Posts tagged Doha

It’s a weird and new experience, being in an airport on Christmas Day. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s quiet. Very quiet. No queues for check-in. No queues for security. I get to the airport around 1840 and before long I’m in the Qantas lounge. Aside from a tree in reception and endless kitsch Christmas music, there’s not really any festive trimmings here. A couple of mince pies are the only gesture in the food area. Not that I’m disappointed, I’m not really hungry right now anyway and I intend to eat on the plane. I was just curious to see what it might be like.

We’re all boarded by 2110 and depart on time at 2150. I have dinner after take off: the delicious butternut almond soup, a festive special of turkey and vegetables, finished with a selection of ice creams. I watch a couple of movies: “Crazy Rich Asians” followed by “Christopher Robin” (a different film to the one I watched on my last trip). I only get through the start of “Christopher Robin” before needing sleep. By this time it’s 0115. I get my usual sleep; 3-4 hours of on-off sleep. It’s the best I’ve come to hope for but welcome all the same. I watch the rest of the film before settling down for a few more hours of on-off sleep. It’s bumpy at times but nothing too disturbing.

By 0800 I’m awake again and spend the next hour quietly lying and thinking. Then breakfast begins at 0930: apple and ginger juice, cereal and an amazing French toast with berries. After freshening up, I spend the last 2 hours of the flight listening to music and watching the flight path. As we approach Doha they open the blinds and I can see the lights of Dubai. Unfortunately, there‘s too much light in the cabin for good photos.

At 0405 (Qatar time) we arrive in Doha on time. There‘s no aero bridge; we board a bus to get to the terminal. I have three hours until my next flight so I sit and relax in the lounge. For the last hour I do some German revision in a book I bought in London. I‘m starting to feel a little tired.

The next flight departs on time at 0755. The plane has Qsuites, so it‘s very comfortable. There don‘t seem to be that many people on the flight. The pilot does his announcement in English and German. I try my best to pick out words. It‘s been hours since my last meal so I enjoy another breakfast: orange juice, Greek yoghurt and scrambled eggs with chicken skewer. I watch a documentary on an English country house (Longleat). Later I watch a German movie, “In the Aisles”, which gives me another opportunity to practise picking out words.

The first flight was nighttime all the way. This flight is daytime. Although my fellow passengers all appear to want to sleep to Munich, I‘m captivated by the views and we have clear sky much of the way. I decide against sleep and don‘t feel too guilty keeping one of my blinds up as the suite doors block much of the light. After a great view of Doha, we pass over oil platforms in the gulf, rugged terrain and snow capped mountains in Iran and Turkey, the Black Sea and cross over into Romania. There are clouds but they clear as we spectacularly fly over part of the Austrian Alps. It‘s an amazing view that then changes to very flat fields on the final approach to Munich.

We land a little early at 1154 (Germany time). The temperature is -1 degree. I make my way to Passport Control. The airport is quite empty but there is already a line up at Passport Control and only a few booths. I make my decision to use my British passport as the EU line seems a bit shorter and seems to be moving marginally faster. But still it is a very slow process. Each person or group takes a couple of minutes to get through. There are questions and some need to provide an electronic finger print. It’s half an hour before I get to the front. I hand over my passport, he checks where I flew in from and I’m through in less than 30 seconds!

From the airport I make my way to the terminal train station and catch the next S8 line to Marienplatz. I get there at about 1345. Google Maps tells me it’s only 350m to the hotel, so I walk. I get a little lost but finally make it there and check in at 1400. I take a nice warm shower to wash all the travel off. It’s still cold outside and I venture out. There are lots of people about but everything is closed due to a public holiday. I forget my beanie and soon feel head freeze. I head back to settle in for the night. I will explore properly tomorrow.

Munich 2018Ian Barber28 December 2018Alps, Doha, Flights Comment

02.11 Doha to London to Manchester

0200 (ADELAIDE TIME) Time for bed. The first 3 hours I sleep quite deeply for an hour at a time. After that it gets bumpy and I’m just drifting on the edge of sleep. At times it’s REALLY bumpy; strap in! Generally the cabin temperature is good. Cool. I can crank up my air vent if I want and this is good for sleeping.

0800 For the last hour of rest I listen to my iPod. I bought lots of music before I left and it’s nice to lay quietly and discover. Albums include Singularity (Jon Hopkins), Soyuz (Gazpacho), Colour Bomb (Colour Bomb), In a Desperate Moment (The Kite String Tangle), re:member (Olafur Arnolds), Boy Afraid (Saro).

0900 Time for some breakfast. I would have held off a bit longer but most of the other passengers are starting to eat and the aroma is too tempting. I don’t want too much and settle for apple and ginger juice followed by scrambled eggs and crushed avocado. The food on this flight has been outstanding; the best airline food I’ve had.

I look at the flight tracker and get another little buzz.

The flight has onboard WiFi so I get the complimentary 30 min. The connection is quite good and I get my updates and email. The bank has put a hold on one of my credit cards due to a transaction. Luckily its not one of the cards I’m travelling with and it’s a legitimate transaction. I will sort it out when I get to Doha.

0950 After brushing my teeth and freshening up, I sit back to listen to more of my new music. I feel VERY relaxed.

1114 The lights come on and we commence our descent. The flight attendant who took care of me for most of the flight was so delightful. She was just very friendly without being intrusive.

0420 (DOHA TIME) We land in Doha and it’s still dark. The airport is huge and nicer than I remember. I SO want to take some photos but dare not here. Doesn’t feel right. It’s 24 degrees but it must be humid because I’m sweating already. I wander around the duty free. On the plane I saw an ad for noise cancelling ear plugs. Sounds like a great idea but I don’t find any.

There’s a really mesmerising massive digital artwork on one of the walls. People walking towards and then away from the viewer and disappearing into the desert haze.

0450 I make my way to the business lounge.

0509 I call the bank to sort out my credit card. They don’t have a record of my UK trip either. Might be my mistake but I’m glad I fixed it in case they do the same to any of the cards I DO need.

0550 I’m feeling hungry again. I guess breakfast was a few hours ago. There is a dining area but I don’t want a full blown meal. I wander around and discover there are stations with various treats around the lounge. I find some savoury treats followed by mini pastries and a coffee. That’s enough to fill the gap.

0644 The lounge was almost deserted when I arrived. Now it’s light, there are people everywhere.

0745 Time to go to the departure gate.

0818 Flight QR7, B777-300ER, Seat 1K. I’m on board. This plane is fitted with Q-Suites. Every seat is essentially a mini-suite, with door. Fancy! So much room and storage. Because of the configuration, I‘m sitting backward. It feels a little odd. We‘re delayed on the tarmac due to air traffic.

0910 Departed. The developments we pass over on the way out are spectacular. So much luxury construction.

I‘m feeling a little tired but still quite fresh.

0930 I watch a movie; “The Shape of Water”. The main meal on this flight is breakfast. What the heck; I order carrot juice, Greek yoghurt with granola and scrambled eggs with chicken skewer.

1030 Flying over some very dramatic and barren landscape. We fly over a circular city; I think it is Erbil. It looks unusually shaped in its context.

1130 We‘re crossing over the border into Turkey.

1140 I try to get some more sleep.

1300 I wake up! I managed to get to sleep quite easily and slept very solidly. I could probably sleep longer but feel refreshed enough and want to keep retraining my body clock. I ask for a coffee. It comes with some delicious stem ginger cookies.

1310 We‘re flying over Bucharest. There is quite thick cloud with occasional clear patches.

1330 I take advantage of the quiet in the cabin to go freshen up and change my t-shirt; avoid the landing rush.

1350 All the flight it‘s been really smooth. Now, over Hungary, it suddenly gets really bumpy.

1415 The cloud briefly clears over the Czech Republic.

1437 It’s clearer over Germany. We fly over Coburg.

1510 I get excited as I catch my first glimpse of the English Channel.

1540 We’re tracking the Thames inland. From my calculation, London will be on the left side of the plane but I’m sitting on the right. Then we change direction and before I know it we’re flying slowly right over the centre of the city. The plane banks at just the right time to see everything. It’s a clear day and the view is amazing!

1250 (UK TIME) We’ve landed. I’ve been to London many times and this one of the first it hasn’t been drizzling on arrival.

1315 I make my way to border control. The UK passport queue is empty and I go through the electronic gates just like a local. Cool. Of course, my fellow business class passengers get to luggage at the same time thanks to their fast track passes, but it’s the principle!

1330 I need to catch the train to terminal 2 so I can catch the Heathrow Express. The next one is 18 min away.

1404 I’m on the Heathrow Express. Next stop London.

1416 I arrive at Paddington station and need to catch the tube to get to Euston. First the Bakerloo line (southbound) to Oxford Circus, then the Victoria line (northbound) to Euston. I had been nervous that it might be tricky changing trains with all my luggage but it all goes pretty smoothly with only a couple of stairs.

I instantly recognise all the sights and sounds of the underground and the trains. Aside from the “city” smells, there’s a distinct smell to the trains here.

1440 I get to Euston in plenty of time for my train to Manchester. There’s a lounge where I can get a drink and snack while I wait.

1600 We depart for Manchester. Nearly there now and I can fully relax. You’ve done well Ian.

1815 The train arrives in Manchester. I was starting to vague out by the end of the trip. The hotel is within sight of the train station so I walk. There are lots of people out. It’s dark but still early. Tonight is just a bed to recover before continuing to my final destination tomorrow morning. I think I’ll head to bed super early, after a lovely shower.

England 2018Ian Barber3 November 2018London, Flights, Trains, Manchester, Doha, Qatar Comments

01.11 Adelaide to Doha

1530 (ADELAIDE TIME) I leave work. It’s been a productive day and went quite quickly. Much quicker than the last few. It has felt like this trip would never get here. It’s been a warm day, and I’m so glad to be heading to cooler weather.

1600 There’s no rush to get to the airport so I relax at home for a little while. I finish packing and tidy up the house, turning off the power etc.

1830 Time to get to the airport. The taxi is here and it’s clean drive there.

1900 Check-in goes quickly and the queue for screening is short. My check-in luggage is only 19 kg. Seems much more. I go to the Qantas lounge to wait for my flight. Time to indulge in a quick snack of spicy pasta and a holiday champagne.

2050 Time to go through customs. It’s very fast too.

2115 Flight QR915, A350-900, Seat 2K. I’ve boarded. I feel very calm and relaxed already. But curiously, I only feel mildly excited. I think it hasn’t sunk in that I’m finally on holidays. Then a glimpse of the flight tracker gives me a quick buzz and I know it’s real.

It will be a 14 hr flight tonight. My plan is to try to get some quality sleep. I decide to avoid alcohol and I’ve brought valerian tablets that should help settle me.

I start by watching a movie. “Goodbye Christopher Robin” looks like a good place to start. The flight is a little bumpy for the first half hour out of Adelaide.

2245 They start preparing for dinner. I choose the creamy pumpkin soup, Arabic chicken kofta, warm orange semolina pudding. As they set my table they place a small electronic tea light; it sounds tacky but was actually lovely. The meal is delicious, especially the soup.

2351 I’m trying to delay sleep to align with my destination, so I watch another movie. This time “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”. It had been given an R rating but I have no idea why.

England 2018Ian Barber3 November 2018Flights, Doha, Qatar Comments

Doha to Adelaide

Flying out of Doha at night was amazing. I had a fantastic view of Doha in all it's sparkly glittery glory. I tried taking pictures on my phone but they don't do it any justice. Had I realised what to expect I would have left my good camera out of my bag.

By the time we departed I was really hungry so I had dinner; a lovely beef salad followed by lamb loin. Both were exceptional.

The plan was then to try and get some sleep. Unfortunately, towards the end of dinner the turbulence started. At times it was pretty bad, though not the worst I've encountered. But it was relentless and we continued to bump along for nearly 5 hours. I managed to doze on and off but it wasn't a refreshing sleep. It should do until tonight though.

After I had given up on getting any more sleep I watched my first and only movie for this trip home - "Hidden Figures" - a great movie. Then a nice breakfast of bircher muesli followed by scrambled eggs.

Now, I'm writing this entry as we speed across the Great Australian Bight only an hour from home.

I just had to check something on Google maps and I must admit I had a *sigh* moment when it opened on London, where I last used it. No point getting all emotional about it though. Time to get back and live life in my Australian home again for a while.

England and Wales 2017Ian Barber2 June 2017Flights, Doha Comments