I’d do Hong Kong anytime. Easy pax, good hours and the destination is amazing. I’m writting to you tonight from my hotel room nearby the runway. We just got here and had to share what I have just experienced. But before that I need to share some unusual stuff that happened before I spent the final approach in the cockpit. We had a couple difficult passengers onboard today. We had a couple of what I believed to be Eastern Europeans high on wine, beers, spirits and anything they could possibly drink from our bars fondling each other, having a water fight in their seat and being a right nuisance for fellow passengers around them. Funny for me. Reminds me of my days back at the pub minus the touching each other part. We felt it coming right from the very start when this duo started ordering drinks even though they didn’t finish the previous round. They had a nice selection of bottles, cans and plenty of ice to cater for a rugby team. Except, there were not 15 but only 2 of them. We ended up denying any further alcohol before it got out of hands. But it was already quite hilarious. I could see from where I was standing in the back galley, splashes of water flying around at 31 Kilo. Hands waving and feet right up in the air ! I decided to have a giggle before going there and interfering with them. Told them I would no longer tolerate that kind of nonsense on-board MY PLANE… They looked at me blatantly and started slurring out words. Obviously they had way too much to drink! They were trying to keep it composed but really couldn’t manage it. That’s when I realised the husband (or what I believed was the husband) had one leg neatly hidden beneath a blanket going across the width of the 3 seats towards the wife’s…private parts. I then look at the wife in the eyes. She giggles. I say nothing and laugh inside. LOUD. My face couldn’t keep it together. I go back to the galley and inform my colleagues. They didn’t have anything else to drink. They deplaned looking at the floor, that’s how embarrassed they were.
I was an “A” position for this sector, meaning I didn’t have a door to operate and no security/safety duties to perform during the critical phases. A night landing in Hong Kong is something to do once if you have the chance. Even more so if you have access to a full 180 degrees view from the cockpit. It was surreal. Pitch dark. Silence, some ATC chatter in the background and stunning views. It’s hard to describe. But Hong Kong being a natural harbour surrounded by steep hills, it enhances the whole thing. We were flying quite low, you could almost touch the tip of the mountains, you could see the skyscrapers and they’re lights from miles and the tankers, ships and fishing boats with their lights reflecting on the surface of the water… Just magical. Here’s a picture I found on Flickr that captures pretty well the view I had, except from a greater distance.
We all landed safely and swifted through the airport to the hotel. By the way it’s a new hotel, much better than the previous one. The only downside is that it’s not in the city center, but right next to the airport. It would take around one hour to get into the center. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow and maybe venture out. More on that later. For now I will enjoy some food and an internet fix. Much needed I think. I need to catch up on emails, swaps and have a twitter session.
Noteworthy : Before I even joined Emirates, I was in contact with Jean, a Kenyan gal who I happened to fly with on my last Frankfurt trip. Lovely spirit. And today, flew with her sister : Joanne. The pair lookalike ! From now on, I will refer to them as the K-sisters. Jean used to have a blog but, me being me, I can’t find it no more. As soon as I put my hands on it, I will share the link with you all !
That’s it from me. Ohhh no. Apparently, I’ll be flying with Mike who recently joined. You probably don’t remember but the night he arrived in Dubai he recognized me. I was waiting for friends at the entrance of 21st Century tower and he strolled in with his multiple bags, looking very lost. Funny moment. He later on emailed me to tell me he’d seen me. Cut the crap… I’ll be flying with him to Moscow.
Finally, If you care to know, I haven’t applied for the A380. Some of you made the decision easier. Maybe later on this year as I’m sure they’ll open applications again !
Alright, time to go to sleep ! Peace out fools.
HONNNNGGG KOOOONNNNGGG! My favourite destination. Try out the train tomorrow. It is quicker than an hour and you will be glad you had. ENJOY!!
Wow, night landing in Hongky town is on my list of things to do in my life! Sadly, Kai Tak is no more, with that unusual IGS approach =)
So glad you saw the light! Main fleet all the way!!!
Oh well lol
I hope the Kenyan K-sister are not like the sterotype portrayed in this post of an EK Trip report on http://www.airliners.net. (I’ve had some fine Kenyan crew on Emirates and Etihad, so I guess the one is this trip report was having a bad day LOL)
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/150347
Be assured, The K-sistas provide some excellent service, I’ve seen both evolve and they have skiiiiills ! On another note, I’m kinda bothered when people take pictures of crew without asking. I know we’re in uniform and such but would hate seeing my face pictured all over airliners.net without prior permission, especially if it’s to bash on poor service. We’re, I’m sure, more than happy to strike the pose for these hungry reviews. And maybe if he asked prior to taking pictures it could of led to a “braking the ice” kinda conversation leading to a much better service no doubt about that.
Please, please, please, ask permission before you take picture wether you’re standing 100 meters away from the crew in the terminal with your super long range camera zooms or in the cabin close up.
In any case that was a long review.