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Long haul fights SUCK
Jul. 20th, 2016 12:48 pmHonestly we were as comfortable as we could have been on an economy flight - but the dry, pressurised air in a plane means I CANNOT sleep properly. I functioned for 24 hours on just resting and snoozing for maybe half an hour at a time (and waking up gasping).
We were lucky that both flights had plenty of empty seats, so on the first one we had two seats each across the aisle from one another - right up the back, I don't know why people don't like it there - there is more space and the loo is RIGHT THERE if you need it. On the second flight we had three seats to ourselves - that was unfortunately directly over the wing obscuring the view and causing annoying vibrations, but we were right by the toilet again. (Hey, it's priority with me okay!)
We followed a setting full moon out of Perth and it turned RED as it set. I may have been a nerd and looked at it with my binoculars - spectacular.
While I didn't manage much sleep - I DID manage to watch Gone With The Wind, now I am totally ready to look at pretty plantation houses in Atlanta and New Orleans.
I started handwriting notes, but as the day wore on I stopped bothering.
Couldn't see the Burj Dubai due to a dust in the air, but I did note that Dubai suburbs are neat and sparse and constantly threatened by the desert. Roads in neat squares with roundabouts at all the corners, but a corner of the suburb might be disappearing under sand. Occasionally a rich person's property shows up - green lawns and large pools of water.
My first glimpse of the desert from my window had be a bit overwhelmed. I am over the Middle East!! This tumultuous, but still beautiful part of the world. It's unfortunate not everywhere is 'safe' or easy to visit, but then again, I'd want to go EVERYWHERE and it would make decisions really hard.
The plane out of Dubai was first delayed by a runway closure (probably the dust storm), and then a child had to be evacuated from the plane because they were too ill to fly (how this came on suddenly and the parents didn't realise beforehand I have no idea), but after about 1.5 hours delay we were in the air.
Paris was still 34C when we arrived. And the air-con at Charles De-Gualle seemed faulty as we waited in the loooong line at customs. While in the line however we got chatting to a guy from Melbourne. Later on we came across him at the train station and he informed us that the train wasn't running due to an accident! There was a replacement bus though. It was now about 10:30pm and we were all buggered so we decided to share a taxi as his hotel wasn't far from ours. I think it was worth the extra cost.
Ah, you know that delirium that sets in when you haven't slept properly. After checking in and dumping our stuff in the room we went downstairs to get some food - it took bloody long enough to arrive but it was good! Then showers and sleep around 1am. With a CPAP, in moist, warm air, blissful.
And of course, now it's 6:30am and I am awake. I can hear birds outside!! The sun is up. Eeee eee eeeeee!!
We were lucky that both flights had plenty of empty seats, so on the first one we had two seats each across the aisle from one another - right up the back, I don't know why people don't like it there - there is more space and the loo is RIGHT THERE if you need it. On the second flight we had three seats to ourselves - that was unfortunately directly over the wing obscuring the view and causing annoying vibrations, but we were right by the toilet again. (Hey, it's priority with me okay!)
We followed a setting full moon out of Perth and it turned RED as it set. I may have been a nerd and looked at it with my binoculars - spectacular.
While I didn't manage much sleep - I DID manage to watch Gone With The Wind, now I am totally ready to look at pretty plantation houses in Atlanta and New Orleans.
I started handwriting notes, but as the day wore on I stopped bothering.
Couldn't see the Burj Dubai due to a dust in the air, but I did note that Dubai suburbs are neat and sparse and constantly threatened by the desert. Roads in neat squares with roundabouts at all the corners, but a corner of the suburb might be disappearing under sand. Occasionally a rich person's property shows up - green lawns and large pools of water.
My first glimpse of the desert from my window had be a bit overwhelmed. I am over the Middle East!! This tumultuous, but still beautiful part of the world. It's unfortunate not everywhere is 'safe' or easy to visit, but then again, I'd want to go EVERYWHERE and it would make decisions really hard.
The plane out of Dubai was first delayed by a runway closure (probably the dust storm), and then a child had to be evacuated from the plane because they were too ill to fly (how this came on suddenly and the parents didn't realise beforehand I have no idea), but after about 1.5 hours delay we were in the air.
Paris was still 34C when we arrived. And the air-con at Charles De-Gualle seemed faulty as we waited in the loooong line at customs. While in the line however we got chatting to a guy from Melbourne. Later on we came across him at the train station and he informed us that the train wasn't running due to an accident! There was a replacement bus though. It was now about 10:30pm and we were all buggered so we decided to share a taxi as his hotel wasn't far from ours. I think it was worth the extra cost.
Ah, you know that delirium that sets in when you haven't slept properly. After checking in and dumping our stuff in the room we went downstairs to get some food - it took bloody long enough to arrive but it was good! Then showers and sleep around 1am. With a CPAP, in moist, warm air, blissful.
And of course, now it's 6:30am and I am awake. I can hear birds outside!! The sun is up. Eeee eee eeeeee!!
