Star-studded to Latin America Part 4: long way home with JJ F and SQF

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Here comes the last installment of an epic journey earlier this year.

Part 1: CGK-SIN-GRU is here
Part 2: GRU-PTY-HAV is here
Part 3: HAV-LIM-BOG is here

The last installment also happens to be the most epic. It started with 4-hour hop from BOG to MEX and it was originally planned to continue the ‘short way’ to Asia via LAX and NRT across the Pacific but due to US immigration reasons, we changed at the last minute to go the ‘long way’ via GRU and BCN across the Atlantic, a 4 day journey.

Here’s a map showing our route across more than half the globe.



We spent a couple of days in Bogota and unexpectedly fell in love with the place. After Cuba, we felt so relieved that we could move about without every other person shouting ‘China, or Sayonara’. Anyway, here are a couple more photos of our favourite South American capital, Bogota:

The imposing cathedral at the main plaza, which is the heart of the historical district (the Candelaria). The neighbourhood immediately abutting the plaza has a gritty feel to it with many graffiti but we felt pretty safe.



Cute alpacas in front of the cathedral. These are for tourists but there are hardly any tourists so they are mostly idle.



Off the main plaza, there are plenty of charming bylanes with few cars. Many of the buildings have been renovated and overall it is a charming place.



The rooftop is very charming too. This is taken from one of the heritage hotels.



The city is essentially a mountain city. Towards the east of the city, a range of mountain dominates. Note that even in Bogota’s streets, walking and running do feel more strenuous due to the altitude. We were panting like mad and almost fainted chasing after our hop-on hop-off bus. Take it easy while on the first few days here.

A cable car connects the city to Monserrate on top of the range. This is the view from the cable car up to Monserrate looking down to the expanse of the city below.



On Monserrate, it is a completely different world. The hustle and bustle of the city seems like a thousand miles away. Beware, due to the altitude, climbing the steps and even walking takes some effort.

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Route: BOG-MEX
Flight: AV 72
Aircraft: A321 (N-632AV)
STD/ATD: 0840
STA/ATA: 1220
Duration: 4 hours 40 minutes
Class: Business Class
Seat: 1K
Load: 12/12

After a couple of days in Bogota, we had to begin the long trek home. We took a taxi to the new international terminal in Bogota. It was crowded even though it was a Saturday and was quite chaotic. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be able to find the photos that I took here. It was a newish terminal with check in counters on one side and another series of booths on the other abutting the curb. As short-stay foreigners, we had to get a tax-exemption stamp from one of these booths.

The Avianca lounge is post-security and immigration and is spacious. There were not many users though on that Saturday morning.



The lounge has great views towards the tarmac. BOG is dominated by narrow bodies at this time of the day.



Aerogal bound for Ecuador. Now it has been “swallowed” by Avianca too. Latin America has become the land of oligopolistic competition for airlines. Fares are consequently higher and forget about hopping from country to country with low fares like in Asia



TACA (technically it is now Avianca too) and LAN, the arch-rival.



A fleet of Aviancas – all in new livery.



On the way to take-off, we passed all these military planes, a reminder of Colombia’s struggle with the FAARC.



Non civilian aircrafts are quite common at this airport – both for the army and the police.



The flight on this 4.5 hour hop to Mexico was nothing extraordinary. As noticed in all our regional flights in South America, business class was full (12/12).



The quality of Avianca planes is definitely much better than TACA’s. It has individual IFE screens in business class with AVOD.



But there is no footrest. Poor wall becomes the footrest usually.

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Meal was a breakfast service. Like previous TACA flights, I don’t recall any menu cards being distributed. The meal was nicely presented on one tray and the details (cutleries and wares) were the same as on TACA. It looks like Avianca and TACA have pretty much fully integrated their service. I had the quiche which was pretty tasty.



And my partner had the omelette which was nice and tender as well. The sundried tomato added an extra punch. Well done to AV for their F&B quality.



After the meal service, it was an uneventful smooth journey. It was a good length to finish a feature movie.

Nuts and drinks were distributed as we were entering Mexican airspace.



Looking out of the windows: coastline of Guatemala near Mexican border.



As we crossed deeper into Mexico, the clouds cleared up and the land basked in sunshine.



Nearing to MEX, Popocateptl looms.



About to land: Mexico City is huge.



Soon after, we were on the ground and disembarked at T1 Benito Juarez airport. It’s a pretty depressing terminal with long corridors – and I’ll emphasize again: very long corridors. It’s like a maze – up, down, left, right and no windows.







Even post-customs, in the public area, there is very little daylight with low ceiling.

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But while the airport is drab, the city is exciting. This was our 2nd time in Mexico City and therefore we didn’t do any touristy sightseeing on this trip. Instead, we visited the new museums Soumaya and Jumex in Polanco – checked out the Antara shopping mall and feasted on the impressive architecture of the area and enjoyed the public spaces.



Beautiful building skin details of the Soumaya museum.



The interior is quite impressive too with simple minimalist form and colour which let the artwork stands out. This one is a Rodin statue.



Another impressive structure that seemingly defies gravity.



Lunch was a late one at our favourite restaurant in the city. This is old-school dining that has been around for years. We were here in 2009 and the experience was so good we knew we had to be back.

The must-have dish in the restaurant is escamoles (vegetarians beware, next picture may shock) – these are ants’ larvae. And believe it or not, they are yummy delicious melt-in-the-mouth goodness. They pop in the mouth and melt away. They are more mildly-flavoured than caviar and the texture is less crunchy. These were cooked with flowers. We prefer the plain-cooked-in-butter better.



Another must-have is the stuffed poblano chili in mole oaxaquena (Oaxacan mole). In fact, for me, all moles are mouthwatering. I still eat them with the oomph and the ahhh every time as all the complexities of the myriad of flavours work their way in the mouth. Incredible. I wiped clean this plate to the last drop of sauce.

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Route: MEX-GRU
Flight: JJ 8113 (PT-MVU)
Aircraft: A330
STD/ATD: 1750
STA/ATA: 07:10
Duration: 10 hours 20 minutes
Class: First Class
Seat: 1G
Load: 3/4

We spent the night in Mexico and the next afternoon found ourselves back at T1 Benito Juarez airport to check-in for the TAM flight to GRU. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to book the free limo transfer for TAM’s passengers by the time I realized there is such a service. T1 departure hall is just as drab as the arrival hall. No voluminous space and no daylight.



The row of check-in counters was empty despite this being 90 minutes prior to departure.



First Class counter is counter no 1 and considering there are only 4 F seats on TAM, this is really dedicated. Of course, in practice, I believe business class elites use this counter as well. Our luggage would be checked through all the way to Singapore, 3 days away from here.



After check-in, we were straight through security and then to the lounge. There is no outbound passport control here, a similar system like in the USA. The lounge used is AA lounge. TAM is already integrating into Oneworld although this is more than a month before their leaving *A.



The F&B selection and the overall atmosphere is very much similar to any North American lounges.



Nachos – non-existant in Mexican Mexican fare. This is American Mexican.



The walk from the lounge to the gate was again through very long corridors.



Our flight was departing from the last gate and by the time we reached there, the flight was already boarding.

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TAM’s old First Class seat. Too bad we didn’t get to try the sleek cool new one flying to the USA and Europe. Space is generous but not much privacy. Everyone can see everyone else.



The IFE screen is huge.



There is not much storage space around the seat. This is basically all there is available. No compartments anywhere to store our belongings.



IFE console and basic controls for the seats.



Headset wrapped in cheap plastic. Is this First Class?



In-flight magazine.



Service upon boarding was very slow. The stewardesses were too busy in the business class cabin leaving F pax alone unserved until much later. Nobody took our jackets, helped with our luggage, or offered us drinks.

Pre-take off drink was champagne served in this rather tacky not-very-up-to-date champagne flute. Looks like something that was designed in the past century and never changed ever since.



TAM’s safety demonstration uses cartoons

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We were then on a long taxi to the runway. One last look at drab T1 with Volaris at one of its gates.



The much better T2 in the distance for Aeromexico. I have never departed from there but from the pictures I have seen, the spaces are much more interesting and beautiful.



Lots of planespotters on this overhead bridge taking pictures of our flight. TAM is indeed not commonly seen here. Only once a day.



Many defunct airlines: Mexicana, Aviacsa. They must have been parked here for years. Surprisingly there are lots of TAMs as well. ANA is in the distance, not sure why they got here.



We were soon in the air, basked in wonderful late afternoon light.



Overlooking the great expanse of Mexico



One last look at Popocateptl. Adios Mexico

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Menu cards were distributed soon after. The mains all sound very interesting to me.







And followed by a trio of amuse bouches. A nice touch although I don't like that red glassware.



And then the main dinner service began. I like the stainless steel balls which are salt and pepper containers. But I really can't stand the ugly red glass. I had the herbed quail for my appetizer which was some sort of roulade. It was good and very good visual presentation as well.



My partner had the smoked salmon. I don’t like smoked salmon so I can’t comment on the taste. But presentation-wise, I thought the greens shouldn’t have covered so much of the proteins. Anyway, all these were put together on cart and not at the galley.



Sorbet came next to cleanse the palate. I much appreciated this course despite my dislike for the glassware.



For my main, I had the pork loin with plum sauce which was so-so. Nothing extraordinary worth commenting for.



My partner had the amaranth-crusted trout which was way way more interesting.



For dessert, I had a chocolate mousse cake which was good enough but visually not very up-to-date.



My partner had a small tub of ice cream. These desserts were not in the menu. They were served from cart and one selects from there.



Meal service was over when we were over Lake Nicaragua.

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Mood lighting was beautiful.



Checking out the onboard camera. TAM has one looking forward and one looking down. But the resolution is so bad, one can barely make out anything on the screen.



Checking out the toilet. It is basic. Not feeling much different than Y class toilets. But since there are only 4 pax maximum, there will hardly be any queue.



Soon after, it was time to catch some rest. TAM’s seat reclines into bed position. I didn’t expect it but the bed is not flat! It’s slopey in First Class.



A short night after, breakfast service started with a cold towel and orange juice.



Fruits were served next.



Followed by cold cuts. Very quick dump-all-together plating by the stewardess.



I had wraps for my main which were just okay, acceptable.



My partner had omellette, which didn’t taste good as much as it didn’t look good.



A small box of chocolate wrapped up the service.



Breakfast service was complete in time for a beautiful sunrise.

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Descending into Sao Paulo



Impressive views of the mega city from high above.



Downtown Sao Paulo basked in early morning light. This is the reason why I love window seats.



We landed just after sunrise.



A few TAM widebodies also landed around the same time.



Lufthansa and US Airways already docked at the terminal building.



Disembarkation was using staircase at a remote bay and we, 3 F pax were transported to the main terminal with a dedicated van. Morning is peak hour. And we had to queue for half-an-hour. No First Class lane here! So much so for TAM’s F Class service, it ended at the van.



Well, except that there was a guest relations officer waiting near the baggage claim who will help identify and load our luggages to the trolley cart.

In conclusion, I find that TAM First Class service is mediocre at best. The hardware is quite last-century (this particular flight) and the service is spotty. We didn’t feel special when we first boarded and felt rather neglected. The stewardesses were however quite warm when the flight was on cruising and we did manage to get into some interesting exchanges with them. She even wanted to learn a few Chinese words from us. I guess it being a very small cabin helps. The food offerings were interesting in the menu and were mostly good to above average in taste except for the breakfast.

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Route: GRU-BCN-SIN
Flight: SQ 67 (9V-SWD)
Aircraft: 77W
STD/ATD: 1840
STA/ATA: 0520
Duration: 10:25 to BCN, 12:45 to SIN
Class: First Class
Seat: 1C
Load: 4/8 to BCN, 6/8 to SIN

We had almost a 12-hour break in Sao Paulo, during which we killed time by trekking all the way across town to Cidade Jardim and then walked around Japan Town. It was too hot though so we decided to have a slow early lunch at an off-the-beaten-path hot foodie place in Villa Medeiros called Mocoto.

We arrived back in GRU airport 3 hours before the flight. And after checking in to get our SQ boarding pass, we went straight to the UA lounge for a much needed cold shower. Access to shower is by request only.



Refreshed after the shower, we decided to explore the terminal a little bit since we had quite a bit of time. Gols and Varig.



Then we went to TAM Business Class Lounge since it is better than UA’s Red Carpet Lounge. This is a different lounge than the new one we went to on the way to Panama in the earlier part of the trip. This one is quite dated, not as bright, but still comfy enough.





TAM also has a First Class lounge across from this Business Class Lounge but it is supposed to open only at 5pm. That’s what they initially said but they only opened at 530ish – they work on Brazilian time as and when they feel like opening.

We only had less than an hour left when we went into the First Class Lounge. It is much smaller than the Business Class one, almost the size of a living room. Contrasting with the Business Class lounge, the furnishing is traditional (which is not my cup of tea). And it is deserted. TAM does not have many flights at that hour and even if they do, their First Class cabins only carry 4 pax maximum. So this lounge is more than sufficient, I guess.



Red accents dominate – reminiscent of the ugly glassware they have onboard. But interestingly, the tables contain models of their aircrafts with description.



One side of the wall is a cabinet containing TAM’s glassware and dining wares. Looks like they are really proud of these. They need to be updated in line with their impressive new First Class cabin.



The other wall is a large TV. The whole place does indeed feel like a living room.



There is less food in the First Class lounge but they are large in portions.



Departure gate that day was from Gate 10 and it seems to be a very light load. Indeed it was, I estimated about 40% load in both Business and Economy and 4/8 in First. Most of the pax got off in Barcelona. As per the transit list I saw in BCN, there were only about 20 pax in the list continuing to Singapore.

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The flight began with a queue down the taxiway. It’s a very congested airport indeed.



Discarded aircrafts parked randomly at one corner of the airport.



We took off in the late afternoon sun. Bye bye Sao Paulo and Latin America.



One of my favourite entertainment is watching inflight map. And I just noticed that there is a mirror next to the screen. I never noticed it before.



Dinner service began with signature SQ satay



And followed by caviar for me. This dish has not changed for ages.



And for my partner, smoked salmon. I am not a fan so didn’t try it.



Followed by soup. I had a yellow one, which I can’t recall now since I had lost the menu. I think it was potato.



My partner picked an oriental soup which was super tasty. Or may be because we just simply missed Asian food. Haha.



And then followed by a generous serving of salad.



Main course was pork with pearl onions and sprinklered with amarath. The taste was good but the pork was a little tough.

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Dessert was vanilla cake with berry sorbet



Or red wine pudding with passionfruit sauce. Both were quite good.



6 courses really filled the stomach and it was a good night sleep after. Too bad it would be a short night because we were travelling west-east.

Breakfast began with sunrise over Africa.



As usual, it started with fruits.



Followed by either muesli or cornflakes. This is very standard on any SQ flight.





My main course was waffle which was thin and crispy. Very good.



And my partner went with Asian noodles. Also very very good.



Breakfast service ended along the Spanish coast



It was a beautiful day in Barcelona.



We made a U-turn approach to BCN



And we landed slightly behind time due to the congestion in Sao Paulo the night before. It was a gorgeous morning.



Due to late arrival of the incoming flight, the time left for transit was less than an hour. It was quite incredible that SQ managed to turn around within this time frame.

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The next segment began with another signature satay course.



Served over the Mediterranean.

And for me, more caviar. I can’t remember why I chose so….



May be because I am not a fan of terrine.



Pea soup was next. I like it a lot. It was quite rich.



And oriental soup for the partner which was another delicious choice. It was sweet and intense.



Pumpkin salad was next.



And for the main, I had egg noodles with stirfried chicken. It was a good choice. I didn’t know European catering could produce all these good Asian food. Or perhaps we just missed Asian food too much? Haha

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Dessert closed lunch service over frozen Romania. This was in February. Yes, I know, late trip report.



Frozen land below and frozen goodies onboard. Peanut ice-cream with crushed peanuts for me.



The other option was chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. Both were good.



The flight went on ordinarily cruising smoothly for the remainder of the journey. We passed the Caucasus mountains in the late afternoon.



Flying over Tbilisi, Georgia. Weather seems sunny and gorgeous down there.





Many hours after, over the Bay of Bengal, breakfast service commenced.

As usual, it started with the usual series of fruit platter (lots of berries this time), and then cornflakes or bircher muesli.







It ended with my main, which was fish porridge. This was quite bad. It was tasteless and I had to add quite a fair bit of salt and pepper to make it palatable.



And shortly after, at 5am Singapore time, we landed at Changi Airport. The long epic journey had ended. Wish it didn’t have to. And I was back in office by 9am the same day ☺ -- THE END --