Across the Globe in 5 Continents

[clifford]

Gone quiet?

 

[BlacKnox]

I do quite a bit of walking, albeit gingerly in places as not used to walking on ice (daytime snowmelt freezing overnight)...

Great reading Kiwi Flyer . The trick with walking on ice is to move your inertia forward (not upright) walking on your upper feet (near toes) and not your heels. After walking daily on ice for the last 6 months I only slipped & fell once :wink: walking this way.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Gone quiet?

Sorry - busy and lack of internet access (power only intermittently available). Hopefully I'll get the next instalments up today or tomorrow.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

SOUTHEAST continued

Eventually it was time to leave the first class terminal by Mercedes transfer directly to the gate. Onboard and the doors shut behind me. Now I see how the upgrade cleared so easily (I had previously complained about upgrade evouchers on Lufthansa not clearing for me) - there are just 3 of us in first class and about the same in business class. With such a very light load the FAs are unusually cheery.

Since I last flew LH first (on award last November) the amenity kit has changed but not the pajamas. The kit is now in a half bag/half towel and consists of [insert contents here]. When I woosily get up to get changed after a light dinner I realise that maybe I had too many drinks since boarding I slept very soundly most of the rest of the flight.

As has been mentioned by others, the serving sizes on the overnight LH flights are very small. If you don't have time to eat in the lounge, you'll likely want to ask for seconds. Also on this flight they ran out of caviar

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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 coughtail

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

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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 coughtail

Citrus Royale

coughtails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-alcoholic coughtails

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

 

[clifford]

Hi Kiwi,

Great report so far. Look forward to the rest of it.

For your info, in May I'm doing CBR-BNE-SIN-NRT-LAX-BUR-SFO-JFK-SFO-
BUR-LAX-NRT-SIN-DRW-BNE-CBR.

In June I'm doing SYD-SIN-BOM-LHR-FRA-DUB-BLK-STN-LHR-BOM-SIN-SYD.

Talk to you later.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Hi clifford

I'm visiting several of the same places as you in May or June. It's possible we cross paths again.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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

 

[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 xx_-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.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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 coughtail

Citrus Royale

coughtails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-alcoholic coughtails

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

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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 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!

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.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

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 coughtail

Citrus Royale

coughtails

Singapore Sling
Silver Kris Sling
Gin Fizz
Cloud Nine
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Daiquiri
Red or White Wine Cooler

Aperitifs

Campari
Dry Vermouth

Non-alcoholic coughtails

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

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I'm sure I don't travel the way the majority of travellers do, even the majority of FTers. However, like most FTers, I do try to get the most out of my limited time and $, according to whatever constraints I have.

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