The flight was relatively uneventful.
Yoni assisted me with the bookings and all went well.
I flew Sydney to Singapore on Qantas QF5. Left Sydney on time at 3:50 pm on Tuesday and arrived at Changi airport in Singapore at 9:55 pm local time. Actually took just over eight hours flying time though, and thanks to Yoni, I was in Premium Economy. 6289 km on a Boing 747-400. Very comfy seats. Just a shame the turkey in front of me was lying flat, and on top of me for the entire trip. He even somehow managed to tip a full glass of water into my lap. Not a very fortuitous start to the trip.
After some inedible food at Swensen's (San Francisco style dining 'ahem') and a Caramel Frappuccino with extra cream at Terminal 2's Starbucks, I was ready for anything.
At 6:25 am Wednesday morning, after trying to sleep across a row of four plastic benches through the night in the transit hall, I boarded a Silk Air Airbus A320 for the very quick flight to Kuala Lumpur. Less than an hour later I was at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and was met at the gate by a very obliging Malaysian boy who hustled me from Terminal 3 to Terminal M. We seemed to walk for ages, and then caught the Aerotrain which shuttles passengers between the main terminal and the satellite building. The layover was an hour and twenty minutes, but I spent most of that time rushing to the satellite building, and organising a new boarding pass. KLIA is a huge airport, and I'm not sure I would have made the connecting flight without the assistance.
By 8:40 am our flight was all ready to take off for Delhi. Malaysian Airlines this time and another 3,874 km by Boeing 737-800. The flight was scheduled to land 5 and a half hours later at Indian local time 11:40 am. I was surrounded on both sides by heavily tattooed Indians. The flight was ok though, apart from the lack of any proper in flight movies. I treated myself to some curried vegetables for breakfast, and filled out my Indian entry forms. Screaming babies entertained the passengers through the flight and the trip seemed to take ages, but we landed on time. The air was heavy with heat and humidity.
I was prepared for chaos, but Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport was, although massive, relatively well organised, and easy to navigate.
Once outside the immigration hall, I was almost immediately met by a driver from Koenig, who was very helpful. We walked about 10 minutes to his van, he apologised for the heat (which reached 35'), and he drove me to my accommodation.
The ride was, as could be expected, "interesting". There were no real eye openers though. We've all seen movies of Delhi traffic, and it was just as I'd expected. Crazy...
Lots of motorcyclists, auto-rickshaws, cars, trucks and buses, all vying for the same piece of road. A number of motorcyclists had their wives sitting side saddle, with babies being nursed as the bikes constantly jostled for position, along with the other traffic. Amazing that no-one seems to collide.
My driver had never made a drop off to the Doubletree Hilton before, and doubted that he'd been to that part of the city before. He had to stop by the roadside to ask directions on a couple of occasions. Still, my driver drove well, and after 40 minutes he dropped me off at the hotel. Interestingly, there is strong security at the hotel. Barriers, gates and security guards armed with mirrors on trollies that were used to check the underneath of our van before we were let into the 'complex'.
Once in, the Hotel appeared very comfortable. New, probably just recently built for last year's Commonwealth Games. A good 'business class' hotel, filled with eager staff.
After checking in, my bags were taken to the room. I had a shower, bliss !!, a bit of a rest, and then went downstairs for a bit of dinner. I stuck with the western food tonight. Experiments with Indian food can wait till tomorrow. Nicely cooked rack of lamb was on my menu, and once digested with a quick read of the "Times of India", I headed upstairs for an early night's rest.
Yoni assisted me with the bookings and all went well.
I flew Sydney to Singapore on Qantas QF5. Left Sydney on time at 3:50 pm on Tuesday and arrived at Changi airport in Singapore at 9:55 pm local time. Actually took just over eight hours flying time though, and thanks to Yoni, I was in Premium Economy. 6289 km on a Boing 747-400. Very comfy seats. Just a shame the turkey in front of me was lying flat, and on top of me for the entire trip. He even somehow managed to tip a full glass of water into my lap. Not a very fortuitous start to the trip.
After some inedible food at Swensen's (San Francisco style dining 'ahem') and a Caramel Frappuccino with extra cream at Terminal 2's Starbucks, I was ready for anything.
At 6:25 am Wednesday morning, after trying to sleep across a row of four plastic benches through the night in the transit hall, I boarded a Silk Air Airbus A320 for the very quick flight to Kuala Lumpur. Less than an hour later I was at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and was met at the gate by a very obliging Malaysian boy who hustled me from Terminal 3 to Terminal M. We seemed to walk for ages, and then caught the Aerotrain which shuttles passengers between the main terminal and the satellite building. The layover was an hour and twenty minutes, but I spent most of that time rushing to the satellite building, and organising a new boarding pass. KLIA is a huge airport, and I'm not sure I would have made the connecting flight without the assistance.
By 8:40 am our flight was all ready to take off for Delhi. Malaysian Airlines this time and another 3,874 km by Boeing 737-800. The flight was scheduled to land 5 and a half hours later at Indian local time 11:40 am. I was surrounded on both sides by heavily tattooed Indians. The flight was ok though, apart from the lack of any proper in flight movies. I treated myself to some curried vegetables for breakfast, and filled out my Indian entry forms. Screaming babies entertained the passengers through the flight and the trip seemed to take ages, but we landed on time. The air was heavy with heat and humidity.
I was prepared for chaos, but Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport was, although massive, relatively well organised, and easy to navigate.
Once outside the immigration hall, I was almost immediately met by a driver from Koenig, who was very helpful. We walked about 10 minutes to his van, he apologised for the heat (which reached 35'), and he drove me to my accommodation.
The ride was, as could be expected, "interesting". There were no real eye openers though. We've all seen movies of Delhi traffic, and it was just as I'd expected. Crazy...
Lots of motorcyclists, auto-rickshaws, cars, trucks and buses, all vying for the same piece of road. A number of motorcyclists had their wives sitting side saddle, with babies being nursed as the bikes constantly jostled for position, along with the other traffic. Amazing that no-one seems to collide.
My driver had never made a drop off to the Doubletree Hilton before, and doubted that he'd been to that part of the city before. He had to stop by the roadside to ask directions on a couple of occasions. Still, my driver drove well, and after 40 minutes he dropped me off at the hotel. Interestingly, there is strong security at the hotel. Barriers, gates and security guards armed with mirrors on trollies that were used to check the underneath of our van before we were let into the 'complex'.
Once in, the Hotel appeared very comfortable. New, probably just recently built for last year's Commonwealth Games. A good 'business class' hotel, filled with eager staff.
After checking in, my bags were taken to the room. I had a shower, bliss !!, a bit of a rest, and then went downstairs for a bit of dinner. I stuck with the western food tonight. Experiments with Indian food can wait till tomorrow. Nicely cooked rack of lamb was on my menu, and once digested with a quick read of the "Times of India", I headed upstairs for an early night's rest.
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