Days 1-37 (February 10 - March 17, 2024): Transportation Log
This entry has been populated pre-trip with all pre-arranged transportation. Its purpose is to record information and stats on the physical journey around the world. It will be updated with photos of planes, trains and automobiles along the way.
We took an Uber to the airport at 7AM. The inbound aircraft was late arriving from Calgary, so we ended up leaving the gate 9:20 AM (75 minutes late) and headed for de-icing. A foggy morning in Halifax. Packed flight. The guy next to me was not into sharing the armrest and basically pushed my arm off - marking his territory! 😵💫 Takeoff was at 9:32 AM.
The flight was smooth as silk, and Mr Noodles had to suffice as nourishment! Touchdown was at 11:30 AM and gate arrival was at 11:32 AM — 37 minutes late.
Our friend, Malcolm, took this pic of our plane heading out. He was heading to NL and just missed seeing us off at the gate.
Last view of YHZ for 37 days!
The snow-covered and “veiny” terrain of the Drumheller area, east of Calgary.
The snow-covered Alberta prairie. Once we leave Canada, it’s unlikely that we will see any such snow-covered terrain for the rest of the trip.
Great snacks at the WestJet Elevation Lounge in Calgary.
Pushed back from the gate in Calgary at 3:07 PM (37 minutes late) and lifted off at 3:16 PM. We submitted a bid to upgrade to Premium Class, and it was accepted. Given the packed flight, getting to board first and find space for our bags and to have the legroom at the bulkhead of row #1 was worth it.
The flight was comfortable and smooth, and we arrived at the gate at LAX at 4:57 PM, just 10 minutes late.
As we were zooming down the runway, the seal from the overhead compartment came flying off in front of us! Westjet’s planes are showing their age.
Take-off from Calgary Airport usually affords spectacular views of downtown Calgary.
Thirty minutes south of Calgary, this Airbus A320 intersected our flight path at a flight level that seemed far too close.
The wonderful meal from Calgary to LA!
A glacier in Washington State.
The snow-capped mountains north of LA, upon descent.
LAX’s iconic control tower from the 1960s.
267KM in 24 hours.
LAX has seven terminals and is a crazy, frenetic place. But the Tom Bradley International Terminal is the granddaddy of them all and is actually quite pleasant.
The service was impeccable from beginning to end. Economy on Singapore Airlines is like business class on Air Canada. Above is the first meal service, and below is the second meal service. But it’s not just the food that sets Singapore Airlines apart: it’s the courtesy, professionalism and kindness of the attendants.
Spring Japan Airlines was new to us. But it was a perfectly smooth and easy flight.
The views of Mount Fuji were spectacular eneoure!
You know the expression, “But by the grace of God go I”? Well, that is what we are totally feeling right now. Being on a separate ticket from the first flight today, we miraculously did not have to exit through immigration and re-enter, as the Changi (Singapore) Airport rules state for those not on a through-ticket. We changed from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 without having to exit the secure area and found our gate quickly. We even had time to stop at a business lounge and get a bite!
Our pre-ordered meals of chicken dijon. Very plain.
This five hour flight was on one of Scoot’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft. I think it holds around 350 people, and it was packed to the rafters. We pushed back at 3:47 PM, just two minutes behind schedule, and lifted off at 4:01 PM. Touchdown in Singapore was at 8:38 PM, and we were at the gate by 8:43 PM. Again, just a few minutes behind schedule.
Scoot’s “oriental treasure” was not quite the treasure I was expecting.
3 1/2 hours into the flight, the Scoot crew did a trivia game, all about Asian food. They adjusted the cabin lighting to create a festive atmosphere!
As we were technically on a stopover in our Perth > Singapore > Vientiane itinerary, we were already checked in for today’s flight. We took a Grab (like an Uber) to Changi two hours before flight time, enjoyed the Rain Vortex show at The Jewel (Changi’s massive indoor garden), and after passing customs (a total automated breeze), we had lunch at the SATS Lounge.
After a great breakfast in the Sheraton Club Lounge on the 27th floor of the hotel with a stunning view of the river, we checked out and took a Grab to the airport. Although we flew into
Kathmandu’s very dated international airport.
Air India served a hot meal on the flight.
As awful as our arrival experience was in Muscat, our departure couldn’t have been more different — and positive! We left our hotel at 4AM in our rental car, and literally 25 minutes later we were cheeked in, through immigration and security and sitting in the most massive airport lounge we have ever seen at the glitzy, flashy, polished Muscat Airport.
The good news is that the change in aircraft gave us a group of three seats to ourselves. Yay! That always makes a huge difference. If you fly Economy, Qatar Airways is as good as it gets!.
There wasn’t a more remote stand at all of Hassan International Airport. A 15-minute drive from the terminal building to reach it!
We pushed back from the gate at exactly 1:00 PM and lifted off at 1:19 PM. Touchdown in Rome was at 3:54 PM and, after taxiing forever, we parked at the gate at 4:08 PM.
Pushback was a few minutes late at 12:22 PM, and liftoff was 12:40. It was a smooth flight all the way and only 60% full. We had a comfortable group of two seats in the forward Economy class with extra legroom and seats that reclined amazingly. An electrical storm an hour and a half from landing gave some near fireworks but didn’t cause turbulence. We touched down 7:35PM and rolled into the gate one minute late at 7:41PM.
Pushback was at 6:52AM - amazingly, Air Canada actually left a few minutes early. Maybe there is hope yet for our national carrier!. Liftoff was at 7:20AM, due to a long line of flights waiting to take off.
Downtown Montreal and Mount Royal. After 37 days away, it was nice to see Canadian soil. And look! Not a speck of snow anywhere to be seen!
We took an Uber to LAX at 9:30AM, arriving at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at 10AM. Check in was quick, as was security. We had a bite at the American Express Centurion Lounge and headed for the gate.
Boarding was swift and efficient for our packed flight. We are cozily seated in a group of two seats in Economy Class, of which there are only six sets of two. It makes it so much easier than a group of three on a 12 hour flight. Departure was on time — pushback at 12:43 and we were airborne at 1:02, which is nothing short of a miracle for LAX!
We landed 4:57 PM and were at gate by 5:10 PM, 20 minutes early. The international date line really messes with one’s head: we left LA lunchtime on the 12th and landed in Japan late afternoon on the 13th! Go figure! it was a long flight, but it couldn’t have been more comfortable. At 5:50 PM, we took the Crowne Plaza’s shuttle to the hotel and went to bed shortly thereafter.
Although the Economy Class configuration in Singapore Airlines’ 777 is 3-3-3, we lucked into a group of two seats at the end of the first Economy cabin. No one does cabin service like Singapore Airlines.
On final descent into Tokyo Narita.
The sun was starting to set as we were on our final descent into Tokyo Narita (an hour north of Tokyo). The agricultural land was beautiful from the air.
We fell asleep at 8PM, but by 3AM, we were wide awake! The trans-Pacific time change is the biggest shock to the system on a round-the-world journey. I got up just after 3 AM and went downstairs to the 24-hour mart in the lobby to get a banana as we were a little peckish. We get the 7AM hotel shuttle to Narita, where our Spring Japan Airlines flight to Hiroshima departed from Terminal 3.
Talk about a strict baggage policy: we had prepaid to check our roll-on suitcases, as we knew the carry-on policy was super strict. But my small knapsack weighed in at 7.34lg - just 340g over the limit - and the agent was adamant that I had to either throw out or wear 340g of its contents!
After that small drama, we had a quick Japanese breakfast. (We luckily found one place that featured a friend egg and a sausage along with rice, miso soup pickled cabbage and seaweed. So we opted for that!). Security and boarding was super efficient. The flight pushed back exactly on time at 9AM, with the utmost in Japanese efficiency. We had a row of three seats to ourselves.
We touched down 10:32AM and were at the gate 10:35AM, 10 minutes early.
In the entire transportation world, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything more efficient, on-time and simply as impressive as the Japan Railways Shinkansen trains. Known as the “bullet” trains, they travel on seamless rail lines at speeds up to 300km/h. Our train glides into Hiroshima Station at 3/26PM, and it slid out at exactly 3:28PM (its slated time). We reached Hakata Station at precisely 4:30PM, as scheduled.
Push back of the brand new Airbus A320neo (not the Airbus 321 that had been scheduled) was on time. Due to runway backlog, we didn’t take off until 7:51 PM.
The flight was half full. At check-in, We asked for a row to ourselves, so we had all six seats of the second last row!
Although it was a new plane, the seats don’t recline. Ugh!
We landed at 10:30PM and were at the gate right on time. But it took forever for them to connect to a bridge and to offload. Followed by a walk to Customs of at least a kilometre - no exaggeration. And then a 40-minute Customs wait. Manila is not a fun city at which to arrive. We didn’t enjoy the airport and its formalities the last time we were here, and this time showed no improvement.
We walked from chaotic Terminal 3 to our hotel (10 minutes away, in a fairly new hotel and entertainment district adjacent to Terminal 3) and were exhausted by the time we got to our room at 12:05 AM. Oh, and at midnight, it was 29C!
Our pre-ordered chicken, rice and bok-choy.
Pushback was exactly at 11:10 AM on schedule, with takeoff at 11:27 AM. We landed a bit early, at 12:30 PM. Flight was just half full.
Our pre-ordered Cebu Pacific sandwiches.
It was a 6:30AM rise to prepare for getting a Grab to the Mactan-Cebu Airport at 8:15AM, with a posted flight time of 10:50AM. Our stress was high, as this leg (Cebu > Singapore > Jakarta > Perth) has been the one leg that has been problematic from the start. Last fall, I booked a super-convenient Cebu > Singapore > Perth ticket on Scoot Airlines. It saw us depart 10:50AM today, arrive in Singapore 2:30PM, and then leave Singapore for Perth two hours later. Perfect, and a great deal to boot.
Late last fall, however, Scoot informed me of a schedule change that would have forced us to spend 24 hours in Singapore, and that simply did not fit our plan. So I was forced to cancel that ticket and piece together the current plan. The problem? Today’s three flights are on three different tickets and the transfer time between each is super tight. We are finding the Asian airlines very rigid when it comes to cabin bags. All that to say, we were stressed that Scoot would force us to check our bags on the Cebu > Singapore sector, which would require us to exit Customs in Singapore, collect our bags, and re-enter. And that would result in us missing the connection to Jakarta. Fortunately, and thanks to a bit of a slippery approach on our part (that is, we went to the check-in counter separately with just our small bag, while the other watched the roll-on bags), we made it onboard the Scoot flight with all our things!
The flight was packed, save for about five seats. We pushed back at 10:47AM and were airborne at 11:00AM. Touchdown in Singapore was at 2:07PM, and we were parked at the gate at 2:15PM, a few minutes ahead of schedule.
The modern international terminal at Mactan-Cebu Airport.
It was impossible to get a full view of the Airbus A320. It was not an Airbus A320neo, as shown in the schedule, but rather an older Airbus A320 model.
The flight path took us over Brunei Darussalam and over Malaysia to Singapore.
The flight pushed back at 4:19PM, nine minutes late, and lifted off 4:31PM. Touchdown in Jakarta was at 4:47PM, with a gate arrival at 4:55PM, exactly on schedule.
Now: let’s see what happens in Jakarta….
The Airbus A350 is a fairly recent addition to the Singapore Airlines fleet. It seats 310 people and was full.
We couldn’t believe that, on a flight of 1.5 hours, they served this meal in Economy! Hence why Singapore Airlines has been voted the world’s best airline.
Well, I repeat what I said in Singapore: “But by the grace of God go I!” Miracle of miracles - and it could only have been divine intervention - we made the flight in Jakarta. If I never see Jakarta airport again in this lifetime, I will shed no tears. Customs (and the need for $50 visas each just to switch terminals), the long distance walking involved, the utter lack of signage, and a supplementary screening at the gate where they pull all your stuff apart, made for a most brutal final connection on this day that has felt super long already.
Just a 4.5 hour flight to go until Perth. We were seated in different rows on this packed flight, but a young woman kindly switched up her seat so we could sit together. Push back was a few minutes early, at 7:21PM, and we lifted off at 7:37PM.
Touchdown in Perth was at 12:50AM and gate arrival was at 12:55AM, just 15 minutes behind schedule. We got an Uber to our hotel, arriving 1:42AM.
The lights of Western Australia after a very long day.
Another Scoot flight, another packed airplane. Scoot is Singapore Airlines’ low-fare side-kick, and based on the passenger loads we have experienced, they are making lots of Singapore Dollars on the operation!
We paid for priority boarding and were so happy we did. Overhead bin space was at a premium so, by getting on first, we had ample of space for our bags.
Due to an airshow taking place over Changi Airport, air traffic was backed up. Our 12:35PM push-back didn’t happen until 1:18PM, and we weren’t airborne until 1:49PM.
We touched down at 3:28 PM and Weir at the gate two minutes later. 55 minutes isn’t really a big delay, although it is the biggest delay we have seen over our 11 flights so far in the trip.
Our flight path took us over the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, then over Cambodia.
The Scoot Airlines Airbus A320, parked at Vientiane Airport.
We arrived at Vientiane Airport with lots of time to spare but ended up being the last to check-in. Despite having paid US$23 for extra kilograms for carry-on weight, they said that because one of our bags was over 10 kg, the 14 kg we paid for did not apply. So instead of giving us a credit towards a $30 checked bag, they refused and made us pay all over again! Ridiculous. Our Air Asia days are probably over for good as a result.
Another packed plane. It pushed back just a couple of minutes late but arrived on time. We flew into Bangkok’s secondary airport, built for low-fare carriers, 30 km west of the city core. After getting some money changed and collecting our bags, we jumped in a rideshare car and headed straight to the Sheraton, where we were welcomed with an early check-in and an upgrade to a river view room on the 25th floor. That sure made up for the crappy customer service we received from Air Asia.
Giant shrimp in a thin egg wrap for breakfast. Oh well - it was better than an empty stomach!
Our Air Asia Airbus A320 is parked at the jetway on the left. It’s hard to see what it looks like, but the Air Asia Airbus A320 on the right is an exact duplicate.
Don Mueang International, we flew out of the main Bangkok airport — Suvarnabhumi. It took about 25 minutes to arrive. What a massive airport operation! Check-in, security and immigration were quick and easy. We spent some time in the Coral Business Lounge before heading to the gate. The Thai Airways A320-200 was parked at a remote stand, so a bus drove us out there 30 minutes before departure. We actually pushed back at 10:06AM, nine minutes early. Liftoff was at 10:20AM.
The flight was pretty full, with just a few empty seats. (We were seated in the first row of economy class; only one of the 18 class seats in business class was taken.)
A wonderful lunch of red curry was served, as per Thai Airways’ usual high standard. (Despite their situation of being on the verge of bankruptcy, things felt normal.)
We landed at 12:16PM, nine minutes early. We were very confused about the time when we landed, as we later figured out that Nepal is on a time change that is one hour and 15 minutes behind Bangkok. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a 15-minute time zone change anywhere in the world.
The airport in Kathmandu was built in 1955, so it really felt like an old relic when it comes to international travel. We got through the formalities, bought a SIM card, and paid for a taxi ($7USD) to the hotel. Within an hour we were at the Aloft Kathmandu Hotel and had already experienced our first nail-biter session of Kathmandu traffic!
The red curry was actually quite delicious.
Let’s be clear: Nepal is not for the faint of heart. And even flying out of Nepal is not for those who need to be pampered. The airport is old and the security procedures are arduous.
That’s just a word of pretext!
At 1PM, we took a Pathao (ride-share app) from the hotel to the airport. Traffic was not great but not horrible - it took 25 minutes. After immigration and before security, we found a good business lounge for lunch before the first security screening and boarding a bus to a remote stand. If you look at the photo of the haggard Air India Airbus A320, there is like a little ‘train’ before the boarding steps. Inside that train, all carry-ons were opened manually and everyone received another pat down. Pretty crazy.
We pushed back at 3:28PM and took off 3:39PM.
This is by far the dirtiest airplane we have ever set foot on. And the coughers around us are the worst we have experienced on our trip to date.
The flight arrived at Indira Ghandi International
Airport in Delhi 25 minutes early. The coughing and snorting all around us was truly awful. We did mask up and kept the air vents on our faces, but if we evade the bugs from this flight, it will be sheer divine intervention.
Indira Ghandi International Airport’s International Terminal is quite impressive. But our experience was 0 on a scale of 1-10. Before giving that rating, I asked myself, “David, are you just been critical because you’re tired and grumpy? Or is that founded?” I concluded that it is indeed a rating that is founded.
We were on one Air India ticket, so we just passed through the International Transfers desk. What should have taken no time at all took 75 minutes. After the Transfer desk checked our passports, we had to endure a security check that is unparalleled anywhere on Planet Earth. As in Kathmandu, every traveler is subject to a thorough pat-down. But that wasn’t the worst part. Our bags had to go through four times. They tore our packs apart. Every cord, every device, every battery, every scrap of metal had to come out. I had a clipboard in my bag, and they were adamant that I was carrying something illiegitmate. It was the clip on the clipboard! By the time we got through the lineup and the “shredding”, we had had it.
It was an overt example of racial profiling. I’m not sure if it was because our Canadian passports or the fact that we were the only Caucasians in the lineup, but no one else was subjected to anything like the search applied to us.
The packed flight pushed back at 7:30PM (10 minutes behind schedule) and lifted off at 7:50PM. After the nonstop coughing and hacking experience from Kathmandu to Deli, we ended up with a toddler, baby and a hacking and sneezing set of parents behind us on the four-hour flight. Kicking of the seat backs, slamming of the table trays, hacking…. It was truly four hours of agony. I know it sounds like a big whine, but when you are in close proximity to two people who are literally a couple of feet away and are coughing and sneezing incessantly — with no covering of their mouths, I have to add! — you feel very helpless to protect yourself.
We arrived at the gate in Muscat at 9:55PM, 20 minutes late. And then began another set of ordeals that put the icing on the cake…. Read below.
The Air India meal on the second flight was quite similar to that of the first flight, except it included a cup of Dahl (the white yoghurt-like substance).
We got off the second Air India flight and almost broke down, such was our stress at that point. But we took a deep breath and said, “OK, that’s all behind us now — onward!” Well, our forced positivity came to an abrupt halt a few minutes later when we arrived at the Muscat Immigration queue and saw an endless line of foreigners waiting for a Visa On Arrival. It took 1 1/4 hours to get through the line.
Another breath of positivity, and we exited baggage claim and headed to EuropCar for our rental. There are eight car rental agencies at Muscat Airport, seven of them had no one waiting. EuropCar had a long queue! It took 45 minutes to get our car. We headed off to get our car in the parking garage at 12:05AM, over two hours after landing.
As we started to leave, we realized our e-SIM card wasn’t working, so we had no data. Pam activated her phone’s roaming plan and again, no data. We had no idea where we were going, but we set off on the freeway anyway. We drove several kilometers and realized we were totally lost. Somehow, we we found out how to return to the airport, headed back, parked the car, went back into the terminal (and we are talking a massive airport here) and found a place to buy an Omani SIM card. It was 1:30AM by the time we get data on the phone and set off again, under the guidance of Google Maps. At 2AM, we arrived at the Sheraton Oman.
It was the worst and most distressing part of the trip to date.
It’s interesting that, at 5:15AM, the Muslim call to prayer was played over the public address system. That is a first for us in an international airport. And it just goes to show how religion and state are completely
intertwined in Oman.
Our ticket is a Qatar Airways ticket, but it showed as being operated by its partner, Oman Air, on a 2-4-2 configuration Airbus A330. However, when we got to the gate, a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 (3-4-3 configuration) was sitting there.
Pushback was two minutes early, at 5:53 AM and liftoff was at 6:09 AM. Doha touchdown was at 6:24 AM (Doha is ann hour earlier than Muscat) and gate arrival was at 6:31 AM.
The sparkling, polished marble at Muscat Airport’s departures canopy is a foreshadowing of the glitz and glamour inside the terminal. You almost get the impression they are competing with the other wealthy Gulf states (Qatar, UAE, etc.) to show their relative wealth and class.
What was supposed to be an Oman Air Airbus A330, turned out to be a Qatar Airways Boeing 777!
Despite it being a short flight, Qatar Airways served a small breakfast. And talk about brilliant! This small package has a fruit salad, yogurt and a Mediterranean salad, with a croissant and orange juice on the side, and a fork/spoon combo neatly tucked into the box.
Our stay at Hamad International Airport in Doha went by quickly. It’s a massive, luxurious terminal that the Qataris have poured a fortune into, and we always enjoy passing through. This was our seventh time passing through Doha is the last three years!
We went to the Al Maha Business Lounge, which was overstuffed with too many people, many of whom were hacking their heads off. Enough time for a bowl of cereal (you take cereal when you can find it in the Middle East!) and we were off to our gate. The flight to Tunis was packed, and the boarding process was a chaotic zoo, as we had to board buses for a remote stand, and the gate agents were agressively forcing people to check their roll-on bags at the gate, which people were very angry about. We have taken buses to remote stands many times over the years, but this bus ride was insane: we went to the furthest part of the airport’s turf — it took 15 minutes to get there, so far it was! The flight was supposed to be operated by Oman Air for Qatar Airways, but what we found was a Qatar Airways aircraft and flight crew. We settled into our cluster of two seats (the Airbus A330 is a 2-4-2 configuration) and enjoyed the long flight.
We pushed back at 9:29AM (24 minutes late), lifted off at 9:47AM, touched down at 1:44PM and were parked at the gate 1:51PM. The pilot was deeply apologetic for the 31 minute late arrival. We laughed to ourselves as, in Canada, flights rarely arrive on time. And flight crews hardly ever apologize! Even a three-hour delay in Canada is unlikely to result in an apology from the pilot!
Within minutes of landing at Tunis-Carthage International Airport, we realized things were a wee bit tired and worn. Having miraculously been allowed to carry on our bags in Doha, we cleared Immigration quickly, found a SIM card and changed some Canadian Dollars into Tunisian Dinars. We did, however, find out that there is a complicated process to register your phone with the Tunisian Government upon arrival. That process ended up taking almost an hour. So, by the time we got it straightened out and into a Bolt (taxi), it was 90-minutes after arrival.
No stop in Doha, no matter how brief, can be made without taking a picture of the giant teddy bear lamp. This is perhaps the most famous item at Hamad International Airport. Completed by artist Urs Fischer in 2006, it was purchased in 2011 by the airport for a cool US$6.8 million. It weighs 20 tons!
The meal served by Qatar Airways on the six hour flight.
Having scraped up enough Tunisian Dinars to pay the cab fare to the airport, we jumped in a Bolt (taxi) at 9:30AM and were at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport 15 minutes later. It’s a busy spot, but it’s truly an airport from the 1970s masquerading as a facility that is equipped to handle 2024 traffic and travel needs. Check-in was a breeze, and the Royal Air Moroc check-in clerk couldn’t care less about us wanting to take all our carry-ons on board. Immigration and security were a breeze, so we stopped in for a cappuccino at an overly busy and outdated business lounge before heading to the gate.
We boarded 45 minutes in advance of the flight, which pushed back at 11:47AM, a few minutes early, and lifted off at 11:55AM. The flight was about 90% full. The Boeing 737-800 was — like Tunis — very, very tired. But it served the purpose for the three-hour zip to Casablanca. We were served a hot meal enroute.
Touchdown was at 2:58PM, and we parked at the gate at Mohammed V International Airport at 3:03PM, just eight minutes late.
Immigration took a while, but once we cleared it, we got some money changed into Morocco Durham and bought a SIM card. We then ordered a rideshare to get to our hotel in downtown Casablanca. And that’s when the trouble started: the young woman who accepted our request via the rideshare app, got arrested by the police for having tried to pick up passengers at the airport, which (who knew!) is illegal. So it was all a bit of a to do.
Tunis-Carthage International Airport
I cannot remember the last time an airplane I traveled on had flip-down screens like these!
Not a bad meal of chicken and potatoes!
While this aircraft displayed the most recent livery of Royal Air Moroc, it was a pretty worn Boeing Out one of the tours 737–800
Immigration in Rome was completely digital for Canadians, so we were through that line in a minute. We bought tickets on the FL1 regional train to Tiribini station where we connected to the metro. We arrived at the hotel at 6:25 PM.
This was our earliest rise to date on the trip: up at 2:15 AM for a 6AM flight to Lisbon. Our taxi was at the hotel door at 3:15 and by 3:45, we had covered the 40km distance and were at Rome’s Fiumicino International Airporr, one of two airports serving the city. As it was for a flight to the EU “Schengen” area, no immigrations was required. We had a nice breakfast at the Premium plaza Lounge and then headed for our gate. Fiumicino is a clean, modern, sleek airport showing chic Italian design - but not the dripping luxury of airports like Doha and Dubai.
Having been serenaded as we boarded by a classical pianist playing the grand piano next to our boarding gate, by 5:30 we were in our seats on the 80% filled Airbus. The injustice of the robbery on the train pummelled our brains all night, so exhaustion was the name of the game on the flight to Lisbon, and excitement for the day ahead in one of our favourite cities was hard to muster.
Pushback was exactly on time at 6:05AM, and liftoff was at 6:22 AM. Touch down was at 8:17 AM, and gate arrival at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado International Airport was at 8:22 AM, just a few minutes behind schedule.
The flight was smooth and quiet. Inflight service was limited to a pay-for-everything cart. A free glass of water was provided on request. How things have gone to the dogs with air travel in Europe. And TAP Air Portugal is even a StarAlliance carrier!
We enjoyed a leisurely morning with a nice breakfast at the hotel. At 10 AM, we got a Bolt drive to the airport. We just had enough time to get through all the formalities before boarding started at 11:15 AM.
We hired a driver from the hotel just to be extra cautious. He drove two hours up from Santos on the coast and met us when we got through customs. We set off for the two hour drive to Santos at 8:37 PM.
The very clean and comfortable Airbus A330neo was parked at a remote stand.
The flight was only about 60% full. There was lots of room to spread out. We had originally been placed in the middle of a group of four seats next to the bathroom, but the gate agent kindly moved us to some extra legroom seats in a group of two.
The main food tray was quite delicious. I had chili, Pam had tortellini. An hour before landing, they gave a nice snack box with a sandwich, salad, and muffin.
This was the first time we had crossed the Atlantic from Europe to South America.
A lightning flash during an electrical storm about an hour and a half from São Paulo.
Pushback was at 7:22AM, with liftoff at 7:40. Touchdown was at 11:08, and gate arrival at 11:15. (Bogotá is two hours behind São Paulo.)
While a Dreamliner is a lovely airplane, due to being a wide body, the flight was packed, and Avianca provides no complimentary in-flight service. They will give you a glass of water if you ask for one. So that all makes it a little less enjoyable and comfy.
We spent time in both the COPA Airlines Lounge and the LATAM Airlines Lounge in Bogotá, which made up for the lack of service on the Avianca flight. The time in Bogota passed quickly, and soon we were boarding the next flight.
Avianca Dreamliner. It was impossible to get a clear shot, due to the terminal windows having bars in them.
The route from São Paulo to Bogotá truly crosses the continent of South America.
Pushback was at 2:19PM and liftoff at 2:46PM. Touchdown in Mexico City was at 6:21PM (Mexico City is an hour behind Bogotá) and gate arrival was slightly late, at 6:25PM.
It felt like it had been a long day already when we boarded this flight, so by the time we arrived in Mexico City, we were done done done!
Upon descent into Mexico City, we flew just west of the Popocatépetl Volcano, which erupted last week to the degree that flights had to be diverted into Mexico City due to the risk posed by the ash.
We got some money changed by a very rude person in a money-change kiosk and ordered an Uber to the hotel. But it was 7PM when we got in the Uber, and rush hour was still in full force. It took an hour to cover the distance that normally takes 15 minutes. We were pleased at the upgrade to a huge suite at the Courtyard by Marriott. Room service was the order of the day at that point, and we were happy to put the day behind us.
The neat design of the air traffic control tower at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. I took the same picture in February 2023 when we visited Bogotá - I love that the tower and the national flag go as a pair.
Popocatépetl Bolcano, 70km southwest of Mexico City, has started to erupt. It got so bad last week that the Mexico City airspace had to be closed.
We strategically chose the window and aisle seats, in the faint hope that no one would take the middle. The gamble paid off: despite the packed flight, one of the only couple of vacant seats was the middle seat between us! So we enjoyed a whole row to ourselves for the five-hour flight.
Unfortunately, the collapsible handle of my roll-on bag broke as we were boarding and I couldn’t push it down. Also miraculously, the flight attendants didn’t cause a stir and let me put it in the overhead compartment with the handle sticking up!
The amount of constant hacking and counting from the two people directly behind us and a lady across from us was unbelievable Look, I know people cannot help it if they are sick. But for heaven’s sake, don’t be so rude and inconsiderate as to not wear a mask! An eight-year old, I could understand. But grown adults? Seriously people, were you raised by wolves?! ðŸ˜
Just had to get that off my chest. Five hours of two people coughing on your head is not a pleasant experience. It was a flashback to our two Air India flights (Kathmandu > Delhi > Muscat) on March 3rd, from which we are still traumatized.
Anyway, we touched down in Montreal at 1:30PM and were parked at the gate at 1:35PM - 25 minutes early. Well done, Air Canada.
The Boeing 737 Max parked at Montreal.
We touched down at a rainy Halifax Airport at 9:18PM and were parked at the gate at 9:25PM, 34 minutes late.
Our friends, Mel and Juliet, met us to drive us home. How kind!
We are officially done with planes. For a while. 🤪
A rainstorm moved in as we waited for our flight to
Halifax. A partial rainbow appeared - a ‘welcome home to Canada’ wish from the Almighty, we feel!
The inbound Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319 pulling in to Gate 47.
That’s how we looked at Montreal Airport, upon arrival back in Canada, 37 days after leaving Halifax.
6 continents;
15 countries (plus 4 more for flight transfers);
25 flights, 3 rental cars, 1 bullet train;
19 hotels;
87 taxis / ride-shares, plus countless subway / bus / ferry transit rides;
0 cancelled / missed flights;
3 flights more than 30 minutes late, but less than 60; and
66,368 kilometres flown.
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