NSun's 2025 Adventures in Asia

NSun · 2025-12-13T19:21:51+1100

I'm reporting on the latest trips I've done. Since going to America in July, I visited Japan in August, then Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in November.
This trip report will include:
- Visiting a friend in the least populated prefecture of Japan
- Having the meal one always has in Japan...(butter chicken)
- Flying Qantas First class for the first time since the pandemic
- Dining in front of a >30 year old A310 flying for Iran Airtour
- Encountering elephants up close.
Let's go!

AIRwin · 2025-12-13T19:35:58+1100

Looking forward to the report from the Land of the Rising @NSun and beyond!

NSun · 2025-12-13T20:15:08+1100

I managed to book First on QF1 prior to the devaluation for 102.6k plus $272 in taxes. It was my first time on an A380 in a couple of year and it was VH-OQK.

We boarded from Gate 10 which is good for the views you can get...near Gate 9. But Gate 10 is under construction so it's a zoo when you've got an A380. As I was in first I had a dedicated lane and aerobridge where someone was standing to ensure only eligible people entered the cabin. We ended up leaving nearly 2 hours late (we took off at 5.44pm when it was 3.50pm scheduled departure time).

Bollinger champagne.

Up, up and away.

NSun · 2025-12-13T20:18:33+1100

So I started with the 'caviar course'. Obviously nothing on Emirates. Had cognac as a kind of first class tradition, having drunk it with Emirates just because it was highly vintage there. Qantas sells Hine Rare VSOP Cognac from France which is just over A$100 a bottle.

Bread, white and garlic.

Margaret's Thai style salad of crab and sweet pork, chilli, green papaya and cashews

Crumbled lamb cutlets. Yum.

Coke and Negroni.

And affogoto.

Steak sandwich prior to arrival.

So this was the second time I flew first class as first class on a Qantas A380, not counting another 2 times from Hong Kong where I flew it as J. The first time I flew F as F in 2019 I was blown away. Then in 2023, I flew Emirates First CHC-SYD and was blown away.

This time I can't say I was blown away. I liked the crew, the food was a cut above business class - I loved the lamb, as I love lamb but know it can be hard to get right. One of my biggest irritations is service being dragged out especially as a quick eater and this was not the case here, dishes were removed quickly. But if you want to be blown away like on Emirates (i.e. bottomless caviar, a shower and $1000 cognac) you will be disappointed. I probably won't go out of my way to fly F on the A380 again but will see if I can fly F on the A350 somehow, someway.

NSun · 2025-12-13T20:24:21+1100

Landed in Singapore at 10.45pm, 1.45am Sydney time. As we left late, I slept for about an hour and a half then would sleep 3 hours in my hotel in Singapore. We were held on the plane for 10 minutes due to some altercation in the economy cabin so the police could come onboard and escort someone off.

This was my 10th visit to Singapore (i.e. entering the country, not counting transits where I didn't leave the airport but am counting separate entrances and exits in the same trip like this one.