Before I start. I need to call for available Flight Attendants willing to answer a few questions via SKYPE (it will be recorded). Nothing naughty, be assured. But I will be having some new format content published soon and would love to give a voice to you guys out there. If you’re willing to participate (open to everyone) please send an email via the contact page or over on TWITTER @Sodwee with your details and a skype username. Thanks !
And : DOWNLOADABLES #82 is LIVE, click on the left for the goodness ! I especially like the Santogold track and the Billie “Wildcat” Jean mashup by The Hood Internet. In actual fact, its my ringtone…
A much hyped trip on my behalf. And it did live up to my expectations. Five whole days away from the ever hot hell hole that is Dubai couldn’t come at a better time. Five days away from sand, Range Rovers and constant sweat.
So we took off. Having met the rest of the crew in briefing it was going to be a nice one. A real nice mix of people from every corner of the world. With a little majority of local Singaporians for good measure. We headed off to Singapore, our first leg of the trip with plans to go out on our first layover. We had convinced part of the crew to join us onto our food train to Newton Circus. A must do in Singapore. Located within a short taxi ride from Clarke Quay (around 9 Sin-$) it is food heaven! Captain, First Officer, Bernard (a cool dude from Lebanon), Meylyn from the Philippines and myself rocked on a feast roller-coaster. From crabs, to chicken we had it all, laying there before our hungry eyes. I personally had Black Pepper Chicken because I can’t handle any seafood. And I was waiting for that moment since the day the roster came out. That day I knew, no matter what, I would indulge myself with that awesome dish. And yeah. I melted as soon as I dug into the fried rice and that spicy chicken. Sweet comes to mind with the first few seconds of one chewing the delicacy, then awe just takes over. My fellow colleagues also dug in their chili crabs, chili mussels and chili stingrays. We had a table full of food, and by the end of the meal we didn’t manage to have every dish on the same table so we branched out to the neighbouring ones… Meeting with the locals next door at the same time. Discussing iPhone settings and local customs with them. Plenty of beer later, we decided to rock over to Clarke Quay. That’s where it all happens. It’s basically your usual open air mall without any retail outlet but only bars and restaurants. It’s the perfect place after a long flight. Where expats, business travellers, locals, hookers and Flight Attendants meet. The perfect place for good ol’ shenanigans. A couple of beer and some weird dance moves later we went to bed for our next leg to Melbourne.
Australians are so easy going when it comes to travel I would honestly give them a 5 star on my personal Skytrax rating. They deserve every star, seriously. Not a single complaint was made on our 4 leg trip ! Brilliant when you know that you can score like 12 complaints (most of the time, irrelevant) on a Bombay flight that lasts for 2 and a half hours…
Arrived in Melbourne all bubbly knowing we had 33 hours to spare in this charming, sweet city plunged so gently into winter. The skies were absolutely magical coming from Dubai and it’s ohhh sooo boring haze. I actually saw the sun for the first time in weeks. I mean the real sun, because in Dubai it’s just like a glare behind dust, pollution and tinted windows. Ordered an american breakfast to keep my batteries going and wondered out in the park next to the hotel with iPod and some kitkat, my favourite food on layovers. Was hoping TrayTable would get a pullout for Melbourne so we could meet, but turned short as it was awarded to some other lucky crew. Ended up in bed for most part of the stay, jet-lag kicking in big time, lack of sleep on the previous stop and with what was going to come ahead I thought I would just lay down and relax. I learnt stuff along the way thought! Discovery channel was on.
On long trips like that, you get to know your fellow crew better and as we got on, it became somewhat more friendly. To the point where everyone had a nickname. Mine was “bastard” because of my dual nationality. Other’s nicknames were actually worse. So by the time we got to Singapore before the last leg to Dubai we decided, in a common agreement, that we would all ditch our uniforms as soon as we hit the hotel and rock the casbah downstairs in Clarke Quay. We had chosen to spend the night in Arena. Not the best club I had been to in Singapore but a decent venue. 15 (fifteen) crew out of 16 (one was sick and couldn’t make it) were out on the town. Kind of a record on Emirates layovers! The chemistry worked so well. All in perfect spirits we got ourselves some drinks and danced the night away until the wee hours of the day. Finishing at McDonalds for some of us. Piling on Bigmacs to soak up the overload of Bacardi & Coke.
Hungover. Slept it off. Ate it off on a full breakfast and Chicken Rice. And was 110% for the last leg back. Economy wasn’t full so it was an easy service all the way. Again I need to give credit to Australian travelers. These guys have ‘aircraft etiquette’ ! It’s so pleasant to work for you.
If you’re wondering where the videos or photos are, unfortunately, I was summoned not to share any, due mainly to the fact that working for such an airline is like walking on very thin wire : either it cuts or it breaks. And to common agreement with the crew on this trip is was decided that any visual content would not be shared. Tough times. I will only post pictures of myself. Sad innit !
Now back in Dubai struggling with internet and heat. My next flight will take me to Frankfurt. “Been there, done that” I might say. And I have two of them, bullocks. Guess my swapping extravaganza wasn’t so fruitful after all!
I was also considering applying for A380 because they’ve just open the applications. And since Big Mama will be flying to Paris in February 2010 as well as Seoul, Toronto, Bangkok, Auckland and Sydney I thought it would be a wise idea to dishonor my ooh-so-snugg B777 to work with the deadly masses on the jumbo jet.
I need motivation to find myself in Training College again for 2 weeks. Maybe you can help me make a decision. What do you think ?? Take the jump or stay put ? Your reactions in the comment section below are most welcome…
Actually now that I think about it, I should have asked you to smuggle in some Pandan Chiffon Cake from Bengawan Solo – awesome stuff
Would you like me to convince you not to go on the 380? I’ll send you a long essay via facebook if you like. But the fact that it doesn’t go to New York, and that the main fleet will still get Paris, should be enough reason for you to stay…
Don’t jump ship. Stick with the non 380 fleet. You’ll still have a lot of very interesting places to visit.
I say heck, why not give it try? If you end up not liking it, you can always go back to your “ooh-so-snugg B777″ can’t ya?
No, not really… lol
Well it’s up t5o you, but all I would say is…. are you done with everywhere you wanna go on main fleet? If not, stick to it. They’ll need crew on the 380 again in future.
Maybe a good thing that other crew got the Mel trip… sounds like you needed the rest! Ehehe
That is a shame that you cannot share photos anymore. However pics of you and the places you visit are always welcome!
It would be great to join the A380, but aren’t there more places in the EK route network, you have yet to see and explore? With so many more A380s arriving in the future, the opportunity will surely arise again, and hopefully by then you’d have seen the places yet to be discovered!!
Deon adn I applied reason enough lol but seriously London, Sydney , Auckland , Toronto and Bnakok are destinations enough and with those hours combined with 15 days off you still have time to go and have a real layover at other places…your choice…
well, if you can’t, then I guess I would go with staying with the main fleet. Places to go, people to see. The A380 will be very limited with destinations, so I think sticking to the “ooh-so-snugg B777″ would probably be the best idea, like everyone has said on their comment post!
Regarding the Aussie passengers, I have to say it is just an Aussie thing! They are so laid back, no sense of rush or urgency, and nothing pisses them off as quickly as it does here!!
Try walking in Union Station in Toronto in rush hour without getting knocked over, and then compare that with the rush hour at Wynard Station in Sydney! Both have crowds, but there it’s organised chaos!!
Just think Ben, if you join the A380, you won’t be doing the 36hr Mauritius again… plus you’re so close to getting your upgrade, and there are people on the 380 awaiting their upgrade with Staff Numbers far more senior than yours…one of which was in the same interview with me in Perth 3.5 years ago! You won’t do 3 day LAX, or 3 day San Fran! I could go on!!!
Haha all these comments about Aussies are hilarious… I just did a flight & was thinking what a bunch of whingers we can be but then read what everyone else thinks & it seems my ‘bad’ pax have nothing on all of yours!
I trust Melissa’s advice and I very much agree. Hahaha and I love her blog too!
Mate….now why would you want to jump ship? Sure they have great destinations and they don’t do turnarounds (yet)…but who wants to be limited to just those destinations? I’ve also heard a dirty hot rumour that 380’s copping Jeddah for Haj…that absolutely made my YEAR hearing that. Stay put, get your upgrade and enjoy some more time on flights that let you visit the land down under I say!!
Pink Poodle darling, why would they put A380 on Jeddah when the 777 has the same capacity in Economy then the a380 on a 2 class configuration which already runs into Jeddah !!! I hate rumors, prefer facts
Melissa babes, there are people in economy for 3 years + on the main fleet , it’s only logical when people get upgrades, more planes more destinations = upgrades, no ?
Anyway lol qui vivra verra lol
You know when Clauderic went to Zinc when he starts calling other blogges by Darling or Babes… lol…
Can you explain the emergency landing photo? You don’t mention it in your text. Great blog, by the way.