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A Hundred and Sixteen and Counting! A Trip through My Trip Reports since 2012

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  • #61
    101. A Tourist in My Own Country - 3 Singapore Staycations (Andaz, InterCon RQ, Conrad) (January 2019)

    Another genre bender TR here...I didn't fly anywhere in this trip report (Do pictures of the Singapore Flyer count?...)...

    Regulars on SQTalk will know that my work takes me to different countries. I take the occasional hard-earned vacation too. But as someone who calls Singapore home, one slight regret I have always had is that I have not stayed at too many of the wonderful hotels in Singapore.

    That changed last year, in 2019, when, in order to keep several hotel loyalty program accounts from expiring, I had the altogether pleasant task of redeeming points for one night hotel stays at three different properties over three consecutive weekends in January this year, with the last stay just crossing into February 2019.

    The three hotels:

    1. Andaz Singapore (Hyatt)
    2. InterContinental Robertson Quay (IHG)
    3. Conrad Centennial Singapore (Hilton)

    In the previous year, I had concentrated my stays in Starwood and Marriott properties, and had neglected the care and feeding of these other loyalty programmes. I stood to forfeit both the accounts, and the points in those accounts if I did not incur some earn/burn activity.

    I actually had until May 2019 to stay at a Hyatt property, with IHG and Hilton expiring in February. However, I got my dates mixed up and inadvertently booked the InterContinental a week later than my intended stay, double booked in the same week as the Hilton Singapore.

    I only realised the date mix-up as I was driving to the hotel to check in...with all luggage packed, and Mrs yflyer and Miss yflyer no.2 in the car, all ready for a weekend away from home...

    I don't know why I decided to check the dates on my IHG mobile app on my (dash-mounted handsfree) iPhone as I drove on the ECP towards the city and the InterContinental Robertson Quay. Perhaps it was because I didn't get the usual pre-arrival emails that accompany almost every hotel stay these days...

    The IHG App confirmed my worst fears. Horrors...I had a confirmed stay at the InterCon, but it was for the same day a week from today!

    "Errr....I booked the wrong date, it's booked for next week..." I announced...

    Stunned silence in the car...

    Mild snickering ensued...in the family I have a bit of a reputation as "Mr Organized"...I NEVER mess up travel plans...not until today anyway...I would never live it down...

    Time to whip out the IRROPS playbook! What happens when the unexpected strikes on any trip? Time to improvise...

    Still on the road (And with a hands-free mounted iPhone, I emphasize...)...I called the InterContinental....

    "Any rooms free tonight?"...No was the answer. Ditto the Hilton, and also the Conrad.

    In the city, driving along Victoria Street, I turn the car round and prepared to head for home...

    "Still one card up my sleeve!" I declared to the passengers in the car (With car doors locked, although they did not accuse me of attempting a kidnap*...)...

    I pulled the car over to the kerb close to Arab street and North Bridge Road, opened my World of Hyatt App on the iPhone and typed "Andaz"...

    A room redemption at the Andaz Singapore was available that night! I booked it in the app on the spot.

    And 5 minutes later, we pulled up at the entrance of the Andaz. I turned to Mrs yflyer and Miss yflyer no.2...

    "We're here!" I declared, with a big grin...

    "We're here already?"...Miss yflyer no.2 said, eyes wide in amazement...

    Our first stop: The Andaz Singapore...



    Also covered, the Intercontinental Robertson Quay...



    ...and the Conrad Centennial...



    ...and some of Singapore's sights and sounds...

    Last edited by yflyer; 20 June 2020, 12:21 PM.

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    • #62
      102. 7 Days in Lisbon, 8 Hours in London: Qantas A380 Y, Heathrow Lounges, TAP to Lisbon (March 2019)

      In March 2019, I made a business trip to Lisbon, the beautiful, romantic capital city of Portugal.

      While there were many one-stop flight options to get from Singapore to Lisbon, I decided to fly there via London, on an unusual airline combination of Qantas on the SIN-LHR sector and then LHR-LIS on TAP Air Portugal.

      Why would anyone do that? Qantas was Oneworld, TAP was Star Alliance. My London and Lisbon sectors were on separate tickets. I would need to transfer between terminals in LHR. This combination of tickets would take longer, time-wise, than a single carrier or single airline alliance ticket. The transfer process would also not be seamless. And there was an element of risk involved: With separate tickets, if a delay caused a missed connection in LHR, I was out of luck -- unlike a single ticket, the airline(s) would have no obligation to get me to my final destination, Lisbon.

      But I had enough time on my hands, and I had the right precautions in place, such as travelling with hand luggage only to avoid the hassle of interline luggage, and ample buffer time for my LHR connection. Some folks might say my transit/buffer times were over-cautious, even excessive, but those hours in transit were very well spent! So this itinerary was eminently do-able. Cost wise, the total ticket price was very reasonable as well.

      Of course there were other reasons as well for this itinerary...

      I was keen to fly QF's A380 again on the SIN-LHR segment of the Kangaroo Route. I missed out on this for that dark 5 year period when Qantas switched from Singapore to Dubai as their transit hub on the Kangaroo Route. When they realized that pax actually much preferred connecting to London via SIN than DXB, and were voting with their feet, making BA's SYD-SIN-LHR a top performing route, for example, they switched back to SIN. This would be my first opportunity in a long time to fly the Qantas A380 to London -- I was looking forward to revisiting one of my favourite aircraft types on this sector.



      In order to avoid a misconnect, and to allow time to transfer from LHR T3 to T2, I had very generous transit times built into my schedule. This meant that I had the opportunity to check out LH and UA Lounges in Heathrow T2, the main terminal for Star Alliance carriers in LHR.

      I then flew TAP to Lisbon, where I spent a week. I had time in between work and meetings to see the sights in this stunningly beautiful city...



      ...and to head out for runs, meals and maybe a drink or two...



      And then it was back to Heathrow on TAP, where an 8 hour transit stop meant that I could head into London, and spend some time in this wonderful city.

      In London, I snagged a last minute reservation at Ottolenghi's in Spitalfields for lunch...



      After lunch, I took a long walk along the Thames, to revisit many of my favourite sights and places...

      Although this time round, my walk along the Thames took an unexpected turn, when i found myself wandering into the the closing stages of the London Brexit "Remain" march/demonstration on Saturday, 23 March...



      I eventually managed to get through the (peaceful, even cheerful) crowds of marchers to get to an open tube station to Paddington, in order to catch the Heathrow Express to return to Heathrow T3 for my flight home on Qantas that evening, and also had time to check out the Qantas Lounge in LHR before boarding QF2 to Singapore.

      In all a memorable week in Lisbon and London.

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      • #63
        Jewel Preview (April 2019)

        I visited Jewel at Changi Airport on the evening of 16 April, on the final preview day before the complex opened to the public on 17 April.

        I had just landed from Manila at 6pm, and as I was in transit, with a boarding pass for my flight to Kuala Lumpur the next morning, I was able to obtain a QR code/ticket for the preview in the airside area of T2. QR code in hand, I cleared immigration and headed landside to visit Jewel.



        103. SQ117 KUL-SIN in SIA's Regional A350 Y (April 2019)

        The day after I visited the Jewel preview, I flew to Kuala Lumpur, and a day after tha I headed back to Singapore.

        My KUL-SIN flight, SQ117, was operated by an Airbus A350-900 configured in SIA's new 2-class regional configuration, with 40 Business Class (J) seats and 263 Economy Class (Y) Seats.

        In this short TR, l shared my brief impressions of the Y cabin product on this regional A359, which has the latest generation Y seat (Similar to SQ's 787-10 Y, and new A380 Y). This configuration is different from SQ's long haul A359s, which have the 2013 J and Y cabin products, as well as a PEY cabin.



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        • #64
          104. UA2 SIN-SFO 787-9 Polaris Business to San Francisco, Baseball and Yo-Yo Ma in Chicago (June 2019)

          Having done several nonstop round trips to the West Coast of the USA from Singapore, I feel quite comfortable declaring that as far as travelling SIN-SFO is concerned, nonstop is the way to go. Whatever your class of service, boarding in Singapore and deplaning in San Francisco 15 hours later is just so much more pleasant than having to deal with the hassle of an intermediate stop.



          Before this trip, my previous three round trips were in UA 787-9 Economy (Y) on the SIN-SFO and SIN-LAX sectors, and SQ A350 Premium Economy (PEY) SIN-SFO. I found these trips quite comfortable, even in economy/premium. But what was the business class experience like?

          Earlier this month, I flew on UA2, United's nonstop service from Singapore to San Francisco, in Business Class.





          I spent a few days in San Francisco...



          ...before heading to Chicago.



          Till that point, the trip had proceeded like clockwork. However, on my return sector, ORD-SFO-SIN in United Economy, a delayed ORD-SFO leg snowballed into a misconnect and a missed SFO-SIN flight.

          Thankfully this whole sector was on a single ticket, which meant it was UA's responsibility to get me safely back to Singapore, which they eventually did...more on that experience in this TR...

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          • #65
            105. Three A350s and a Dreamliner: Regional Flights in Asia with SQ, TG and CX (July 2019)

            In a recent TR on a trip to the USA, I recounted my experience on a 4+ hour SFO-ORD sector in economy, which was a good flight, but one flown on a narrowbody 737, where the only complimentary F&B comprised soft beverages and a packet of pretzels.

            In that TR, I wrote: "It was ok, as long as you didn't compare it to a 3 or 4 hour international sector out of Singapore, where on SQ and many other international airlines, you would be on a widebody jet, and wined and dined with a full meal service and a free flow of complimentary liquor."

            This TR aims to cover this regional travel experience in economy class (And in one case, premium economy) on full service airlines in Asia.

            In the month of July 2019, I flew SIN-JKT-BKK-SIN on Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, and then SIN-BKK-HKG-KUL-SIN on Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon and SIA.

            I flew some of these airlines' newest equipment types...

            SQ's regional A359...



            TG's 788 Dreamliner and A359...



            CX's A359 in Premium Economy...



            It was interesting to compare these three airlines' products on these flights.

            The remaining sectors were flown on A330's, which still form a major part of the fleets of CX, KA and SQ. I'll share an opinion on how big (or small) the difference is between cabin products on the older workhorse, A330, vs the shiny new A359s and Dreamliners.

            On this trip, I finally got to experience the amazing new Changi Airport Terminal 4...



            ...and the Cathay Pacific Lounge in Changi T4, when I flew to BKK on CX.



            I also got to spent time in the the new Saphire/Plaza Premium Lounge at JKT T3, which is the designated lounge for TG and SQ flights there.

            Flights and Lounges aside, I stayed at the JW Marriott in Jakarta, the Bangkok Marriott Sukhumvit, as well as the W Kuala Lumpur...



            No hotel in Hong Kong? There is an interesting story there: As in my previous USA TR, my trip did not go quite according to plan...

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            • #66
              106. On SIA's 787-10 Dreamliner to Bangkok and Back (August 2019)

              In August 2019, I finally had the opportunity to fly SIA's Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner again, after a long period where all my flights booked on SQ's 787-10 were substituted for other equipment types, while issues with their Rolls Royce Trent 1000 TEN engines were being rectified.

              I booked these flights on SQ to Bangkok -- my third trip to Bangkok over a period of 4 weeks, with my previous trips to BKK done on TG and CX. This would be a great opportunity to compare my experience on SQ to Bangkok with the experience on these other carriers.

              My SQ ticket was an economy ticket, but I made a low-ish bid for a one-way business class upgrade on the SIN-BKK sector, and a few days later, I was happy to receive an email indicating that my bid had been accepted.

              So this TR covers SIN-BKK on SQ 787-10 Business Class...



              The return sector BKK-SIN was in Economy Class, where I did not bid for an upgrade.



              Why didn't I bid for an upgrade on the BKK-SIN sector? A simple reason: I had never flown SQ's 787-10 economy class product before, and I was keen to fly in economy, to see how SQ's economy class stacked up against other 787 economy class cabins.

              Coverage as well of the Marriott Bangkok Sukhumvit...



              ...and the wonderful SilverKris Lounge in Bangkok...

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              • #67
                107. SIA 777-300ER Premium Economy on SQ2 SIN-HKG and a night at the W Hong Kong (August 2019)

                Just off SQ973 BKK-SIN at 1pm on August 14th 2019, I stepped into Terminal 3 of Changi Airport with a decision to make: Should I, or should I not, head to Hong Kong on SQ2 SIN-HKG that same evening...

                In the SilverKris Lounge in BKK a few hours earlier, the newspapers on the rack all told the same story...



                Earlier in the week in HKG, flights had been cancelled, and check-ins stopped because of the ongoing disruption. That was, in fact why I opted to make a transit stop back home in Singapore Changi, making a giant detour, rather than booking a flight straight from Bangkok to Hong Kong, which would have been a no-brainer in normal times. But these were not normal times.

                I am a cautious traveller, and would never take chances with my safety, but I am also practical, not paranoid. I headed to Berlin not long after the Christmas terror attacks in 2016, and I recently also headed to Jakarta despite the occasional, isolated demonstration, as the risk on those occasions was felt to be minimal, or at the very least manageable.

                So although there were disturbances ongoing in Hong Kong, a brief consultation with my colleagues in Hong Kong told me that that the situation was now stable and that the airport was operating normally that day. I would also spend my time on this short trip just on the Kowloon side, which at that point, was not a flashpoint for any trouble.

                "Everything is normal today, so yes, the meeting is on tomorrow. Please come..." my colleagues said.

                "OK great! See you tomorrow!"

                So my trip to Hong Kong was on...

                I flew up on SQ2 in Premium Economy...



                And stayed at one of my favourite hotels: the W in Kowloon...

                Last edited by yflyer; 21 June 2020, 04:07 PM.

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                • #68
                  108. SQ to Manila: Comparing the Old to the New (April and October 2019)

                  As I looked out of the window of seat 12K of SQ915 MNL-SIN as it taxied to the runway for my flight back to Singapore, I observed the familiar brown polygonal structures of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.



                  That terminal sure brought back memories. I had flown out of that terminal on many occasions in the past, most recently in 2014, just before SQ shifted operations to Terminal 3. And long before that, I had travelled to Manila for work on many other occasions, on aircraft including old types like SQ's Airbus A310, which have long since left the fleet.

                  My flight that day in April 2019 was in a refitted 777-300, configured with a Regional J seat...



                  Returning to Manila after a break of a few years, I found that a lot had changed in this bustling metropolis. While I previously spent almost all my time in Makati, in the heart of Manila, I have recently been spending a lot of time in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), which is a new financial and lifestyle district in Manila, just east of Makati. In Manila, I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC, a wonderful hotel with very nice rooms and F&B.





                  In October 2019, I was back in Manila again, but this time I flew on SIA's brand new 787-10 Dreamliners, in Economy Class.



                  In this TR, I'll highlight several recent flights to and from Manila on SQ, as well as my stay at the Grand Hyatt Manila.

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                  • #69
                    109. SQ to Vietnam: Pho in Saigon, River Boat to the Cu Chi Tunnels (June 2019)

                    There is a buzz about Vietnam these days. The country is developing quickly. This is a nation of young, energetic people, who are very friendly, but also very tough and determined. Anyone who visits Vietnam these days cannot help but be awed by the progress made year on year.

                    Apart from being a magnet for companies and businesses, Vietnam is now also a very popular tourist destination. Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still known, is just a 2 hour flight from Singapore – closer to Singapore than Bangkok, in fact.

                    In June 2019, my family and I visited Saigon for a 5-day getaway. I had previously visited Hanoi for work. On my most recent trip to Hanoi in March 2017, I dined at the same bun cha restaurant as Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain did when they were there. On that last trip, I also flew home to Singapore on the same SIA aircraft that our PM was on, after his state visit to Hanoi. However, I had never been to Saigon until this recent trip.

                    I found Saigon, in the south of Vietnam, to have quite a different vibe from Hanoi, in the north, with Saigon having more French influence as far as architecture was concerned, and perhaps Saigon was a little more lively, unbuttoned and hedonistic than Hanoi – just an initial impression based on a very short trip.



                    Visitors also come to Saigon for a different reason: Wars and conflict in the not too distant past have left scars, both physical and psychological, on both sides. Museums, memorials and places from these wars are now popular tourist attractions, despite the horrors that led to their existence. That said, in many ways, Vietnam is a shining example of how a nations can reconcile with past foes and move forward.

                    While getting around Saigon, one was often reminded of conflicts of the past. The most recent war, in Vietnam, which only ended in the early 70’s, left so much unwanted military hardware strewn around the country that planes, helicopters and tanks have become popular as repurposed lawn ornaments, proudly displayed in front of buildings.

                    But on the principle that it is important to remember the past so as not to repeat it, there were also war history museums which display these artifacts, along with photos and lists of grim statistics, and these were also worth a visit for anyone coming to Saigon, if only to lend a different, more serious perspective, to any holiday there.

                    If one really was a history buff, one could also make a side trip from Saigon to visit the Cu Chi tunnels, an important part of war history in this country. Mrs yflyer knew about my interest in the Vietnam war, and included a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels as part of our holiday itinerary.



                    Apart from that, we spent most of our time in Saigon itself, touring the attractions, where we saw both old Saigon and a rapidly developing modern city centre, with skyscrapers as impressive as any in Asia. We checked out some really good restaurants serving traditional Vietnamese, as well as Vietnamese/French cuisine, and also spent a lot of time walking around the city by day and by night, which is always a great way to get a sense of what makes a place tick.

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      110. SIA A350-900 from Singapore to San Francisco in Economy (SQ32/31 SIN-SFO-SIN) (November 2019)

                      In mid-November 2019, I flew nonstop from Singapore to San Francisco on SIA’s A350-900 in Economy Class, on SQ32. I returned to Singapore a week later on SQ31, also a nonstop SFO-SIN sector. After recent nonstop flights from SIN to LAX and SFO on United, it was nice to be back on SIA again for this long flight to one of my favourite cities.



                      SQ has, by now, a very large A350 fleet. This aircraft type serves regional, long haul, and ultra-long haul sectors. Each of these variants has a different cabin configuration and seat product. Looking just at the long haul A350-900 fleet, the most recent examples differ from the earliest A359’s in that the newest planes have the latest 2017 Economy Class cabin product (Similar to the Y seats on SQ’s regional A350), whereas the earliest long haul SQ A350's have an earlier 2013 Y product.

                      Both my SIN-SFO and SFO-SIN sectors were operated by 9V-SMZ, a very new plane, SIA's 42nd A350, delivered on 31 Oct 2019, less than 3 weeks before my flight. This aircraft had the latest Y cabin products, which makes the cabin product featured in this TR different from from my previous TR's on SQ's long haul A350's.



                      SQ's cabin service is usually very good, and often excellent. Over the years, I have found that the best SQ experience is often on really long sectors like SIN-LHR or any SIN-USA sector -- on these long haul flights the crew have ample time to get to know pax and subtlely (Or not so subtlely...) tailor cabin service to pax preferences, which can really make the experience quite special.



                      And conversely, it is an opportunity for pax to get to know the cabin crew a little better too, if one is so inclined. This is true of J and F/R...it can also be true of Y / PEY. Was this the case on these flights? Read the TR to find out!

                      Coverage as well of the Hilton Financial District, and Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport hotels



                      ...and the dinner tasting menu at Lord Stanley.

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        111. Scoot 787 to Bangkok: Floating Markets, IconSiam, and Sunday Brunch at the Sukhothai (November 2019)

                        At the end of November 2019, Mrs yflyer and I flew to Bangkok for a weekend getaway. We flew both SIN-BKK and BKK-SIN sectors on Scoot, on flights operated by the 787 Dreamliner, both of which were packed chock full of mainly holiday travellers.



                        On this trip, we stayed at the W Bangkok in Sathorn, a swank and very stylish hotel that I had stayed at previously. I wanted to introduce the W to Mrs yflyer, since I had raved so much about it to her after my last stay there.



                        This was a leisure trip. While I had been to Bangkok several times before, those were always work trips, and I had seen almost nothing. On this occasion, with Mrs yflyer in charge of the itinerary, we had a packed weekend, where we saw a lot of Bangkok.

                        We visited one of Bangkok’s famous floating markets…



                        …as well as Bangkok’s newest mall, IconSiam.

                        We also checked out the amazing Sunday Brunch at the Sukhothai…

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          112. SIA's Regional Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-10: What's the Difference? (November 2019 and January 2020)

                          On SIA's regional routes in Asia, you can now fly two of the fleet's newest aircraft types: the Airbus A350-900 (Regional config) and the Boeing 787-10.

                          A350-900:



                          787-10:



                          At first glance, both aircraft types are very similar in configuration: Both have two cabin classes, fitted with the latest fully-flat regional Business Class seats in 1-2-1 layout, as well as the 2017 Economy Class seat, laid out in 9-abreast 3-3-3. The Airbus A350 has 40 business class seats and 263 in economy. On the 787-10, there are 36 business and 301 economy seats.

                          But observant passengers will notice a few differences. For example the 787-10 has electronically dimmed window shades, whereas the A350 window shades are conventional. Although both the regional A350 and 787-10 have similar seat products in Y and J, the Boeing is fitted with the Panasonic eX3 inflight entertainment system (IFE), whereas the Airbus has the Thales Avant system.

                          I recently flew both these types in Economy on a trip to Manila: The A359 on SQ910 SIN-MNL in November 2019...





                          ...and then SQ921 MNL-SIN on the 787-10 in January 2020.





                          How did they compare? What were the differences? Let's find out!
                          Last edited by yflyer; 23 June 2020, 09:45 AM.

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                          • #73
                            113. Scoot to Taiwan: Taipei 101, Taroko Gorge, Jiu Fen Old Street (December 2019)

                            Mrs yflyer loves heading to Taiwan for holiday. There is a lot to see and do, and the cuisine holds many delights. It is also a value destination, with very reasonable prices, given the quality of what is on offer, whether you are on a budget holiday or luxurious splurge.

                            The last time we were in Taiwan was in June 2015, on a family getaway. We were back again at the end of last year, in early December 2019, for a short family vacation, but this time without Miss yflyer no.1, who was in the middle of her university term. It was just Mrs yflyer, Miss yflyer no.2 and myself this time round.

                            We spent 5 days in Taiwan, mostly covering ground we did not get round to exploring in 2015.

                            On this trip, I finally made it up to the observation deck of Taipei 101, at one time the world's tallest building.

                            There was also a lot to see outside the city of Taipei, easily accessible to visitors via Taiwan's rail network...



                            We headed by train to Jiufen, a very pretty hillside town well known for its Old Street, with its multitude of stalls lining winding alleyways.

                            We also toured Taroko Gorge, with its amazing trails and views.



                            Mrs yflyer was in charge of the itinerary, hotels and restaurants.



                            She knew my taste in hotels very well, and picked several very interesting properties: the Philippe Starck-designed S Hotel, and the Eslite Hotel, in Taipei, as well as a small homestay/BnB, or Ming Shu, in Xincheng, close to Taroko Gorge.

                            She picked the restaurants as well, revisiting old favourites like Dawan Yakiniku, as well as new places, including Japanese omakase restaurant Xiao Cui.

                            I left all trip planning in Mrs yflyer's capable hands. The only thing I had to do for this trip was book flights (On Scoot!), and once there, figure out running routes in central Taipei, which I initially found quite frustrating, until I eventually discovered the ideal place to get my running fix.

                            In this TR, I'll also cover the difference between Scoot's Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the SIN-TPE-SIN sector.
                            Last edited by yflyer; 23 June 2020, 09:55 AM.

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                            • #74
                              114. Barcelona, Emirates, and the End of the A380 (EK Y SIN-DXB-BCN-DXB-SIN) (February 2019)

                              How quickly things change. At the start of 2020, I had not one but two trips to Barcelona planned. One at the end of February, flying on SQ, and another in March, on BA via LHR. At that time, there were news reports of a mysterious illness that had appeared in Wuhan, China. Just a few cases, and all in that part of the world, relatively far away.

                              But both trips were cancelled, as concerns around an escalating Covid-19 situation took hold.

                              By March 2020, business travel had ground to a complete halt for me, and I was starting to miss life on the road, even in Economy.

                              So instead of a TR about a trip or two to Spain in 2020, I would post this TR on my trip to Barcelona last February, on Emirates, a TR which had been in my backlog for 12 months...

                              I've covered Barcelona in several TR's previously, but Gaudi's Sagrada Familia looks different every time I go there...



                              ...and there are so many memorable places to revisit...



                              Barcelona is also one of the nicest places to head out for a run...

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                115. SQ863 HKG-SIN in A350 Economy, and Hong Kong before the Protests/Covid-19 (November 2018)

                                I think the world has changed forever. When the current Covid-19 crisis ends, the world will pick up the pieces and begin the long journey towards recovery, but I am quite certain it won't be a case of waking up from a collective nightmare to find things just as they were before.

                                This crisis has changed us all in so many ways: how we work, how we socialize, and how we treat our fellow men. Hopefully we all learn something from all of this, and make positive changes to how we live.

                                As far as business travel is concerned, I sincerely doubt we will go back to the days of flying all over the world for business.

                                Yes, in some business contexts, face to face engagement is required, especially for building all-important trust in a business relationship. That only happens eyeball to eyeball.

                                But considering how much work is currently being done remotely, in lock down or near lock down conditions, all over the world, many business leaders are probably thinking that in the future, the new normal will involve a lot less travel.

                                Certainly the technology looks to be up to it, with fast internet connectivity making videoconferencing and remote collaboration quite feasible, despite hiccups such as security loopholes in Zoom (Which will hopefully be plugged soon!). I am in a line of work where technology use is fairly pervasive, so the transition to working from home (WFH) has not been too traumatic, either for me or for my customers.

                                I've recently been collaborating, virtually, with my colleagues in Hong Kong. We've done virtual customer meetings and presentations to senior executives there using video conferencing tools, and these have gone fairly smoothly. Work continues.

                                But do I miss travelling to Hong Kong? Yes I do. I miss the vibe. I miss the food. Some of the most interesting runs I've done have been in Hong Kong.



                                Which brings me to this TR, about a trip to Hong Kong I made in November 2018. This was before Covid-19, and even before the Hong Kong protests over the proposed extradition bill, which began a few months later, in March 2019.

                                Hong Kong, and indeed the world, was quite different back then.



                                Will we ever see those times again? I hope so.

                                In the mean time, here is a short TR reminiscence of the recent past, covering the SQ economy class experience from HKG to SIN...







                                Coverage, as well, of the Renaissance Harbour View hotel...



                                ...and dinner at "Hutong" in Kowloon...

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