled and apologised (kor thot) and the locals were very understanding of all our bags. Some even practiced their English by saying "Lady brings a lot of shoes" which caused a bit of light banter on the train. All up, I would definitely do this again, expecially if I had less luggage!

So the trip was really smooth until lugged the bags down 4 flights of stairs (the lift was out of order) - that's some serious functional fitness training right there. And then we made the wrong 50:50 call as we left the station and ended up directly opposite our hotel, on the wrong side of the road, which was blocked by a pedestrian defeating barrier fence and garden beds
.


So we had to go back, lug the bags back up the 4 flights of stairs, cross to the other side, lug them down again and then walk the 130 m to the hotel. By now we were both sweating freely in the balmy (read 32 degrees and humid AF) Bangkok evening . Finally arrived to the hotel at about 1830 local time, lathered in sweat. We were delighted to enter the aircon and slam down a couple of glasses of water.

The hotel we selected was VIE MGallery Bangkok, and it was fantastic. We were quickly ushered to a check in suite with seats for us and given a very refreshing cold cordial decorated with flowers and a stick of lemon grass. I didn't take a photo - oops, too busy drinking it. Formalities were quickly sorted, and the check in clerk did an very thorough job of explaining the Accor Platinum benefits, which was welcome as the status was brand new for me and I did not really know what to expect. We will receive free drinks and canapes each afternoon 3-5pm, free breakfast, the usual welcome drink vouchers. Oh and... a free room upgrade to Executive Suite.

Well wowee!! It is the most beautiful hotel accommodation I have ever stayed in. A full dining table set up for WFH or eating. A full lounge area with sofas and arm chairs and a huge TV. A massive bedroom with another huge TV and a luxurious bathroom. Swanky ++. I think I'm becoming an MGallery fan. We had a very nice stay in MGallery Prague in 2022, and several good stays at William Ingliss MGallery Warwick Farm in Sydney for various reasons in 2024. And as I am writing this TR out of order, we also had a great stay at MGallery Hotel Sosei Sapporo in february 2025. I like the quirky luxury offering very much.



And this was left for us - a 40th wedding celebration cake, plus the welcome amenity of some little pastries.



I took advantage of the luxurious bathroom to have a cold shower and wash out our very sweaty clothes, which I hung over the separate bath tub to dry.

We took an early night at 2100 local - which was 0100 body time, on top of our early start in Sydney. Slept well on a firm but comfy bed.

Todays steps 7,020.

 

[Seat0B]

Thursday 21 Nov 2024 - We Appreciate the Hotel

Mr Seat 0A was up early at 0630 and hit the pool. I slept a bit longer and woke just after 0700. Pottered about a bit and then headed to breakfast, where we started with excellent flat whites. Aaahhhhh. Had a healthy meal with fruit, yoghurt, Japanese style salad, an omelette and a second coffee. The breakfast buffet was extensive - here are just a few shots.





And the beautiful foyer decorations:




And the bar:



The view from our room:


And the pool


We were almost sad that we had to leave the hotel for our longtail boat tour....

 

[Seat0B]

Thursday 21 Nov 2024 - Longtail Boat Trip Part 1 - getting there and the boats

Spent a bit of time planning how we would get to the meet up point for our Longtail Boat trip (booked with Get Your Guide). We needed to be at the meeting point close to teh Sanam Chai BTS station by 1050, so allowing for our inexperience with the Thai mass transit, we left the hotel at 0920 for what was expected to be a 60 min commute.

Travel was actually more straightforward than Google maps made it seem - you have to buy a separate ticket for each subway line, so that takes a bit of extra time. Started on the green line to Asok, then transfer to the blue line to Sukhumvit, then one more change and travel 9 stops to Sanam Chai, followed by a short walk to the meeting point at Elefin Coffee. As everywhere in SE Asia, the motorbike or scooter is a very popular mode of transport, and is widely used by local families. It's truly amazing what they can carry!







Arrived at meet up point at 1035, so perfect timing. Just a short wait and then soon identified by our guide, Siri. Siri was great - strong English and a good sense of humour, as well as detailed knowledge of the sights we passed on the tour. We waited until 1110 for "Carlo" who never materialised, and off we went for the short walk to board our boat.

The longtail boats are garishly coloured, decorated with floral chains as an offering to the goods for safety on the waters, and with a massive car or even truck engine driving a propeller at the end of a very long pole. The boat driver had a amazing skills - the boats are indeed very long, and he manoeuvred in on a dime in some quite busy places such as waiting to use the lock system, and some very tight corners.



it was unpleasantly hot and humid, with even Siri our local guide complaining of the humidity, which she said is not normal for the dry season. The breeze was very welcome as we tootled along the canals. The driver went quite slowly in places so we could take in the sights, and in other places went like the clappers, hitting 40 km/hr according to Mr Seat 0A's app.

 

[Seat0B]

Thursday 21 Nov 2024 - Longtail Boat Trip Part 2 - Sights on the Canal

The poverty of the people who live in houses on stumps out over the dirty waters of the canal is very challenging to see, and makes me exceptionally grateful for everything that I have. Many of the houses showed signs of the harsh environment - corrosion of metal and concrete, rotting of wood, mould all over and some using tarps or sheets of plastic for walls or windows. It must be hellish to live here in the wet season, when nothing would ever be dry.




Life is hard, but many people eked out a living with small shops and market places along the side of the canals, and some in their own boats and canoes paddling out to the tourist longtails. We made a point to buy trinkets for Seat Granddaughter, food for the fish and cool drinks from these vendors.



The juxtaposition of this against the wealth of the numerous temples (wat) was jarring.




In private chat while we waited for traffic on the canal, Siri told us that the wealth of the temples is a very sore point for a growing number of Thai people, who are struggling with life in the post COVID era. She said that so many people depend on tourism for their income, and there was little assistance for people and businesses affected by the border closures. Many of the markets have closed and not re-opened, and a number of tourism support businesses and guides have also had to find other work if they can, but life has been very hard. They are delighted to welcome tourists back. Siri also told us that her mother had sacrificed a great deal to send her to university to learn good English so she can make a living as a tour guide.

We visited another market for a 20 minute leg stretch, and I bought a number of nice souvenirs with only minimal bargaining (because it was expected) as I figure that these vendors need the money much more than I do.

There were also some quietly beautiful spots along the canal.




Plus we saw a big Komodo Dragon water monitor (thanks @drron) sunning itself - said to bring financial good luck if you spot one.



Overall, I am glad we took this tour, but I felt a bit like a voyeur in places.

 

[RooFlyer]

That’s a really useful comparison for me. I preferred Finnair for Qantas to actual Qantas so will seriously consider mainline Finnair for future flights.

In that case, look at the Finnair 'RTW' fare - can be RTW but really Europe and back, but you can return either way. Can only be booked by a travel agent but a good saving on straightforward Aust-Europe return. Its a bit inflexible, but perfect if you just want to do Europe return, with stopovers included.

EG
Out: Aust-BKK/SIN/?HKG on Qantas, stopover, Asia-HEL on AY, then 'free' onward flight to destination city within Europe, stopover.
Return: EITHER European port (can be open jaw) - HEL - Asia (stopover allowed) on AY, then onto Oz on QF.
OR European Port - HEL - USA (east coast) port on AY, stopover. Likely a gap here which you have to fill, and then USA DFW or LAX-Australia on Qantas (or AA I think)

This is the bit of my TR where I was on the AY flight BKK-HEL-DUS after the AY/QF wetlease flight. There are more features of the plane and service 'switched on' compared to the QF marketed flight. Food was sensational.

Post in thread 'Christmas markets in Europe and Caribbean cruise (RTW)'

Dec 7, 2024

Boarding running late because the inbound plane was late arriving and after the pre-board and I think a couple of special people, on we went.

2L this time and sure enough the foot well is nice and wide and deep





No overhead lockers on this bird and I found that most the locker above my seat was already taken by preloads and Specials, but there was room



PDB of Joseph Perrier Brut NV in the wonderful Finnair littala glassware.



We’ve got the Finnair entertainment system rather than the Qantas one and it’s very good. How’s this...

• RooFlyer

• 

 

[Seat0B]

Thursday 21 Nov 2024 - rest of the day

By the time the tour finished at 1330, I was cooking, so we caught the train straight back to Siam station and headed to Starbucks for an enormous ice latte and a seat in their air conditioning until I felt revived.

Then we headed over to the other side of the tracks to a huge local mall and followed the principle of eating where the locals ate - straight down into a food court that was a bit like the Singapore Hawkers Markets. We ended up with a fabulous lunch of chicken satay with peanut sauce - supposed to be 7 sticks, but he gave us 10, we must have looked hungry and a chicken/rice/salad bowl, plus a fragrant tea, all for THB220 about $10. It seems I was hungry enough that I forgot to get any photos!

Then we went to an upmarket Western style mall for a look around and cracked up laughing at the hilariously ridiculous prices of the goods eg $700 for a Billabong wetsuit, $900 for a Samsonite suitcase and $350 for a Columbia lightweight puffer jacket. We also visited Uniqlo where prices were very similar to those in Aus - which was affordable for us, but extravagant for Thai locals.

We then strated our journey home - just a single stop to Ratchathewi. But.....we blotted our great BTS record by mistakenly catching the train to Ratchatdamri instead, so we had to back track, change lines a few times etc etc. Eventually we made it back to the hotel at 1635, leaving us a 25 minute to slam some canapes and drinks before happy hour ended at 1700. We accepted the challenge. Imbibed a couple of rounds of delicious tasting and very pretty looking mocktails to re-hydrate before 2 rounds of a signature coughtail called bubblegum sprtiz (pictured below) - white rum, champagne, orange and other juices - delicious!



Food was also quite good as you can see in the photo, with hot and cold canapes aplenty. The bar staff kindly let us order a further round of drinks to double park and invited us to take as much food as we wanted before they cleared it away. No dinner required for us tonight!

Next order of business was a refreshing swim in the hotel's beautiful infinity style pool. As I write this now in May 2025, I wonder how the pool went in the recent earthquake experienced in Bangkok. It looked exactly like those that featured in the various videos of the event.

Before I knew it, it was nearly 2100, and felt much later than that to me, so I'm going to have an early night because we have an early start tomorrow for a private driver all day excursion to Hellfire Pass and River Kwai/Kwae.

Todays steps 10,168. Temp 34 degrees.

Next order of

 

[Flyfrequently]

As you said above @Seat0B ......."border closures. Many of the markets have closed and not re-opened, and a
number of tourism support businesses and guides have also had to find other work if they can, but life has been very hard. They are delighted to welcome tourists back"

We heard the same sad sentiments from the two locals we had as drivers in Port Vila, one was a tour operator and had to sell his car and other possessions just to feed his family. He considers himself fortunate to now at least be working.

 

[I love to travel]

In that case, look at the Finnair 'RTW' fare - can be RTW but really Europe and back, but you can return either way. Can only be booked by a travel agent but a good saving on straightforward Aust-Europe return. Its a bit inflexible, but perfect if you just want to do Europe return, with stopovers included.

EG
Out: Aust-BKK/SIN/?HKG on Qantas, stopover, Asia-HEL on AY, then 'free' onward flight to destination city within Europe, stopover.
Return: EITHER European port (can be open jaw) - HEL - Asia (stopover allowed) on AY, then onto Oz on QF.
OR European Port - HEL - USA (east coast) port on AY, stopover. Likely a gap here which you have to fill, and then USA DFW or LAX-Australia on Qantas (or AA I think)

This is the bit of my TR where I was on the AY flight BKK-HEL-DUS after the AY/QF wetlease flight. There are more features of the plane and service 'switched on' compared to the QF marketed flight. Food was sensational.

Post in thread 'Christmas markets in Europe and Caribbean cruise (RTW)'

Dec 7, 2024

Boarding running late because the inbound plane was late arriving and after the pre-board and I think a couple of special people, on we went.

2L this time and sure enough the foot well is nice and wide and deep





No overhead lockers on this bird and I found that most the locker above my seat was already taken by preloads and Specials, but there was room



PDB of Joseph Perrier Brut NV in the wonderful Finnair littala glassware.



We’ve got the Finnair entertainment system rather than the Qantas one and it’s very good. How’s this...

• RooFlyer

• 

What are the approx cost of these fares?

 

[drron]

Yes those houses you saw would not have running water or electricity. There are frequent water dispensers in those communities and every now and then a bank of washers and dryers though many still wash in the klong. also sobering was one afternoon saw some young women returning to such houses wearing their Conrad uniforms. So even though they had a tourist job they were not well off.

And the large lizard you saw is a water monitor. Very good swimmers and in all the klongs and lakes. visit Lumpini park. Lots sunning themselves and some quite large.

 

[RooFlyer]

What are the approx cost of these fares?

I'll reply in a DM as I don't want to distract the TR and there doesn't seem to be a suitable thread open.