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

[I love to travel]

Monday 6 January 2025 Singapore -Sydney QF 292 Finnair for Qantas

Having a leisurely departure today with a 1400 late check out granted, so we slept late and then enjoyed an extended breakfast. packed and ready to go before 1200, so took advantage of the remaining couple of hours to drink some coffee in the Club, write up my trip diary (that is the source for this TR), catch up with family and friends etc. All the timings are a bit odd today. Our flight departs at 2030, so check in will open around 1630-1700. But we are likely to arrive at the airport about 1500 due to the check out timing. And even if we didn't have the problem of the luggage, that's not really very long to do anything at the airport. First world problems.

We took the same luxury large taxi (driven by Andrew) that we had used to get to the hotel, and the drive to the airport was very comfortable and civilised. Arrived early as expected, and got quite excited to see that there was some sort of early check in arrangement that we could use. But that was not to be, because it was something arranged by a third party, and there was no status/class of travel recognition, and there was a massive long line. So we repeated our arrival protocol and killed time with a final Starbucks and a visit to the Jewel Rain Vortex (which was closed for maintenance) before being able to officially check in at 1530. So that was good - at least an hour earlier than expected. Check in, immigration and security all very smooth and fast and we were seated in the QF First Lounge by 1600. Settled in to some good reasonably private seats to wait for our departure at 2030. This lounge was very nice, but again perhaps influenced by feeling unwell, I didn't really get the hype that others on AFF have posted about. I didn't like it as much as either SYD QF First Lounge or EK DXB First. there you go, I am officially a lounge snob!

We had a very decent meal in the lounge around 1800 before it got too busy. Salt and pepper squid, of course! Followed by Snapper with a red sauce for me and some kind of pork belly dish (I forget what it was exactly) for Mr Seat 0A. My fish was delicious and beautifully cooked. he did not like his pork belly - it was very fatty and the fat was soft and not well rendered. Then for dessert, a coffee and the mango panacotta for me, and a cherry choc brownie for him. He immediately had orderer's remorse as he didn't enjoy the brownie, so re-ordered a panacotta for himself. Not the first time that has happened!

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Boarded our Finnair bird for home and again I found the service good and the Sky lounge seat comfy. Had a cheese plate adn some fruit and then off to sleep on this very short (7:55) overnight flight. Catering continued the sad QF tradition with very dried out and hard to eat breakfast - that egg yolk was like a golf ball - but I wasn't really hungry anyway.

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Arrived on time and deplaned at a standoff parking area, then driven by bus to the terminal.

While waiting for luggage to arrive, a roving quarantine inspector was looking at people's arrival cards. I had ticked quarantine items to cover my Sri Lankan tea purchases and spices from UAE. He was not at all interested in these, other than to ask if they were commercially purchased/packaged, and when I said yes, he stamped my card "OK" and told me to go through the green channel. He didn't even want to see the items. So as soon as our luggage arrived, we were able to leave the area, fairly well ahead of the mass of other travellers. Even the dreaded transfer gate was running smoothly today, and we were at the SYD Dom J lounge before we knew it. I noticed that the lounge has been extended a bit by resuming some of the QP space from next door, and that there was a panini bar. I didn't try any, as I wasn't hungry, but they looked good. It was also good to see some extra toilet facilities, and what looked like new carpet and some new armchairs, which lifts the place a bit. We easily killed the time until our connection to CBR, which was by B737 this time. Again, the travel gods were smiling as everything just worked as it was supposed to.

We caught a taxi home and paid $100 including a "round up" tip . We are not in Sri Lanka any more.
Boy, our house is big!!!!

And, dear reader, that is it for this trip.

Thanks so much for the thoroughly entertaining TR and sharing your family experiences with us.

 

[drron]

Very interesting TR. I really enjoyed following on.
I do hope that the coughing settled quickly when you got home. The headache and vomiting is quite common after severe episodes of coughing.

 

[Seat0B]

Thanks to those who have been concerned about my cough. It’s a right PITA. I’ve had it now for 17 years and have seen every specialist known to human kind, without much relief. I’ve had every type of -oscopy that might relate. They have come up with the catch all diagnosis of hyper-reactive upper airway. I’d say so!! And that’s what I take the codeine for - it helps but not that much, and getting codeine is a major process these days. As well as being very difficult to travel with.

I am now (since March) receiving Botox injections bilaterally to the superior laryngeal nerve and it does seem to be helping - at least it has reduced to almost never having laryngospasm now. I find those episodes terrifying as my throat closes over and I struggle to breathe. And at its worst, I was having these episode 4-5 times a week - nearly every day. So even though the Botox process is very unpleasant, it’s worth it for that alone. They hope that over time, the nerve will desensitise and my brain will re-set the need to cough. I hope so too.

 

[zig]

I really enjoyed your TR. Thanks for taking the time to share your travel and precious family time. I'm already anticipating the wedding in SA.

Good to hear that the botox is improving your airway difficulties.

 

[RooFlyer]

I'd be glad to hear how people pass their couple of days here.

many thanks for the TR; enjoyable and somewhat exhausting as usual.

In respect of Singapore, I transited a dozen or more times before I stayed a few days with some friends and wish I’ve done it before.

The zoo is great. Then Clarke Quay for outside dining and just walking around the sites where the Merlion is, Raffles, the parliament precinct etc. Easy walking and plenty of places to duck in to for air conditioning if needed. Little India. Hawker markets are popular but I haven’t done them.

 

[VPS]

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He then visited the WW3 bunkers for a tour, which he said was great. He said it put a lot of meat on the bones of the story of the British withdrawal from Singapore, and gave him a new admiration for the military tactics employed by the Japanese.

Great TR again thanks - are you sure he saw the WW3 bunkers

 

[somebol]

Thanks for the TR, it was a great read and congratulations on the engagement of your son and almost dil.

 

[Seat0B]

Great TR again thanks - are you sure he saw the WW3 bunkers

Good pick up - my fat typing fingers. I’ve fixed it!

 

[Seat0B]

Thought I'd just come back and share a few funny things we saw when away. Forgive that some of them are slightly puerile. Seat Son will never grow up! We have this habit of taking photos of signs that have lost something in translation, and of blaming Seat Son for any that are a bit cheeky.

Here are the top three from this trip.


It was a restaurant! In Nazare. It means abundance or plenty, so a good name - in Portuguese.


This one from Galle Fort - self explanatory.


This one from Lisbon. The car was pulled to the side of the road, with its hazard lights on. One can only assume it was...cactus.

 

[Seat0B]

And this post, about the scourge of influencers. They were in plague proportions, everywhere we went. I don't bother to blur their faces as they obviously seek publicity.

We encountered this young woman at the Moorish Castle in Sintra. She did not stop adjusting her clothing, checking and fixing her make up and taking selfies the whole time we were there. And she repeatedly blocked the very narrow pathways and doorways, and "tch, tched" at people who "spoilt her shot". She spoke Portuguese, but the meaning was clear. Several tourists were quite intimidated by her pushy attitude. On the other hand, there was quite a tribe, including the Seats, who quickly lost patience (and courtesy) with her and started to push past her, and also to take our own time admiring the castle and the scenery.



The next lot were at Nazare, disturbing everyone's peace with a buzzing drone. They were speaking German. I love the disengaged looks on their kids' faces! Says it all really.



This young man was on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. I know it wasn't just a view with selfie, because he did it repeatedly, and it was a video that he was recording. Every so often he would stop, scroll his phone, and rehearse his lines, which apparently he couldn't quite get right. He was relatively unobtrusive.



This one at the Nasrid Palaces would probably need some chiropractic treatment after the poses she pulled. Her jacket conceals the worst of it, but she got quite the backwards leaning twist at the waist going on. And some fancy footwork.



Here we have one from Galle Fort. She was right in the middle of the view, for well over 5 minutes.



But the winner goes to this woman in Spain, at the Alhambra. She had a full entourage - a photographer, a videographer, an assistant and a wardrobe/makeup assistant. Thinking she must be filming a tourist video guide or something official, we asked a few of the guides if this was something official. They said not, but 2 of them said she was famous. Oh, I said, what is she famous for? They said, she is famous for being on Instagram. She was loud and flamboyant, and her staff corralled and re-directed tourists who were going to stray into the shot.


I have no patience for this kind of behaviour. I don't mind respecting or even helping people who want a couple of quick photos to remember their holiday, but this sort of wholesale "stealing" of public access really annoys me.

 

[RooFlyer]

She was loud and flamboyant, and her staff corralled and re-directed tourists who were going to stray into the shot.

I absolutely go out of my way - literally - to get into these type of people‘s shots. And in the case of someone telling me to get out of the way, at first I feign "don’t understand" and if they keep on insisting, I just go a more direct route , telling them to go somewhere uncomfortable.

sorry everyone, tolerance is not my long suit.

Notre Dame cathedral. The Crown of Thorns is the holiest relic they have, and an immensely popular thing to both see and to pray by. There are about five rows of seats in front of it for people to sit and pray or meditate and then tourists like me stand at the back and snap away.

Except for this one of course.

 

[VPS]

And this post, about the scourge of influencers. They were in plague proportions, everywhere we went. I don't bother to blur their faces as they obviously seek publicity.

We encountered this young woman at the Moorish Castle in Sintra. She did not stop adjusting her clothing, checking and fixing her make up and taking selfies the whole time we were there. And she repeatedly blocked the very narrow pathways and doorways, and "tch, tched" at people who "spoilt her shot". She spoke Portuguese, but the meaning was clear. Several tourists were quite intimidated by her pushy attitude. On the other hand, there was quite a tribe, including the Seats, who quickly lost patience (and courtesy) with her and started to push past her, and also to take our own time admiring the castle and the scenery.

View attachment 446971View attachment 446972View attachment 446973View attachment 446974

The next lot were at Nazare, disturbing everyone's peace with a buzzing drone. They were speaking German. I love the disengaged looks on their kids' faces! Says it all really.

View attachment 446965View attachment 446966

This young man was on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. I know it wasn't just a view with selfie, because he did it repeatedly, and it was a video that he was recording. Every so often he would stop, scroll his phone, and rehearse his lines, which apparently he couldn't quite get right. He was relatively unobtrusive.

View attachment 446975

This one at the Nasrid Palaces would probably need some chiropractic treatment after the poses she pulled. Her jacket conceals the worst of it, but she got quite the backwards leaning twist at the waist going on. And some fancy footwork.

View attachment 446977View attachment 446967

Here we have one from Galle Fort. She was right in the middle of the view, for well over 5 minutes.

View attachment 446976

But the winner goes to this woman in Spain, at the Alhambra. She had a full entourage - a photographer, a videographer, an assistant and a wardrobe/makeup assistant. Thinking she must be filming a tourist video guide or something official, we asked a few of the guides if this was something official. They said not, but 2 of them said she was famous. Oh, I said, what is she famous for? They said, she is famous for being on Instagram. She was loud and flamboyant, and her staff corralled and re-directed tourists who were going to stray into the shot.
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I have no patience for this kind of behaviour. I don't mind respecting or even helping people who want a couple of quick photos to remember their holiday, but this sort of wholesale "stealing" of public access really annoys me.

When I was walking across the Brooklyn bridge in NY one woman wanted to everyone to stop so she could have a photo with no one in it - the bridge was packed. No way Jose

 

[drron]

I’m with RooFlyer and deliberately ignore what they tell me to do. One supposedly famous Chinese woman had about 8 hangers and filming in a hotel lounge at drinks time. I lost count of the number of times I got in the way. Said if they didn’t have permission from the hotel I would continue doing what I wanted to do. They left.

Another favourite of mine when women are taking selfies is to say but you’re not even pretty.
One day I will probably be thumped.

 

[MARTINE]

I’m with RooFlyer and deliberately ignore what they tell me to do. One supposedly famous Chinese woman had about 8 hangers and filming in a hotel lounge at drinks time. I lost count of the number of times I got in the way. Said if they didn’t have permission from the hotel I would continue doing what I wanted to do. They left.

Another favourite of mine when women are taking selfies is to say but you’re not even pretty.
One day I will probably be thumped.

Agree
Weeds grow everywhere these days
These pests are monetising either public(free) spaces or hotel places paid for by - and for the amenity of - the guests. I always pretend I don't hear them and go about my business.

 

[MARTINE]

Agree
Weeds grow everywhere these days
These pests are monetising either public(free) spaces or hotel places paid for by - and for the amenity of - the guests. I always pretend I don't hear them and go about my business.

Don't get me started on Livraria Lello in Porto a week ago

Edit:This is not the WCMO thread. Sorry @Seat0B and mods.

 

[Seat0B]

Don't get me started on Livraria Lello in Porto a week ago

Edit:This is not the WCMO thread. Sorry @Seat0B and mods.

It’s Ok by me- I sort of opened the door for it with my influencers post!

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for the fabulous TR. This report certainly lived up to its "trips within a trip" title

 

[Scash]

Friday 22 Nov 2024 - Hellfire Pass

We visited there in 2006 when our boys were about 12 & 13. You could feel a real presence and even our boys who didn’t really understand what it was about were silent. It really was a sobering experience.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Thanks for your comprehensive TR @Seat0B , always enjoy your travels. Congratulations on the engagement and impending nuptials - you must feel very happy to have had such a wonderful time getting to know your about to be DIL and family.
Think you better put your hand up now to be the Wedding Planner to avoid any chance of why oh Y! (glad you are feeling better too.)